ALABAMA BUSINESS NEWS

National & Local Business, Financial and Economics News

ESCATAWPA, Miss. -- Authorities say two people died in an explosion at VT Halter Marine's Trinity Drive shipyard in the Escatawpa community. Full story »

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that negligence claims against two aircraft firms in the 2002 death of a Minnesota pilot were wrongly thrown out. Full story »

He also urged people to "get away from Internet shopping" and spend their money in brick-and-mortar stores across the city. Full story »

BILOXI, Miss. -- About 166 properties -- many of them on the Mississippi Gulf Coast -- will be auctioned Saturday at Treasure Bay Casino in Biloxi. They are part of the going-out-of-business auction for Planetta Custom Homes through J.P. King Auction Co. Full story »

Issue should be complete by next Wednesday Full story »

HUNTSVILLE -- Madison County's jobless rate for October was 7.5 percent, unchanged from September, according to preliminary figures released today by the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations. Alabama's October unemployment rate was 10.9 percent, up from September's rate of 10.7 percent.  Full story »

Other dead malls have returned as community colleges and nursing homes Full story »

Wilcox County's rate hits 25.1%; Jefferson's at 10.3% Full story »

MOBILE, Ala. -- The littoral combat ship Independence this week successfully completed acceptance trials, the last set of tests before the vessel is handed over to the U.S. Navy, the Navy said Thursday. Full story »

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The Alabama Forestry Commission is considering upgrading 5 regulations against timber theft, but the forest industry group says regulations can be changed only by the Legislature, not an administrative panel, the Gadsden Times reports. Full story »

A former RBC Bank manager on Thursday admitted that she shuffled nearly $1 million among customers' accounts, with some of the money ending up in the accounts of her relatives. Full story »

The ThyssenKrupp steel-slab terminal on Pinto Island has features that make it unique in North America and the world, according to the Alabama State Port Authority, which brought the terminals three magnetic cranes dockside in Mobile Thursday. Full story »

Vance factory enhances recycling efforts. Full story »

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- It will likely cost about $2.5 million to correct environmental violations cited at the Pascagoula Mississippi Phosphates plant this summer, company leaders said Thursday during a third-quarter conference call. Full story »

Boise Inc. said that a stock sale will raise about $82.5 million for two of the company's large stakeholders, Boise Cascade LLC and Boise Inc. director Jason Weiss. Boise Inc. owns a paper mill in Jackson, Ala., that employs about 585 people.  Full story »