Buddy Trahan, a Transocean Ltd. (RIG) rig supervisor who barely survived the BP Plc (BP/) Deepwater Horizon rig disaster, asked a federal judge to free his stalled personal- injury lawsuit from the oil-spill litigation set for trial in New Orleans on Feb. 27. “Like a beleaguered passenger who fruitlessly waits for a streetcar that will not come, Buddy Trahan has waited and waited and waited some more” for his case to be returned to state court or set for trial in the New Orleans federal court, Lance Lubel, Trahan’s lawyer, said today in court papers. “In sheer exhaustion from his torturous ordeal, he respectfully -- but stridently -- requests that the court reopen the only avenue of escape and grant him the ride he needs and deserves.” Bloomberg
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The Opelika City Council approved a tax abatement Tuesday evening for a manufacturer that plans to add 32 new jobs and an additional $13 million capital investment. Daewon America Inc. will be adding the new jobs over a two-year period as it builds a new production line, said Lori Huguley, Opelika’s director of economic development. The Auburn-Opelika News
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The White House Business Council, in conjunction with the U.S. Small Business Administration, is hosting a seminar in Birmingham on March 5 designed to address the needs of entrepreneurs in the metro area. The Urban Economic Forum, one of many planned for cities across the country this year, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at The Forum Building at the BJCC on Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard, formerly known as the Medical Forum. The Birmingham News
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HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - New construction is changing the classic headquarters complex at Huntsville's Marshall Space Flight Center, where Dr. Wernher von Braun's team started the American space program. Before it's done, the process will replace most of the buildings in the four-building complex and renovate Building 4200, the historic building that housed von Braun's office. The Huntsville Times
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ATHENS, Alabama - Carpenter Technology, a steel manufacturer with headquarters in Reading, Pa., already plans to build a new $500 million facility near Calhoun Community College. Now Carpenter will also remodel Delphi building 23 at a cost of about $4 million. The renovated plant, which could add another 50 high-paying jobs, should open later this year. But first came a complicated land swap involving Carpenter and the State of Alabama, the Limestone County Commission, and OAX, a private, Florida-based investment company. The Huntsville Times
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The housing market is expected to make a positive contribution to gross domestic product for the first time in seven years in 2012, albeit a very modest one, Fannie Mae said Tuesday. The government-sponsored enterprise reported GDP growth of 2.8% in the fourth quarter of 2011 and predicted a growth rate of 2.3% in 2012, up from 1.6% last year. Fannie said any contributions from the housing sector will be modest. HousingWire
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Just six months after opening, Virginia’s first light rail transit system, located in Norfolk, is already exceeding ridership expectations. Now it’s time for the Commonwealth’s largest city, Virginia Beach, to hop aboard and extend the light rail all the way to the Atlantic oceanfront. Dubbed “The Tide,” South Hampton Roads’ light rail system made its debut in Norfolk on August 19, 2011. The initial $338 million segment, operated by the regional transit agency, Hampton Roads Transit (HRT), is 7.4 miles, has 11 stops and is currently located only within Norfolk’s city limits. Next American City
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On Tuesday, Governor Deal spoke with business leaders about his "Go Build Georgia" plan at a legislative luncheon. The governor also laid out his plan for Georgia's economic recovery. Deal said transportation funding and workforce development are both vital to help make Georgia more competitive in a global economy. Deal also discussed the T-SPOLOST referendum and why it is critical to the state's ability to recruit and sustain future economic growth. T-SPLOST is a new tax specifically used to fund special transportation projects. CBS Atlanta
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FRANKFORT, KY. — Gov. Steve Beshear’s unveiling of his long-awaited gambling bill showed the difficult road that lies ahead of him in passing a constitutional amendment during the 2012 session of the General Assembly. Within hours of its introduction, legislators on both sides of the casino issue were bashing Senate Bill 151 for providing a monopoly to the horse racing industry. By the end of the week, horse breeder and former Gov. Brereton Jones was criticizing the plan, saying it doesn’t protect the horse industry enough. The Courier-Journal
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Texas leads the nation in making and using electricity, which also makes it the nation's top polluter. But as Dave Fehling of StateImpact Texas and KUHF reports, the state's biggest power plant has found a surprising use for some of that pollution: drilling for oil. Read the full story at StateImpact Texas. Texas Tribune
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