CULLMAN —
By now word has circulated far and wide that U.S. employers added 163,000 jobs last month, which was well above the 100,000 economists expected.
Wall Street delighted in the news as stocks soared Friday. At the same time another report surfaced from Washington noting that unemployment rose slightly, even with the job increases. Alas, trying to figure the nation’s economy is becoming more complex than ever as the plight of the long-unemployed and under-employed compound the state of the union.
Nevertheless, news continues to be positive in many areas of the country, such as Cullman County. Investments are coming in for expanding industries and new businesses. More organizations are working together to draw visitors to the area, which beyond the immediate cash register sales is a strategic way of inviting more investors into the area.
News of the economy on the national level will remain uneven, according to economists who spend their days examining trends and longterm issues related to business and growth. Some of what these experts in the economic field report in the coming months, perhaps years, will continue to be troubling for everyone. But that’s no reason to back down in Cullman County.
Many area leaders are continuing to pull together the various entities that make Cullman a viable economic force. Some of these movers are in political office, while others are business owners, executive and entrepreneurs. If the current trend of pooling resources and ideas continues, the Cullman area should move far ahead of many other communities in the hunt for economic growth.
The resources that can continue to push Cullman County forward include sustained cooperation among local governments, utilization of city and county economic development offices, promoting the academic excellence of area schools and Wallace State Community College, an energized Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Merchants Association, support and recognition of the diverse agricultural community, improvement of roads and bridges, and commitment to charitable giving for the area’s needy residents. All of these institutions define the quality of life in the area, and they all should work as one force for the good of the community.
Cullman County no longer should see itself as a nice community between Huntsville and Birmingham; that’s a point pretty well understood in the region. The time is now to turn the defining qualities of Cullman into a major lure for new investments in industries, small businesses, and the arrival of new families. The quality of life here is good, and getting better all the time. Standing together as a single community will create lasting stability that ensures prosperity for the rising generation and beyond.
Editorials
Looking ahead as one community
- Editorials
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Taking the lead in education
The once-heralded ‘No Child Left Behind” education initiative from the federal level has just about run out of gas.
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Moving into the future
Hundreds of local high school seniors are accepting their diplomas and preparing to turn the page in the next chapter of their lives.
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Editorial: Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
This amounts to spying on an American news organization -- common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press.
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EDITORIAL: The IRS' Turn to Answer Questions
Washington is now sinking its teeth into a real scandal: the Internal Revenue Service using ideological criteria to choose the targets of its attention.
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Editorial: The house of death
The grisly details emerging from the murder trial of a Philadelphia abortion doctor place a glaring spotlight on a national disgrace.
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Editorial: Murder, insanity and guns
James Holmes, the accused movie theater shooter in Colorado, would like for the public to believe he killed a dozen people because he was insane.
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Lasting partnerships
Economic development officials have long noted the importance of expansions by existing industries and businesses in a community to lead growth.
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COMMENTARY: Why does young adult fiction keep giving its heroines makeovers?
Over at This Ain't Living, s.e. smith (who, full disclosure, has guest-blogged for me at ThinkProgress) has an excellent post about one of the most pernicious trends in young adult fiction.
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A spirit for moving forward
This weekend marked the two-year anniversary of a deadly day of tornadoes that streaked across Alabama, claiming lives and property and changing the landscape of many communities.
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Faith and bombs
The investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing is pointing to the all-too-familiar theme of religious faith playing a major role in violence.
- More Editorials Headlines
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Taking the lead in education
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Obama Renews Call to Close Gitmo
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A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
