Lagniappe Daily

We are proud to have Lagniappe profiled as a 2024 Local News Bright Spot by the Northwestern University Medill School's Medill Local News Initiative. The 2024 State of Local News Report highlights local news startups in the past five years and presents a dozen outlets — urban and rural, for-profit and non-profit — that provide their communities with excellent reporting essential to democracy while progressing in the quest for stable, sustainable business models.

150 years after the launch of the CSS Hunley out of Mobile Bay — the first submarine successful in combat — submarines are being built again in Mobile, Alabama.

Mobile County prosecutors will argue for enhanced penalties against the owner of an Orange Beach claims consulting agency, claiming he played a “major role” in an allegedly complex and lengthy insurance fraud and theft case. On Friday, Oct.18, the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office notified Circuit Court Judge Michael Windom it intends to argue he should deviate above standard sentencing guidelines against Austin Lee Tanner.

Austal USA is going full throttle in its maiden voyage into steel shipbuilding. With $750M in facility expansions and a $10B order backlog, the Mobile-based shipbuilder is planning to hire 2,000 new employees to meet the evolving naval demands. Austal's first steel-ever vessel, the Navajo-class Towing, Salvage, and Rescue Ship (T-ATS 11), is nearing completion. https://lnkd.in/efDbWUUs

Austal USA has achieved a significant milestone in its strategic partnership with General Dynamics Electric Boat, delivering the first submarine module to the contracting company's shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. Electric Boat spokeswoman Myra Lee emphasized the importance of this milestone, stating, “The first module shipment is a big milestone in a recently established partnership. This builds on Electric Boat’s efforts to accelerate the pace of submarine construction.” https://lnkd.in/efDbWUUs Image is courtesy of the Electric Boat of the Virginia-class USS South Dakota (SSN 790).

The University of South Alabama has announced it is receiving a $5 million gift from Gulf Distributing Holdings LLC and Mobile Airport Authority’s Elliot Maisel toward its new Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama facility, a $230-million project currently under construction. https://buff.ly/3MKs7kw

As published in Lagniappe Daily's Real Deal, we are proud of Alex Hutto for his hard work in obtaining his Certified General Real Property Appraiser license in Alabama. We are also pleased with the arrival of Tristan Carrey who comes to us from Jackson, MS to join our Mobile, AL office. Most recently, Premier has established a presence in Knoxville, TN and looks forward to serving Rocky Top country! Call us today for your appraisal and valuation needs in the Southeast!

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Muddied Waters — Little is clear as threats, fears and facts collide over Mobile Bay dredge spoils A local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official told Lagniappe little adds up with current controversies over Mobile Bay dredging and mud dumping. Despite fears, he said the Port of Mobile shipping channel expansion work is not in danger, nor does it use criticized in-bay spoil practices. #dredging #dredgedmaterials #sedimentmanagement #beneficialuse #endangeredspecies #usace #maritimeindustry #container #ports #containerizedcargo #internationalshipping #cargoshipping #logistics

Is your electric bill high? Public entities in Alabama have seen electrical costs skyrocket at twice the national average... Whether it’s small town mayors flipping off light switches in unused rooms or university presidents having to find millions more in their budgets, public entities served by Alabama Power Company are having to find ways to deal with skyrocketing electricity cost increases double the national average, a Lagniappe investigation has found. While individual ratepayers have seen the cost of powering their homes rise dramatically since 2021, their taxes are also going to pay increasing costs from the state’s largest utility. Lagniappe’s examination of electricity costs at public entities found that payments this year are on pace to be on average more than 40 percent above where they were in 2021. This is double the average increase nationally as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Why Alabamians’ electrical costs are so far above the national average isn’t clear, and it’s not something the utility or the commission that regulates it would talk about. What is certain, though, is that the public entities examined are paying tens of millions more to Alabama Power (APCO) than they were three years ago despite natural gas costs — used to fuel most of the company’s generation plants — having fallen dramatically. Subscribe to read Lagniappe's full coverage.