Alabama Education system is still basking in the news that the state's high school graduation rate increased to eighty six percent for the class of 2014. That figure is up from 80 percent the prior year. John Bridgeland is the C-E-O of Civic Enterprises. That’s a group that advocates efforts in decreasing dropout rates. He says Alabama has had many hurdles to clear and the state is seeing improvement among minority groups…
“Since 2006 the most accelerated gains in graduation rates have been among Hispanics and African Americans at 15 percentage and 9 percentage points respectively.”
Bridgeland says the improvements are due in part to the state putting emphasis on the importance of college and targeting specific schools with high dropout rates for improvements. He says community based programs have also played a large role in helping reduce dropout rates.
The Pensacola area Democratic Women’s Club is praising the Escambia County Commission’s decision over a Confederate battle flag. The board voted last week to remove the flag from all county buildings. Only the stars and stripes and the flag of the state of Florida are being used for now. Club President Dianne Krumel says there was an emotional debate before the county vote. But, she says the board did the right thing…
“There just needs to be a healing time, not only here in Escambia, but across the nation. It is time for us to move forward and put these symbols of hatred and division behind us.”
Supporters of Florida’s confederate past spoke in favor of replacing the battle flag, known as the stars and bars, with the actual flag of the Confederacy, which is different. The Escambia County commission voted against that.
FreightCar America Inc. will host a job fair as it seeks to fill around 200 jobs for a planned expansion of its operations in northwest Alabama.
WHNT-TV reports that the job fair is planned for January 6th at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center in Florence.
FreightCar executives have said they intend to add a rail car production line as part of a $10 million investment at Barton Riverfront Industrial Park in Colbert County.