Farm belt hope and despair - Times Gazette timesgazette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timesgazette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Alabama recovering from COVID faster than other states, economy shows
Updated Mar 11, 2021; to reflect on the 1-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic reaching Alabama. Each day leading up to March 13 we will elevate the voices of those impacted.
A year ago Alabama was one of 50 states dealing with a titanic blow to its economy - a nearly 30-percent drop in its gross domestic product in one quarter - as the coronavirus lockdown brought whole segments of the economy to a halt.
Stores and shopping centers closed. Restaurants shuttered. Hundreds of thousands of Alabamians were laid off or temporarily lost their jobs. Entire offices moved their activity online as workers stayed home.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, His Compassion Food Bank isn’t hard to find. Just look for the line of cars parked adjacent to northeast Jacksonville Road.
The line often stretches up to three-quarters of a mile back toward County Road 326 as people wait in the outreach’s food distribution drive-through car line.
In 2020, His Compassion volunteers took in and then distributed over 13 million pounds of food in the drive-throughs and also provided bulk amounts of food for 82 local community agencies and churches. Food bank officials say this year is starting off with increased need spurred by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are seeing people come through our car line for the first time needing food because they lost their job. The need for nutritious food especially for children has also increased greatly in the remote areas of the county, said Les Bowen, secretary- treasurer for His Compassion.
What will Alabama’s economy look like in 2021?
Updated Dec 30, 2020;
In late November, a new entertainment venue opened in the Gadsden Mall after almost a year of construction and months of uncertainty.
“The Alley” took shape inside an old Sears location, fashioning a bowling alley amid a lavish decor that simulates an urban streetscape.
Neon bowling balls hit the pins underneath big screen TVs, while a simulated “food truck” restaurant offers street tacos and barbecue next to a bar. Elsewhere, virtual reality games and old-style video games offer prizes, and visitors can toss footballs at bowling pins. Small children can roll down a “hill” near play equipment in the shade of artificial cherry trees.
Americans Should be Appalled By The Latest COVID Relief Bill freerepublic.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freerepublic.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.