If you watched any national T.V. news, picked up a nationally circulated newspaper, or read any kind of news blogs in 2009, you heard about America's economy and just how bad it has been.
In Mississippi and Lauderdale County, it was the same story on a smaller scale. Governor Haley Barbour cut budgets by tens of millions of dollars. The city of Meridian saw a dip in sales tax revenue and the mayor has talked of possible layoffs. The county also had a tight budget and has cut budgets for most departments.
Businesses locally have suffered, numerous local employers have laid off large numbers of people, and retail outlets have closed.
But not all of the economic news has been bad. In February, Barbour announced that Handy Hardware, a company based in Texas, would build a distribution center at Meridian's I 20/59 industrial park. Not only will the facility bring 150 new jobs to the area, but as the first industry to locate at the industrial park, it will make the park more marketable to other businesses.
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held for the facility in July.
