jjacob@themeridianstar.com
The rough economy and poor housing market have hit the nation hard. Though the economic blow in East Central Mississippi has so far been lighter than that of many other parts of the country, our area has certainly not been immune to the economic crises that is causing turmoil across the United States.
Earlier this year, Tower Automotive announced that it would lay off numerous employees in Lauderdale County because of the failing auto industry, and development projects like Phase II of the Meridian Crossroads shopping center, and the "old mall" project were put on hold or dropped completely because of a lackluster national retail market.
Now in Clarke County 58 people will lose their jobs when their Air Vent plant closes its doors at the end of the year. The company, which manufactures ventilation equipment for construction, cited the poor housing and building market as its reason for closing the plant, Clarke County Supervisor Paul Mosley said. Air Vent is a subsidiary of Gibraltar Industries, a manufacturer of building and processed metal products.
Currently, the Clarke County plant has eight salaried employees, 30 full time non-salaried employees, and 20 part time employees who will lose their jobs by the first of the year.
Mosley said the plant closing will not do much damage to the county's overall economy. "Anything hurts us and we hate to see anything close but it's not going to have an impact like Burlington had on us," he said.
Burlington Industries was a factory in Clarke County that closed in 2002, causing 900 people to lose their jobs.
Mosley said he is hopeful that another industry will come along and replace the jobs lost by Air Vent's closing sometime soon.
Local News
Clarke County plant to close
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High Honor
The flowers and balloons Crestwood Elementary School Principal Kimberly Kendrick received at school Monday were not an early Valentines' Day gift.
Kendrick has been named Meridian Public School District's 2012 Administrator of the Year – an announcement that both surprised and wowed the 17-year veteran educator when made by MPSD Superintendent Dr. Alvin Taylor. -
Master Dance Class
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Digital system promises better communication
Hopefully in the near future you won't hear someone in the emergency services ask over the radio, "Can you hear me now?"
A digital communications system, one which is being pushed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), is a few months away and, in some cases, is already in the testing phase in Lauderdale County. -
Inmate escapes custody
Mississippi Department of Corrections officials said Monday afternoon an inmate escaped from custody Friday and is still being sought.
Officials said Johnny Hall Jr. escaped from two Wilkinson County Correctional Facility officers’ custody while being escorted from his father’s wake at the Picayune Funeral Home in Picayune. Preliminary information indicates Hall left the officers and jumped into a waiting black vehicle with a white female driver. -
Citizen’s Police Academy begins today
The work law enforcement conducts on a daily basis is often misunderstood by the general public.
Officials at the Meridian Police Department developed a program to inform and educate citizens on what police do in serving and protecting the population. The program, The Citizen's Police Academy, has been gaining speed for a couple of years since it was first offered. Officials said it shows residents are interested in police work and how it is conducted. - Woman: decongestant brought meth charge in Alabama
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Star Of The Week: Dominique Goodwin-Jenkins
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SoMiSPO brings steel drum rhythms to MCC
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About face
Nothing is forever in the military and after a months-long battle to secure a C-27J Spartan flying mission and its field training unit at Key Field and the 186th Air Refueling Wing, it seems all of that is flying the way of the KC-135 tankers that used to fill the skies over Meridian.
- Marriages & Divorces: Sunday, February 5, 2012
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