Alabama
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Hyundai's electrified Genesis GV70 will be its first EV manufactured in the US
Hyundai will manufacture EVs in the US starting in December this year with the electrified Genesis GV70 crossover model.
Amazon spent $4.3 million on anti-union consultants in 2021 alone
Amazon spent around $4.3 on consultants last year in an effort to prevent unionization of its warehouses, according to company filings.
Amazon union rerun election in Alabama will be determined by challenged ballots
Amazon workers at an Alabama warehouse have voted against unionization in a second election, but challenges might change the outcome.
Mercedes-Benz shows off the interior of the 2023 EQS SUV
Ahead of its official debut on April 19th, Mercedes-Benz has shared a first look at the interior of the 2023 EQS SUV.
Amazon violated US labor laws in Alabama union vote, labor official rules
An NLRB officer has recommended that workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama hold a new election because Amazon broke US labor laws.
Amazon's union-busting drives exposed in NYT report
Amazon's labor practices come under heavy scrutiny in the run-up to Alabama's crucial union vote.
Apple will reopen stores in four US states next week
The company will employ temperature checks and physical distancing measures.
Apple may be working with the BBC on a comedy-drama series
Apple has been snapping up big-name talents left, right and center as it gears up for the launch of Apple TV+. The likes of Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Octavia Spencer, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Kumail Nanjiani are making shows and movies for the upcoming streaming platform. Apple seems to have added another instantly recognizable name to the mix in the form of the BBC.
Burger King's Impossible Whopper is available in three more cities
Burger King is taking its Impossible Whopper on tour. The meatless Whopper's debut in St. Louis, Missouri, earlier this month, was such a success, that Burger King has plans to roll it out across the country. Today, it arrived in three new markets: Miami, Montgomery, Ala. and Columbus, Ga. To kick things off, an Impossible Whooper tour bus will roll through each city, offering games, music and freebies.
Facebook suspends accounts for pushing false info in Alabama election
Facebook's attempt to thwart disinformation campaigns has typically focused on Russia and other hostile countries, but it's now grappling with that problem on its home soil. The site has confirmed to the Washington Post that it suspended five accounts for "coordinated inauthentic behavior" during the 2017 Alabama special election for the Senate, including the CEO of social media research company New Knowledge.
Mercedes-Benz spends $1 billion to make EVs at Alabama plant
Like most auto makers these days, Mercedes-Benz is investing in electric vehicles in a big way. The Daimler-owned company is fast-tracking all of its models to an electric future by 2022. It has also been showing off a slate of EV models, like the Generation EQ concept car, slated for production in 2019, an art deco-inspired, 20-foot-long Cabriolet and an adorably small Smart Vision EQ. It's looking at infrastructure, too, giving money to help support quick-charging tech made by Israeli startup StoreDot. Now Mercedes-Benz' parent company, Daimler AG, has plans to invest an $1billion in an Alabama factory to make sure it can make fully electric vehicles and battery packs here in the US.
Alabama tests filing taxes via selfie
As tax day looms, Alabama citizens will get to live the dream and file using an app on their mobile device. The state's department of revenue is partnering with MorphoTrust to let taxpayers use the company's electronic ID (eID) system to digitally send in their taxes. In return for using the face-scanning app to prove their identity online, folks willing to to test the new setup will get priority processing and an expedited return.
Verizon kills affordable WiFi program for schools in Alabama (update: response)
Less than a year after starting OmniLynx, a program that provided low-cost WiFi access to schools in Huntsville, Alabama, Verizon is cutting ties with it. As reported by WHNT-TV, the city's education system recently sent a letter to customers notifying them of the network's decision. "We regret to inform you that your wireless service will terminate effective November 30, 2015," read the Huntsville school district's letter. "This termination of service and any resulting inconvenience has resulted from the service provider, Verizon Wireless." With OmniLynx, Huntsville residents would pay roughly $48 per month for unlimited data, powered by a free Verizon LTE hotspot which came included with the contract-free plan.
Rare lunar rover prototype accidentally sold for scrap (update)
A priceless lunar rover prototype, built by NASA in the mid '60s, has been broken up and sold for scrap. Motherboard has discovered that the vehicle was found rusting in an Alabama back yard at the start of 2014. The roving Air Force historian who spotted it instantly raised the alarm, but officials reportedly didn't rush to get contact the owner to arrange recovery. Unfortunately, by the time that they had, the person had died, and whoever was handling their estate sold the rover off to a local scrap merchant for a lot less than NASA probably would have paid. We won't spoil the rest of the story for you, but let's offer up a lesson: if you have a six-wheeled, 8,000 pound space vehicle in your back yard, maybe google it before calling the breakers. Update: In a beautiful twist to the story, the scrapyard dealer who bought the vehicle didn't dismantle the vehicle. In fact, he contacted Motherboard with pictures proving that it was in one piece and that he was planning on selling it on at some point soon.
Cell service out for thousands across the American Southeast
Cellular service appears to be down across every major provider throughout Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky with Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville being the hardest hit. According to the website Down Detector, more than 10,000 AT&T, 1,000 Verizon, 7,000 T-Mobile and 300 Sprint customers are without internet or phone access. None of the affected companies have disclosed the specific reason for the outage yet, though they all have already issued vague statements about how they're working on the issue. Update: Verizon is reporting the issue is resolved as of 8PM ET, however we haven't seen an update from the others yet.
Google's next data center will be a converted coal plant
Google is constructing another data center in the US, but the location it's settled on might surprise you. Instead of building a site from scratch, the company has decided to redevelop an old coal power plant in Alabama. The Widows Creek factory in Jackson County is scheduled to close in October due to changing regulations about the storage and monitoring of coal ash. It's been generating power since 1952 and Google plans to repurpose some of its infrastructure, such as the electric transmission lines, for its new data center. However, it doesn't want dirty fossil fuels powering its servers. Instead, it'll be working with local authorities to source new renewable energy projects that can feed into the electrical grid. Like its data center in Finland, which was once an old paper mill, it's a creative way to adapt a site that has already benefitted from years of investment.
Alabama's anti-discrimination bill will bear Tim Cook's name after all
Alabama state Representative Patricia Todd, the state's first openly gay lawmaker, is pushing for a new anti-discrimination bill and will be getting some help from Apple's own Tim Cook. Reuters reports that after some initial back-and-forth on whether it would be to the bill's (and Apple's) benefit to have Cook's name attached, Todd was contacted by Apple's general counsel who relayed an enthusiastic message from Cook himself in favor of the bill bearing his name. There had previously been a good deal of confusion as to whether the naming of the bill would actually go through, as Todd says she was contact by an Apple official who was concerned that linking Cook to the bill may not be a good idea. Apparently once Cook heard that he was being spoken for, he decided to take matters into his own hands and declare that naming the bill after him was perfectly fine from his point of view. Cook publicly came out as gay in an October article published in BusinessWeek, less than a week after receiving an award from the Alabama Academy of Honor. In his acceptance speech he openly criticized Alabama's antiquated stance on gay rights, and encouraged lawmakers to do more. Todd's bill, which is expected to be officially introduced in March, is precisely the type of action Cook had called for, so the naming would seem to be a perfect fit.
Alabama news site visits Tim Cook's Deep South roots
AL.com today published an interesting article about the life of Tim Cook growing up in Robertsdale, Ala., complete with charming anecdotes and the requisite assortment of embarrassing childhood photos. The article speaks glowingly of Cook, explaining that the Apple CEO is the "pride and joy" of Robertsdale. Growing up as the middle child in a family of three boys, Cook's studious nature was reportedly quite apparent early on. But more than just a bookworm, Cook was reportedly an equally outgoing and likeable fellow. Teachers describe a friendly, diligent, long-limbed teenager who played trombone in the band and served on the yearbook staff. "You didn't go around calling him a nerd," said Barbara Davis, who taught Cook math. "He was just the kind of person you liked to be around." She added, "He was a reliable kid. He was always meticulous with his work, so I knew it would be done right." Illustrating Cook's penchant for pushing himself, the article recounts how Cook and class valedictorian Teresa Proschaska Huntsman were worried that they weren't "learning enough" in their chemistry class. Fearful that they would be ill-equipped to handle a college-level chemistry course without an adequate base of knowledge, the two took it upon themselves to see if they might be "placed in a tougher class." The Al.com article isn't exactly a tell-all, but it certainly provides a little bit of insight into Tim Cook's upbringing and persona. It's well worth a read. Some other Tim Cook high school trivia you might not be aware of -- Cook was voted "Most Studious" as both a freshman and a sophomore. For a really in-depth profile of Cook, make sure to check out Adam Lashinsky's piece from Fortune a few years back.
The Great Big Camera is very big, pretty great
Darren Samuelson made a really large camera -- some might even go so far as to say he made a "great big camera." The thing weighs 70 pounds and takes a lot of maneuvering and math to operate everything from the lens to the old timey accordion-style bellows. In spite of such difficulties, however, Samuelson embarked on a tour of the US with the monstrous rig in tow, shooting this country from coast to coast in black and white. After the break, check out video of the camera in action at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. You can also see some of his progress and photos in the source link below.
AT&T does right by weather-impacted iPad owner
Sadly, the south central US has been hit with a powerful cluster of tornadoes today, and scores of communities have been affected. Tuscaloosa, AL has been particularly hard hit, with several fatalities, scores of injuries and thousands of structures and vehicles damaged. While the human and fiscal cost of today's storms has yet to be calculated, in one small way AT&T helped to ease the challenge for a TUAW reader. Adam T. wrote in to say that his home in Huntsville, AL is likely to be without power for several days, meaning that his internet connectivity is also going to be knocked out. He planned to use his 3G iPad to keep track of weather alerts and emergency information, but realized that he was rapidly going to overflow his 250 MB data plan. Adam called AT&T customer service to explain the situation and request a data plan upgrade to the 2 GB plan. To his surprise, the service rep gave him the bump to the 2 GB plan at no charge. A small gesture in the scheme of today's events, perhaps, but one that Adam appreciated -- and so do we.
