The AmSouth-Regions merger is the topic of two local stories, one examining the status of banking in Calhoun County and the other on what happens to the AmSouth and Regions local branches.
Todd South reports:
Anniston Regions Bank President Greg Smith said it was very premature to speculate on closings. "At this stage in the merger nobody knows," he said. "I don't think the people negotiating this deal have got to the point of deciding which branches to close, if any."
The Anniston-Calhoun County Public Library will soon get a new bookmobile.
Meanwhile, the Calhoun County Commission, meeting this morning, decided to follow Oxford and Anniston's lead and adopt the sales tax holiday.
This evening, the Anniston school board will meet to discuss several issues, perhaps this and this.
Business will examine the larger implications of the Enron verdict.
We'll report on a story with worldwide implications:
Rivers of air that move both storms and airplanes around the planet have been creeping poleward over the past 26 years. The migration of these so-called "jet streams" has widened the planet's tropical belt and could expand dry regions around the world in coming decades, a new study reports.
On the OpEd page, Molly Ivins offers her views on the president's border plans and other topics:
Naturally, in Texas, National Laboratory for Bad Government, we do it all first and worst. We started with this dandy plan to outsource applications and enrollment for social service programs such as food stamps and Medicaid. In theory, we were to save millions -- though I never could understand it myself. You see, Texas has one of the cheapest state governments on the continent, but when we hire outside contractors, they expect to make a profit. Add profit, add cost. Oh well.
On the Editorial Page, Hardy Jackson's Editorial Notebook considers duties and responsibilities of the public and private sectors along the coast.
