Once known overseas for farming, poverty and strained race relations, Alabama is now home to 50 German industries that state officials say employ upward of 12,000 people. Speaking by telephone from Germany, where he was on the road trying to recruit a small automotive supplier to the state, Drees said the strong German presence in Alabama helps lure more companies there. German-owned industry has developed its own synergy in the state partly because executives who speak German willingly...

Gone, But Not Forgotten It's been more than two years since a deadly auto crash claimed the life of Amanda Longoria, daughter of Mission Police Chief Leo Longoria, but to keep his daughter's memory alive, Chief Longoria offers students in the community scholarships in her honor. Gone, But Not Forgotten It's been more than two years since a deadly auto crash claimed the life of Amanda Longoria, daughter of Mission Police Chief Leo Longoria, but to keep his daughter's memory alive, Chief...

Acxiom to go private in $3 billion deal Sunday, May 20, 2007 By Roby Brock In a surprise move, Acxiom corp. announced late Wednesday that it would accept a $3 billion buyout offer from Silver Lake Partners and ValueAct Capital Partners, two private equity firms. Acxiom to go private in $3 billion deal Sunday, May 20, 2007 By Roby Brock In a surprise move, Acxiom corp. announced late Wednesday that it would accept a $3 billion buyout offer from Silver Lake Partners and ValueAct Capital...

Biodiesel fuels range from a commercially available product known as B5 that is 5 percent biodiesel and the rest petroleum-based, to fuel that is 100 percent biodiesel. But just as corn and some other food crops are being converted to ethanol for use as a gasoline substitute, new biodiesel fuels are being developed from vegetable fats to help power diesel engines. But while biodiesel is an interesting concept, experts suggest it never will replace petroleum-based diesel fuel, just as...

Koshy This article says that the Indian Supreme Court's eight-month ban on the approval of new field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops was costly for biotechnology companies and research organizations in India. Vidyasagar estimates that "For every month approvals are delayed, the industry suffers losses worth Rs50 crore [US$12. The court ended its temporary ban this month. Indian Supreme Court ruling on GMOs restarts seed supply. Sinha, a spokesperson for the National Seed...