Mar. 19, 2025

Welcome back. Today's report includes a reminder that the state legislative session is still full speed ahead.

Thanks for reading,

Ike

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We know one of the economic benefits Alabama offers is a relatively low cost of living. So one would think that most things would cost at least a little less than it does in states where people make more money and have to spend more on the essentials.

But one study shows that Alabama is surprisingly an expensive place to start a business, reports AL.com's William Thornton.

As a matter of fact, according to Simplify LLC, it's more expensive to start a business in only five other states.

Simplify LLC supplies information to small businesses. It took a long look at basic business costs (labor, space, utilities), business environment and taxes.

Contributing to the expense of going into business in Alabama is a high $200 LLC filing fee and a relatively high corporate income tax of 6.5%. And we're No. 11 in the nation for the rental cost of commercial space.

Of course, that's all on top of the actual cost of doing business, and it can pose entry barriers for cash-strapped folks looking to open up shop.

As we all know, Alabama has also had difficulty with low labor force participation and was at 57.6% for the study. We also have a low rate of lending through the Small Business Administration.

The most expensive state in which to open a business was California, followed by New York and Hawaii and then another surprise, Tennessee, at No. 4.

Let's do a lightning round of news from Goat Hill:

The state's Glock-switch ban passed the Senate and is on its way to Gov. Kay Ivey's desk. The House had already passed the bill with an amendment that would put it into law immediately.

The House passed a bill that would increase a state income-tax exemption on money withdrawn from IRAs and 401(k)s from $6,000 to $12,000. It now moves to the Senate.

Gov. Ivey signed into law a measure to give her office the power to appoint the commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs.

The House unanimously passed a bill to reduce the state sales tax on food from 3% to 2%. That now goes to the Senate.

Alabama State will get it shot against Auburn in the men's NCAA Tournament, reports AL.com's Andrew Hammond.

A long pass from Micah Simpson to Amarr Knox at the far end of the court led to a layup with one second left and a 70-68 win over St. Francis in a First Four game from the NCAA Tournament's South Regional.

It's Alabama State's first win ever in the tournament and sends the 16th seed Hornets against top seed Auburn at 1:50 p.m. Thursday.

Alabama State trailed by as many as nine points during the first half.

One more item that's slightly outside Alabama but gives me a chance to show off a chip many of us in the South have on our shoulders when national news is forced to look our way.

I'm not going to go full geography zealot on y'all, but after NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to planet Earth from their unexpected extended stay aboard the space station, news reports sounded off that the astronauts had splashed down "off the coast of Tallahassee."

So, at first, I thought maybe the splashdown happened in Lake Jackson, where red soft plastic worms might get a bass to strike. Or maybe their SpaceX capsule was bobbing around in the water hazard along the right side of the No. 3 fairway at Jack Gaither.

Because, as actual coastal residents of St. Marks or St. George Island will tell you, more than 20 miles separates Tallahassee from the Gulf of Mexico.

These statues (by artist Brett Grill) are in storage, waiting to take their place at downtown Mobile's Hall of Fame Walk along Water Street. (Photo courtesy of the City of Mobile.)

“This (is) so embarrassing.”

ESPN's Dick Vitale, on the NIT's rescinding South Alabama's invitation.

1

That's how many Morrison's cafeterias remain. The chain began in Mobile in 1920, peaked during the 1970s and was sold to Piccadilly in 1996. Today, Picadilly brands only one of its stores as a Morrison's -- and it's located in the city where it all started.

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On tomorrow's show, reporter Ivana Hrynkiw joins us to talk about a couple of death-penalty cases.

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