Banks look to take control of pension plans
Delawareonline.com – Nov. 5
…But Norman Stein, a pension authority and professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, worries that if shifting ownership becomes easy, it might encourage employers to freeze and unload pension plans instead of sticking by them.

Sustainability is key to business success
Florence Times Daily – Nov. 4
…Sustainable businesses go beyond turning a profit and are run by people who also consider their impact on the environment, according to Samuel Addy, director and associate research economist for the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama. "I would call a business sustainable if it includes good stewardship over the environment in its decision-making. It should still be profitable and successful," Addy said. "The primary thing is that they see their bottom line includes being also a good steward of the environment."

Alabama home sales continue to soften
Florence Times Daily – Nov. 4
Existing home sales in Alabama softened for the second consecutive month as consumers continued to cautiously digest the impact of the evolving credit market, according to Grayson M. Glaze, executive director of the Alabama Center for Real Estate at The University of Alabama.

College News
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 5
The UA Graduate School recently recognized the 2007-2008 recipients of Graduate Council fellowships, which provide an award for tuition and fees, an annual stipend and single health care coverage, with a reception on campus…Alex D. House of Tuscaloosa has accepted membership in Golden Key International Honor Society and was honored during a recent induction ceremony at UA…A group of UA restaurant, hotel and meetings management majors received Alabama Hospitality and Tourism scholarships during the recent 2007 Governor's Conference on Tourism….

Big game reunites couple with evacuee they housed after hurricane
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 3
There was a joyous reunion between Alice Maxwell and Patrick Wogan after the Amtrak train from New Orleans pulled into the depot Friday afternoon. And that’s despite the fact that Maxwell is a rabid University of Alabama fan and 13-year-old Patrick was wearing an LSU jersey. Friday’s reunion was the first time the two had seen each other since Patrick spent a year as a guest in the Highlands home of Alice and her husband, Johnny, after Hurricane Katrina rendered the boy’s home in Slidell, La., unlivable in 2005…The Maxwells...became Patrick’s surrogate parents by chance. “My parents were looking for someplace for me to stay so I could continue my education,” Patrick said. “And these people just walked up and said, ‘We’ll take him.’ ” Johnny Maxwell, an administrator at the University of Alabama Medical Center, and Alice, a real estate agent, had been making daily trips to the UA student recreation center, where at one time nearly 1,000 Katrina refugees were being housed. “We were taking blankets and clothes and other items over there, but we knew there was more we could do to help,” Alice Maxwell said…

Alabama group conducts free eye screenings at ACHR Darden School
Opelika-Auburn News – Nov. 3
…Volunteers with FocusFirst, a signature project of Impact Alabama, a student service initiative established in 2004, were at the ACHR Darden School in Opelika Friday conducting eye screenings on children ranging in age from six months to 5 years.
Founded by Stephen Black, a professor and attorney who has developed a Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility at the University of Alabama, FocusFirst is one of the state’s first non-profit organizations to implement substantive service learning projects with select colleges and universities throughout the state.

My ARTS Kids to sponsor 5K run schools
Daily Mountain Eagle – Nov. 4
When Meghan Muncher was crowned Miss Walker County in 2006, she pledged to use her platform to promote fine arts education. Now as a sophomore at the University of Alabama, Muncher continues to work to promote the arts in local schools through her nonprofit organization My A.R.T.S. Kids…

State's top history teacher named
Montgomery Advertiser – Nov. 5
Mary Beth Pugh is Alabama's 2007 Preserve America Elementary History Teacher of the Year. A fifth-grade social studies teacher at Bluff Park Elementary School in the Hoover School System, Pugh has taught since 1992. She received a master's degree from the University of Alabama in elementary education.

Friendly rivalry
Most fans getting along while gearing up for Tide-Tigers match
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 5
While football players with the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Louisiana State University Tigers were gearing up to clash at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, fans of both teams were relaxing, drinking and cooking — with each other. “It’s all about coming out, hanging out and meeting people,” said Ronnie Beecher, a 43-year-old LSU fan from New Orleans. He was busy cooking a large pot of gumbo for Alabama and LSU fans at his family’s tailgate tent on the corner of Elm Drive and University Boulevard on Saturday morning…“LSU and Alabama fans have always had respect for each other,” Beecher said. “We always get along great with one another…”

UA-LSU Ticket Frenzy
WAKA-CBS, Montgomery -- Nov. 3
It’s a zoo at the University of Alabama as Tiger fans and Bama fans cover the Quad. Fans well aware of this battle’s repercussions will spend hundreds to see the action. Licensed ticket broker Larry Bowls says he’s paid more than he’s ever paid for Alabama tickets, around $120.
WVTM-NBC 13, Birmingham -- Nov. 2

Not just for men anymore
Clothing companies are starting to target women with sports wear
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 5
Allyson Holliday, a University of Alabama graduate, says she will always remember her first pink Alabama sportswear purchase. It was a simple Alabama T-shirt. Since then, Holliday, who has worked at Hoole Special Collections Library on campus for seven years, has graduated to more pink gear, including a T-shirt that says, “Real women wear houndstooth,” and a purse that is made of pink houndstooth material. Women looking for more hip college sports gear are finding more choices…Jennifer Martin, assistant director of marketing and trademark licensing for UA, said a few years ago women started ordering men’s T-shirts in small sizes and wearing them. Orders went up, and the industry noticed, forcing it to take a look at gearing sportswear toward women…“It goes by the fashion industry,” Martin said. “Whatever is popular is what we put in our licensee stuff. We’ll approve any colors except for a combination of our opponents’ colors. For instance, purple and gold or orange and blue. Could you see the Alabama logo in orange and blue? It would just be bad.”

Mayor Maddox speaks to real estate fraternity tonight
Crimson White – Nov. 5
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox will speak about the city's economic, social and urban development tonight at real estate honor fraternity Rho Epsilon's monthly meeting. His presentation, "Building a Bridge to the Future," will address proposed economic development projects, including the growth of the University, planned downtown revitalization, riverfront development and overall residential and commercial expansion.

'The Government Inspector' hits Gallaway
Crimson White – Nov. 5
On Tuesday, the department of theatre and dance will bring to life the story of the citizens of a small Russian town who panic when an incognito government inspector comes to uncover the secrets and scandals the town government wants to keep hidden.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday.

Course teaches students about Mexico
Crimson White – Nov. 5
Students will have the opportunity to learn about Mexico's history and its role with the U.S. from faculty members who have traveled to Mexico and other Latin American countries, when the Latin American studies program introduces a new course in the spring. The course, entitled "Mexico: Cordial Partner or Alien Neighbor?" will be headed by Larry Clayton, history and Latin American studies professor and interim director of Latin American studies.

Developer scraps NorthRiver Town Center plans
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 3
The developer of the proposed NorthRiver Town Center announced Friday that the controversial riverfront project is dead…Criticisms were bolstered in July when an internal review by the Environmental Protection Agency was disclosed… “In essence, what that EPA analysis does is reject the proposed development as being almost entirely inconsistent with stipulations of the Clean Water Act,” said conservation expert Doug Phillips, a University of Alabama professor and host of the public TV series “Discovering Alabama.”