Governor Robert Bentley on Thursday announced that, during his first year in office, new and expanding industry announcement totals rose to the highest capital investment levels in the past four years.

According to new data released by the Alabama Department of Commerce (formerly Alabama Development Office), during the year 2011, there was a 9.3 percent increase in the number of new jobs announced for the state and an 87.7 percent increase in announced capital investment compared to 2010.

New and expanding industries in 2011 announced they would hire 17,248 people and invest $4,083,056,603 in the state.  In 2010, companies announced they would hire 15,779 people and invest $2,175,179,750.

“These new figures confirm Alabama is headed in the right direction as we continue to recover from the economic downturn,” Governor Bentley said.  “Alabama’s economic development programs are working hand-in-hand with local development partners to create new jobs a

Last year, the Tallassee Chamber of Commerce adopted a neat slogan:  Shop Local, Dine Local, Live Local.  This column focuses on the second component:  Dine Local.  Interesting things will be happening in Tallassee in 2012 about dining locally!  The things that will be happening in Tallassee are extremely consistent with this year’s theme from Alabama’s Department of Tourism:  The Year of Food.  Tallassee will be fully prepared to support that theme!

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Marsha Elmore of Wetumpka, Ala., the owner of a tax preparation business called Community Tax, pleaded guilty today to charges related to her use of stolen identities to fraudulently obtain tax refunds, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Elmore pleaded guilty to one count each of filing a false claim, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. On Aug. 31, 2011, she had been charged with those crimes as part of a 32-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala.