Editors’ Blog
A better-trained workforce
A number of aggregate producers, manufacturers and allied trade representatives say a shortage of heavy equipment operators is plighting the aggregates and mining industries. Despite the shortage, more students have been graduating from mining schools with mining or engineering degrees, according to… Keep Reading
Senate bill would boost business with tax break on equipment, property
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., introduced legislation to amend the U.S. tax code and make permanent a 50 percent depreciation bonus on new equipment and property purchases. The tax break previously expired. According to a press release, the bill would allow… Keep Reading
Cat trucks take on new life as moving driving range targets
The sixth installment of Caterpillar's “Built for It” trials relates perfectly to the recent U.S. Open. Cat trucks take on new life as moving targets in a driving range. The greens, which were built in three days, were installed in… Keep Reading
Reclamation plan to turn quarry into giant water reservoir
The Bellwood Quarry, a 100-year-old granite quarry in Atlanta, has generated a lot of talk in Georgia lately. The quarry will soon undergo construction to be converted into one of the nation’s largest urban water storage reservoirs and a park.… Keep Reading
Mummy found at Indiana quarry
Land surveyors working at a planned quarry site near Lowell, Ind., stumbled onto a mummified body that archaeologists say could be thousands of years old. According to the Chicago Tribune, the mummified body was discovered June 26. The discovery halted… Keep Reading
Positive signs at mid-year
Economist and Pit & Quarry columnist Dr. David Chereb says most things continue to be positive for construction materials. The economy is growing, albeit slowly, inflation and interest rates are very low, and employment is gaining. Add to that the… Keep Reading
Ivory crush event puts international spotlight on crushing
A portable crusher made international headlines in international news last week, as Powerscreen teamed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to crush 1 ton of illegally poached ivory on June 19 in New York's Times Square. Crowds gathered that… Keep Reading
Reclaimed pit took center stage as US Open host
The 2015 U.S. Open Championship, one of four men's major golf championships this year, was played on a reclaimed sand-and-gravel site. The site, now the Chambers Bay Golf Course in Puget Sound, Wash., has changed hands a number of times… Keep Reading
Report: Manufacturer optimism diminishes
Fewer manufacturers are upbeat today about their company's outlook than six months ago, reports the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). According to a NAM survey of manufacturers, 76.3 percent of manufacturers say they have a positive outlook about their company.… Keep Reading
