Obama to announce Elkhart-area grants

Source: MSNBC

Program would advance electric vehicle programs

WAKARUSA, Ind.—

The excitement was building Tuesday in Wakarusa, a day before President Barack Obama drops by to announce manufacturing grants for the economically hard-hit Elkhart County region.

The president was scheduled to announce the grants and give an outline of his economic recovery plans during an appearance Wednesday morning at Monaco RV in Wakarusa. The company is one of many that has been slammed by the recession in the region, whose economy is based significantly on the manufacture and sale of recreational vehicles.

“Obviously, this is an area of the country that’s been particularly hard-hit as a result of the economic downturn,” said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, who told reporters that Obama would announce governments grants for advanced battery and electric vehicle manufacturing. Vice President Joe Biden was expected to make a similar announcement in Detroit.

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Monaco RV is a highly symbolic location for Obama’s announcement, representing the ups and downs of the recessionary cycle. The plant has been to bankruptcy and back, and people are once again working there. But after 1,400 workers were laid off, the workforce is much smaller than it was before Navistar International Corp., an Illinois-based transportation company, bought the plant from Monaco Coach Corp. and rescued it from plans to close.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32283931/ns/us_news-the_elkhart_project/

for that area.

of good surprises..one thing I like about that team.

Biden is in Detriot!

on unrelated business tomorrow and usually drive through Wakarusa. Probably not going that way tomorrow to avoid the traffic.

The only time I ever heard the name was in the old Sears catalogs, when they talked about their fine band instruments "made in Elkhart, Indiana." And all those jobs went to Japan.

Well, good for them. Maybe they can build cars with horns that play "76 Trombones."

When Conn and Selmer were still important employers and all the local school bands had free instruments from them. Miles Laboratories was located there -- Alka Seltzer! It also called itself the mobile home capital of the world, and every year there was a huge mobile home show.

The surroundings were rural, but the town was part of the Chicago-Detroit industrial belt.