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Honda Makes Town's Day with Plant Promise

MELISSA BLOCK, host:

From NPR News this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED; I'm Melissa Block.

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

And I'm Michele Norris.

On Monday we brought you the story of Greensburg, Indiana, a small town that was hoping Honda would choose it to locate its newest auto plant. Seven other Midwestern towns were in the running. Well, today Honda made its pick and the winner is Greensburg.

NPR's Adam Davidson has the story.

ADAM DAVIDSON reporting:

Rumors started flying yesterday when a group of Honda executives came to town, but the official announcement came this morning from the president of American Honda, Koichi Kondo.

Mr. KOICHI KONDO (Honda Motors): Today I am happy to be able to say Honda and Indiana, start your engines. Thank you.

(Soundbite of applause)

DAVIDSON: Kondo made many references to car racing in his announcement. Greensburg is less than an hour from Indianapolis and its famous motor speedway. The new half billion dollar plant is expected to transform Greensburg and surround Decatur County.

It will employ more than 2,000 people and bring several thousand more jobs over the coming years. Decatur County's entire population is around 25,000. It suffers from higher than usual unemployment and has lost several factories recently. Greensburg mayor Frank Manus.

Mr. FRANK MANUS (Mayor of Greensburg, Illinois): Having Honda come into Greensburg is probably one of the wildest dreams that I ever had. I tell you what, I'm almost lost for words and that's not like myself.

DAVIDSON: Honda's decision is good news for the entire Midwest. Lately, foreign automakers such as Honda, Toyota, and Nissan have placed new factories in Southern states, where labor costs tend to be cheaper. Northern rust belt states have lost a lot of auto jobs, especially at General Motors and its suppliers. The new Honda plant will support jobs at auto suppliers throughout the Great Lakes Region. The plant is scheduled to open in 2008.

Adam Davidson, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Adam Davidson is a contributor to Planet Money, a co-production of NPR and This American Life. He also writes the weekly "It's the Economy" column for the New York Times Magazine.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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