Business

AT&T rolls out faster network in Shelby

AT&T launched this week its 4G LTE network in Shelbyville, which company officials say is the latest generation of wireless network technology.

The network is 10 times faster than 3G, which is the network for most AT&T customers and works with 4G enabled smartphones and tablets, a company release said. The company also said that the network will reduce latency, which will improve video streaming, gaming and 2-way video calling.

On Wednesday, the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association announced Steve Pratt as the new general manager for the company, and Pratt talked of big plans.

He said in accepting the role that his goal to expand the number of grower contracts in the state, increasing Kentucky’s hold on the market it once dominated.

Although two of Shelby County’s top producers agreed that there is likely room for growth in the market, other limitations could hold back that growth, they said.

Groceries in Shelby County and across Kentucky are costing slightly more after the first quarter of 2013, although that increase is significantly less than the national trend.

A review of 40 basic grocery items by the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s Marketbasket Survey showed a total price of $116.27, which was 74 cents – or .6 of a percent – higher than in December.

Marketbasket surveys the items quarterly 33 cities across the state, including Shelbyville. The results are compared to similar studies that the organization does across the nation.

Agricultural experts from Vermont to California will tell you that famers need good accountants as much as they need good weather.

“As the tax laws and business have changed, it’s gotten so much more complicated,” said Jim Ellis of Ellis Farms. “Plus, they [accountants] can do it a lot faster than we can.”