Bad news arrived again on Friday as our state’s unemployment rate rose to 6.1 percent in November, up from 5.5 percent in October and 3.7 percent in November 2007. Here in Chilton County, the rate was 5.6 percent last month, up from 4.9 percent in October and 3.3 percent in November 2007.

“The good news is we are still better than the U.S., which is what we were expecting,” Sam Addy, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, told The Associated Press.

Addy said it’s encouraging that, so far, companies in the state have announced temporary layoffs instead of shutting down plants. We’re sure he’s right, but it’s getting more and more difficult to look on the bright side.