Q: One of the U.S. Open tennis stadiums is named after Louis Armstrong. What did he have to do with tennis?
—Andy Sims, Douglasville
A: The stadium was originally named the Singer Bowl because it was built by the Singer Sewing Machine Co. for the World's Fair in 1964. It was renamed for Armstrong, the great jazz musician, in 1972, one year after his death, because he had lived near the stadium. With the newly renovated Armstrong Stadium as its centerpiece, the U.S. Open moved from Forest Hills, N.Y., to its present location in Flushing Meadows in 1978. Ashe Stadium, named for tennis great Arthur Ashe, has supplanted Armstrong Stadium as the main venue at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, according to USTA.com. It was built in 1997.
Q: Is it true that General Motors is building a manufacturing plant in Mexico and Ford is building a plant in India?
—Betty Suggs, Atlanta
A: GM is spending $420 million on projects in Mexico, including $120 million on a plant to build the Chevrolet Trax, a new SUV crossover that will be sold in 140 countries, but not the U.S., Reuters reported. Chevrolet also is expected to begin building the next generation of pickups at another plant in Mexico in 2013. GM's investment in the country would create 1,000 jobs, according to the article. Ford has begun construction on a $1 billion plant in India that will begin producing cars in 2014.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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