Calling the death of Rev. Harry Reeder III a “tremendous loss,” Bruce Stallings, executive pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church broke the news to the congregation last Thursday. Reeder, the church’s senior pastor since 1999, died in a car crash returning home from speaking at the state Legislature’s Medal of Honor ceremony. According to reports, Reeder’s […]

Political action committees have been a standard part of the legislative process for more than a century. While it is standard for PACs to lobby politicians, these groups sometimes wield enough power to convince legislators to vote a way that is in line with the organization’s goals or beliefs. Most of the time this power […]

Mobile’s Austal USA, a state-of-the-art ship manufacturing facility, has won a contract from the Navy potentially worth $3.195 billion. The contract commissions Austal USA to design and construct up to seven TAGOS-25 class ocean surveillance ships. The company is partnering with L3Harris, Noise Control Engineering, TAI Engineering, and Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors. TAGOS ships are used […]

Innovate Alabama is continuing its push to help fund small businesses throughout the state of Alabama. The organization announced this week that it will be opening a third round of applications for small businesses seeking funding beginning June 1. The businesses can be awarded up to $250,000. Innovate Alabama CEO Cynthia Crutchfield said she is […]

Airbus is known globally for its technological contributions to the aviation industry. Over the past few years, however, the company has begun contributing in a way that may help shape the company’s future. Michelle Hurdle, the company’s director of Workforce and Economic Development, discussed Airbus’ influence in education, particularly in the Mobile area. “In this […]

Mental health has become a major focus of legislators in recent years – at the state and federal levels. The topic took center stage Wednesday when Dr. Stephen Taylor of Birmingham testified before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee. Taylor spoke specifically about the work that needs to be done in […]

US Rep. Dale Strong introduced cosponsored bipartisan legislation Wednesday that he hopes will serve to protect American agriculture within the United States. The Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act is meant to ensure that countries deemed hostile to the United States – such as China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia – cannot purchase […]

In his first hearing as ranking member of the U.S. Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (AG) Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, Sen. Tommy Tuberville called reliable broadband throughout the state, especially in rural areas, “vital.” “In today’s day and age, access to reliable internet service is not a want—it is a need. It’s vital,” said […]

The Alabama Realtors Foundation, a branch of the Alabama Association of Realtors, has selected 14 students from throughout the state to receive scholarships. The awards are provided through the organization’s education scholarship fund. The selections were based on the students’ academic records, recommendations, and essays. To have been eligible to receive the scholarship, the applicants […]

Sierra Pacific Windows announced it will be expanding into the Yellowhammer State with a manufacturing plant in Phenix City. The new plant is 610,000 square feet on a 113-acre campus. The California-based company hopes that the new location will allow it to increase production capacity and more efficiently meet customers’ demands across the country. In […]

Over the past several years, Alabama farmers have dealt with crops destroyed by feral hogs. To help curb the continuing damage, Sen. Tommy Tuberville joined other senators Tuesday in introducing the Feral Swine Eradication Act. The bipartisan legislation would make permanent a pilot program that safeguards public health, agriculture, and local ecosystems against feral swine. […]

To celebrate National Fishing and Boating Week, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has announced June 10 to be “free fishing day” throughout the state. For that day, a license is not required to fish in the majority of the state’s public waters, the department said. “This is the perfect opportunity for non-anglers […]

The Yellowhammer State plays an ever-increasing role in the United States military’s readiness and defense. Continuing this trend, the Alabama House Military and Veterans Affairs Committee announced Tuesday it is urging the state’s senators and congressional delegation to fund expanding the 117th Air Refueling Wing’s parking ramp in Birmingham. House Resolution 73, which calls for […]

Huntsville has attained yet another accolade as it continues to grow and develop. U.S. News & World Report has named Huntsville the second best place to live in the entire country. In the annual rankings released today, Birmingham came in at No. 80, Montgomery was ranked 94th, and Mobile was No. 115. Last year, Huntsville […]

Last week, the hemorrhaging of churches from the United Methodist Church (UMC) continued in drastic fashion. In Montgomery, the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the UMC alone saw 193 congregations depart in a 24-hour period. Those 193 churches are 38% of the conference, 39% of its membership, and include nine churches with membership of more than […]

Every Alabama principal and superintendent’s nightmare seems to becoming true. Low ACT scores. In 2022, according to the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, the Yellowhammer State experienced the lowest ACT test scores since 2015. Many Alabama educators blame the COVID pandemic, a time when schools were closed throughout the country, for the decline. The […]

Legislation to ban Chinese citizens and entities from purchasing property in Alabama has been called discriminatory by organizations and lawmakers. The Alabama Property Protection Act Alabama passed Tuesday 73-23 with 6 abstentions in the Alabama House of Representatives and goes to the Senate for consideration. The Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at the University of […]

Sen. Tommy Tuberville revealed a memorandum Thursday that could pose a problem for Julie Su, President Biden’s nominee for Labor secretary. The discovery comes after Su refused to provide the memo as part of her Senate conformation process. In the memo, Su, who at the time was the California State Labor Commissioner, told her staff […]

Jeff Norris, an educator from Oak Mountain Middle School, is the 2023-2024 Alabama Teacher of the Year. Norris was among 16 teachers also nominated for the award. Eventually, that group of sixteen was reduced to four finalists – Kevin Pughsley of Berry Middle School in Hoover, Lauren Murdoch Brascho of Coosa Valley Elementary in Pell […]

In 2005, an 18-year-old student from Mountain Brook went missing on her high school graduation trip to Aruba. Her disappearance made international headlines. Natalee Holloway was never seen or heard from since May 30, 2005, and she was declared dead in 2012. Authorities considered several suspects in the case but one stood out from the […]

One recent Faulkner grad student did not have the graduation day that he expected. Jay Tunstill, who was set to receive his MBA, left his Tennessee home with his family  around 3 a.m. last Friday for his graduation ceremony at Faulkner University. He planned to arrive in time for the ceremony which was scheduled for […]

In a push aimed to train truck drivers in Alabama, Coca-Cola UNITED made a special delivery to the Alabama Community College System. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, the company delivered two 16-bay, side-load, manual transmission diesel trucks to the ACCS. Gianetta Jones, UNITED senior vice president and chief people officer, said the partnership between her […]

In a time when many agricultural and manufacturing jobs are leaving the United States, one Alabama family-owned business is going against the grain and growing its own cotton and manufacturing from that cotton. The business, Red Land Cotton, was co-founded by Mark Yeager and his daughter, Anna Brakefield, in Lawrence County in 2015. For Yeager, […]

The Birmingham Business Alliance has named Steve Ammons as CEO. An organization insider, Ammons will take the reins May 30. “I am excited to expand my service to the seven-county Greater Birmingham region with the BBA,” he said. “Birmingham has more opportunities in front of us than ever before.” “I look forward to working closely with […]