The Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a $2.4 billion General Fund budget, the state’s largest-ever. It includes a 2% pay raise for state employees. Other investments provided for in the legislation include an increase in support for the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles and funds to build Alabama’s fourth mental health crisis diversion […]

Internet giant Google announced Monday that it has given TruFund, a financial services company that works to advance underserved communities and operates in Alabama, over $1 million to help small businesses recover from COVID-19. The funding comes in the form of a $1 million loan from the Google Small Business Fund and a $150,000 grant […]

A federal judge has ruled in favor of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s motion that sought to block a legally-questionable attempt by three states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The decision, which Marshall’s office called a “major victory,” is the latest development in a legal battle that has been ongoing since December 2019. […]

The annual Selma Jubilee, a celebration of a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, is taking place virtually in 2021 due to the pandemic. A digital recreation of the Selma-Montgomery March is being made available with help from Google. The live version of the virtual event is running from March 5-7. In a sponsorship […]

A 40-acre tract of land in the heart of Alabama’s beloved Sipsey Wildnerness has been successfully transferred from private ownership to public conservation. The announcement comes as the culmination of a three-year process. The land was put up for sale in 2018 at which point the nonprofit group The Conservation Fund purchased it with the […]

The head coach and star player of the University of Alabama men’s basketball team received notice this week that they are finalists for the awards given each year to the best coach and top player in the college ranks. Nate Oats, in his second year leading the Tide, has accrued a 20-6 record and the […]

Thursday, Charter Communications publicized a large expansion of the areas in Alabama to which it will supply high-speed internet service. As part of the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), a reverse auction of areas in the United States with poor internet, Charter bid on and won the right to provide service to an estimated […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday passed a number of bills that would make Alabama friendlier to military service members. The package of legislation heads to Governor Kay Ivey’s desk for her signature. An example of the bills passed is one that would let the children of those who serve in the […]

MONTGOMERY — Governor Kay Ivey announced Thursday that Alabama’s mask mandate is being extended for the final time, with the ordinance set to cease permanently on Friday, April 9. The decision comes as new cases of COVID-19 have plateaued in the last week at a rate far below their all-time high and below the level […]

Alabama is set to host a virtual conference next month where national leaders in the field of workforce development will convene to share knowledge and best practices. Attendance will be free for what is being called the 2021 Alabama Interstate Talent Development Convening. It will occur on the afternoon of April 5. Opening remarks will […]

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama House of Representatives met Tuesday and passed six pieces of legislation, including bills that would increase oversight of executive branch agencies and update language in the state’s policy on sex education. After convening shortly after 1:00 p.m. the chamber spent much of the next five hours in extended debate on two […]

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that would prevent the state government from designating which types of businesses were allowed to stay open in situations such as the one experienced during the advent of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020. Sponsored by Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville), HB103 would […]

The rate of new coronavirus cases in Alabama is holding steady at a rate far below its previous peak, and hospitalizations from the virus have continued to decrease in recent days as a decision on the state’s mask mandate rapidly approaches. Alabama averaged 657 new COVID-19 cases each day for the last week. That average […]

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced on Tuesday a set of 21 road improvement projects that will receive state funding as part of the 2019 Rebuild Alabama Act that raised the gas tax. The projects are being made possible by the Annual Grant Program, a provision of Rebuild Alabama that takes $10 million of the annual […]

The Alabama House will consider a bill on Tuesday, backed by the chamber’s leaders, that would create a joint legislative committee with the authority to approve contracts, leases and agreements made by the executive branch. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Jones (R-Andalusia), chair of the powerful Rules Committee, HB392 comes in the wake of Governor Kay […]

Former Birmingham Mayor William Bell officially launched on Monday his campaign to take back the office he held from 2010 through 2017. Bell, 71, was prevented from earning a third term in office when Randall Woodfin, then-president of the Birmingham City School Board, beat him at the ballot box in 2017. In his nearly three-minute […]

Federal regulators in recent days approved a third vaccine product for use by the public, a decision that is set to enhance Alabama’s vaccination efforts. Developed by the pharmaceutical arm of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), the newly approved vaccine is administered in a single dose. The other two approved products, from Pfizer and Moderna, require […]

All three members of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee from Alabama have expressed approval of an airstrike against a number of Iranian-backed targets in Syria ordered by President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday. The operation, Biden’s first authorization of deadly force, was in response to “recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in Iraq,” […]

Raytheon, a defense contractor with a large presence in Huntsville, held its annual “Introduce a Girl To Engineering Event” this week. The company invited students from Alabama’s School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE) to take part in an engineering challenge, followed by a panel discussion with accomplished female engineers and cyber professionals. Yellowhammer News […]

Russell Medical, a hospital located in Alexander City that serves a large portion of East Alabama, announced a multi-facility expansion on Thursday that is being made possible by a $25 million gift. Making the donation to the nonprofit hospital are Ben and Luanne Russell. Ben Russell is the CEO of Russell Lands, the company that […]

MONTGOMERY – Both chambers of the Alabama State Legislature met on Thursday for the ninth day of its 2021 regular session. The Senate met for around 90 minutes in the morning and moved quickly through a limited calendar, much of which was left over after a filibuster prematurely ended the chamber’s Tuesday business. Most notably, […]

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an investment of over $3 million in rural Alabama on Tuesday. Five Alabama projects related to telemedicine or distance learning will receive a share of the investment, which was publicized by the Department’s Office of Rural Development in Montgomery. “USDA is helping rural America build back better […]

The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners announced Wednesday that the number of licensed professionals with whom a practicing Alabama physician can professionally collaborate is increasing from four to nine. Examples of collaborators, or advanced practice providers, include certified registered nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives and physician assistants. Physicians can collaborate with nine individuals or their full-time […]

A report from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) published recently noted that 12 confederate symbols that had been publicly displayed in Alabama were removed in the last year. “2020 was a transformative year for the Confederate symbols movement. Over the course of seven months, more symbols of hate were removed from public property than […]