Chris Thomas, one of the nation’s leading experts on the next-generation mobility sector, will speak in Birmingham at Frontier Conference 2020, where more than 200 business, government and academic leaders will share information and best practices for industrial innovation. Thomas is the co-founder and president of the Detroit Mobility Lab, which is working to help Detroit become […]

Elmer Harris, Alabama businessman, philanthropist and former CEO of Alabama Power, died Dec. 23. Harris joined the Alabama Power in 1958 as an engineering co-op student at Auburn University. Following graduation, he spent 10 years in Alabama Power’s Southern Division in various engineering positions, while continuing his education and serving in the U.S. Air Force […]

Alabama Public Television is producing a series of videos titled “Alabama Legacy Moments” that offer a quick history of the people, places and stories that have defined Alabama. Done in conjunction with the ongoing bicentennial celebration of the state that concludes in December 2019, the short pieces should inspire you to learn more about the […]

The Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD), city of Birmingham, Alabama Power and local builders have formed a partnership to bring state-of-the-art, “smart” homes to Birmingham’s 99 neighborhoods. The new Smart Neighborhood builds will incorporate energy efficiency and home automation upgrades during the construction phase of housing units to help make energy use more […]

Oct. 26, 1921 President Warren G. Harding’s visit to Birmingham on Oct. 26, 1921, was the highlight of a weeklong 50th anniversary celebration at Capitol Park (Now Linn Park). The president and first lady Florence King Harding, along with other dignitaries, took part in events celebrating the growth of Birmingham. Harding’s speech was notable because […]

Oct. 25, 1968 The first 14 members of the Alabama Academy of Honor were announced on Oct. 25, 1968, and inducted on Aug. 25, 1969. Each year, 10 members may be elected by the academy until its membership reaches 100. All living governors are automatically members of the academy. Inspired by the Missouri Academy of […]

A half-century ago today, the fourth ship bearing the name of the port city of Mobile was christened for service in the US Navy. A cargo ship, the USS Mobile went into immediate service for the Vietnam War and supported more than a dozen missions. With a helicopter platform and powerful cranes, the Mobile was […]

Designs are done on the new $174 million Protective Life Stadium that will soon dominate the eastern edge of the BJCC campus in downtown Birmingham. Project architect Populous presented the final designs to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex board of directors Wednesday, a week after the Birmingham Design Review committee approved materials and other components of the plan.

Sept. 19, 1953 The fight for the right for women to vote officially ended in 1920 when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In Alabama, there was an active suffragist movement, led by the Alabama Equal Suffrage Association, but opposition by some Alabama groups resulted in the legislature […]

Sept. 13, 1969 Bill France Sr., founder of NASCAR, helped created the Talladega Superspeedway in the late 1960s at a time most major tracks were located along the Atlantic Coast. France wanted a track more centrally located in the Southeast and chose a 2,000-acre site off Interstate 20 near the town of Talladega. Track construction […]

Labor Day weekend is here and we know many of you are heading to the lake for the long weekend. Whether boating, fishing, swimming or just relaxing by the water, keep safety a priority with these quick tips:

Aug. 15, 1968 Lurleen B. Wallace Community College was founded in Andalusia and named for the first female governor of Alabama. The Alabama State Board of Education authorized a junior college in Andalusia in 1967 and selected Lurleen B. Wallace Junior College as its name on Aug. 15, 1968. Now known as Lurleen B. Wallace Community College, […]

Aug. 7, 1997 Astronaut Jan Davis boarded her last flight into space on the Discovery, completing 189 orbits and traveling 4.7 million miles. She joined NASA in 1979 as an aerospace engineer after receiving her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University, and earned a master’s (1983) and Ph.D (1985) in mechanical engineering from the University […]

Aug. 4, 1940 What is now known as Craig Field Airport and Industrial Complex was initially known as Selma Army Air Base. The facility became active on this day in 1940 and was used to train pilots for World War II. For 37 years, it served as a training facility for the United States Army […]

Aug. 3, 1960 Lee Petty was an American stock car racing driver and one of NASCAR’s first superstars. He won the NASCAR Grand National Series drivers championship three times. On this day in 1960, he raced against his sons, Richard and Maurice, for the first and only time at Dixie Speedway in Birmingham. Richard Petty […]

July 26, 1952 On this day, U.S. Sen. John Sparkman of Alabama was named the Democratic vice presidential running mate of Adlai Stevenson. The Democratic Convention ratified the choice of Sparkman, even though he had supported Georgia U.S. Sen. Richard Russell for president. Stevenson and Sparkman lost the election that fall to Dwight Eisenhower and […]

By Cierra Juett Good Roots are being planted in Jasper. The historic downtown is being revitalized and beautified with the help of new trees, as part of plans to attract new businesses and people to the area. Over the years, Jasper’s downtown business district suffered a downturn as businesses relocated to the surrounding highways. In […]

June 9, 1943 It was an “experiment” that many in the military resisted: train African Americans to be military flyers. But with pressure from the NAACP, the African American press and support from then-first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and others, the Army on the eve of World War II began training African Americans to fly at […]

By: ACRE Research Sales: Alabama statewide home sales totaled 5,820 units during April, up 4.4 percent from 5,574 sales in the same month a year earlier. April sales were up 9.2 percent compared to 5,330 sales in March. Results were 25.5 percent above the five-year April average of 4,636 sales. Two more resources to review: Quarterly Report and Annual Report. For […]

May 26, 1925 In September 1923, Jimmie Ethel Montgomery entered the University of Alabama‘s medical school in Tuscaloosa as its first full-time female student. Two years later, on May 26, 1925, Montgomery received a bachelor’s degree in medicine from the two-year basic sciences program at the university, becoming the first female graduate of the University […]

The Alabama Retail Association said final figures from the Alabama Department of Revenue confirm that 2018 holiday sales in Alabama set a record and topped $12 billion for the first time. According to the Revenue Department, shoppers in the state spent nearly $12.07 billion, up 2.66 percent from 2017. The numbers were just shy of the Alabama Retail Association’s […]

By Jerry Underwood Site Selection magazine placed Alabama among the top states in a new measure of economic development success, while Cullman ranked No. 2 in the publication’s ranking of top U.S. small cities. Cullman ranked behind only Findlay, Ohio, in the Site Selection “Top Micropolitan” list for the second consecutive year. The economic development-focused […]

State Sen. Jabo Waggoner of Vestavia Hills said he plans to again sponsor an Alabama historic tax credit bill in the Legislature to rehabilitate abandoned buildings. The Legislature convenes Feb. 7. Waggoner wants to renew Alabama’s historic tax credit, which has benefited nearly two dozen projects in Birmingham and more than 50 statewide, including the […]

What do you do when your scheduled challenger for a heavyweight title fight is dropped when he fails a drug test? You pick up a better fighter. That’s what promoter Lou DiBella says happened as Poland’s Andrzej Wawrzyk has been replaced by California’s Gerald Washington in Deontay Wilder‘s Feb. 25 World Boxing Council heavyweight title […]