State Rep. Allen Treadaway (R-Morris) on Thursday morning interviewed with Talk 99.5’s “Matt & Val Show” regarding his HB 445, which would create new crimes and penalties for individuals who incite or participate in riots. His interview came the day after State Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) took to the Senate floor to lambast the legislation […]

Time is running out to book your vacation rental or hotel for the coming warm-weather months, however it is not because things are returning to a non-COVID “normal.” The pandemic has put the national tourism and travel industry under siege for the last year, and Alabama’s 32 miles of white sands on the Gulf Coast […]

Huntsville-based Dynetics on Thursday announced it has successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the Dynetics Human Landing System (HLS) for NASA’s Artemis Program, marking another major milestone in human spaceflight and Alabama’s continuing, indispensable contribution to space exploration. The Rocket City company, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leidos, was named last year […]

The Department of Defense (DoD) this week announced the launch of the Aerospace Education Research and Innovation Center (AERIC) at Macon County’s Tuskegee University. According to a release, the center will support undergraduate research in materials and aerospace sciences relevant to the defense and aerospace sectors. AERIC’s launch was funded by a $2 million appropriations […]

MONTGOMERY — Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) is already fighting against Rep. Allen Treadaway’s (R-Morris) bill to create new crimes and penalties for individuals who incite or participate in riots. Although that bill has not even been heard in front of a House committee yet, Smitherman took to the Senate floor on Wednesday afternoon to speak out […]

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) on Wednesday gave an update on his work in Washington, D.C. and some critical issues facing the state of Alabama. Speaking to reporters on a teleconference, Tuberville first outlined the tours he took last Thursday and Friday of the Wiregrass and Mobile, respectively. As those visits reflected, the bulk of […]

The Alabama Legislature on Wednesday met for the eighth day of its 2021 regular session. Neither chamber gaveled in for a particularly long period of time on the floor, due to most of the day being occupied by a lengthy and productive slate of committee meetings. Here is a rundown of the day’s proceedings:

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate on Wednesday wasted no timing in passing a bill that would legalize medicinal cannabis, commonly referred to as medical marijuana, in the Yellowhammer State. The upper chamber passed Senator Tim Melson’s (R-Florence) SB 46 in a bipartisan 20-10 vote, with two floor amendments tacked onto the legislation. Those voting against the […]

MONTGOMERY — Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth (R-AL) on Wednesday joined with a bipartisan group of legislative leaders, military officers and Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed to highlight the importance of a pending package of bills that is designed to retain, safeguard and improve the military presence and investment across Alabama. The legislative package, which has already […]

The U.S. Air Force on Tuesday completed its first Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launch of 2021, marking the 237th such maneuver since testing of the Boeing-built strategic deterrent began in August 1970. The Minuteman III, which is managed by Boeing’s Huntsville-based Missile and Weapon Systems division, is as fast as a seismic wave, traveling […]

MONTGOMERY — The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday gave a favorable report as amended to HB 237, State Rep. Ginny Shaver’s (R-Leesburg) “born-alive” bill that would be known as “Gianna’s Law.” Shaver has introduced a version of this bill for three consecutive sessions. The legislation is named after a survivor of an attempted abortion who now […]

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) this week announced 14 appointments to his Alabama state staff, as well as the five physical office locations from which they will serve the people of Alabama. The freshman senator’s in-state team will be located across the Yellowhammer State and includes regional directors, caseworkers and subject matter experts on diverse […]

U.S. Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) on Tuesday voted to support the confirmation of Tom Vilsack to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The nominee of President Joe Biden was confirmed in a 92-7 vote. Vilsack served in the same position during the Obama administration from January 2009 through January 2017. Tuberville was […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday met for the seventh day of its 2021 regular session, with the chambers working off of respective special order calendars. The return to action came following a scheduled one-week break for the legislature as part of COVID-19 protocols. Senate Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) and Majority Leader Clay […]

MONTGOMERY — Senator Del Marsh (R-Anniston) on Tuesday afternoon provided an update on the status of his comprehensive gaming proposal that is currently awaiting the consideration of the Alabama Senate. Before the legislature took a scheduled one-week break last week, the Senate Tourism Committee gave the legislation a unanimous favorable report and the full upper […]

MONTGOMERY — Alabama Senate Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) and Majority Leader Clay Scofield (R-Guntersville) on Tuesday unveiled key priorities the Senate plans to pursue for the rest of the legislature’s 2021 regular session. A release outlined that these priorities – agreed upon by Senate and House leadership – include efforts to support economic recovery, […]

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) on Monday celebrated the launch of production on the all-new 2022 Tucson SUV, setting a major milestone for the Montgomery plant and the South Korea-based automotive giant. The Tucson now joins the Sonata and Elantra sedans and Santa Fe SUV on the assembly line in Alabama’s capital city. This addition […]

Balch & Bingham on Tuesday announced the addition of Brandi Russell as the firm’s chief diversity & inclusion officer and director of talent management. Russell joins the firm’s professional management team and will be based in its Birmingham headquarters office. As chief diversity & inclusion officer and director of talent management, Russell will reportedly work […]

Birmingham-based Regions Bank on Tuesday announced the company is expanding access to its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application portal to allow even more small businesses to apply for the job-sustaining funding. PPP was established by Congress last spring and is managed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide crucial forgivable loans for companies […]

Australia-based Austal Limited on Monday evening announced the resignation of Craig Perciavalle, the president of its American subsidiary Austal USA. In a written release, Austal said that his resignation follows the completion of an investigation conducted by external attorneys but commissioned by the company. That probe reportedly focused on what is believed to be at […]

Governor Kay Ivey has ordered flags to half-staff in Alabama to honor and remember the more than 500,000 Americans who have died due to COVID-19. The action was taken in accordance by a proclamation issued Monday by President Joe Biden; Ivey has ordered flags lowered until sunset on Friday, February 26. “Alabama joins the rest […]

Members of Alabama’s congressional delegation are confident that a review will find that the Air Force’s decision to name Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal as the permanent headquarters of U.S. Space Command was the correct one based on merit. The Department of Defense’s inspector general is investigating the decision, which Governor Kay Ivey welcomed in a statement […]

The Department of Defense’s inspector general on Friday announced it is probing the Air Force’s decision announced last month to make Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal the permanent headquarters of U.S. Space Command. Redstone was one of six finalists nationwide for the coveted HQ. Colorado’s Peterson Air Force Base, Space Command’s current temporary headquarters, was one of […]

Georgia’s Stacey Abrams over the weekend became the latest national leftwing firebrand to call on Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, to unionize. A vote is ongoing by employees at the Amazon fulfillment center in metropolitan Birmingham to determine whether they will join the New York City-based Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), an affiliate […]