The U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest $360 million in the Medical West Hospital Authority to build a state-of-the-art, 200-bed hospital in McCalla. The new Medical West Hospital will serve more than 300,000 rural people in rural west Jefferson County, rural Tuscaloosa County and other surrounding rural communities. The 405,186-square-foot facility will feature a 26-room emergency department, […]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama’s economy could see stellar growth in 2022 as the state and country continue reopening commerce in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic, according to researchers at The University of Alabama. Pitfalls remain with the unknown behavior of the virus and continued pandemic-related supply chain bottlenecks, labor shortages and rising prices. […]

Redevelopment firm Orchestra Partners Thursday morning announced nationally renowned Alamo Drafthouse Cinema as the first major tenant slated to occupy Powell Steam Plant, an 85,000-plus-square-foot historic structure in the heart of Birmingham’s Parkside District. Alamo Drafthouse represents a major piece of Orchestra Partners’ redevelopment plans to transform Powell Steam Plant and the surrounding Parkside District into an entertainment destination and connectivity […]

Unionization was in the best interests of workers employed at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Bessemer, claimed far-left Democratic Party leaders in early 2021. President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and other progressive political figures last year joined New York-based Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) in a […]

Preliminary numbers show Alabama’s economic development efforts added $5.3 billion in capital investment and more than 9,000 jobs in 2021 despite a year disrupted by a global pandemic, supply chain breaks and other issues. Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield delivered the news Monday to kick off the Economic Development Association of Alabama’s 2022 Winter Conference in […]

Defense and aerospace industry powerhouses Lockheed Martin and Airbus are joining forces in a proposal to build the U.S. Air Force’s future midair fueling tanker in Mobile. Should the military’s air service branch select Lockheed Martin as the prime contractor, the project could reportedly create up to 1,300 jobs between the proposed sites of Mobile […]

Attracting and retaining skilled workers continues to be a major hurdle facing Alabama employers. As the state’s economy has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, the supply of skilled labor has struggled to keep pace with the amount of jobs employers seek to fill. As part of the Yellowhammer News Connect to your Future series, […]

Gee’s Bend, Alabama, couldn’t be real. That’s what fashion designer Patrick Robinson, who knew of the storied Gee’s Bend’s quilters, figured. “I’ve owned the books of Gee’s Bend forever. I never thought it was a real place,” says Robinson, founder of the New York City-based Paskho clothing company. “I thought it was this mystical place where people […]

Alabama’s automakers are eyeing growth on many fronts in 2022, with plans for new models, additional employees and advanced technology that will help usher in the next era of vehicle manufacturing in the state. Mazda Toyota Manufacturing will continue to ramp up its auto assembly operations in Huntsville, following a year that saw the debut of […]

The wind tunnel at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) will be used to study the effects of shock waves at transonic, supersonic and hypersonic speeds under a three-year, $249,000 basic research grant from the Thermal Transport Program of the National Science Foundation. Known as the SuperSonic/TranSonic/WindTunnel or SS/TS/WT, the $2 million facility at […]

For more than half a century, Jefferson Country Store has offered grocery staples and a place to gather for the tiny community of Jefferson in Marengo County. Today, the store serves a much larger population – with people coming from miles away, and even other states, to enjoy a burger or some homemade pimento cheese or to […]

New research to make future computer solid state drives (SSDs) more resilient, durable and energy-efficient has attracted a five-year, $650,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award for Dr. Biswajit Ray of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), as well as the interest of two manufacturers. Dr. Ray, an assistant professor in […]

Birmingham’s Southern Research is building an $84 million facility that will enhance its research capabilities, create nearly 550 jobs and double the organization’s economic impact to $300 million per year. The new building will be at the center of efforts to improve public health outcomes across Alabama, said Dr. Josh Carpenter, president and CEO of Southern Research. […]

The negative impact humans have on their environment is constantly on display, with climate change, land alterations and harmful algal blooms affecting people’s lives daily. But this isn’t an entirely new phenomenon, according to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS, by Auburn University paleolimnologist Matthew Waters. PNAS is the official journal […]

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Mazda Toyota Manufacturing this week marked the start of mass production of the all-new Mazda CX-50 sport utility at the joint venture assembly plant in Alabama with cheers from the plant’s workforce. The launch ceremony featured guests and high-ranking Mazda executives, including Mazda North American Operations President and CEO Jeff Guyton. MTM […]

Attracting and retaining skilled workers continues to be a major hurdle facing Alabama employers. As the state’s economy has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, the supply of skilled labor has struggled to keep pace with the amount of jobs employers seek to fill. As part of the Yellowhammer News Connect to your Future series, […]

Dura Automotive Systems on Thursday held a grand opening for the company’s Muscle Shoals manufacturing facility, which will produce electric vehicle battery enclosures. According to a release, the company’s 200,000-square-foot facility is expected to create 270 full-time jobs at peak production. Dura’s overall investment in the facility amounts to an estimated $75 million. Dura’s operations […]

Alabamians became all too familiar with the aggressive housing market in 2021. From rejected offers and competition with cash buyers, to historically low interest rates and accepted offers above asking, there were benefits to some and losses to many. That being said, housing affordability remains a concern. Although inventory shortages may persist, a group of […]

The ranking sits out there staring Alabama’s leaders in the face. Alabama is the nation’s third worst state at retaining its college graduates, according to Forbes magazine. Although two out of three in-state students are in the workforce one year after graduation, the Wall Street Journal reports the retention of recent Alabama college graduates is […]

Alabamians became all too familiar with the aggressive housing market in 2021. From rejected offers and competition with cash buyers, to historically low interest rates and accepted offers above asking, there were benefits to some and losses to many. That being said, housing affordability remains a concern. Although inventory shortages may persist, a group of […]

Attracting and retaining skilled workers continues to be a major hurdle facing Alabama employers. As the state’s economy has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, the supply of skilled labor has struggled to keep pace with the amount of jobs employers seek to fill. As part of the Yellowhammer News Connect to your Future series, […]

“Alabama has worked hard to become one of the nation’s leading automobile manufacturers, and maintaining that status as EVs proliferate will improve the state’s economic future. EVs have already approached 5% of total new car sales in some months and analysts predict 20% of all vehicles sold in the U.S. will be an EV in […]

United Launch Alliance (ULA) on Friday successfully launched an Atlas V rocket carrying the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command USSF-8 mission. The launch from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida marked ULA’s 148th launch. The rocket manufacturer continues to hold an unblemished mission success rate. ULA launched two Geosynchronous […]

Just because it’s winter that doesn’t mean nothing’s coming out of the ground on Alabama’s farms. Carrots, greens, root vegetables, satsumas, broccoli, fava beans, and sweet potatoes are all in-season now here. And if you know where to look, you’ll find the freshest homegrown food the state produces. The early season for markets selling Alabama-grown […]