Alabama has a proud history of producing standout performers on American Idol, including winners Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks leading the way. The state has also celebrated finalists like Bo Bice, Jessica Meuse, Dexter Roberts, and C.J. Harris, along with more recent Top 10 contestants Walker Burroughs, Mia Matthews, Triston Harper, and Paul McDonald. Their […]

Birmingham will step onto the national country music stage this fall when the city welcomes its first major country festival, the Iron Hills Country Music Festival, on October 11-12 at Sloss Furnaces. Festival organizers Johnny Grimes, Chad Johnson, and Josh Williams said their goal was to design an event that goes beyond the typical music […]

On October 22, the Gulf Shores area will magically transform into a giant Margaritaville. The annual meeting of Jimmy Buffett-remembering Parrot Heads will be in Gulf Shores October 22-26. It’s the 33rd annual national meeting of the lovers of all things Buffett. The name of the event is “Meeting of the Minds.” The word “minds” does […]

Wendi Boyen has dedicated more than three decades to shaping communities through banking, leadership, and service. Today, as Executive Vice President of Community Development Lending & Investments at Regions Bank, she leads with both professional expertise and a personal sense of purpose. Her career reflects a consistent theme: using financial tools not just to drive […]

For Cindy Harris, leadership has never been about titles or recognition. As Vice President and Group Manager of Emerging & Disruptive Technologies at Radiance Technologies, she has dedicated her career to building a workplace culture where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered. Her approach centers on service, humility, and integrity—principles that guide how she leads […]

Pam Swanner’s career is a testament to perseverance, innovation, and a deep love for connecting people to place. For more than four decades, she has worked at the crossroads of tourism, economic development, and cultural preservation. Today, as president of the Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association (ALBBAA), she leads efforts to showcase one of Alabama’s […]

A World War II veteran marked a milestone this week as friends, family, and state leaders came together to celebrate his 106th birthday. The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and the staff at the Bill Nichols State Veterans Home hosted a party on Friday in honor of Willie Bennett, who was born in 1916 in […]

Prayers, candles, flags, flowers, signs, singing – all in tribute to slain Turning Point USA Founder and conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk. Tributes have been held across Alabama since the Wednesday assassination. When they heard of the tragedy, many Alabamians immediately began planning tributes and vigils in memory of Kirk’s life and work. Typical of […]

Eliza Maxwell’s career is a testament to vision, compassion, and determination. As the founder of homeRN, she has reshaped what it means for families to receive care at home–combining expert medical support with the comfort, dignity, and security of familiar surroundings. Her work goes beyond traditional nursing, creating a model where every patient and family […]

State Auditor Andrew Sorrell and wife Hannah Sorrell are welcoming a new child into the world. The newborn boy arrived at 21 inches long and weighing eight pounds and four oz. at 1:40 p.m. on Friday. He will go by his first name of Justus. The Sorrells have two daughters. Liberty is 3, and Glory is 2. Many reports […]

The music of the late singer-songwriter John Prine will be recreated on Friday, September 19 at a historic location – the restored Ritz Theater on the courthouse square in Talladega. While John Prine is gone, his music lives on. Prine is not as well-known as some other singers and songwriters, but he has a large […]

I bet that at some point in your life you went through an existential crisis. A period where you pondered the question: Why am I here? Ancient philosophers from Socrates to Camus struggled with this question. Even Jesus tried to wrestle this one to the ground. American singer/songwriters from Johnny Cash to Bob Dylan often […]

Tourists and locals in Orange Beach, Alabama are quite used to seeing planes overhead pulling advertising banners. The trailing messages are usually about local restaurants, stores and entertainment. On Friday, a different kind of message was aloft. It was timely and timeless. Without much room to work with, the banner delivered a powerful message with […]

Anna Laurie McKibbens is a native of Alabama coming from a family with deep and historical ties to the state. She is and has been involved in a diverse set of business interests that span a multitude of industries from banking, construction materials, farming, leasing, insurance, petroleum product distribution and trucking. The family-owned businesses in […]

On Friday, Governor Kay Ivey introduced the Siemens family of Dothan as participants in Alabama’s CHOOSE Act, the state’s education savings account program. Parents Brady and Hannah Siemens have three children—Gabriel, an 11th grader; Remington, a 7th grader; and Annalise, a 3rd grader—who are all enrolled with support from the program. “Brady and Hannah Siemens […]

Wiregrass native turned Trump world insider Cliff Sims walked opposite Vice President JD Vance on the tarmac Thursday night as Charlie Kirk’s flag-draped casket was lifted onto Air Force Two for the flight to Arizona. Video from the transfer shows Vance accompanying military pallbearers before the plane later arrived in Phoenix to a solemn procession […]

A South Alabama family stumbled onto quite the discovery while fishing along a riverbank — the fossilized shell of a 32-million-year-old leatherback sea turtle, according to a news release issued jointly by the McWane Science Center, Poarch Creek Indians, and the Learning Campus. The specimen, nearly four feet long and three feet wide, represents a […]

U.S. Rep. Barry Moore signed onto a letter from fellow U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) calling for a statue of conservative political activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk to be placed in the U.S. Capitol building following his Wednesday afternoon assassination in Utah. “To honor his legacy, we call upon you to […]

“Showing up is half the battle.” For many, it’s a cliché. For Sara Beth Wilcox, it’s a mantra and the driving force behind a career that has reshaped skylines, inspired young leaders, and helped chart a new course for Alabama’s future. As Vice President and Division Manager at Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the Southeast’s […]

U.S. Senator Katie Britt spoke from the Senate’s press briefing room Thursday morning alongside top leadership to introduce legislation designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under certain humanitarian conditions. It came after the Wednesday assassination of conservative political activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk. Britt spoke candidly on Kirk’s killing and […]

America was rocked on Wednesday by the political assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. As the country processed the shocking tragedy, fraternities at the University of Alabama put up signs with messages of ‘Rest In Peace’ as well as large American flags honoring the 31 […]

“Big ideas don’t scare me. They inspire me.” That simple belief has guided Alicia Ryan from the strategy rooms of Washington, D.C. to the global stage of advanced manufacturing in Huntsville, Alabama. As the founder and CEO of LSINC, Ryan has built more than a company. She has built a legacy of turning imagination into […]

Following President Donald Trump’s Oval Office announcement last week that Space Command headquarters will be permanently located in Huntsville, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore took a moment to share the story of a recently deceased World War II veteran from the Wiregrass with the Commander-in-Chief. Milton Doggett, age 103, passed away on in August, 27 years […]

“Where were you when the world stopped turnin’ that September day?” —Alan Jackson  I don’t often talk about September 11, 2001. Even 24 years later, it still hurts. At the time, I was a news producer for New York City’s top-rated all-news radio station, 1010 WINS — “You give us 22 minutes,  we’ll give you […]