It all started with a 1930s Shirley Temple doll for Mary Charles Robbins. Living in a home with no radio, before television, dolls provided her main entertainment. “The composition dolls are the ones from my era. They have such good expressions on their faces. I would say they are my favorites since I played with […]

During our years in Selma, Ala., two movie production crews came to the city. The first was the crew of “Blue Sky,” who filmed at the former Craig Air Force Base. Powers Boothe, Tommy Lee Jones and Jessica Lange were in town for several months. I called the film company asking how I could contact […]

This week, the University of Alabama announced that legendary play-by-play man Eli Gold would miss the beginning of this year’s football season due to health issues. Upon learning the news, the Crimson Tide community and Gold’s media colleagues gave their best wishes and prayers to the long-serving voice of Alabama football. An effort is now […]

Nick’s Kids Foundation presented checks totaling more than $572,000 to nonprofit organizations at a luncheon Aug. 3 at the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The event returned to Bryant-Denny for the first time since 2019. Last year, the city of Tuscaloosa and Nick’s Kids Foundation hosted a parade and ceremony celebrating the renaming of 28th […]

Auburn University’s men’s basketball team is currently in the State of Israel, where they are playing multiple exhibition games. Outside of their matchups in the sovereign Middle Eastern country, coach Bruce Pearl’s squad is touring the Holy Land, visiting locations of great importance to practicing Christians and Jews. The trip is being billed by Pearl, […]

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) provides several youth dove hunt opportunities throughout the state each fall. Registration for this year’s hunts will open at 8:00 a.m. CST on August 15. Although the hunts are free, online registration is required. The first youth dove hunts […]

The University of South Alabama, in collaboration with the Mobile County Public Schools and Mobile Police Department, announced the launch of SOAR, an initiative focused on reducing youth violence and suicidality. Short for Strengthening Opportunities for Achievement and Resilience, SOAR will be implemented under the umbrella of Operation Echo Stop, the Police Department’s initiative launched […]

Located in historic Mooresville, Alabama, 1818 Farms celebrated its 10-year business anniversary this past week with friends, family and associates that have contributed to the farm’s success over the years. 1818 Farms’ charter mission was to enjoy life the way it used to be, preserving history and honoring tradition by working a zero-waste farm, producing […]

The very idea of gas-station sushi is so incongruous that it was lampooned in a memorable Esurance commercial. The ad was funny. Zhu Jianjun thinks so, too. And he talks about it, and laughs about it, even as he proudly serves colorful rainbow rolls and beautiful salmon nigiri to customers – familiar and frequently new – in his […]

Best-selling author James Patterson in his new autobiography told about being on the “Oprah” show in Chicago. He and his co-writer came to promote their latest book that contained a lot of questions they called “mostly ridiculous.” Ms. Winfrey took one of the questions and asked it of her audience: “For two million dollars, could […]

April through July 2022, Bill Bradley Services alongside Cancer Wellness Foundation of Central Alabama, launched their FuelTheFight campaign which funded gas and transportation vouchers for patients traveling back and forth to treatment. What started as a small donation for each air conditioner purchased, quickly turned into a momentous fundraiser. “We saw a huge need as […]

Access to the water is one hurdle for boaters and anglers in Alabama’s coastal counties, where high land prices and high demand can leave those who want to launch a boat waiting in line. However, improvements to that access are on the horizon, and some projects have already been completed. The Alabama Department of Conservation […]

It’s 2022, and Alabama finds itself ranked 50 out of 51 (including the District of Colombia) on Mental Health America’s 2022 Report for states with the best access to mental health care for adults. This statistic alone is one of the reasons Better exists. Better is a nonprofit funding therapy for women in Alabama and […]

July is Disability Pride Month. It’s been 32 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities. Reflecting on this, I recall how my entire life has been shaped by a person with a disability. My cousin, Olin George Holley, Jr. — known in our small town […]

Alabama chef Jeffery Compton from The Battery in Birmingham will compete with 13 other chefs from around the country for the nation’s ultimate seafood cooking competition, the 18th annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off. Chef Compton was named executive chef of The Battery in Homewood in 2021. Being selected to compete in cooking is not unfamiliar […]

Last Sunday, on the final day of competition for The World Games, a formal check presentation was made hours before the closing ceremony at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium. The check total amounting to $54,000 was accrued through a plan to donate $1 from every ticket and item of The World Games 2022 merchandise sold since April […]

With highly skilled alumni and innovative research efforts, Auburn University is a key contributor to Alabama’s aerospace and aviation industries. Enrollment has risen significantly in recent years in degree programs related to the sector, including aerospace engineering, aviation management and professional flight. Auburn also has forged multiple partnerships with NASA and the Department of Defense, […]

Birmingham Restaurant Week’s summer session is back, with participating restaurants (and a few food trucks) offering special prix-fixe menus designed to expose diners to new places and new dishes in the food-obsessed metro area. Prices for BRW specials, which run through Saturday, July 30, range from $5 to $50. Menus from nearly 40 restaurants and food […]

I found former Congressman John Boehner’s new book at our library and finished it a few weeks ago. It was interesting to learn more about his governing philosophy. He came to Congress from Ohio as a Reagan conservative, and immediately took the lead in ethics reform. We remember the U.S. House of Representatives post office […]

“Compassion and wholeness” – those are the watchwords for Urban Ministry, a faith-based nonprofit focused on supporting residents in the West End neighborhood of Birmingham and helping to build a thriving community there. Those words translate into a host of programs and services provided by Urban Ministry that not only aid people in crisis but work […]

Throughout July, the Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery is presenting a special exhibit, “The Green Book: Navigating Jim Crow America.” It explores the history of the annual Green Book travel guide, published from 1936 to 1966, that aided Blacks in finding safe accommodations and other necessities while traveling in the United States during the days of racial […]

On a blustery and blessedly cloudy June day, a team of archaeology experts and student volunteers from the University of West Alabama (UWA) carefully pick through soil in a Marengo County field that is ready for planting. To the unskilled eye, the land looks no different than hundreds of other farm plots in this area of Alabama’s […]

American Optometric Association statistics show that about 90 million Americans participate in sports. With any sport, players must assume the risk of injury, whether it be broken bones, torn ligaments or damaged muscles. But what happens when a sports injury affects an athlete’s ability to see? University of Alabama at Birmingham baseball player Leo Harris found out […]

The return of the shark category to the 89th annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo (ADSFR) was a rousing success with 15 sharks weighed in during the three-day event, with one riding the ferry from Fort Morgan in the back of a pickup to get to the rodeo site on Dauphin Island. Tiger sharks pretty much […]