She is self-taught, yet went on to win the nation’s highest culinary honor in her field, a James Beard award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Dolester Miles has spent 40 years working with Beard Award-winning chef Frank Stitt, playing a role in the birth, growth, and sustained excellence of his Beard Award-winning flagship restaurant, Highlands Bar […]

The University of Alabama and Auburn University both rank among the best in Southern Living‘s recently unveiled “The South’s Best College Towns for 2022.” The poll, voted on by the readers, placed Tuscaloosa at number seven and the Plains at number three. Southern Living highlighted college towns that were loved for reasons that went beyond […]

At first, the pandemic wasn’t too kind to Christa Cotton and her fledgling cocktail company. And then, it was. A recent check-in – right before Mardi Gras – with the 2010 Auburn University graduate and CEO of New Orleans-based El Guapo found Cotton feverishly working with her team to get shipments of her popular bottled bitters, a key ingredient […]

Had she lived, the Queen of Soul would have been 80-years-old this month. For at least 60 of her 76 years, Aretha Franklin shared her vocal gift all over the world. In addition to bringing her both critical and commercial success, her voice became a symbol for a new generation of Americans. Older generations rooted […]

Even before “The First 48” started following Birmingham Police Department homicide investigator Chris Anderson around for the popular A&E TV show, Anderson’s steps were following those of his mother. Even though he retired from the police department in 2016, Anderson’s detective work continues on the Investigation Discovery series “Reasonable Doubt” in which he works with a criminal defense attorney to take a look at closed […]

Auburn University‘s Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, scheduled to open this summer, will offer a variety of opportunities for culinary and hospitality students. For the public, a major showpiece will be the upscale teaching restaurant 1856 – named for the year of Auburn’s founding – where students will work under the mentorship of visiting […]

In helping to bring HBO’s “The Gilded Age” to life, co-producer Luke Harlan used many of the skills he learned in school — including the experiences gained at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. A director and producer for TV, film and theater, Harlan is a 2008 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Theatre, […]

Three Tuscaloosa schools are among the five singled out in Alabama as State Schools of Character by the international group Character.org. Westlawn Middle School, Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools-Elementary and Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools-Middle join Cornerstone Schools of Alabama High School in Birmingham and Vestavia Hills Elementary East on the prestigious list of 69 schools selected nationwide. Tuscaloosa has more schools than some states on […]

Renew Our Rivers volunteers are hoping in 2022 for the first full year of the campaign since the pandemic began, with 32 cleanups set from February through November. “We are hopeful and optimistic that we can get back to a normal schedule for 2022,” said Mike Clelland, statewide ROR coordinator. “Even though the pandemic was still affecting […]

A Louisiana chef’s aspirations of beginning his own culinary business in Alabama are coming true as he begins preparations to open his restaurant and office. Chef Blake Yount moved to Guntersville with his wife Alaina and son Jacques in October with the goal of starting a company that would fulfill several dining needs, not just […]

Andrea Snyder is the co-founder of Urban Cookhouse and Farmbowl Juice in the Birmingham area. She has a heart to serve and wants to help the community thrive around her. The company was founded as a way to help support local farmers bring goods to market while serving and making great food. In this episode, […]

“Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction.” – Ronald Reagan. A dynamic curriculum featuring live theatrical events are successfully helping schools teach more powerful civics, character, financial literacy and career lessons in K-12 classrooms. Liberty Learning Foundation’s active civics program and interactive resources empower educators to teach these […]

As a born and raised native of Mobile, Sydney Raine understood the value of investing in local students and communities early on by connecting them with local opportunities. With more than 50 years of experience under his belt working in career development programs, Raine has provided career opportunities to students and individuals at various educational […]

From mission to menu, Taproot Café in Hoover intends to make a difference in its community. That’s because everything here – from the wholesome foods to the friendly staff to the bright, comfortable setting to the people supplying local, fresh ingredients – is part of a larger intention. The café serves sandwiches, salads, toasts, soups and smoothies, […]

The World Games 2022 has changed venues for the drone racing and speed skating competitions – moves that officials say will enhance experiences for athletes and fans. The competition for drone racing is moving to Protective Stadium from Barber Motorsports Park, and the track speed skating competition is moving from the Birmingham CrossPlex to the Powell Steam Plant, located on 18th Street next […]

Stillman College recently unveiled the Lt. Gen. Willie J. Williams Institute for leadership, education equity and race relations in America. Williams is one of the first three African Americans appointed to the rank of three-star general in the United States Marine Corps. The Stillman College alumnus was chosen by Stillman’s Veterans Resource Center. (contributed) “This […]

Did you know legendary conservationist Benton MacKaye’s original vision for the Appalachian Trail (AT) called for it to run the entire length of the Appalachian Mountains by linking Maine and Alabama? Conservationists in Alabama and Georgia have been working for the last few decades to turn this dream into a reality by adding approximately 314 […]

There’s a sign on Sean Dietrich’s refrigerator in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, that changes every day. “It’s a countdown, and today it says 10,” he said Feb. 23. That’s 10 days until Dietrich – the blogger/novelist/essayist/speaker/Alfa pitchman known as Sean of the South – and his wife, Jamie, make a big move. They’re moving from the Florida […]

Auburn University’s Southeastern Raptor Center recently released a rehabilitated 5-year-old bald eagle into the wild at Lake Guntersville State Park. “It’s a great honor and privilege for the raptor center team to give injured, ill and orphaned raptors a second chance at living a full life back in the wild and to continue to contribute to the wild […]

The University of North Alabama received a $6.5 million donation, the largest gift in the institution’s almost 200-year history, from the Charles C. Anderson family. The contribution will be used in the areas of academics and athletics with $1 million specifically earmarked for the women’s athletic programs, in memory of Hilda B. Anderson. The Andersons […]

In 2020, as the pandemic was taking a dramatic toll on the restaurant industry, Birmingham’s Automatic Seafood and Oysters earned a finalist nod in the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious awards for the nation’s Best New Restaurant. The restaurant, Alabama’s only finalist that year, carries that designation to this day, as the foundation announced it would present no winners that […]

Civil rights icon John Lewis, an Alabama native who was a longtime U.S. congressman from Georgia, and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, are the two newest Alabama Humanities Fellows. The Alabama Humanities Alliance (AHA) will honor them Monday, Feb. 28 at 11:30 a.m. at a sold-out event at the Renaissance Montgomery. (Virtual […]

“Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction.” – Ronald Reagan. A dynamic curriculum featuring live theatrical events are successfully helping schools teach more powerful civics, character, financial literacy and career lessons in K-12 classrooms. Liberty Learning Foundation’s active civics program and interactive resources empower educators to teach these […]

The Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association has created a new podcast all about North Alabama. The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama podcast spotlights everything that makes the Mountain Lakes region so special. From the well known to the unknown, it’s all there, just a listen away. Host Melea Hames takes the listener through the towns […]