Miles College has entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with #NOWINCLUDED, powered by Acclinate, for equity in COVID-19 vaccinations and clinical research trials. Acclinate, a trusted health care solutions provider, integrates culture and technology to educate and engage diverse individuals to make informed decisions about genomic research and clinical trial participation. “Essential to this partnership is the stark realization that […]

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — AIDT, Alabama’s primary workforce development agency, is teaming with Hyundai Power Transformers USA and a firm specializing in virtual reality technologies on a revolutionary jobs training program. The collaboration with immersive learning startup TRANSFR stands to make cutting-edge job training accessible to thousands of unemployed workers and aspiring manufacturing professionals across the state. “By putting […]

New research examining the impact of COVID-19 on African Americans living in minority communities in Alabama has been published in Ethnicity & Health. Early in the pandemic, virtual focus groups were conducted in five urban and rural Alabama communities to hear the concerns and roadblocks about the virus, COVID precautions, and testing that residents were experiencing. […]

Mobile’s Innovation Portal has announced the first investments from its Portal Fund for early stage startups. “On behalf of the investment council of Innovation Portal, I am excited to announce our initial investments in Deuce Drone and Barkd,” said investment council Chairman Henry O’Connor. “Partnering with dynamic, engaging and local entrepreneurs is in line with Innovation Portal’s mission and […]

Last week’s announcement by U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) not to seek reelection in 2022 was not a huge surprise to many political watchers. However, it has triggered speculation as to who might seek to fill that vacancy. Among the names mentioned as possible candidates on the Republican side include U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), […]

Former President Donald J. Trump for the second time has been acquitted following a U.S. Senate impeachment trial, although this one came after his term of office. Trump, charged on a single article of impeachment with inciting an insurrection against the United States, was acquitted on Saturday afternoon, as 57 senators voted to convict and […]

The University of Alabama at Birmingham and PathCheck Foundation — founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — have partnered to launch a worldwide, interactive, COVID-19 vaccination dashboard. Normally constrained by the fragmented landscape of local systems and data collection processes, the vaccination dashboard will allow the general public, public health officials and researchers to access aggregated vaccination data and […]

Birmingham’s Innovation Depot has a brand refresh, two new programs, a mobile app for depot members and several building enhancements. “Innovation Depot’s vision is that Birmingham will generate the highest success rate for startups of any U.S. city per capita,” CEO Drew Honeycutt said. “Right now, we’re experiencing a lot of exciting entrepreneurial energy, so we’re focused […]

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, announced that deciBel Research has pledged $90,000 to name room ENG 264 in the Engineering Building. This space will be called the “deciBel Research Communications and Signal Processing Laboratory.” The announcement was made in conjunction with a room-naming plaque presentation […]

Bronze Valley Accelerator and Innovate Birmingham announced the launch of gener8tor Upskilling, a free training program to help Alabama residents obtain critical digital skills for in-demand jobs. Funded through a grant from Microsoft, the program will kick off its first, virtual statewide class in June. “Bronze Valley’s mission is creating an education-to-opportunity-to-outcome pipeline through investment, technical assistance, connections and […]

Senate leadership has named Alabama native Sonceria “Ann” Berry secretary of the U.S. Senate, effective March 1. The announcement was made via a press release on the Senate Democrats newsroom. Berry, who hails from Birmingham, will be the first Black woman and the eighth woman to hold this office, which ensures the institution’s overall effectiveness. She […]

The Economic Development Association of Alabama (EDAA) is sharing its goals for 2021 – all with sights toward continuing to recruit new business to every corner of Alabama. EDAA Executive Director Jim Searcy said the organization will prioritize rural communities for economic development opportunities. “We must ensure that economic prosperity reaches all regions of the state,” Searcy […]

Hope Enterprise Corp., with a $130 million commitment from Goldman Sachs, has partnered with seven cities and nine historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the South to launch the Deep South Economic Mobility Collaborative (DSEMC). Birmingham, Montgomery and their respective HBCUs, Miles College and Alabama State University, are taking part in the collaborative, announced Tuesday, which was formed to stabilize […]

The coronavirus news in Alabama this week was overwhelmingly positive. The vaccination system had its best week yet while hospitalizations and new COVID-19 cases continued to fall sharply. Driving the success of the week’s vaccinations were a series of drive-in clinics held in eight cities around the state, each of which exceeded expectations for efficiency. […]

Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) has appointed eight new members to serve on the Alabama Workforce Development Board, the body which oversees the state’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) initiatives. WIOA, a federal law passed in 2014, provides funding to help adults, youth and dislocated workers access assistance through Alabama Career Centers, adult education programs […]

While the first two weeks of the Alabama Legislature’s 2021 regular session featured three priority, pro-jobs bills being enacted into law, there was also another major piece of news important to businesses that occurred outside of the legislative process — but still in Montgomery. Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth (R-AL) on Wednesday announced that he has […]

MONTGOMERY — Friday marked an important milestone in increasing Alabama’s competitiveness in the rapidly evolving 21st-century economy. Governor Kay Ivey signed three priority bills into law, including HB 192 and HB 170. That latter bill, sponsored by Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) and Sen. Dan Roberts (R-Mountain Brook), contains a provision entitled the Business Tax Competitiveness […]

LOXLEY, Alabama — Retailer ALDI officially launched construction this week on a new regional headquarters and distribution center in Baldwin County that will support the company’s expansion throughout the Gulf Coast region. The project is set to bring approximately $100 million in capital investment, with plans to create more than 200 jobs in Loxley. ALDI announced its […]

U.S. Senator Richard C. Shelby (R-AL) will continue to serve as the top Republican on both the Senate Committee on Appropriations and its subcommittee on Defense. With Democrats controlling the Senate, albeit with a 50-50 split, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is now chairman of Appropriations, taking the helm from Shelby. Alabama’s senior senator is now […]

MONTGOMERY — Governor Kay Ivey on Friday morning signed into law three priority bills passed this week by the Alabama Legislature: HB 170, HB 192 and SB 30. All three bills have been heralded by pro-business organizations, such as the Business Council of Alabama and National Federation of Independent Business, as important for economic growth […]

One of the possible beneficiaries of State Sen. Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) comprehensive gaming legislation unveiled earlier this week is Macon County’s VictoryLand facility, which at times has been the subject of controversy in Alabama’s decades-long gambling conundrum. The legislation, SB 214, if passed, would allow for the expansion of gaming at VictoryLand. That is a welcome […]

Earlier this week, State Sen. Del Marsh (R-Anniston) introduced so-called comprehensive gaming legislation, which, if enacted, would establish an education lottery in addition to casino gaming and sports betting at five designated areas throughout the state. On Wednesday, the Alabama Senate Tourism Committee gave a favorable report to the legislation, SB 214, and now it awaits […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate on Thursday unanimously gave final passage to HB 231, sending the bill to Governor Kay Ivey’s desk. This comes after the bill unanimously passed the House last week. Ivey is expected to sign the legislation. Sponsored in their respective chambers by Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) and Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore), […]

The capability went live on Wednesday for citizens of Madison County, including residents of Huntsville and Madison, to text emergencies to 911. The Huntsville-Madison County 911 Center made the announcement in a release, where they emphasized that if it is at all possible, residents should call 911 instead of utilizing the new text option. Texting […]