The Associated Press on Tuesday announced that University of Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith has been named as its player of the year for the 2020 college football season. Smith became the first ever player at his position to win the award, which was established in 1998. “In what could be a preview of the […]

State Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville) is seeking to take action to learn from what some would say is a mistake from the early stages of the state government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. At the outset, Gov. Kay Ivey, at the behest of State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris, mandated certain so-called nonessential businesses closed […]

Even though it has been discussed by some of the Alabama House of Representatives’ more conservative members, the formation of groups similar to what the U.S. House of Representatives has in the Freedom Caucus has been discouraged by the body’s leadership in past years. Seemingly for that reason, no such group has come to be […]

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday evening passed a bill that would increase the latest round of direct COVID-19 relief payments to the American people. The vote was 275-134. The CASH Act would up the stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 per eligible adult. This proposal has been championed in recent days by President […]

A state program that provides internet access to families with K-12 students has been extended into 2021 by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. Federal legislation providing a second wave of coronavirus relief was passed by Congress last week and signed on Sunday by President Donald Trump. It paved the way for the extension by moving the […]

Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) is opposed to President Donald J. Trump’s request for Congress to significantly increase the amount of direct stimulus payments to the American people. Trump on Sunday signed into law the Fiscal Year 2021 omnibus appropriations package that had an additional, approximately $900 billion COVID-19 relief package attached to it. The legislation […]

The Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) announced on Monday that economic developer Ron Kitchens will be the organization’s new president and CEO. Kitchens has spent the last 15 years at the helm of Southwest Michigan First, an economic development organization in Kalamazoo with around 30 employees. Before landing in Michigan, he held economic development roles in […]

Governor Kay Ivey recently awarded about $5.8 million to several Alabama entities from proceeds issued to the state as part of a nationwide settlement against Volkswagen. The automotive giant was found in violation of the U.S. Clean Air Act in 2016 after installing software in approximately 590,000 vehicles which misled the amount of emissions said […]

Add U.S. Rep.-elect Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) to the list of federal GOP officials pledging to join U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) in his bid to contest the certification of the 2020 Electoral College tally. During an appearance on Newsmax TV’s “America Right Now,” Moore weighed in the presidential election results and explained there were enough […]

University of South Alabama and USA Health employees and retirees contributed $224,316 to support the 2020 United Way of Southwest Alabama’s annual campaign. More than 1,700 current and retired employees gave to this year’s campaign, which provides funding to 47 health and human service organizations in Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile and Washington counties to address key […]

Two years ago, the University of South Alabama received a $467,419 grant from the U.S. Department of Education International Studies and Foreign Language Program to expand existing programs in international studies and modern and classical languages and literature. That grant continues to pay dividends as it funds several different initiatives, including about $20,000 seed money to […]

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the State of Alabama and the Alabama Department of Corrections alleging violations of the Eighth and 14th Amendments, adding that “constitutional compliance cannot be secured by voluntary means,” and therefore legal action would be required. It is still more than two months until the […]

Now that the COVID-19 vaccine has arrived, myths and confusion about its safety and efficacy have arisen. Health care experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham debunk the common myths and set the record straight that the vaccine is safe to receive. Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine was rushed and will not be safe. The COVID-19 vaccine […]

One of the major hurdles facing the Alabama Legislature in the COVID-era has been having a place to conduct the business of the state of Alabama safely without the possibility of spreading the virus among a potentially vulnerable population of legislators. A possible solution sometimes mentioned has been finding a new place for the legislature […]

The ideal Christmas of times past with extended family and friends gathered together will not be the reality of Christmas 2020. Because of the pandemic, things are just different, and so, too, is Christmas.

It won’t be a white Christmas in Alabama this year, but it will feel like winter over the holiday weekend. Temperatures are forecast to dip into the 20s overnight on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as far south as Mobile, and are expected to drop into the teens in north Alabama. Below-freezing temperatures are also […]

The employees at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Bessemer have made giving back to their community a priority this Christmas season. “Our community, like everywhere, is facing hard times, and Amazon is committed to doing what we can to help,” said Rob Street, Loss Prevention manager of Amazon’s Birmingham fulfillment center, in a statement. One of […]

While 2020 has been a uniquely challenging time for our nation, the significant investments made in rural Alabama this year by the Trump administration will have positive effects for generations to come. Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) alone, the administration of President Donald J. Trump directly backed the Yellowhammer State to the tune […]

Auburn Director of Athletics Allen Greene on Tuesday evening announced the hire of new head football coach Bryan Harsin, confirming media reports. “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Harsin to the Auburn family. He’s a proven winner whose record speaks for itself,” Greene said in a statement. The announcement comes after a search process that […]

Auburn has selected Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin to lead the Tigers football program, according to multiple reports. Yahoo Sports broke the news on Tuesday afternoon. Coincidentally, it was Harsin who succeeded Gus Malzahn as the head coach at Arkansas State in 2012. Now, Harsin will apparently repeat the feat on The Plains. Harsin, […]

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson and the Alabama State Port Authority on Tuesday released respective statements lauding U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) for his continued support of Coastal Alabama in the comprehensive Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations package that was passed by Congress the previous day. A release from Stimpson noted that in the omnibus appropriations bill […]

Heiche Surface Technologies, a company that specializes in sophisticated metal coatings for car parts and industrial uses, is building a plant in Jasper that will employ over 70 workers. The company’s main customers are expected to be automakers and auto parts suppliers. News of the plant was announced Tuesday afternoon by the office of Alabama […]

Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) on Tuesday opened the Yellowhammer State’s pitch to house the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command. Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal was recently confirmed as one of six finalists for the HQ. Space Command was approved by Congress in 2018, and President Donald Trump subsequently directed its elevation as the 11th functional […]

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate on Monday both voted to pass an omnibus appropriations package that contains all 12 Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) spending bills and majorly benefits Alabama. The comprehensive legislation, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, also included about $900 billion in additional COVID-19 relief for struggling Americans and businesses. The measure […]