Legendary college football coach and native Alabamian Bobby Bowden, 90, has announced that he has triumphed over COVID-19. Bowden was hospitalized October 6, three days after he first tested positive for coronavirus. He was released from the hospital last week, and on Wednesday he released a statement. “I want to thank all the many people […]

A new program has launched in Birmingham to help members of the public bridge their political differences and find common humanity. One Small Step, a project from widely lauded radio producer Dave Isay, seeks volunteers with strongly held political beliefs who are willing to have a 4o-minute conversation with someone from the other side of […]

For years, the public has struggled to navigate the stipulations and bureaucracies of Alabama’s Open Records Law, whether it be a concerned citizen with limited resources or media outlets with the ability to take on government officials who repeatedly shrug off records requests. Section 36-12-40 of the Alabama Code states, “Every citizen has a right […]

In a 5-3 decision spearheaded by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court of the United States on Wednesday evening blocked curbside voting from being allowed in Alabama’s November 3 general election. Curbside voting is not provided for by state law in Alabama, however U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon recently had ordered the secretary of […]

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday evening held a joint announcement regarding a major attempt by two hostile powers to interfere in the November 3 general election. “Iran and Russia have taken specific actions to influence public opinion related to our elections,” Ratcliffe said. Ratcliffe advised that Iran […]

Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth (R-AL) on Wednesday announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19, despite taking every possible effort to follow CDC health and safety protocols. “After being notified this afternoon that a member of my Sunday school church group had acquired the coronavirus, I was tested out of an abundance of caution and received […]

North AlabamaWorks announced Wednesday that Scott Russo of Mazda Toyota Manufacturing will serve as the new chairman of North AlabamaWorks’ board of directors. The group Russo now chairs is the regional workforce council for Alabama’s northernmost counties. North AlabamaWorks is a nonprofit that aims to develop and maintain the workforce in its area. Russo assumed […]

State Senator Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa) on Wednesday pre-filed SB 12, a bill to propose a constitutional amendment that would mandate public schools in Alabama to play the national anthem at least once per week and at public school sporting events. “This bill is about patriotism,” said Allen in a statement. “It’s about reminding our students […]

Alabama-based construction firm Robins & Morton and Encompass Health on Wednesday broke ground on a new rehabilitation hospital in Huntsville. When completed, the new facility will replace the existing Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of North Alabama located on Governors Drive in Huntsville’s Medical District. The new facility will be a state-of-the-art, 77,850-square-foot location at the […]

U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) on Wednesday joined Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and his fellow caucus members in voting to filibuster a targeted COVID-19 relief bill that included billions of dollars for unemployment insurance benefits, small business relief and funds for urgent health care needs. The legislation failed to receive the 60 votes […]

Motion Industries, an industrial supplies company, is investing $11.2 million to expand its location in Irondale, a decision that will create 15 new jobs. The company is consolidating two extant facilities into a single, 104,000 square foot building. The two previously existing facilities are a fluid-power shop and a hose-and-rubber shop. “We are extremely excited […]

Yellowhammer News has learned that the Macon County Democratic Party has paid for and is distributing signs categorically accusing the 2020 Republican general election ticket of “racism.” Yard signs have been placed across the county that feature a backdrop of a Confederate flag placed next to a banner for the campaign of President Donald J. […]

Last week, the Jefferson County Commission voted to take the unprecedented step of opening its courthouses on Saturday for in-person absentee voting, a decision of which was in part driven by concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Claims of voting improprieties have since surfaced. However, those claims have been dismissed by Secretary of State John Merrill, […]

The coronavirus pandemic caught our entire society off guard in many different ways, particularly economically, given the abrupt nature of efforts by all levels of government to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. With government-imposed forced closures of many businesses came a spike in unemployment that resulted in those out of work seeking compensation. While the […]

The Boeing Company on Tuesday announced that it has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Decatur City Schools Foundation for expanding Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education throughout the North Alabama school system. According to a release, this initiative includes the expansion of the Greenpower USA electric race car program into the fourth through […]

An economic analysis done by two economists estimates that if the federally-mandated minimum wage were raised to $15 per hour, Alabama would lose 53,227 jobs over six years. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign and the national Democratic Party have made the $15 an hour minimum wage a plank in their economic platform. As recently […]

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Tuesday announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.7 million grant to the University of West Alabama to improve barge access at the Port of Epes Industrial Park in Sumter County. The Port of Epes is an inland port located on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The EDA […]

For the seventh consecutive year, the University of Alabama was awarded record external funding for research and other sponsored activities. For Fiscal Year 2020, sponsored awards at UA reached more than $168.4 million, an increase of more than 27% over the previous year’s then-record. In the last two fiscal years, sponsored awards increased by 70%. […]

Eula Battle, wife of Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and an irrepressible force for good in the city of Huntsville, passed away at age 65 after an extended battle with cancer. Eternally kind and armed with a laugh that was both infectious and generous, Eula made a friend out of almost everyone she came to know. […]

On Monday, Yellowhammer News reported an effort by the Alabama New South Coalition, which offered churches $6 per person for utilizing Alabama’s absentee ballot process and voting before October 29 in this year’s presidential election. “Anybody that vote [sic] early before October 29th your church will get $6.00 per person,” an advertisement published in the […]

An Alabama program to provide free internet access for low-income students reached a milestone last week. The Alabama Broadband Connectivity for Students (ABC for Students) program has now provided internet access to more than 100,000 of the state’s students, according to officials at the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). The program became […]

Grow with Google’s Digital Coaches program, which provides digital skills training and coaching to help Black and Latinx small businesses prosper, is launching in Birmingham this month. According to a release, the Grow with Google initiative aims to help create economic opportunity in communities across the nation by providing digital skills training, tools and expertise […]

U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) was elected with the overwhelming support of Black voters and has heralded himself as a champion of the Black community. However, Jones has not put his money where his mouth is when it comes to spending campaign cash. According to NBC exit polls, 96% of Black voters backed Jones in […]

It’s been over four years since United Launched Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V rocket powered NASA’s OSIRIS-REx into space. The spacecraft — launched on September 8, 2016 — is scheduled to attempt its mission on Tuesday following a long journey. However, NASA hopes that it will be well worth the wait, as OSIRIS-REx’s mission is a historic one. […]