Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield says the state’s business community has stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic by shifting output to produce badly needed personal protective equipment and medical gear for health care workers and ordinary citizens. While most of these moves have been temporary, Secretary Canfield glimpses a potential opening for Alabama to become […]

A group of Republican House Representatives was stopped from making an unannounced inspection of the Alabama Department of Labor on Wednesday. The representatives wanted answers as to why so many of their constituents have not been able to receive the unemployment benefits for which they applied. The group was instead welcomed into Secretary of Labor […]

Governor Kay Ivey proclaimed Thursday that Alabama will join the United States in celebrating the 69th annual National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 7. The governor’s proclamation says, “[W]e specifically thank God for those who defend our freedoms and ask for peace throughout our state, nation and world.” The National Day of Prayer traces […]

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has released a survey that shows 70% of America’s small business owners are concerned about unfounded COVID-19 lawsuits being brought against their companies. The survey was conducted among some of its 325,000-member businesses. In Alabama, State Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) has introduced a bill that would grant civil […]

The Alabama Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that certain new groups of people are eligible for COVID-19 testing, including all Alabamians who have underlying medical conditions making them more vulnerable to the virus. Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that 43.1% of Alabamians over age 18 have a health condition that puts them […]

Actions taken by Gov. Kay Ivey and State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris are starting to raise questions from those within the Alabama legislature concerned about the overreach of the state in the name of handling the government-proclaimed emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. Add State Rep. Andrew Sorrell (R-Muscle Shoals) to that growing chorus of […]

Some businesses, including barbershops, nail salons, beauty parlors, bars, restaurants and breweries are still awaiting word from the state of Alabama they can reopen, and guidance on when they open for what should be put in place as the coronavirus pandemic continues its impact on the economy. Also left out of the first phase of […]

COVID-19 has affected virtually every facet of life in Alabama, and there may be nowhere that is more apparent than at the University of Alabama at Birmingham — an institution leveraging its expertise to fill a critical leadership role in response to the pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic has showcased the vital importance of UAB to Alabama and […]

U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) is backing former Vice President Joe Biden over Tara Reade, who has alleged Biden sexually assaulted her when she worked for Biden’s Senate office in 1993. Per The Huffington Post, Jones on Wednesday broke his public silence over the allegations. Alabama’s junior senator is a longtime friend of Biden’s and […]

State Senator Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) has introduced a bill that would limit the powers of the State Health Officer and put a 14-day limit on the amount of time a governor can unilaterally declare a State of Emergency. If voted into law, the legislation would require the state health officer to get the governor’s approval […]

During an interview that aired on Greenville radio Q-94’s “The Kyle and Dave Show” on Wednesday, Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon revealed he and his wife Janice McLendon had been diagnosed with coronavirus earlier in the week. McLendon explained how he came to the decision to get tested for the virus and his experiences thus far […]

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Alabama-based Dynetics Phase 1 of the Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program. Known as ACE TA3, or Alpha Mosaic, the award is valued at $12.3 million, according to a release from Dynetics. The ACE program seeks to infuse artificial intelligence (AI) into high-intensity air conflicts. The company says, […]

MONTGOMERY — The General Fund budget for Fiscal Year 2021 has made significant headway in the first three days of the Alabama legislature returning to business this week. The Alabama Senate on Tuesday approved SB 157, the FY21 General Fund budget, as substituted and then amended on the floor by a 31-0 vote. This General […]

The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce was announced as a winner of the Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development on Tuesday. The award is given out by Site Selection magazine, a publication focused on economic development in the United States. The award winners are based on “total projects, total investment associated with those […]

MONTGOMERY — The Ways and Means Education committee of the Alabama House of Representatives advanced a $7.2 billion budget on Wednesday, with $91 million in increases from the previous year. The budget, which would be in effect for fiscal year 2021, is much more modest than what had been discussed by leaders before the coronavirus […]

Tuesday, as protesters appeared in front of the State Capitol decrying the state’s coronavirus shutdown order, State Rep. Will Dismukes (R-Prattville) was reportedly the only member of the Alabama legislature to make the trek across Union Street from the Statehouse for the protest. Since publishing a Facebook video questioning the seeming double standard that has […]

Despite a public outcry claiming Gov. Kay Ivey’s rollback of coronavirus restrictions on the state level last week did not go far enough, the Ivey administration has not budged on further rollbacks, which comes to the chagrin of U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville). On Tuesday, Brooks reiterated his call for Ivey to completely halt the […]

MONTGOMERY — A bond issue worth $1.25 billion that would finance school improvements across Alabama cleared an important hurdle on Tuesday when it received a favorable report from the Alabama House Ways and Means Education committee. The legislation was sponsored by State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) and would constitute the largest state investment in school […]

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office advised against enforcing the current state health order against churches. The statement, made to WBRC, came in reference to multiple sheriffs announcing that they have instructed their departments not to enforce the State of Alabama’s current “Safer-At-Home” order against businesses and places of worship. […]

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is well on its way to relieving some of the pain small businesses have suffered during the COVID-19 shutdown. The federal relief fund is finally getting money to the small businesses it was designed to assist, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). The results of NFIB’s most […]

As the House and the Senate are seemingly at odds over what measures to take up in the waning moments of the 2020 legislative session, one of which is underway under the duress of the coronavirus pandemic, expect some within the Senate to use the platform to urge Gov. Kay Ivey to be more aggressive […]

Launch of Space Launch System (SLS) got a little closer last week when Boeing and NASA announced the completion of a necessary avionics review. The review enables testing on the first SLS core stage to continue when NASA reopens Stennis Space Center. The key testing phase for SLS, known as “Green Run,” is series of […]

MONTGOMERY — Alabama Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia) on Tuesday expressed frustration with his Senate colleagues and said that his chamber will only consider local bills and state budgets during the remainder of the pandemic-inhibited legislative session. McCutcheon says the conditions agreed upon during the resumption of the legislative session by himself, Senate […]

Baldwin County Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack on Tuesday announced that his department will not enforce the State of Alabama’s current “Safer-At-Home” order. Baldwin County is the largest county in the state by area and the fifth-largest by population. The county is notably home to Alabama’s beautiful beaches on the Gulf Coast. Mack made the announcement […]