MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Governor Kay Ivey announced today that economic development activity across Alabama last year generated $7.1 billion in pledged capital investment and 13,454 job commitments, providing a potential spark for economic revival once the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic ease. Governor Ivey said the results include strategic investments that reflect long-term growth plans […]

The Regions Foundation on Thursday announced 11 additional grants supporting small business recovery amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The grantees from the Regions Bank nonprofit initiative included the Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham and the Small Business Relief Fund from the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce. Regions in a release detailed the following:

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced the suspension of international mail services to many foreign countries, however Alabama Secretary of State John H. Merrill on Thursday confirmed that eligible uniformed and overseas voters registered in the state will still be able to vote through the use of the Alabama electronic ballot delivery and […]

The Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) retains $162 million dollars in investments outside of the United States, even as contributions declined considerably in the wake of a scandal that forced the retirement of co-founder Morris Dees. Reporting published Wednesday by the Washington Free Beacon revealed the current state of the much remarked upon Montgomery group. […]

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) medical experts on Wednesday described with measured excitement the results experienced by COVID-19 patients treated with the drug remdesivir. Remdesivir is an antiviral drug that showed promising results for treating the novel coronavirus in a much-discussed clinical trial that the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) published […]

Perhaps overlooked by some as the state of Alabama is continuing its ban on religious gatherings in the name of mitigating the spread of COVID-19 is the financial harm inflicted on churches and other religious institutions. However, this trend is not going unnoticed by State Sen. Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills). In an appearance on Huntsville […]

For many, Gov. Kay Ivey’s announcement on Tuesday to roll back some of the coronavirus restrictions on commerce was welcomed news as it means many businesses can reopen, just with some manageable limits. However, churches and other venues of worship, along with restaurants, bars and breweries, have facilities that must remain closed until further notice […]

Heflin Mayor Rudy Rooks has written Governor Kay Ivey’s administration asking for a waiver of restrictions in her new public health order for his city. The City of Heflin posted a letter containing his request to its social media page on Wednesday. The East Alabama city, whose website greets visitors with the slogan “Open Space, […]

An Auburn University-developed light microscope technology that has been on the market since the early 2000s has found new potential as a research tool on the COVID-19 battlefront. CytoViva Inc., a subsidiary company of the Auburn Research Park-based firm Aetos Technologies Inc. – and the registered name for the patented microscope technology developed by professor Vitaly Vodyanoy of Auburn’s College […]

Former State Sen. Bryan Taylor (R-Prattville), who was most recently Governor Kay Ivey’s general counsel, is rejoining the law firm of Bachus, Brom & Taylor that he cofounded in 2013. Taylor left the governor’s office in fall 2019 to support his wife Jessica’s candidacy for Alabama’s Second Congressional District. Known in Montgomery for being one […]

The Huntsville Hospital System and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology are teaming up to study patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, according to a release from the companies on Wednesday. The goal of the study is to develop a treatment for the respiratory disease COVID-19. “A COVID-19 treatment is the best way to bridge the […]

VANCE, Alabama – Mercedes-Benz is beginning to gradually ramp up production at its Alabama manufacturing plant after adopting robust safety measures to protect workers amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI), as its Alabama operation is known, said operations began Monday with one shift. In coming weeks, the plant will be staffed with additional team […]

A Tuscaloosa County High School student has named NASA’s Mars helicopter, a vehicle which will become the first aircraft to attempt powered flight on another planet, according to a release from NASA. Vaneeza Rupani’s recommended name, “Ingenuity,” was selected by NASA as part of its “Name the Rover” essay contest. Rupani wrote in her submission, […]

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson has met with owners of some of the businesses which remain closed under Governor Kay Ivey’s new public health order, and he believes they should be able to open. Ivey announced the new public health order at a press conference on Tuesday. The order goes into effect at 5:00 p.m. on […]

Twenty-five airports across the states of Alabama will be receiving grants that to fund improvements, according to a release from U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) on Wednesday morning. Together, the grants total $60,999,054, some of which was made possible by the $2.2 trillion federal stimulus bill also known as the CARES Act, which was passed […]

The Alabama Restaurant and Hospitality Association (ARHA) on Tuesday issued a statement after Governor Kay Ivey the same day announced that eateries in the state will not be able to reopen for onsite dining in the first phase of her plan to get the economy back up and running. Ivey’s new “Safer At Home” order […]

Earlier this month, State Finance Director Kelly Butler told Alabama Public Television he did not anticipate proration for either the state’s budgets for this fiscal year. That trend appears to be a trend that will be able to continue for the time being, according to State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), who chairs the Senate Education […]

As the coronavirus shutdown has had a severe impact on the Alabama economy, another component beyond the livelihood, small business and job loss has been cash flow into government coffers. At some point, lawmakers in the Alabama legislature will be determining how to make do with some of these shortfalls, not only for the current […]

The University of Alabama at Birmingham will join an international effort coordinated by Scripps Research to test drugs for COVID-19. The work centers around ReFRAME, a vast collection of drugs developed for other diseases that are already known to be safe for humans. Researchers at Calibr, the drug development division of Scripps Research, are teaming up with […]

Alabamians will have at least a couple more Sundays before returning to worship services on church campuses. Governor Kay Ivey’s new public health order, which goes into effect at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, continues the prohibition on all non-work gatherings of 10 persons or more where six feet of space cannot be maintained. Her “Safer […]

MainStreet Family Care and KidsStreet Urgent Care are now offering coronavirus (COVID-19) antibody tests. A Tuesday release outlined that the available antibody test is performed by drawing a blood sample from the patient and sending it to the lab to be processed. Any patient interested in being tested for COVID-19 can walk into a MainStreet or […]

On May 1, the City of Birmingham will begin requiring all people who go out in public to wear an item that covers their face. The order is an effort to reduce coronavirus cases as many Birmingham residents will soon begin returning to work. The city council of Alabama’s largest city approved the ordinance unanimously […]

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has raised more than $1.1 million for clinical and basic research focused on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19. UAB officials created the Urgent COVID-19 Clinical Research and Laboratory Research Fund at UAB Medicine in March of this year in response to the pandemic. Community partners, many of them Birmingham-based businesses and one Montgomery […]

Following Governor Kay Ivey’s press conference on Tuesday announcing the initial phase of her plan to reopen Alabama’s economy, leaders in the state legislature released statements generally framing the announcement as a step in the right direction. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) was a member of the executive committee of Ivey’s coronavirus task […]