In 2015, only eight high school seniors in the country were accepted into all eight Ivy League schools. Four chose to attend Harvard, a couple chose Yale, but only two chose to buck the Ivy League all together. One of those two chose the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which is not in the Ivy […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — By a vote of 5-3, the Alabama Senate Tourism Committee on Thursday approved Sen. Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) lottery and gambling expansion plan. It now proceeds to the full Senate for consideration. If passed into law, Alabama voters would have the opportunity to approve a constitutional amendment legalizing a state-sponsored lottery and casino […]

Alabama is facing a budget crisis. The state’s General Fund budget – which funds nearly every non-education item – has a projected deficit of roughly $250 million for fiscal year 2016, which starts on October 1. How did we get in this fiscal mess? Unfortunately, over the decades many politicians chose to kick the fiscal […]

A team of students from Russellville won first place in the world’s largest rocketry competition, earning the right to represent the United States in an international fly-off at the Paris International Airshow in June. The RCS Engineers Rocketry Team beat out 100 competing teams to claim victory in the 2015 national finals of the Team […]

AUBURN, Ala. — Researchers at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine believe they have cured a rare disease in cats that also afflicts humans, and are seeking permission to begin clinical trials on people. The disease, GM1 gangliosidosis is a very rare inherited neurological disease related to the relatively more common Tay-Sachs disease, affecting […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Two Alabama residents who are recipients of the Medal of Honor were on hand at the Alabama Statehouse Tuesday for Military Appreciation Day, holding lawmakers and citizens in rapt attention as they urged the crowd to back America’s men and women in uniform. “Don’t forget those military that are down range at […]

Birmingham is the most affordable city in the United States, according to a new report by Forbes Magazine. Forbes 2015 “Most Affordable Cities” list includes the 100 largest metro areas in the country, all of which maintain a population of 600,000 or more. The famed business magazine then calculated housing affordability using the latest “Housing […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — This fall, underserved students in the East Lake and Roebuck communities of Birmingham will have another option for their education, and it comes with a familiar name. Banks Academy, Inc. has been established by alumni of the former Banks High School, and will begin offering classes to 9th graders this August, and […]

DAPHNE, Ala. — Former Navy SEAL and Lone Survivor author Marcus Luttrell is returning to the Yellowhammer State to speak at the Baldwin County Drug Court Foundation’s 6th Annual “Knowing You Can Make a Difference” fundraiser on Tuesday, June 9th. Lone Survivor is Luttrell’s courageous account of Operation Redwing, the 2005 military mission in the […]

AUBURN, Ala. — Best College Values lists two of Alabama’s largest Universities as having the most powerful alumni networks in a recent ranking. Auburn University (Auburn, Ala.) came in at #42, and the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) clocked in soon behind at #45. “Alumni networks do more than help fund Alma Maters;” the ranking […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The inaugural Sloss Fest was already set to be one of The Magic City’s biggest attractions this summer, but by revealing its long-awaited final headliner Monday, the music festival probably just earned even more attendees. The Avett Brothers, a folk rock band from North Carolina, completes the festival’s lineup, joining Modest Mouse, […]

We take our college football very seriously here in the South. House divided flags and license plates are commonplace in an area where everyone has an SEC allegiance, and a couple’s fandom is often a centerpiece in their wedding. One such newlywed “House divided” bride pulled off an epic prank on her new husband at […]

ATHENS, Ala. — In contrast to most areas of the country, the middle class in several Alabama cities is booming, according to personal finance and economics website NerdWallet. Middle class residents of Athens, Alabama have increased their share of income by 8.56 percent since 2007. The average middle class household income in the north Alabama […]

(Video above: Dr. Larry Lemak shares his testimony on the power of prayer) HOOVER, Ala. — Sports medicine pioneer Dr. Larry Lemak told the story of his battle with throat cancer, sharing a stirring testimony on the power of friendship and prayer at the Hoover Mayor’s annual prayer breakfast last week. Speaking to a crowd […]

“Bootleggers and Baptists.” It’s a catch phrase from a bygone era reminding us that government regulations on the economy make strange bedfellows. It originated with an economist who noted that both Baptists and bootleggers supported restricting the sale of alcohol — the former on moral grounds, the latter because their business benefited from the shuttering […]

Friday marked the final day of National Small Business Week, a week dedicated to recognizing the important and critical contributions to America’s success by small business owners and entrepreneurs. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, which create about two of every three new jobs in the U.S. each […]

(Video above: Act of Congress performs “Time” backstage prior to their show at the Alabama Theater) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama-based band Act of Congress will provide the musical entertainment at Yellowhammer’s upcoming Power of Service event at the Renaissance Ross Bridge in Birmingham, Friday evening, May 29, 2015. The event will honor members of the […]

Montgomery, Ala. — The “Student Religious Liberties Act” sponsored by State Rep. Mack Butler (R – Rainbow City) became law on Thursday as Gov. Robert Bentley affixed his signature to the measure in a signing ceremony coinciding with the National Day of Payer. The bill was part of the House Republican Caucus’s “Alabama First” legislative […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A series of high profile incidents around the country has heightened racial tensions and sparked a national debate over police use of force. But while police officers have become a favorite target of the national media and opportunistic politicians, many citizens remain supportive and appreciative of the cops who put their lives […]

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WASHINGTON — Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) circulated a “critical alert” earlier this week warning his colleagues that a recent bill giving President Obama special authority to negotiate a massive trade deal would ceed too much power to the executive branch and threaten the US economy. Under the agreement, Congress would not be able to amend […]

MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. — Alabama’s largest claim to musical fame will join other Americana Music sites along a 1,500 mile stretch of highway covering multiple states in the newly-minted “Gold Record Road” stretching between the sites of where nine of America’s musical genres were developed. The Americana Music Triangle will include locations in Louisiana, Mississippi, […]

WASHINGTON — Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) welcomed an honor flight of WWII and Korean War veterans to the nation’s capital Wednesday, greeting the men and women from Tuscaloosa at the WWII memorial. “This experience was both humbling and exciting, as these Alabama veterans had the opportunity to view the national memorials dedicated to their selfless […]

(Above: A Dust Devil rips through Talladega) TALLADEGA, Ala. — An interesting weather phenomenon called a Dust Devil was caught on a camera phone tossing some tailgating supplies around at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday. Alabama meteorologist James Spann explained to Yellowhammer Monday how exactly a Dust Devil occurs. “A dust devil is a ground-based vortex that […]