A portion of the financing for the $1.3 billion new prison construction plan passed by the Alabama Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey earlier this month was to come from federal COVID-19 relief money. As much as $400 million is believed to be eligible for the prison construction plan from money set […]

Leidos, parent company of Huntsville-based Dynetics, earlier this year announced that it had instituted a vaccine lottery with up to $1 million to be shared among 10 randomly selected workers who become vaccinated against COVID-19. Rather than mandating vaccination among workforce, many private sector companies have taken an opposite approach to that of government by […]

Earlier this year, I made the decision to get my COVID vaccine after speaking with my doctor. The rest of my family followed suit, and I have repeatedly encouraged anyone who has questions about the vaccine or is unsure to speak with his or her doctor. I strongly believe the vaccine is the best tool […]

NASA has announced the selection of 60 teams that will compete in the Student Launch competition held at Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center, which is part of a series of student challenges relating to the agency’s Artemis program. The nine-month competition will feature teams from 22 states and the territory of Puerto Rico. The challenge […]

Brock Colvin on Monday announced that he will seek the Republican nomination to the Alabama House of Representatives, District 26. The fifth-generation Marshall Countian is a graduate of Albertville High School and attended Snead Community College in Boaz. Colvin is an alum of the University of Alabama, where he double majored in finance and economics. […]

7. More than 1,000 flights canceled Southwest Airlines had to cancel more than 1,000 flights in Jacksonville, Florida, over the weekend, and while the company has blamed the issue on weather and traffic control issues, other reports claim that the issue is related to President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate and federal workers staging a “sickout.”  […]

Last week a politician in our state implied some negative things about our state’s farmers. Imagine that, a politician throwing stones at another profession. Funny, isn’t it? And of all times, it happens to be National Farm to School Month – a time for educating our children about the importance of farming which in Alabama […]

One of the leading advocates for gambling legislation that would pave the way for a lottery and detente between the various gaming interest in Alabama over the past few years has been State Sen. Del Marsh (R-Anniston). However, if legislation is offered between now and the end of this quadrennium, it won’t come from Marsh. […]

A new book from the Birmingham Historical Society recounts the contributions of George B. Ward (1867-1940), one of the early mayors of the city whose passion for beauty and for creating “a living urban environment … healthy and happy to live in” had a lasting effect on the Magic City. “Birmingham: The City Beautiful, Compliments of G. […]

Radio talk show hosts Dale Jackson and Michael Yaffee take you through Alabama’s biggest political stories, including: — Why are people upset about COVID-19 relief money being used for Alabama prisons? — Will we really see more vaccine mandates in Alabama and beyond? — When will President Joe Biden stop bleeding in polls? Jackson and […]

Registration is open for the 14th annual Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium, set to be held both online and in person Oct. 12-14 at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System. “We have some great NASA leadership participating including Kathy Lueders, Jim Reuter, Bob Cabana and Jim Free,” […]

Corporate Realty announced Wednesday that the name and identity of a new mixed-use development at Carraway will pay tribute to the beloved blue star that still sits atop the old hospital. The development will be called The Star Uptown, and its logo features a blue star against a Birmingham skyline. “When we began working on this […]

With an increasing need in the manufacturing world, the University of Alabama has expanded resources and experiences to its students to create a more prepared industrial workforce. The UA College of Engineering’s Alabama Initiative on Manufacturing Development and Education, or Alabama IMaDE, had its grand opening ceremony Sept. 30. Alabama IMaDE is part of the new manufacturing program, which […]

The Biden administration is proposing tougher tax enforcement to help pay for the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package. Collecting legally owed taxes is a laudable goal, but politicians have historically discounted the compliance costs of taxes. History may be repeating itself. The most controversial enforcement proposal involves banks and other financial institutions reporting all accounts […]

GUIN, Alabama – Three rural counties in Northwest Alabama are adding new jobs and investments within their diverse industrial bases, and more economic growth is on the horizon for the region. Fayette, Lamar and Marion Counties, which make up the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance, last year announced a combined five new projects and three expansions, […]

The historic iron-ore mine Ishkooda No. 13 has been excavated and is part of Birmingham’s Red Mountain Park experience. The mine dates back to 1873 and is now a great glimpse into the mining history that helped build the Magic City. Jeff Newman, co-founder of Underground Birmingham and a local mining expert, said the reopening of No. 13 is […]

Alabama is the most dominant football team of the 2000s, starting with the hiring of Nick Saban away from the Miami Dolphins in 2007. After his initial season with Alabama, his squad has never lost to an unranked team. That all changed this week as the defending national champions were dethroned by Jimbo Fisher in […]

Former State Treasurer Young Boozer has recently been appointed by Governor Kay Ivey to fulfill the vacant seat created by John McMillan who is now managing the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. (Hope he stays out of the “gummies.” I know John, and I am sure he will.) Boozer is no stranger to the Treasurer’s Office. […]

After a small group of women at Mountain Chapel United Methodist Church in Birmingham hosted a baby shower for a struggling, single mom seven years ago, they recognized the need went far beyond one person. That simple shower led to the launch of Bundles of Hope, Birmingham’s only nonprofit diaper bank. “Some of the women in our group […]

The problem of overcrowded prisons is a dilemma that has been facing Alabama for close to a decade. It was not something that Kay Ivey created. She simply inherited the situation, and the chickens have come home to roost during her tenure. To her credit, she did not hide from the issue. She has tackled […]

Some Republican lawmakers have suggested an upcoming special session for the purposes of reapportionment may include more than matters related to reapportionment. According to State Rep. Andrew Sorrell (R-Muscle Shoals), Gov. Kay Ivey may include language in the call of the special session that would allow the Alabama Legislature to push back against President Joe […]

In grateful recognition of a transformational $95 million lead gift from longtime University of Alabama at Birmingham supporter Dr. Marnix E. Heersink, the UAB School of Medicine will now be named the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. The record gift is the single largest philanthropic commitment in university history and will name the UAB Marnix E. Heersink […]

A writer and radio producer with Alabama ties is among the latest recipients of a “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation. Daniel Alarcón, a native of Peru who grew up in Birmingham and graduated from Indian Springs School, is among the 25 people selected as a 2021 MacArthur Fellow. The honor comes with an unrestricted $625,000 stipend paid […]

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Governor Kay Ivey, in partnership with the Alabama Department of Commerce, this week honored a dozen homegrown businesses at the Inaugural “Made in Alabama” Showcase. To celebrate October as “Manufacturing Month,” Governor Ivey selected 12 businesses for their work in producing exceptional Alabama-made products and invited them to exhibit their products at […]