Yellowhammer Multimedia on Friday announced that the annual POWER & INFLUENCE 40 and Yellowhammer 15 features will return in the coming weeks after a hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic last year. For the past decade, Yellowhammer has released an annual list of the most powerful and influential people in Alabama business and politics. That tradition lives on […]

7. Faculty members call on University of South Alabama to make a statement of being anti-racist In an open letter, about 275 faculty members at the University of South Alabama asked that the school make a statement of being anti-racist, but they also asked for changes such as term appointments for deans. This is in […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would effectively end the distinction between so-called “non-essential” and “essential” businesses when it comes to states of emergency imposed by the State of Alabama. HB 103 is sponsored by Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville) and was carried in the Senate by Sen. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman). If […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate on Thursday passed SB 308 as substituted, which would establish the Alabama Uniform Concealed Carry Permit Act. The legislation would standardize the process statewide for the issuance of concealed carry permits. Right now, this process — including fees and forms involved — varies county-by-county. SB 308 would notably create a lifetime concealed […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday that will allow alcoholic beverages to be delivered to the home. The first bill, SB 126, passed the Senate early in the session. It was amended on the floor by House legislators on Thursday, so it heads back to the upper chamber for a […]

Brookwood’s Warrior Met Coal on Wednesday released a written statement about ongoing contract negotiations with the company’s employees, who are unionized members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). The current union contract is set to expire on Thursday, and Warrior Met Coal advised that it has “been working in good faith to reach an […]

A recent survey of unemployed and underemployed Alabamians showed that transportation, childcare and worry over losing government benefits are considered the main barriers to full employment by Alabama’s unemployed and underemployed citizens. The survey was commissioned by AlabamaWorks and included responses from 401 unemployed and underemployed Alabamians. AlabamaWorks considers a person underemployed if the individual […]

C Spire recently connected its first customers in Trussville to its ultra-fast, fiber-based Gigabit broadband internet service, continuing the telecommunications and technology company’s expansion in Alabama. Trussville becomes the second Yellowhammer State city – following Jasper in late 2020 – to receive the game-changing services as part of C Spire’s FiberFast initiative. The announcement was […]

U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) announced on Thursday that he has helped secure a $355,858 grant for the Will Bright Foundation that will go toward helping Alabamians recover from opioid abuse. The grant was approved by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). At least 36 workers will be hired as a result of the grant, according […]

When Alabama Democrats aren’t proposing allowing people to vote in multiple elections, advocating for men playing women’s basketball or defending rioters who destroy property, they are all out advocating for felons. Not just any felons — repeat felons. State Rep. Christopher England (D-Tuscaloosa), head of the Alabama Democratic Party, has proposed a bill that would […]

Congressman Jerry Carl (AL-01) on Wednesday hosted Secretary of the U.S. Navy Thomas Harker on a tour of the state-of-the-art Austal USA manufacturing facility in Mobile. This comes after Austal last week broke ground on its new steel manufacturing line. “Today, I had the opportunity to host Secretary Harker on a tour of Austal USA’s […]

With just a little over two months into the new Biden administration, Democrats are expected to push what they’re deeming an infrastructure bill through Congress and to President Joe Biden’s desk. However, according to U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), the bill is not what its moniker suggests. During an appearance on Mobile radio’s FM Talk […]

7. Alabama is suing Biden so we can still cut taxes Included in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan was a provision that prevents states from using funds given through the legislation to “offset a reduction in the net tax revenue.” Marshall has said that this language “bans states from cutting taxes for several years.” […]

There has been much debate lately about how we name public buildings and whether we should remove some names because of long ago actions that no longer conform to contemporary societal practices. Public buildings are always tricky to name as evidenced by the fact that just a couple of years ago, the University of Alabama […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Wednesday held a committee-only day. Because this is a two-day legislative week, a legislative day was not burned. However, the committee schedule for both chambers was packed.

When the Auburn Tigers run out onto Pat Dye Field this coming season there will be one noticeable change to the grass under their cleats, according to an Auburn University Athletics Department official. “Coach Harsin is committed to changing every aspect of this program’s culture for the better,” the official told Yellowhammer News. “In his […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to advance a bill to repeal Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act (HFOA). Alabama’s HFOA was passed in the late 1970s and requires judges to implement longer prison sentences each time an individual commits a felony. Proponents say the bill helps target repeat offenders, while detractors […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate Committee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development on Wednesday gave a favorable report as amended to HB 167, which is sponsored by Rep. Chris Blackshear (R-Phenix City) and would prohibit an individual from voting multiple times in a single election. Senate Majority Leader Clay Scofield (R-Guntersville) is carrying the bill […]

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is leading a multi-state lawsuit against the Biden administration over a provision in the recently passed stimulus bill that bans states from cutting taxes. Called the American Rescue Plan by its Democratic authors and derided as unnecessary and overly expensive by most conservatives, the recent $1.9 trillion stimulus bill is […]

Anniston businessman Keith Kelley on Wednesday announced his Republican candidacy for the Alabama State Senate. Kelley will run in 2022 for the District 12 seat to be vacated by longterm officeholder Sen. Del Marsh (R-Anniston), who has announced he will not seek reelection. The president of Harris-McKay Realty for more than 26 years, Kelley started […]

Would you allow someone who is not a medical doctor or trained surgeon to operate on your heart, kidneys or lungs? Of course you wouldn’t. Yet some Alabama legislators are trying to change the law to allow people who are not medical doctors or trained surgeons to operate on your eyes. It sounds like a […]

The 2021 “Don’t Drop It On Alabama” spring cleanup will be held statewide throughout the month of April, it was announced this week. The cleanup is held annually and coordinated by Alabama PALS (People Against a Littered State), which also coordinates and implements the Alabama Coastal Cleanup (through a partnership with the Alabama Department of […]

Twenty airports in Alabama will benefit from more than $11.2 million in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants. U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) made the announcement in a press release. The grants are administered through the fiscal year 2021 Airport Improvement Program, which was funded in the annual appropriations package that was signed into law in […]

Leigh Hulsey and Kenneth Paschal are heading to a runoff following Tuesday’s special Republican primary in Alabama House District 73. Unofficial results showed Hulsey leading the five-person primary field with 30.77%, while Paschal garnered 27.10%. The safely Republican seat was vacated by former Rep. Matt Fridy’s (R-Montevallo) election to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. […]