Last week, rumblings began about Governor Kay Ivey drawing some opposition to her reelection bid. I told you about two potential nominees with 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary candidate Tim James and current GOP U.S. Senate primary candidate Lynda Blanchard reportedly thinking about getting in the race. State Auditor Jim Zeigler apparently didn’t like being left out […]

Last week, the world watched as President Biden traveled to the G7 Summit. While overseas, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss several important issues. I had high hopes for the meeting because there was much on the agenda for the two presidents to discuss, and it was President Biden’s first time as […]

There were two major issues not resolved during the just completed regular legislative session. Gambling and prisons were left on the table and up in the air. It is foolish to not address a resolution to get some revenues for the state from gambling which currently exists in Alabama. However, it is not imperative that […]

Given it has become the hot political topic of the day, the attention given to Critical Race Theory in Alabama regarding public schools should come as no surprise. The issue has led State Rep. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) to file legislation to ban the teaching of the theory, which argues all the country’s institutions are racist […]

The Alabama Department of Labor has announced that the May unemployment rates continued to fall and inch closer to pre-pandemic levels, sitting at 3.4% for May. In April, the unemployment rate was 3.6%

Questions about so-called Critical Race Theory and whether or not it should be taught in Alabama’s public schools are causing some to take a closer look at racism and its existence in our nation’s sacred institutions. During an appearance on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal,” State Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) weighed in on […]

State Rep. Shane Stringer’s (R-Citronelle) dispute with Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran over the so-called constitutional carry issue has been well documented, and it ultimately cost him his position with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. However, it also may very well have catapulted him into front-runner status for that position, which is up for election […]

Although news leaked out last week via social media, State Rep. Andrew Sorrell (R-Muscle Shoals) has made it official and formally announced he would seek the Republican Party’s nomination for State Auditor for the 2022 election cycle. Sorrell, a freshman legislator, narrowly won his 2018 election by flipping a traditional Democrat-leaning district held by former […]

Miss Fancy has returned to her old stomping grounds at Avondale Park in Birmingham. For about 20 years, the huge elephant reigned supreme at the Avondale Zoo, the city’s first large public zoo. It closed in 1934. It’s been about eight years since a bronze statue of Miss Fancy, affectionately known as Little Miss Fancy, was “spirited away” after […]

Radio talk show host Dale Jackson and political consultant Mecca Musick take you through Alabama’s biggest political stories, including:

A Birmingham-based redevelopment firm is taking its next step toward creating a community gathering spot for fitness, fun, and food in the Magic City’s Parkside District. Orchestra Partners is beginning to lease spaces in the first phase of the Urban Supply buildout, which will combine offices, retail, and a pedestrian area near the 19-acre Railroad Park, Regions […]

After schools throughout the country closed in spring 2020 due to COVID-19, homeschooling increased significantly in the 2020-21 school year. The surge has been accompanied by some calls to ban homeschooling. According to the Census Bureau, 11% of households with school aged children homeschooled this year, double the level in April 2020. Alaska had the […]

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – AIDT, Alabama’s primary workforce development agency, marked 50 years as a central player in the state’s economic growth through its mission of connecting and training Alabama workers with companies across the state. The milestone was marked with a ceremony at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, attended by Governor Kay Ivey and representatives of […]

Alabama’s newest community archery park will hold its grand opening at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 24, 2021, at Lakepoint State Park, 104 Old Highway 165, in Eufaula, Alabama. The Lakepoint Community Archery Park is located near the park’s campground and day use area. The public and media are invited to attend the grand opening […]

Live HealthSmart Alabama, a University of Alabama at Birmingham initiative, celebrated phase one improvements in the Kingston community at Stockham Park. These improvements are the culmination of a yearlong implementation project to improve the community’s infrastructure, including new and improved sidewalks, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant street ramps, trees and flowers in Stockham Park, painted murals, new bus […]

Barbershop banter about the greatest baseball players ever has more ammunition after Baseball-Reference.com, a Sports Reference website, dramatically expanded its coverage of the Negro Leagues and historical Black major league players. Following the website’s launch on June 15, Major Negro Leagues from 1920-1948 – including the Birmingham Black Barons – are listed with the National League and American League as major leagues. […]

It’s that time of the year, again, when beach vacationers traveling on Interstate 65 stop for peaches in Clanton.

Birmingham-area leaders on Monday announced the launch of Prosper, an initiative focused on creating a more prosperous and equitable Birmingham by investing in opportunities that grow the area’s economy in an inclusive way. Prosper intends to be the table where everybody has a seat, setting regional priorities for job growth and retention, job access and job […]

Culture is defined by its leadership. At Stillman College, Cynthia Warrick is the “rudder,” so to speak, in setting the course for the students and staff, alumni and others. As the seventh president of Stillman and the first female president, Warrick’s vision has changed the path of the college. “I have the opportunity to put in […]

One of the talking points used by opponents of voter identification at the polling precinct is that some voters may not be able to obtain a photo ID and could be denied the ability to vote in a particular election. To limit that as a possible hurdle for eligible voters, Secretary of State John Merrill […]

The big show will be back for the 88th annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo (ADSFR), scheduled July 15-18 at the rodeo site on Dauphin Island. Now that COVID-19 restrictions have been eased, a long weekend of fun, fishing and entertainment awaits those who venture to Alabama’s barrier island for the event that attracts more […]

After much speculation, Gov. Kay Ivey announced her intentions to seek another term as governor in 2022 earlier this month. Despite what were perceived to be controversial positions on pushing the Rebuild Alabama Act that raised the gasoline tax, her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in determining what could remain open and closed and a […]

Alabama’s post-COVID pandemic economic recovery seems to be humming along based on data released Friday by the Alabama Department of Labor. According to a press release, Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington revealed Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted May unemployment rate is 3.4%, down from April’s rate of 3.6%. The 3.4% rate tops the May 2020 […]

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) fired his own warning shots over what he views as an inadequate defense budget proposal from President Joe Biden. During a full Senate Committee on Appropriations review of Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 Department of Defense budget request, Shelby expressed his concern that the administration’s defense spending plan placed the nation […]