As of last week, there are measures under consideration in both the House and Senate that would add checks to executive branch authority under declared emergencies by granting the Alabama Legislature the power to have input if it desired. One proposal in the House, sponsored by State Rep. Becky Nordgren (R-Gadsden), would allow the legislature […]

“OK, but what if ‘Bridgerton’ was a musical?” That’s the question that Abigail Barlow, who grew up in Birmingham and lives in Los Angeles, posed to her TikTok followers in early January. The post included “Daphne’s Song,” the first song Barlow wrote based on the hit Netflix series about debutantes in Regency-era London. She also posted “I Burn for You,” […]

Not only are members of Auburn University’s Tiger Excellence Scholars Program (TESP) enjoying their college experience on the Plains, they are thriving and evolving into leaders. Nearly 300 students involved with the program – designed to support the persistence and retention of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, low-income families and first-generation college enrollees – posted a […]

In an unparalleled and unpredictable year of turbulence in global trade, Alabama’s exports of goods and services in 2020 totaled $17.13 billion. Reflecting the declines in export volumes recorded by nearly all states as well as the nation, Alabama’s total exports registered an overall decline of 17.6% in 2020 compared to the prior year, according to […]

From May 2020 through February 2021, the Alabama Legislature was out of session. While that was not unlike any other year under normal circumstances, the state government was very active in its response to the COVID-19 situation. Given that the legislative branch was not in Montgomery, much of what took place at the state level […]

For years, greenspace advocates in Montgomery have eyed an extraordinary, city-owned property near downtown as a potential site for a new park. The proposed public space even has a name: Cypress Nature Park. Others have longed for the city to create recreational trails that would better connect neighborhoods and capitalize on Montgomery’s historic and natural […]

Workshops Inc., a staple in the Birmingham nonprofit world for more than 120 years, has announced a new name signaling a shift toward better representing the organization’s mission and impact: Workshops Empowerment Inc. Established in 1900 as Workshop and Rehabilitation Facilities for the Blind and Disabled, Workshops originally employed people with vision impairment to make brooms […]

The 2020 election cycle in Georgia, which saw the state go for Joe Biden in the presidential election and flip two U.S. Senate seats from red to blue, has some looking across the border to the west, wondering if the same thing is possible in Alabama. With U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) announcing he will […]

Even though State Sen. Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) comprehensive gaming legislation has received some early praise from around the state of Alabama, margins could still be tight when a final vote is taken because of the three-fifths supermajority required in each chamber of the Alabama Legislature to make it to the ballot for a constitutional amendment. […]

CALVERT, Alabama – With a groundbreaking ceremony this week, ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel Corp. marked the official launch of a $775 million project to construct a massive new steelmaking facility at their AM/NS Calvert production site near Mobile. “Alabama and the steel industry go hand in hand, and I am proud to see continued growth […]

A permanent home for Clotilda and Africatown artifacts is one step closer to reality, thanks to an official groundbreaking ceremony Thursday in Mobile for the new Africatown Heritage House. The museum will tell the long untold story of the Clotilda, the nation’s last known slave ship, and the town created by the African survivors who once suffered aboard that […]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Even with the continued stress from the pandemic, business leaders in the state remained mostly optimistic their businesses will have a positive start to 2021, according to a quarterly survey done by economists at The University of Alabama. The UA Center for Business Economics and Research’s most recent Alabama Business Confidence Index shows […]

Huntsville is the No. 2 midsize metro nationwide that’s most prepared to work from home, according to a report by Filterbuy.com, and the city’s connectivity, workforce and job mix have a lot to do with that, says an associate professor of management at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). “Huntsville is a booming community and some […]

Surviving dangerous weather is the focus of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Alabama. Gov. Kay Ivey, the National Weather Service offices that serve Alabama, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and other supporting organizations have declared the week of Feb. 16-21 as Severe Weather Awareness Week. John De Block, meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Birmingham, says the goal […]

Many folks may be unaware of the advantages of doing business in Alabama’s rural counties, but corporate decision-makers from around the world are fully tuned in to the possibilities. Foreign direct investment has been a vital ingredient in Alabama’s economic growth in recent years – and that is true for rural parts of the state […]

With the social distancing requirements from COVID-19, many people have turned to the outdoors to escape the impact of the lockdowns. The number of people fishing and hunting for a variety of game species has seen a boost, and Justin Grider wants to see that trend continue. Grider was recently named the Alabama Wildlife and […]

MONTGOMERY — Alabama’s coronavirus metrics continued to head in the right direction over the last week, with hospitalizations continuing a sharp decrease. According to BamaTracker, a site that collects government data on the virus, 951 Alabamians were in the hospital with COVID-19 on Friday. That is down from 1,258 a week ago and constitutes a […]

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Hugo Hernandez-Velazquez is being arraigned via videoconference on Friday afternoon in New York City on a 12-count indictment. Also known as “Norberto Hernandez Velasquez” and “La Gallina,” Hernandez-Velazquez, along with his siblings Arcelia (also known as “La Gordis”) and Ernesto (also known as “Chapas”), are charged with racketeering and […]

There are plenty of problems with the behavior with the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Sarah Parcak. Her career highlights are apparently using a satellite to find Egyptian infrastructure and declaring herself “@IndyFromSpace” as if she is some amazing explorer unearthing historic finds. In reality, Parcak is just the Indiana Jones of Google Maps satellite […]

MOBILE — U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) on Friday visited Alabama’s Port City, highlighted by a tour of Austal USA’s world-class shipbuilding operation. “They gave us a good briefing,” the freshman senator advised, speaking to members of the media assembled directly across the Mobile harbor ship channel from Austal, with its facilities looming in the […]

NASA’s Perseverance Rover on Thursday completed the most difficult landing ever attempted on Mars, quickly sending back images from the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater. The robotic spacecraft can now embark on the meat of its “Mars 2020” mission, which is to find evidence of ancient life on the planet. This is the first ever American […]

7. Ted Cruz under fire for vacation to Cancun The state of Texas has seen a major energy crisis as they were impacted by severe winter weather, and Democrats have attacked U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) for going to Cancun during this time, and some have even called for him to resign. When asked about […]

Thursday, Club for Growth Foundation unveiled two scorecards critical of the Alabama Legislature in two categories — economic policy and attendance. Both scorecards gave lawmakers relatively low scores, an average economic score of 21% in the Senate and 15% in the House based on votes on legislation chosen by the Club for Growth, and lackluster […]

State Sen. Tim Melson (R-Florence) is taking another shot at medical cannabis this legislative session. Previously, his efforts had come up short, passing in the Senate but not the House. His SB46 received a favorable report from the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month and is expected to get another shot at a floor vote […]