7. Borders open but interstate travel could be limited President Joe Biden has reportedly been considering domestic travel bans for Florida, but Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) said that this “a huge contradiction.” DeSantis pointed to how Biden wants to ban travel from Florida due to the pandemic but signs executive orders on immigration. DeSantis […]

For the first time in this young millennium, Alabama is approaching a breakthrough on gaming that has had its share of ups and downs dating back to the rise and fall of Phenix City, a haven in the mid-1900s for vice, including gambling. Alabama last came close to a lottery in the late 1990s under […]

Innovation Depot began its Voltage program recently, bringing together 11 entrepreneurs selected for the inaugural cohort in the Depot’s new idea incubator. Voltage supports entrepreneurs who have an idea for a tech or tech-enabled business as they translate that idea into a prototype. The nine-week program held outside of traditional 9-to-5 working hours enables would-be founders […]

Radio talk show host Dale Jackson and Alabama Democratic Party Executive Committee member Lisa Handback take you through Alabama’s biggest political stories, including: — Does the gambling bill proposed by State Senator Del Marsh (R-Anniston) have real legs? — Are there any Democrats with a chance to beat Republicans for the Senate seat held by […]

Miles College has entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with #NOWINCLUDED, powered by Acclinate, for equity in COVID-19 vaccinations and clinical research trials. Acclinate, a trusted health care solutions provider, integrates culture and technology to educate and engage diverse individuals to make informed decisions about genomic research and clinical trial participation. “Essential to this partnership is the stark realization that […]

Governments have taken numerous extraordinary actions to contain COVID-19. Once the pandemic is over, we can and should revisit the emergency powers laws guiding these policy decisions. How extraordinary have the activities been? Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito described them as “previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty.” Confinement of the non-sick through stay-at-home orders and […]

The pandemic forced many schools to switch to remote learning in spring 2020. But it also forced a virtual shift in critical summer academic programs. The big question: Would those summer programs be as effective in keeping kids on track? Results from one major statewide summertime academic initiative indicate the answer is yes. That’s encouraging […]

Wine needs a good aging to be its best. The same can be said of The Wine Loft, a pioneering destination that was once an oasis in a sea of vacant buildings but is now surrounded by other bars and restaurants that bring vibrancy as well as competition. Owner Mike Dunnavant now has 14 years […]

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — AIDT, Alabama’s primary workforce development agency, is teaming with Hyundai Power Transformers USA and a firm specializing in virtual reality technologies on a revolutionary jobs training program. The collaboration with immersive learning startup TRANSFR stands to make cutting-edge job training accessible to thousands of unemployed workers and aspiring manufacturing professionals across the state. “By putting […]

New research examining the impact of COVID-19 on African Americans living in minority communities in Alabama has been published in Ethnicity & Health. Early in the pandemic, virtual focus groups were conducted in five urban and rural Alabama communities to hear the concerns and roadblocks about the virus, COVID precautions, and testing that residents were experiencing. […]

Mobile’s Innovation Portal has announced the first investments from its Portal Fund for early stage startups. “On behalf of the investment council of Innovation Portal, I am excited to announce our initial investments in Deuce Drone and Barkd,” said investment council Chairman Henry O’Connor. “Partnering with dynamic, engaging and local entrepreneurs is in line with Innovation Portal’s mission and […]

Never underestimate the power of your vision. More than 10 years ago, Jenny Waltman and her husband, Jason, saw integral needs in their Avondale neighborhood and wanted to help. That desire led the couple to found Grace Klein Community, a Birmingham-area nonprofit that last year donated more than $2.1 million in groceries to 25,000 households. Before the pandemic, […]

Last week’s announcement by U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) not to seek reelection in 2022 was not a huge surprise to many political watchers. However, it has triggered speculation as to who might seek to fill that vacancy. Among the names mentioned as possible candidates on the Republican side include U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), […]

The Alabama Crimson Tide were already being noticed all around the country by basketball fans and national sports media. However, Alabama on Saturday broke a program record to put even more people on notice of what is going on in Tuscaloosa. Bama scored the most points in an SEC game in program history on a […]

Former President Donald J. Trump for the second time has been acquitted following a U.S. Senate impeachment trial, although this one came after his term of office. Trump, charged on a single article of impeachment with inciting an insurrection against the United States, was acquitted on Saturday afternoon, as 57 senators voted to convict and […]

The University of Alabama at Birmingham and PathCheck Foundation — founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — have partnered to launch a worldwide, interactive, COVID-19 vaccination dashboard. Normally constrained by the fragmented landscape of local systems and data collection processes, the vaccination dashboard will allow the general public, public health officials and researchers to access aggregated vaccination data and […]

Birmingham’s Innovation Depot has a brand refresh, two new programs, a mobile app for depot members and several building enhancements. “Innovation Depot’s vision is that Birmingham will generate the highest success rate for startups of any U.S. city per capita,” CEO Drew Honeycutt said. “Right now, we’re experiencing a lot of exciting entrepreneurial energy, so we’re focused […]

Though he started out as an athlete in Tuscaloosa, Bradley Constant came up with another dream when a shoulder injury sidelined him in middle school. “I was obsessed with the Disney Channel,” he says with a laugh. “I watched it all the time and I said, ‘I want to do this,’ and I started taking classes in Birmingham […]

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, announced that deciBel Research has pledged $90,000 to name room ENG 264 in the Engineering Building. This space will be called the “deciBel Research Communications and Signal Processing Laboratory.” The announcement was made in conjunction with a room-naming plaque presentation […]

Bronze Valley Accelerator and Innovate Birmingham announced the launch of gener8tor Upskilling, a free training program to help Alabama residents obtain critical digital skills for in-demand jobs. Funded through a grant from Microsoft, the program will kick off its first, virtual statewide class in June. “Bronze Valley’s mission is creating an education-to-opportunity-to-outcome pipeline through investment, technical assistance, connections and […]

Senate leadership has named Alabama native Sonceria “Ann” Berry secretary of the U.S. Senate, effective March 1. The announcement was made via a press release on the Senate Democrats newsroom. Berry, who hails from Birmingham, will be the first Black woman and the eighth woman to hold this office, which ensures the institution’s overall effectiveness. She […]

The Economic Development Association of Alabama (EDAA) is sharing its goals for 2021 – all with sights toward continuing to recruit new business to every corner of Alabama. EDAA Executive Director Jim Searcy said the organization will prioritize rural communities for economic development opportunities. “We must ensure that economic prosperity reaches all regions of the state,” Searcy […]

Hope Enterprise Corp., with a $130 million commitment from Goldman Sachs, has partnered with seven cities and nine historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the South to launch the Deep South Economic Mobility Collaborative (DSEMC). Birmingham, Montgomery and their respective HBCUs, Miles College and Alabama State University, are taking part in the collaborative, announced Tuesday, which was formed to stabilize […]

B.J. Davis of Hoover has lived through the peaks and valleys of a deer hunting career in Alabama. This season he reached the pinnacle with High Hopes, a buck that changed the record books for Buckmasters and Alabama Whitetail Records. The 42-year-old Davis started his deer-hunting career with a dog hunting club in south Alabama […]