7. Schiff is launching another investigation The Department of Homeland Security is being requested by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) to provide information on how they conducted intelligence or monitored protests and riots in Portland, Oregon. Schiff is claiming that there was “deeply troubling” surveillance, asserting that there was “monitoring of peaceful protesters” […]

Isaac Okoro is one-and-done at Auburn University, with the small forward on Monday confirming he will enter the 2020 NBA Draft. Okoro made the All-SEC second team, defensive team and freshman team this past season. In a letter to “the Auburn Family,” Okoro wrote, “Playing in the NBA has always been a dream of mine. […]

This is a challenging season for most people. Everyone needs hope. Andy Mason wrote a book called Finding Hope in Crazy Times, and he shares some of his experiences from the book with us here. Andy is the founder of Heaven in Business in Redding, California, and is an author of several other books as […]

All of the personality traits, values and life lessons that we carry with us as adults were shaped and instilled in us by the people we encountered in childhood. For many, the strongest influences came from our schoolteachers, who opened new worlds of knowledge and taught us skills that remain with us today. Consider for […]

MONTGOMERY — Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) Commissioner Rick Pate gave an update Monday afternoon on the spate of seed packets from China that people across Alabama have received in recent weeks despite never having ordered anything. Pate said that after the state seed labs had performed tests on the packets they had […]

University of Alabama star forward John Petty, Jr. will return for his senior season, the player announced on Monday. The Huntsville native was a second-team All-SEC honoree this past season, after leading the Southeastern Conference in three-point percentage. Petty was considering entering the 2020 NBA Draft, however he decided to return for a final season […]

Key figures from Alabama’s government and university systems joined to announced the new GuideSafe platform that bills itself as the key for students to safely return to college campuses amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The GuideSafe platform will help the state fulfill its promise to test every single college student before they return to campus, […]

President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he was removing the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board chairman, Skip Thompson, an Alabamian. Thompson, a resident of Decatur, is the president and CEO of Corporate Billing, a subsidiary of Birmingham-based National Bank of Commerce. He previously served as the president and CEO of both First American Bank in […]

The global coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc on our way of life, our economy, our politics, and with school about to start for most Americans, it is about to change how that institution works as well. Reportedly, one-third of Alabama’s school systems will start fully online and two-thirds of schools will open with in-class options. […]

While SpaceX is just about the only major American aerospace company without a presence in the Yellowhammer State, Sunday’s completion of the historic Demo-2 mission still managed to have an Alabama connection. Demo-2 was SpaceX’s first-ever crewed mission for NASA and the first crewed orbital launch to depart from the United States since the final […]

U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) offered an amendment last week that would transfer $15 million from a Democrat-led effort giving undocumented immigrants legal assistance to a program that provides grants to criminal justice systems across the country. The motion was introduced on Friday during the debate on an appropriations bill in front of the House. […]

Before Congress heads out for August recess, members of Congress must pass the next round of coronavirus relief. As American families are struggling to make ends meet, there are a host of issues that need to be addressed. For Alabama businesses, reasonable liability protections from coronavirus-related lawsuits will be key to help protect small businesses […]

7. Overnight camp in Georgia sees outbreak The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Georgia Department of Public Health have published a report showing that 231 children and 29 adults at an overnight camp in Georgia tested positive for the coronavirus after attending the camp in June and after “camp attendees engaged in a variety […]

Radio talk show host Dale Jackson and Alabama Democratic Executive Committee member Lisa Handback take you through this week’s biggest political stories, including: — Are this week’s really good coronavirus numbers a sign that we are moving in the right direction? — Did Alabama head coach Nick Saban and President Donald Trump similar messages on […]

Experts in public health and epidemiology have driven policymaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. How much should we trust experts? Critics dismiss Republicans who voice distrust of experts as anti-science. Yet even experts know very little about complex economies and societies. Frustration with experts does cross party lines. New York’s Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo recently remarked […]

While educators are figuring out how to safely return to school, one principal wants to make sure kids remember to laugh and enjoy life, even during a worldwide pandemic. Dr. Quentin Lee, principal at Childersburg High School, recently created a video parody of MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” song, complete with dance moves and warnings to sanitize […]

Most birthday parties are happy occasions but one held Thursday afternoon in Mobile was mixed with sadness. Volunteers from the Plant Barry Chapter of the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) held a drive-by birthday parade outside St. Mary’s Home. The parade was organized as a way to safely salute the children before the Archdiocese of Mobile closes the facility later this year. […]

The chef and general manager of SAW’s Soul Kitchen in Birmingham and a competitive barbecue cook from Muscle Shoals are two of the 10 finalists competing in the Final Table of the World Food Championships. Matthew Statham of SAW’s Soul Kitchen and backyard cook Morgan Cheek earned a spot in the WFC finals with wins in their divisions […]

On a steamy July morning, along a quiet stretch of the Tallapoosa River north of Wedowee, a small team of biologists from Alabama Power and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) eyed the fast-moving water. The prior day’s rain had turned the river murky – not the best circumstances to search for an elusive and threatened […]

John Lewis once said, “You cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out for what you believe. You have to have courage, raw courage.” He also encouraged us to “Get into good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” John Lewis’ journey through this world started right here in the middle […]

The Alabama Republican Party will holds its annual summer meeting in Trussville on Saturday, August 1. Members of the state executive committee are gathering in person, as ALGOP Chairman Terry Lathan wrote in a June announcement. “We will be meeting in person and will be following all social distancing guidelines as applicable at the meeting […]

On a Sunday in March 2019, chef Raquel Ervin gathered nearly 100 friends and family at Hoover Randle Home & Gardens knowing full well, at some point that evening, they would be disappointed. They were there for a watch party – to see Ervin, her sister Regina and niece Alexandria compete on Food Network’s “Family Food Showdown” against […]

When schools statewide suddenly shut their doors in March, Alabama Public Television (APT) was the shot in the arm many educators needed to keep students on track. “We immediately saw that we had the tools to make a difference when schools closed: our broadcasts that could reach students around the state, and particularly those without computer or […]

A new high-tech training center is coming to Bishop State Community College in Mobile. A groundbreaking was held Wednesday morning for the $17 million Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) to help train a workforce that will meet the needs of businesses and industries in the Mobile community. “It’s an amazing day for Bishop State,” said Reginald Sykes, president […]