A group of Republican House Representatives was stopped from making an unannounced inspection of the Alabama Department of Labor on Wednesday. The representatives wanted answers as to why so many of their constituents have not been able to receive the unemployment benefits for which they applied. The group was instead welcomed into Secretary of Labor […]

It takes a lot to impress a 103-year-old World War II veteran who landed on the beaches of Normandy. Alabama head coach Nick Saban pulled it off earlier this month when he surprised the American hero with a call. WVTM 13’s Rick Karle reported Major Wooten’s encounter with Saban and posted video of the scene […]

Governor Kay Ivey proclaimed Thursday that Alabama will join the United States in celebrating the 69th annual National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 7. The governor’s proclamation says, “[W]e specifically thank God for those who defend our freedoms and ask for peace throughout our state, nation and world.” The National Day of Prayer traces […]

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has released a survey that shows 70% of America’s small business owners are concerned about unfounded COVID-19 lawsuits being brought against their companies. The survey was conducted among some of its 325,000-member businesses. In Alabama, State Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) has introduced a bill that would grant civil […]

The Alabama Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that certain new groups of people are eligible for COVID-19 testing, including all Alabamians who have underlying medical conditions making them more vulnerable to the virus. Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that 43.1% of Alabamians over age 18 have a health condition that puts them […]

Actions taken by Gov. Kay Ivey and State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris are starting to raise questions from those within the Alabama legislature concerned about the overreach of the state in the name of handling the government-proclaimed emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. Add State Rep. Andrew Sorrell (R-Muscle Shoals) to that growing chorus of […]

Some businesses, including barbershops, nail salons, beauty parlors, bars, restaurants and breweries are still awaiting word from the state of Alabama they can reopen, and guidance on when they open for what should be put in place as the coronavirus pandemic continues its impact on the economy. Also left out of the first phase of […]

7. Former Alabama Attorney General mixed up in alleged mask scheme Former Alabama Attorney General Troy King, a failed candidate for Congress, was working as an intermediary for a company attempting to sell six million masks to the Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals for $34.5 million before the entire deal blew up and no masks […]

Alabama is eight days away from the expiration of Governor Kay Ivey’s public health order. Areas around the state are in full recovery mode. And a lingering question remains: what happens if cases increase? Phase 2 for Madison County. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle has an idea of what he wants to see in the next […]

COVID-19 has affected virtually every facet of life in Alabama, and there may be nowhere that is more apparent than at the University of Alabama at Birmingham — an institution leveraging its expertise to fill a critical leadership role in response to the pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic has showcased the vital importance of UAB to Alabama and […]

U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) is backing former Vice President Joe Biden over Tara Reade, who has alleged Biden sexually assaulted her when she worked for Biden’s Senate office in 1993. Per The Huffington Post, Jones on Wednesday broke his public silence over the allegations. Alabama’s junior senator is a longtime friend of Biden’s and […]

State Senator Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) has introduced a bill that would limit the powers of the State Health Officer and put a 14-day limit on the amount of time a governor can unilaterally declare a State of Emergency. If voted into law, the legislation would require the state health officer to get the governor’s approval […]

The state of Alabama is kind of open for business right now. With that, many people who didn’t want to go back to work ended up going back to work. Maybe they felt unsafe, or maybe they thought the unemployment money plus $600 was better than working at all and wanted to ride that out. […]

During an interview that aired on Greenville radio Q-94’s “The Kyle and Dave Show” on Wednesday, Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon revealed he and his wife Janice McLendon had been diagnosed with coronavirus earlier in the week. McLendon explained how he came to the decision to get tested for the virus and his experiences thus far […]

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Alabama-based Dynetics Phase 1 of the Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program. Known as ACE TA3, or Alpha Mosaic, the award is valued at $12.3 million, according to a release from Dynetics. The ACE program seeks to infuse artificial intelligence (AI) into high-intensity air conflicts. The company says, […]

MONTGOMERY — The General Fund budget for Fiscal Year 2021 has made significant headway in the first three days of the Alabama legislature returning to business this week. The Alabama Senate on Tuesday approved SB 157, the FY21 General Fund budget, as substituted and then amended on the floor by a 31-0 vote. This General […]

The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce was announced as a winner of the Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development on Tuesday. The award is given out by Site Selection magazine, a publication focused on economic development in the United States. The award winners are based on “total projects, total investment associated with those […]

MONTGOMERY — The Ways and Means Education committee of the Alabama House of Representatives advanced a $7.2 billion budget on Wednesday, with $91 million in increases from the previous year. The budget, which would be in effect for fiscal year 2021, is much more modest than what had been discussed by leaders before the coronavirus […]

Tuesday, as protesters appeared in front of the State Capitol decrying the state’s coronavirus shutdown order, State Rep. Will Dismukes (R-Prattville) was reportedly the only member of the Alabama legislature to make the trek across Union Street from the Statehouse for the protest. Since publishing a Facebook video questioning the seeming double standard that has […]

Despite a public outcry claiming Gov. Kay Ivey’s rollback of coronavirus restrictions on the state level last week did not go far enough, the Ivey administration has not budged on further rollbacks, which comes to the chagrin of U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville). On Tuesday, Brooks reiterated his call for Ivey to completely halt the […]

7. Another investigation into Trump? Rick Bright, who says he was removed as director of Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority after acting as a source on a story about hydroxychloroquine, has now filed a whistleblower complaint about the matter, and congressional Democrats are now poised to use this as another reason to investigate the […]

Alabama is nine days away from the expiration of Governor Kay Ivey’s public health order. More businesses reopened this week. Others have offered pleas for the opportunity to reopen. And the legal fabric of Ivey’s order may have begun to unravel. Alabama’s largest mall reopened. The Riverchase Galleria in Hoover welcomed back shoppers on Tuesday. […]

MONTGOMERY — A bond issue worth $1.25 billion that would finance school improvements across Alabama cleared an important hurdle on Tuesday when it received a favorable report from the Alabama House Ways and Means Education committee. The legislation was sponsored by State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) and would constitute the largest state investment in school […]

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office advised against enforcing the current state health order against churches. The statement, made to WBRC, came in reference to multiple sheriffs announcing that they have instructed their departments not to enforce the State of Alabama’s current “Safer-At-Home” order against businesses and places of worship. […]