Even before the Easter Sunday storms rolled through causing widespread damage across Alabama, the state’s linemen knew they would likely be in for a tough week. “Being a lineman for 25 years, I’ll tell you, we watch the weather religiously,” remarked Casey Shelton. Shelton, business manager for IBEW System Council U-19, started with Alabama Power […]

It’s like when their favorite lamps get broken by reckless youngsters and moms say, “This is why we can’t have nice things.” I don’t get riled easily, but one photo posted recently by the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division really kicked my blood pressure up a notch. Some yahoos at one of the […]

Command Sergeant Major Bennie Adkins, who received a Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War before returning home to his native Opelika and becoming a pillar of the community, died on Friday after a struggle with COVID-19 at the age of 86. Adkins’ death was confirmed to media outlets by members of […]

Specially trained teams of Alabama National Guardsmen are being sent to help the state’s nursing homes, several of which are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks. The servicemembers will be tasked with disinfecting the nursing homes where coronavirus has been identified, and will also train staff in how to properly used personal protective equipment. “The Alabama National Guard […]

Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday participated in a phone meeting led by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence regarding the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and how to get states across the country back to work. Gina Maiola, press secretary for Ivey, advised that “Governor Ivey participated in the phone meeting with the Trump […]

AUBURN, Alabama – Auburn University says more than 100 of its innovative emergency ventilators – converted from CPAP machines – have been assembled and may soon join the fight against COVID-19. Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering said today that it has teamed with defense contractor Integrated Solutions for Systems (IS4S) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville to begin assembling the […]

In a press conference at the White House briefing room on Thursday evening, President Donald J. Trump gave a special shoutout to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and Tuscaloosa’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. A reporter, apparently leading up to asking the president a question, mentioned a “new normal” of lower occupancies being allowed in public venues […]

Formed by Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth (R-AL) and chaired by State Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville), the Alabama Small Business Commission Emergency Task Force’s “Subcommittee to Reopen the Economy” on Friday released its plan to begin getting Alabamians back to work. Entitled “Reopening Alabama Responsibly Phase One,” the plan was unveiled in a press conference by […]

Alabama Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth is recommending that many businesses in the state, including all restaurants and retailers, should be allowed to open immediately if they employ proper safety precautions to protect against the spread of COVID-19. The recommendations were made as part of a plan put together by the lieutenant governor’s subcommittee on reopening […]

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) on Friday released its “Legislative Plan for the Survival of America’s Small Businesses.” The proposal includes 10 prescriptive recommendations to help ensure more small businesses survive the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and more quickly return to normal business operations once restrictions are rolled back. Recommendations for improving the […]

7. Prisons will start bringing in more inmates soon Next week, the Alabama Department of Corrections wants to get back to normal and will start taking inmates in from county jails again. There was initially a pause put on accepting inmates on March 20 until April 20. In total, there will be 120 inmates moved […]

President Donald Trump on Thursday evening revealed his framework for reopening America’s economy. The document provides guidelines for three phases of reopening, and implementation is largely at the discretion of the nation’s governors and local authorities. Plans to reopen could not come too soon for many in this state as an important piece of data was […]

As Alabama nears the completion of its second full week of having a stay-at-home order in place, an element of restlessness has set in, particularly with employees and owners of small businesses that have been deemed non-essential. A growing sense of urgency to get back open has shown up on social media and even from […]

The nation’s small business relief fund ran out of money on Thursday, and immediately calls for replenishing the fund began. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is part of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package known as the CARES Act. Congress had appropriated nearly $350 billion toward PPP, however that well has now run dry. This happened […]

Vast amounts of normal services have been interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the situation evolves and uncertainty remains, one thing that Alabamians can count on is for the lights to come on when they flip the switch. With many in our state working remotely, children engaging in virtual learning or caring for loved ones […]

This Friday at 6 p.m., join award-winning author Frye Gaillard and education and curriculum specialist Marti Rosner on Facebook Live to learn about their new illustrated book, “The Slave Who Went to Congress,” based on the inspirational true story of Benjamin Turner. “The story, written for children aged 7-12, shares the struggles and accomplishments of Benjamin Sterling Turner, who […]

Amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Amazon in recent weeks welcomed new associates inside its 855,000 square-foot Bessemer fulfillment center for the first time to celebrate its “Day One” of operation. According to a release from the company on Thursday, the facility currently employs more than 1,500 full-time associates who will pick, pack and ship essential […]

Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington on Thursday announced that the department has launched an online tool to enable Alabamians to track the status of their unemployment claim. The tool also provides information telling claimants what their next steps are and what to expect. Claimants will need their login information (SSN and pin) to […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Department of Labor on Thursday released the State’s official count for initial unemployment claims filed last week, April 5–11. This latest period saw 77,515 Alabamians file their initial claim. The week prior, that number was 106,739; from March 22–28, 80,984 people in the Yellowhammer State filed their initial claim. In all, […]

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced Thursday the launch of two new sites for drive-thru coronavirus screening. The sites, located in Montgomery and Adamsville, are partnerships between the State of Alabama, Walmart and Quest Diagnostics. Ivey announced earlier this week that she is currently developing the plan for how the state will reopen its economy. Experts […]

This could signify the first breach in the dam, so to speak, of Alabama’s mandatory shutdown of non-essential businesses by the state government. The Male Room, a barbershop located in the Inverness neighborhood in North Shelby County, announced Tuesday night on Facebook it was reopening its business in defiance of the state order and accepting […]

7. Poarch Band of Creek Indians helping produce PPE for health care workers Muskogee Technology, a company owned by Poarch Band of Creek Indians, is producing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which not only helps in the fight against the coronavirus but also allows them to keep their employees.  Muskogee started working with the Food and […]

When it is all said and done, and the coronavirus era is behind the state of Alabama, there will be a lot of things to review in terms of what was right and what wrong with the government response. One of the measures that have many up in arms is the determination of what was […]

The total confirmed count is now up to 20 tornadoes that caused damage April 12 in north and central Alabama. Three more confirmed tornadoes occurred in the National Weather Service (NWS) Mobile warning area (one each in Clarke, Choctaw and Wilcox counties), all rated with EF1 damage. Here are tornadoes posted on Tuesday: