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Alabama will not provide funding for passenger rail service to Mobile at this time

Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday announced Alabama will not commit funds towards extending passenger rail service to Mobile. The Southern Rail Commission released a statement after it was unable to secure state matching funds for the cost of resuming passenger rail service from the states of Alabama and Mississippi. “The Southern Rail Commission (SRC) regrets … Continued
June 22, 2018

Seven Alabama state parks win TripAdvisor Hall of Fame honors

Seven Alabama State Parks earned nine Hall of Fame honors from TripAdvisor and 12 parks in the 22-park system earned Certificates of Excellence from the world’s largest travel website. Overall, the parks received 16 Certificates of Excellence for 2018. To earn Hall of Fame recognition, a park, attraction or business must have received a Certificate … Continued
June 14, 2018

Alabama State Games held in Huntsville

The Alabama State Games were held in Huntsville June 8-10. The games are the state’s largest annual multi-sport event for youth and adults. The event showcases over 20 sports with roughly 6,000 athletes of all ages and skill levels competing. The Alabama State Games are part of a nationwide network of state games with the … Continued
June 12, 2018

Kay Ivey promotes tourism’s impact on state at Barber Motorsports Park

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey was at the Barber Motorsports Park  on Tuesday in the Leeds area to promote the positive economic benefits that tourism brings to Alabama. Director of Barber Motorsports Museum Jeff Ray said that in 2017, there were 66,000 visitors to the Barber Motorsports Museum and 240,000 visitors to the park’s events, including … Continued
May 23, 2018

Ivey announces construction of new whiskey factory in Troy

By Brandon Moseley  Alabama Political Reporter Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced that the makers of Clyde May’s Alabama-style whiskey plan to consolidate operations in Troy, Alabama, where the company will build an artisan distillery, rack houses and a bottling hub, as well as a tasting experience center designed to attract tourists. … Continued
September 15, 2017

An agri-business center would be a great addition to the mega sports complex

By Rep. Craig Ford State House of Representatives Tourism and hospitality are a $13 billion a year industry in the state of Alabama. That number comes from the Alabama Department of Tourism, and it was included in a press release Gov. Ivey put out last month. But tourism and hospitality don’t just come from our … Continued
September 8, 2017

Interstate 65: Alabama’s immediate infrastructure needs

By State Auditor Jim Zeigler I do not need expensive studies and consultants to know that Alabama has immediate infrastructure needs. I experienced a major infrastructure problem Saturday afternoon. While the inadequacy of Interstate 65 from Birmingham to Montgomery — and on all of the Beach route — may or may not be our most … Continued
June 19, 2017

A sports complex would be big for our local economy

By House Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford Etowah County has produced a lot of great athletes over the years, including several NFL players like Dre Kirkpatrick and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams. In November, the “Lady Fusion 03” soccer team won the state championship in the U13 division. We have a proud sports tradition here, and now … Continued
January 6, 2017

Lottery Is Dead For November 8 Ballot and Foreseeable Future

By Brandon Moseley Alabama Political Reporter The Alabama Senate debated the lottery for four days of this Special Session. On Tuesday, August 23, it took the Alabama House of Representatives just a few minutes to effectively kill the lottery, without ever even discussing it in a committee. Freshly energized lottery opponents used the tight timeline … Continued
August 24, 2016

McClendon, Dial Ask: Give The People The Right To Vote On Lottery

By Susan Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—The lottery bill, SB11, was carried over at the call of the chair late Wednesday, with few Republican senators present. It could resurface Thursday morning, should more lawmakers come onboard. Jim McClendon (R-Springville) brought SB11 to the Senate Floor on Wednesday. It passed out of Tourism and Marketing Committee … Continued
August 18, 2016