In news related to the above, cities and counties all over the state are voicing their support of the new medical cannabis industry, voting to approve licenses for dispensaries in their communities and adopting other needed changes like re-zoning. It’s still a longshot than any of these areas will actually get a dispensary. Applications to the Alabama Medical Cannabis
Fifteen of Alabama’s most challenged elementary schools are getting a multimillion-dollar infusion of support through a new initiative championed by Governor Kay Ivey. Earlier this year, Ivey added a $10 million line item in the state budget for what is being called the Turnaround Schools Initiative. The state department of
The Alabama Innovation Corp. announced the awarding of its first round of grants designed to help small businesses expand their operations within the state. The 31 grant awards, which total more than $4.5 million, will be distributed under the Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Program. According to the corporation, the funds will enable small
Earlier this year, the U.S. Justice Department filed suit to block enforcement of Alabama’s Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, which bans hormone treatments and gender reassignment surgeries for minors. Last month, the U.S. Attorney’s office served Eagle Forum of Alabama, a nonprofit that supports the law, with a subpoena. Multiple elected officials and other groups have called
Craig Ford was just elected mayor of Gadsden. The Gadsden native and former Alabama House of Representatives Democratic leader won the runoff election handily, defeating Heather New. Read more here.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $17.8 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants to 10 Alabama airports for infrastructure upgrades, according U.S. Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama. In a statement announcing the grant awards, Shelby, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke to the important role airports play in supporting
Mercedes-Benz has launched production of the all-electric luxury EQS SUV at its Tuscaloosa County plant, part of a global strategy of next-generation technology that is ushering in a new era for Alabama’s auto industry. Mercedes has invested $7 billion in the state since it arrived in the early 1990s, and Alabama workers
Ecore International plans to invest $25.5 million to open a state-of-the-art manufacturing and recycling facility in the southeast Alabama city of Ozark, where it will create 84 jobs. The new full-time positions will pay an average annual salary of nearly $42,500, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce. Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based
Area Development, a national economic development publication, reports that site-selection professionals it surveyed have again ranked Alabama among the top states for business, citing a broad range of factors contributing to a fertile growth environment. Alabama ranks No. 6 overall in its 2022 ”Top States for Doing Business” analysis, the same as the
Both of the state’s major political parties met earlier this month. The Democrats elected a new chairman. The GOP party voted in several resolutions, including one that voices the state party’s support for former President Donald J. Trump and one that calls for closing primary elections to all except registered
