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Alabama
Area Info
The State of Alabama, also known as the "Heart of Dixie," is a state located in the Southern United States of America. Alabama is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. The twenty-second state admitted to the Union, Alabama seceded from the union in 1861 to become part of the Confederate States of America. Following the Civil War Alabama was readmitted to the union in 1868.
Until World War II, Alabama, like many Southern states, remained mired in poverty. In the years following the war, Alabama emerged as a growing economic power as the economy of the state transitioned from agriculture to diversified interests in heavy manufacturing, mineral extraction, education, and high technology. Today, the state is heavily invested in the aerospace, education, health care, banking, and various heavy industries including automobile manufacturing and mineral extraction and steel production and fabrication.
Alabama is officially nicknamed the Yellowhammer state. The capital is Montgomery and the largest city is Birmingham.
Articles
News from The Birmingham News
Judge allows Gov. Riley's gambling task force to resume
Mar 20, 2010 1:34 am
Task force still blocked from Macon County's VictoryLand. TUSKEGEE -- A judge allowed the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling to resume investigatio...
Forecast: Sunny start to spring, but cold not gone yet
Mar 20, 2010 12:50 am
Monday's high is expected to be near 49. Spring officially arrives Saturday, but come Monday there might be some reminders of this year's bitterly cold w...
Update: Traffic moving again on Interstate 20/59 in downtown
Mar 19, 2010 11:30 pm
As of 6:30 p.m., all lanes have re-opened. Traffic is moving smoothly again on Interstate 20/59 North in downtown Birmingham after a wreck tied up traffi...
Bessemer resident claims city's bingo committee violated open meetings law
Mar 19, 2010 10:57 pm
The head of the committee denied the claims. A Bessemer resident has filed suit in Jefferson County Circuit Court against the Bessemer City Council's bingo committ...
Huntsville firm's contract for Ft. Benning hospital put on hold by Army Corps of Engineers
Mar 19, 2010 9:54 pm
GAO report upheld protests, finding conflicts of interest COLUMBUS, Ga. -- Groundbreaking for the replacement of Martin Army Community Hospital on Fort B...
Nuclear regulators set public meeting to discuss safety of 2009 operations at Farley Nuclear Plant
Mar 19, 2010 7:40 pm
Southern Co. plant under scrutiny [Click to view company PDF about Farley Nuclear Plant]DOTHAN, -- Federal regulators have scheduled a meeting to discuss 2009 sa...
Alabama Supreme Court upholds recount victory in disputed Evergreen mayor's race
Mar 19, 2010 7:08 pm
Winner changed with 7-vote swing in second count MONTGOMERY -- The Alabama Supreme Court has upheld the election of Pete Wolf III as mayor of Evergreen after a se...
Jefferson County gets $13.3 million in federal stimulus grants to fight obesity, smoking
Mar 19, 2010 4:55 pm
$6.3 million goes to improve nutrition and physical activity, while $7 million goes to cutting tobacco use. (The Birmingham News/Frank Couch)Jefferson County has...
Rail cars from Birmingham carrying steel coils derail in Arizona
Mar 19, 2010 4:07 pm
No injuries reported FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Railroad officials are investigating why 14 railcars on a westbound freight train derailed Thursday morning near...
School districts turn to ads on school buses to help ease strain on shrunken budgets
Mar 19, 2010 3:32 pm
Concept has its critics In this Feb. 9, 2010 photo, Marc Horner, fleet manager for Jefferson Public Schools in Colorado, stands next to a school bus with a bank a...
News from the Mobile Press-Register
Judge allows antigambling task force to resume
Mar 20, 2010 12:55 am
TUSKEGEE, Ala. -- A judge allowed the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling to resume investigations Friday in every Alabama county except Macon, where the sta...
Tomorrow's forecast today for southwest Alabama
Mar 19, 2010 11:14 pm
Saturday: Mostly cloudy and gusty. Highs in the upper 60s to mid- 70s. Lows in the upper 40s to mid- 50s. Rain chance: Less than 20 percent Saturday; 80 percent Saturday n...
Update: Tyson testifies Macon DA failed to enforce the law, leading to VictoryLand raid attempt
Mar 19, 2010 10:19 pm
TUSKEGEE, Ala. -- The commander of the governor's antigambling task force says he tried to raid the VictoryLand casino in Macon County because the local district a...
Update: Court upholds challenger in close Evergreen vote after racially charged election
Mar 19, 2010 9:25 pm
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The Alabama Supreme Court has upheld the election of Pete Wolf III as mayor of Evergreen after a seesaw legal contest over an apparent two-vote victory ...
Fodder teens gone wild links: Panhandle teen accosts mom with knife, broom; other incidents
Mar 19, 2010 9:00 pm
A look at recent headlines and it seems teens are getting into more and more trouble lately. Or perhaps it's been that way for a while, it's just that now...
Judge grants probation to doctor who was key prosecution witness at steroids trial
Mar 19, 2010 4:25 pm
A South Carolina doctor whose testimony was crucial in the prosecution of owners of a Mobile pharmacy that supplied thousands of dosages of steroids will not have to spend ...
Mar 19, 2010 3:19 pm
Carbon Hill, Ala., officials look to change civic center rental rules after a "free-for-all" party, a Hyundai supplier breaks ground today, a first-grader is foun...
Baldwin County reopens county road 32
Mar 19, 2010 3:03 pm
Baldwin County Highway Department officials have announced the reopening of Baldwin County 32 between Harry Jones Road and Dry Branch Road. Baldwin County Highway...
Alabama, Florida compete to build Gulf of Mexico's longest pier
Mar 19, 2010 2:30 pm
When it opens in May, the Navarre Beach pier will reach 1,545 feet into the Gulf. That will be about 5 feet longer than the $16.2 million pier the Alabama Department of Co...
Robertsdale approves cost of living raises
Mar 19, 2010 2:08 pm
ROBERTSDALE, Ala. -- While city revenue is less than expected, spending cuts have kept the budget in line enough to allow municipal employees to get a cost-of-living raise,...
Local News from The Huntsville Times via Yahoo! News
Woman injured in Limestone County four-wheeler accident
Mar 20, 2010 12:50 am
A 30-year-old woman was injured in a four wheeler accident in Limestone County Friday evening.
Gov. Riley appoints Alison Strickland Austin to district judgeship
Mar 19, 2010 10:20 pm
Gov. Bob Riley has selected Alison Strickland Austin, a veteran prosecutor who grew up here, to become a Madison County district judge, filling a vacancy created last month.
"Come Out, Be Counted" census event planned for Saturday in Huntsville
Mar 19, 2010 5:50 pm
The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Northwest Community Learning Center, 3404A Blue Springs Road in Huntsville. The event will include entertainment and education about the census.
Bob Jones graduate to lead University of Alabama's SGA
Mar 19, 2010 1:50 pm
As a student attending Discovery Middle School, James Fowler became interested in student government. His interest in student government continued in high school, where he was elected SGA president at...
Retirement nears for employee who has worked 50 years with city of Huntsville
Mar 19, 2010 1:20 pm
Pike, who turns 80 in October, started Huntsville's first volleyball league for women, directed the popular men's basketball league for 25 years and served on the state physical fitness board.
Teachers from Buckhorn, Julian Newman are finalists for state teacher of the year
Mar 19, 2010 12:50 pm
Buckhorn High's Theresa Durboraw and Julian Newman Elementary's Donna McDaniel are up for the award
Local volunteer Sheila McFerran recognized for her service
Mar 19, 2010 12:20 pm
Sheila McFerran of Madison was among 30 women from throughout the nation invited to attend the fourth annual International Women's Day celebration in Birmingham March 5 as honorees.
Traffic slows to a crawl on I-65 while crews repair sinkhole: See video, detour map
Mar 19, 2010 11:20 am
A sinkhole near mile marker 328 on Interstate 65 shut down the northbound lanes Thursday. Department of Transportation crews are now making repairs to the road, which could force traffic to be routed ...
Mar 19, 2010 10:05 am
Unless otherwise noted, the following incidents were reported to Huntsville police Wednesday and Thursday.
New route announced for I-65 sinkhole detour
Mar 18, 2010 10:20 pm
Heavy traffic along U.S. 31 results in authorities establishing new detour route.
