In the News
The family of U.S. Army Master Sergeant Henry Todd had no idea he had ever been awarded a Bronze Star.
U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer wanted to make sure they knew.
In a ceremony Friday afternoon, Palmer said Todd, a resident at Bill Nichols State Veterans Home, was awarded the Bronze Star many years ago, but the star was lost and another was issued many years later.
Throughout our nation’s history, generations of Americans have answered the call to defend our country, often at great personal sacrifice. From the battlefields of the American Revolution to the conflicts of today, our veterans have demonstrated extraordinary courage and a willingness to put the needs of their country above their own.
Winston Churchill once said, “It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.”
Alabama’s top state and federal officials are honoring those who have served on the nation’s 73rd annual observance of Veterans Day.
Originally known as Armistice Day and established in November 1919, the holiday recognized veterans of the First World War. In June 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation officially renaming the holiday to honor veterans of conflicts after WW1. Alabama first celebrated the occasion in 1947.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Monday that nearly $200 million in grants will go to Alabama’s Rural Health Transformation Program for the 2027 fiscal year.
CMS, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced $10 billion in RHTP grant awards for all 50 states, including $199,278,801 for Alabama. Alabama received $203,404,326 in federal funding for its RHTP in the 2026 fiscal year.
It may be years down the tracks, but Birmingham, Trussville and federal officials say they’ve got a $10 million plan in motion with train operators to build an overpass, an underpass and new traffic routes to help solve railroad blockages and stoppages.
The fiscal year has closed, and the federal government’s annual budget deficit totaled $2 trillion in 2026. To put this otherwise incomprehensible sum into perspective: Washington spent roughly $15,000 per household more than it collected in revenue over the past 12 months.
The $2 trillion deficit isn’t the result of a national emergency or temporary circumstance. It’s the nation’s current fiscal program. Washington is expected to average $2.4 trillion in annual deficits over the next ten years.
President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill delivered nearly $55 million more to rural Alabama on Thursday, when Governor Kay Ivey awarded 34 grants to hospitals, ambulance services and colleges through the Rural Health Transformation Program.
“Once again, the Trump Administration is delivering meaningful results for real Americans,” Ivey said.
MONTGOMERY - Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday announced the opening of the first segment of the new Birmingham Northern Beltline (SR-959). The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) officially opened the new roadway between SR-79 and SR-75 in northeast Jefferson County to traffic this morning. This 1.88-mile section is the first leg of the future 52-mile I-422. The overall Northern Beltline will ultimately span from I-459 in Bessemer to I-59 in northeast Jefferson County.
U.S. Representative Gary Palmer, R-Alabama, introduced legislation to recover critical minerals from discarded materials that passed the House, sending the bill to the Senate as Congress considers ways to reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign sources for materials used in energy, manufacturing and national defense.
U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Environment, wants America to decrease its dependence on foreign countries for critical minerals by using what’s already available within the country.
The U.S. House voted to pass H.R. 9617, the Coordinating and Harnessing America’s Recovery of Minerals (CHARM) Act.
The bill was introduced by Palmer and U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), the Democratic Ranking Member on the Environment Subcommittee.