Sixty one years after its publication a nearly pristine copy of a comic book detailing the story of the year-long Montgomery bus boycott found its way to the limelight.

The Kiwanis Club rolled out a national program called CCOPS, Concerned Citizens Organized for Police Support, in May of 2018. “We have a tremendous problem between the citizens and the police,” explained Kiwanis member Jack Galassini. “We need to show people that the police are friends and t…

Church of the Ascension will install The Reverend Candice Burk Frazer as its Ninth Rector on Wednesday, December 19, 2018, at 5:30pm. The Right Reverend John McKee Sloan will officiate the ceremony, and The Reverend Polk Van Zandt will give the sermon. There will be a reception honoring Reve…

   When Independent Editor Art Parker asked me to do a column on my travels over the last couple of weeks, I humored him, which is to say I gave a non-committal response because I figured, ‘Who cares?’

  Palomar is pleased to announce the addition of Reese Dismukes to their expanding sales team as an Account Executive, specializing in the trucking and construction industries.

Jason Bassett has been named Alabama Wildlife Officer of the Year by the Shikar-Safari Club International (SSCI). Bassett currently serves as a Senior Conservation Enforcement Officer with the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) in St. Clair Co. Each year, SSCI honors…

Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C., announced Chris Glover as the firm’s Litigator of the Year for 2018. The annual recognition is presented to the attorney who demonstrates exceptional professional skill throughout the course of the year and best represents the firm’s i…

The medical application of ultrasound technology to diagnose health issues is well-known. Dr. Daniel Kim uses similar ultrasonic sound waves with much higher power to create pores or cavities in a class of chemical compounds called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Awwww.

The State of Alabama has more needs than its current revenue can provide. In some areas of the State infrastructure is crumbling and our State prisons are horrendously overcrowded, according to a Federal judge. One often touted idea for a source of new funds is a state lottery. In fact Alaba…

In its final Food for Thought presentation for 2018, Archives' curator Diane Barnard discussed the textiles of early Alabama and how they provide a valuable historical record for the modern world. In her presentation on December 20th, Barnard said that from the deerskin and fur trade of the …

MAX, in conjunction with the MAX4Kids Foundation®, hosted a shopping trip, benefitting local non-profit: Common Ground Montgomery’s 12th Annual Christmas Store. Common Ground Montgomery’s Christmas Store provides kids in the community the joy of receiving toys for Christmas, offering parents…

AUM will welcome new deans for the College of Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in the new year. Robert Granger, a longtime Department of Chemistry chair at Sweet Briar (Va.) College, will assume the College of Sciences deanship on January 15. While at Sweet Briar,…

Known for its quick-strike capabilities in setting up base camps to support natural disasters and large-scale special events, Ellipse Global aims to reduce response times even further with the opening of its new Southeast U.S. equipment staging and storage facility. The nearly 16,000 square-…

Trinity Presbyterian Head of School Dr. Kerry Palmer for successfully defending his dissertation at Auburn University, bringing to a close his PhD journey. This was a huge accomplishment and was no small feat, especially while being the Head of Trinity School at the same time. When asked abo…

Pennsylvania pheasant hunters will see more birds this season, thanks to the state's new pheasant-hunting permit. The state has a relatively small population of naturally reproducing birds, so a portion of the $1.1 million raised by hunters purchasing the $26.90 pheasant permit will be used …

Alabama State Senator David Burkette (D-Montgomery) is said to be recovering after being hospitalized following an undisclosed condition. Inside Alabama Politics reported on December 29 that Burkette was hospitalized following a stroke, but that information has not yet been confirmed by Burk…

Although he began his career at Auburn University at Montgomery in 1997 as Vice-chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Professor of Management Roger Ritvo turned his focus to teaching and research in 2005 and now studies how to effectively create and manage nonprofit organizations.

Will Meacham, owner of Midtown Pizza Kitchen in Montgomery and Prattville, has been elected to the Alabama Retail Association’s board of directors. His two-year term begins Jan. 1.

 Bluewater Broadcasting announces Emily Hayes, Creative Services Director, has been promoted to Music Director of Alternative Rock 104.9 The Gump. Emily started her career in 2008 in Mobile and joined Bluewater Broadcasting in October 2016 as a Night jock on 104.9 The Gump, before she became…

  The Alabama Farmers Federation welcomed Phillip Johns to its management team Dec. 4, when he was promoted to chief financial officer of the state’s largest farm organization. “I am humbled and honored to step into the CFO role for the Federation,” said Johns, 31. “I look forward to buildin…

   Caroline Chapman of Destinations, the Alfa companies’ in-house travel and events management company, has been promoted to Senior Meeting Planner. The announcement was made by Destinations Department Director Shane Watkins. “Destinations has enjoyed success on major programs the last three…

One Christmas eve not too long ago, I was out at church with my family, then we all had dinner together. It is always a special time for us as it is for most families.

Moore Company Realty is excited to announce a new Conn’s HomePlus is opening in Montgomery. The Montgomery store is the companies first in the Capital City and second store in the state. Conn's HomePlus is a specialty retailer currently operating more than 120 retail locations in Alabama, Ar…

New Montgomery County Farmers Federation President Jeremy Brown and outgoing President David Hataway were recognized during the Presidents Luncheon at the Alabama Farmers Federation’s 97th Annual Meeting Dec. 3 in Montgomery. Hataway, center, received a plaque for his two years of service, a…

   Beasley Allen lawyer Gibson Vance was named a 2018 Troy University Distinguished Alumni of the Year during the weekend’s Homecoming celebration. Vance, a 1987 graduate, now provides leadership to the University as a member of its Board of Trustees. “I am honored by this recognition,” Vanc…

By NICK THOMAS

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama announces that Ted Hosp has been named Executive Director of Governmental Affairs. 

   Capell & Howard P.C. is pleased to welcome Attorney Blake E. Brookshire to the firm. Blake graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and received his juris doctorate, summa cum laude, from the University of Mississippi School of Law in the Spring o…

This past week, we all watched as our 41st President was honored and mourned by family and friends and the world. He was the last President of the Greatest Generation, a man of integrity and character.

The Hunters Helping the Hungry program provides a way for Alabama hunters to give ground venison to needy families and individuals. Since the program's inception in 1999, hundreds of thousands of pounds of ground venison has been donated to Alabama food banks across the state. Alabama's abun…

Construction is expected to begin next year on the first phase of a new agriculture, recreational, and performing arts center in the Town of Pike Road. The project is part of the town’s Enhance Initiative which is designed to collect input from citizens about quality of life improvements in …

Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries John McMillan was honored by the state’s largest farm organization at the Alabama Farmers Federation’s 97th annual meeting today in Montgomery. The award is the highest honor presented by the organization that is more than 350,000 members st…

By FRED MARSHALL

A Montgomery, Alabama, native and 1992 Saint Jude High School graduate is serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, a floating airport at sea.

Prey-driven and scent-driven dogs are difficult or impossible to train to be service dogs. Dogs that are human-oriented and task-driven make the best service dogs!

The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) has recently awarded Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), the 2018 Lyles-Simpson Award for his work to improve fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. Blankenship received the awa…

This week General Ed Crowell was named the 2018 YMCA Man of the Year. Nominees for the annual YMCA Man of the Year award are selected litterally by the people they serve. Montgomery Student YMCAs use the award to show appreciation for the men and women dedicated to serving youth in the community.

This holiday season, The F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum is expressing its gratitude to the City of Montgomery by declaring its annual Christmas Open House on Saturday December 8th as the “City of Montgomery Appreciation Day.” All city employees, their families and citizens of Montgomer…

By BRIAN HODGE

Mark Stoup will be the guest speaker at the Capitol Rotary Club on December 13th. Stoup is the JAG School Faculty Attorney/Advisor for Special Crimes and Assistance to Victims.  He assumed those duties in June 2015.  In his capacity, he serves as the primary curriculum developer and instruct…

Chief Religious Program Specialist John Dillard, from Montgomery, Alabama, salutes during a burial-at-sea aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. Pacific Fleet area of operations. 

As an Auburn University at Montgomery associate professor of Drawing and Painting, Andrew Hairstans’ artwork involves more than merely slapping paint across a canvass.

The final stat has now been filled in for the Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) vs. Tyson Fury (27-0, 19 KOs). The fighters stepped on the scales and the difference between each fighter was clear: Wilder 212.5 pounds, Fury 256.5 pounds.

  Southeastern Freight Lines, the leading provider of regional less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation services, today announced Kyle Hulsey has been promoted to service center manager in Montgomery, Alabama. With over 5 years of experience at Southeastern, Hulsey started his career at the …

More than 1.3 million purebred dogs from 145 different breeds are registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC). All dogs in different shapes, sizes, and personalities, and I am wondering, where did they all come from?

Beasley Allen lawyer W. Daniel “Dee” Miles, III, head of the firm’s Consumer Fraud section, was appointed Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel in the class action litigation filed against Ford Motor Company, together with E. Powell Miller of The Miller Law Firm, P.C., and Adam J. Levitt of DiCello …

Dr. Lynlee Powell Nichols is the newest associate veterinarian at East Montgomery Animal Hospital and Carmichael Road Animal Clinic, both owned and operated by the Benefield family. Dr. Nichols is a 2018 graduate of Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to her entrance in…

I have a dog who was literally rescued from death.