Amanda Lofton, a contractor support specialist at Alabama Power’s Plant Barry, has been named the 2023 president of the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) board of directors. APSO is comprised of nine chapters statewide. The nonprofit community-support organization boasts more than 5,000 volunteers who are employees of Alabama Power, Southern Nuclear and Southern Company employees living in Alabama, and their family members. APSO members provide a helping hand to a host of nonprofits, schools and community groups, supporting education, diversity and inclusion, community development, e ..read more

James Miller said times have changed since he returned from his tour of duty in Vietnam in 1967. “We’re getting a whole lot more respect than we got back then,” the former Marine said. “When we got back in 1967, no one knew you were back home. Nobody said anything. You were just here. “But now, the last 10 years we’ve been getting a lot of respect and people saying, ‘Thank you for your service,’” Miller said. “We got to go on a trip to Washington, D.C., and different places like that because of our service.” Dozens of veterans were given a hearty “Thank you for your service” Friday night at ..read more

When the world was practically shut down because of the pandemic in 2020, something exciting was happening in Huntsville: the opening of the nation’s first high school focused on teaching the implementation of cyber protections in the engineering life cycle. The Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE) is the state’s only public, residential and commuter magnet high school for students seeking advanced studies in math, science, engineering and cyber technology. “You can imagine the challenges we faced,” said PeggyLee Wright, executive director of the ASCTE Foundation. “In 2 ..read more

What did last year teach you? “How much love is built into humans. My youngest son Brady, who has just turned 5 months old, has an older brother who has just loved him from Day One. Every morning, the first thing he does is crawls over to Brady and kisses and hugs him and puts his head up against him and cuddles. It’s a great example of unconditional love. Bowen doesn’t know anything about Brady and just immediately has a built-in love for him. It’s shown me just how incredible Lacey is. She could have her own book about what she’s accomplished in her life, so just showing me a side of her ..read more

Communities in Alabama’s Black Belt region will soon receive help to enhance broadband access and digital skills among their residents. The University of West Alabama (UWA) has been awarded a $1.65 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The grant is part of NTIA’s Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Pilot Program, an initiative aimed at closing the digital divide in minority communities across the U.S. by providing funds to drive digital skills education and workforce development programs. The program ..read more

Bessemer native DeMeco Ryans was introduced as head coach of the Houston Texans Feb. 2, becoming the second man from Birmingham to lead an NFL team. “Being the head coach of the Houston Texans is my dream job and my family is thrilled to be back in H-Town,” Ryans said in a news release from the Texans. “I have been around the game of football my entire life and I’ve always had a natural ability to lead others. I know what it takes to win and be successful in this league as both a player and coach. We’re going to build a program filled with players who have a special work ethic and relentless ..read more

Alabama Power recently received the Joanne Hightower Community Impact Award from the Chamber of Gadsden and Etowah County. “This award is really special to our company,” Alabama Power Eastern Division Vice President Terry Smiley said at the chamber’s annual meeting in late January. “I’m proud to accept it on behalf of our President and CEO, Mr. Jeff Peoples, and the entire Alabama Power family. “Joanne Hightower shared the same mission as we do. She was dedicated to being of service to this community,” he said. “And at Alabama Power, our mission started right here in Etowah County. We were d ..read more

The Rev. Bernice A. King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, will serve as keynote speaker for the 2023 International Peace Conference in Birmingham. The two-day immersive experience is slated to take place May 4-6 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in downtown. The Rotary International District 6860 (North and Central Alabama), in partnership with The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Institute for Human Rights at UAB, will host the conference. “As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Children’s March in Birmingham, I believe that w ..read more

When Emil Ekiyor Jr. was being recruited by the University of Alabama to play football, community service wasn’t at the top of his list – but it did matter to somebody whose opinion mattered. “It was definitely something my mom was asking about during the recruiting process – if there would be any opportunities to do community service when I got to school,” Ekiyor said. “It’s something I kind of tried to follow up on to do throughout my time and my career at Alabama. So I think it’s pretty cool I got the opportunity to do something like this and impact a lot of people. I look forward to tryi ..read more

Anna Catherine Roberson, a Corporate Relations specialist at Alabama Power, has been named a member of the inaugural class of the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham Emerging Leaders Program. Ten people were selected for the program. They will work with leaders of the Birmingham Kiwanis Club, the largest in the world (with more than 530 members), to develop leadership skills and build relationships while working in the community, with a focus on the club’s longstanding mission of serving children. The inaugural class members were granted associate memberships in the club as part of the program and wil ..read more