State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, says the 565 interstate widening project is expected to be completed by summer of next year. The project includes additional lanes from County Line Road to Wall-Triana Highway. Work started on the project late last year. AL.com reports Orr and other north Alabama lawmakers are hoping to see similar projects heading to the Huntsville area to keep up with the population growth. They’re pledging significant funding for area infrastructure projects from the legislative session that gets underway Feb. 4.
The construction along I-565 into Town Madison could be ending soon. Samantha Magnuson, communications director for the city of Madison, told The Huntsville Times that they’re tentatively planning a February opening. The flyover ramps will connect the mixed use development at Toyota Field to westbound traffic from Huntsville. Currently, drivers must exit I-565 about two miles before Town Madison and pass three signaled intersections.
University professors and students in Alabama have filed a lawsuit challenging a new state law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs at universities. The complaint asserts the new law violates the First Amendment by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on educators’ speech and classroom lessons. WHNT TV reports the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP and professors and students at the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The lawsuit asks a federal judge to declare the law unconstitutional and block the state from enforcing it.
Camp Cha-La-Kee, the YMCA summer camp on the shores of Lake Guntersville has been sold. Last week, a federal bankruptcy judge approved the sale at auction. WHNT TV reports that according to court records, the property was sold for over two point three million dollars. The Heart of the Valley YMCA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August of 2024, citing financial issues due to mortgage debt. In September, they officially closed the camp.
A new emergency department is now open in Hartselle. Cullman Regional’s freestanding ER has the same capabilities as hospital emergency departments, including 10 treatment rooms, an imaging center, a helipad and an ambulance bay. Cullman Regional Chief Medical Officer Bill Smith tells WHNT TV that having local access to emergency services will save lives.
The Singing River Trail has a new executive director. The non-profit board announced the hiring of Misti Potter to the position on Wednesday. AL.com reports Potter takes over for interim director Anna Clem. The trail had been without a permanent director since the arrest of former Executive Director John Kvach on child pornography charges last summer. When completed, the 220-mile trail will stretch from Bridgeport to Muscle Shoals. Segments of the trail are already completed in Huntsville, Madison, Decatur and Athens.
Drake State Community and Technical College was awarded over $1.5 million for the latest round of Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants by the U.S Department of Labor. According to the college, the grant is part of a $65 million investment to 18 colleges in 14 states. The college said it plans to use the grant money to support its new Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) program. WAFF TV reports Drake State became the first institution in the state of Alabama to receive the grant.