Trent Baker, Author at Yellowhammer News

The Wire

New tunnel, premium RV section at Talladega Superspeedway on schedule despite weather

Excerpt:

Construction of a new oversized vehicle tunnel and premium RV infield parking section at Talladega Superspeedway is still on schedule to be completed in time for the April NASCAR race, despite large amounts of rainfall and unusual groundwater conditions underneath the track.

Track Chairman Grant Lynch, during a news conference Wednesday at the track, said he’s amazed the general contractor, Taylor Corporation of Oxford, has been able to keep the project on schedule.

“The amount of water they have pumped out of that and the extra engineering they did from the original design, basically to keep that tunnel from floating up out of the earth, was remarkable,” Lynch said.

Alabama workers built 1.6M engines in 2018 to add auto horsepower

Excerpt:

Alabama’s auto workers built nearly 1.6 million engines last year, as the state industry continues to carve out a place in global markets with innovative, high-performance parts, systems and finished vehicles.

Last year also saw major new developments in engine manufacturing among the state’s key players, and more advanced infrastructure is on the way in the coming year.

Hyundai expects to complete a key addition to its engine operations in Montgomery during the first half of 2019, while Honda continues to reap the benefits of a cutting-edge Alabama engine line installed several years ago.

Groundbreaking on Alabama’s newest aerospace plant made possible through key partnerships

Excerpt:

Political and business leaders gathered for a groundbreaking at Alabama’s newest aerospace plant gave credit to the formation of the many key partnerships that made it possible.

Governor Kay Ivey and several other federal, state and local officials attended the event which celebrated the construction of rocket engine builder Blue Origin’s facility in Huntsville.

The Wire

Frontier Airlines to begin $39 flights from Birmingham in April

"Frontier Airlines will begin direct flights from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport on April 11, the airline announced today. Frontier Airlines will start by offering direct service to Denver, Orlando and Philadelphia from Birmingham. Introductory prices will start at $39."

Alabama DL coach Karl Dunbar leaving for NFL job

"The Pittsburgh Steelers are hiring Crimson Tide defensive line coach Karl Dunbar as their defensive line coach, according to a source."

"This gets Dunbar back to the NFL, where the 50-year old had been for most of his coaching career before heading to Alabama in 2016 as the replacement for Bo Davis."

"It will be the fifth NFL team he's worked for after stints as the defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears (2004), Minnesota Vikings (2006-11), New York Jets (2012-14) and Buffalo Bills (2015)."

Clint Eastwood’s Newest American Heroes

"At 87, Clint Eastwood is not only trying new things, he’s trying daring new things, and his new film 15:17 to Paris represents one of the most audacious gambits of his career. To dramatize the tale of three Americans who tackled and subdued a heavily armed Islamist terrorist on a train out of Amsterdam in 2015, Eastwood cast the young men, none of whom had professional acting experience, as themselves. It’s a decision with little precedent in the entire history of motion pictures."

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Á la Carte Alabama 1 day ago

Automatic Seafood and Oysters has emerged as Alabama culinary star

(Á la Carte Alabama/Contributed)

Automatic Seafood and Oysters has definitely caught on.

Since opening in Birmingham in 2019, the restaurant from chef Adam Evans and his wife and designer Suzanne Humphries Evans has attracted and wowed with its inviting space and amazing food.

It’s not just patrons who are impressed. The prestigious James Beard Awards had Automatic Seafood and Oysters among its finalists for Best New Restaurant last year before canceling the awards due to the pandemic, making Automatic a perpetual finalist.

Keep reading 111 WORDS

With or without that recognition, Automatic Seafood and Oysters has survived the pandemic and the Evanses are thankful for the support the public has demonstrated since opening.

They sat down with Á la Carte Alabama for Alabama NewsCenter to talk about the restaurant, its approach to food and the success it continues to enjoy.

Automatic Seafood and Oysters is reeling in accolades and fans in Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

2824 Fifth Ave. S., Birmingham, Alabama 35233

205-580-1600

Hours: 5-10 p.m. Sunday through Saturday, Happy Hour 4-5 p.m., Brunch 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Find Automatic Seafood and Oysters online and on Facebook and Instagram.

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)

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Á la Carte Alabama 7 days ago

Roy Wood Jr. wants greater career opportunities for youths in Alabama

(Á la Carte Alabama/Contributed)

Roy Wood Jr. had a good amount of success on radio and doing standup comedy in Birmingham. But to reach his full celebrity status, he had to travel to New York.

The actor, comedian and filmmaker grew up in Birmingham without knowing the variety of career paths available to him or how to pursue them.

These days, Wood is an ambassador for Birmingham and Alabama, believing youths here should have a world of opportunities available to them and shouldn’t necessarily have to leave Alabama to fulfill them.

Keep reading 192 WORDS

“My hope is for Birmingham and Alabama to get the chance to finally prove to the rest of the world what we already know to be true – is that we’re capable, skilled and gifted the same as anywhere else on Earth,” Wood said.

Wood saw firsthand the need for greater careers when he was shooting a sitcom pilot in Birmingham and struggled to find the people and equipment needed to pull off the production.

In the last of a three-part interview he did with Á la Carte Alabama for Alabama NewsCenter, Wood talks about what he wants to see happen in his home state to create opportunity for all.

Roy Wood Jr. wants more to see Alabama’s youths able to pursue their dreams from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

During Black History Month, Alabama NewsCenter is celebrating the culture and contributions of those who have shaped our state and those working to elevate Alabama today. Visit AlabamaNewsCenter.com throughout the month for stories of Alabamians past and present.

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)

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Á la Carte Alabama 3 weeks ago

The Wine Loft has aged well as a downtown Birmingham pioneer

(Á la Carte Alabama/Contributed)

Wine needs a good aging to be its best. The same can be said of The Wine Loft, a pioneering destination that was once an oasis in a sea of vacant buildings but is now surrounded by other bars and restaurants that bring vibrancy as well as competition.

Owner Mike Dunnavant now has 14 years under his belt and he knows there is a fine line between aging well and growing stale. He talked to Á la Carte Alabama for Alabama NewsCenter about how the business continues to evolve with its food and drink offerings.

Keep reading 24 WORDS

Wine Loft aging well in downtown Birmingham from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)

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Á la Carte Alabama 2 months ago

How Atomic Lounge has exploded beyond Alabama for national recognition

(Brittany Dunn/Alabama NewsCenter)

Birmingham’s Atomic Lounge is a bar, to be sure. There are drinks with fun names and fine booze with regulars destressing and unwinding. And if that was all Atomic Lounge is, that just might be enough.

But Atomic Lounge is really an experience and the bar is a component of that experience.

Husband and wife owners Feizal Valli and Rachael Roberts have created the experience and are hopeful it will return to its full force after the pandemic. That force is one that has earned Atomic Lounge a semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Bar Program by the James Beard Awards three years in a row.

Keep reading 48 WORDS

Valli and Roberts sat down with Á la Carte Alabama for Alabama NewsCenter to talk about what makes Atomic Lounge more than just a bar.

Birmingham’s Atomic Lounge is more than just a bar from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)

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Automatic Seafood and Oysters has emerged as Alabama culinary star

Roy Wood Jr. wants greater career opportunities for youths in Alabama

The Wine Loft has aged well as a downtown Birmingham pioneer

How Atomic Lounge has exploded beyond Alabama for national recognition