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’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.
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.
"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."
"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)."
"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."
Executives with Regions Bank and the PGA TOUR discuss equity and community engagement at the Regions Tradition
(Regions/Contributed)
The Regions Tradition, a PGA TOUR Champions major sponsored by Regions Bank, brings players, fans, and businesses together for five days of golf benefitting Children’s of Alabama and a variety of other local charities. The tournament also brings together two organizations that are investing time and financial resources to create greater equity in their industries and the communities where they work and play – Regions and the PGA TOUR.
At the 2021 Regions Tradition, Marsha Oliver, vice president of Community & Inclusion for the PGA TOUR, and Leroy Abrahams head of Community Affairs for Regions Bank and president of the Regions Foundation, joined Clara Green, head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion with Regions Bank, for a wide-ranging discussion tied to their organizations’ shared interest in lifting communities and their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion journeys.
“It’s really one of those rare moments where we get the chance to talk with one of our partners about the work that they are doing in diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Green. “I just love to see how the dots continue to connect across the efforts of both organizations.”
Oliver – on PGA TOUR initiatives to increase access and diversify the sport of golf:
“The image of golf has long been deemed a homogenous sport—access, cost, customs. Those are the barriers that are contributing to that reality. The PGA TOUR began a relationship with an organization called the APGA. It’s the Advocates Tour. Their sole mission is designed to bring greater diversity to the game of golf, to introduce minority golfers to the ability to play at the professional level,” said Oliver. “We will identify the top five Black collegiate players across the NCAA Division I, II and III Programs, and we will give them the opportunity, scholarship them on to play on the Advocates Tour, in the APGA Tour. And then, from there, they will get stipends to go on to our Korn Ferry qualifying tour, which is our elite preparatory tour. Those are the efforts that we believe can help change and increase the access and the opportunity for more diverse golfers.”
Abrahams – on Regions’ vision to advance racial equity through philanthropy
“There are groups of individuals that have not been able to participate to the same level in the economic prosperity of our country. How do we target those individuals? Because, by lifting the group that’s not participating, we lift everyone,” said Abrahams. “If you think of the ways wealth is created in this country, it’s home ownership, business ownership, and then over the past — call it 20 years or so — it’s really been access to broadband, access to things that enable people to have more digital connectivity. So, by again focusing in these places (through the Regions Foundation), we believe we’re helping to advance the cause of equity overall in our community.”
The Tradition Continues
Over the history of the Regions Tradition and its predecessors, the event has raised more than $19 million for charity. Today, the tournament’s primary beneficiary remains Children’s of Alabama, a hospital serving the needs of children and young people across the Southeast. Visit regionstradition.com for more news on this year’s Regions Tradition.
