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Alabama moves ahead with court-drawn map as SCOTUS reviews challenge

Gov. Kay Ivey's amended election order leaves the door open in case the Supreme Court acts again to allow Alabama to use its legislature-drawn 2023 maps.

Politics

Alabama is set to move forward with a court-drawn congressional map for its special primary elections on Aug. 11 as it awaits a key decision from the nation&#x27;s highest court.Why it matters: Alabama&#x27;s primary elections have been upended by a flurry of court actions following the U.S. Supreme Court&#x27;s decision in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Louisiana v. Callais" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/29/supreme-court-redistricting-race-gerrymander" data-vars-content-id="b479efd9-abd6-4b3d-9ba8-d22cf6f413fc" data-vars-headline="Alabama moves ahead with court-drawn map as SCOTUS reviews challenge" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/29/supreme-court-redistricting-race-gerrymander" target="_self">Louisiana v. Callais</a>, and now the state appears to be back where it started.

Huntsville's America 250 plans get bigger with Space Fest

The celebration of Huntsville's role in the Moon landing is planned for July 16–20.

America 250

Huntsville is finalizing its marquee event marking the summer of America&#x27;s 250th anniversary, and adding to the lineup of events with the city&#x27;s first Rocket City Space Fest.Why it matters: The July 4 celebration headlines the summer at Big Spring Park, while Space Fest highlights Huntsville&#x27;s overlooked but pivotal role in the Apollo Moon landings.

Supreme Court says Alabama can use 2023 congressional map

Four congressional districts — 1, 2, 6 and 7 — are now set to vote under the 2023 map.

Alabama can <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="move forward" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2026/06/02/ivey-primary-election-alabama-map-redistricting" data-vars-content-id="98a8844c-9a88-4fb8-a5b6-a4ffc0e196ff" data-vars-headline="Supreme Court says Alabama can use 2023 congressional map" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2026/06/02/ivey-primary-election-alabama-map-redistricting" target="_self">move forward</a> with its legislature-drawn congressional map for this year&#x27;s special primary elections after a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="6-3 ruling" data-vars-click-url="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a1314_7m58.pdf" data-vars-content-id="98a8844c-9a88-4fb8-a5b6-a4ffc0e196ff" data-vars-headline="Supreme Court says Alabama can use 2023 congressional map" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a1314_7m58.pdf" target="_blank">6-3 ruling</a> from the U.S. Supreme Court.Why it matters: Four congressional districts — <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="1, 2, 6 and 7" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2026/05/11/supreme-court-alabama-congressional-map-redraw-granted-midterms" data-vars-content-id="98a8844c-9a88-4fb8-a5b6-a4ffc0e196ff" data-vars-headline="Supreme Court says Alabama can use 2023 congressional map" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2026/05/11/supreme-court-alabama-congressional-map-redraw-granted-midterms" target="_self">1, 2, 6 and 7</a> — are now set to vote under the 2023 map, meaning one of the state&#x27;s seven House seats may flip from Democrat to Republican.

School board, city council talk TIF

A bid to bolster development downtown and increase tax revenues will in turn mean a period of stagnation for school funding.

Local Brief

A joint meeting of the Huntsville Board of Education and City Council produced more details on how and why the city created its latest <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Tax Increment Financing" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2026/04/27/how-tifs-work" data-vars-content-id="ce2818c1-cd78-4865-81e7-96f00b9a2021" data-vars-headline="School board, city council talk TIF" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2026/04/27/how-tifs-work" target="_self">Tax Increment Financing</a> district.Why it matters: A bid to bolster downtown development and ultimately increase tax revenues will also mean a period of stagnant school funding from the area.

TVA says reservoirs are ready for summer despite drought

Drought or not, reservoirs are at full summer pool levels.

News

The Tennessee Valley Authority says reservoirs are at full summer pool levels despite an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ongoing drought" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2026/05/01/drought-persists" data-vars-content-id="8e55122c-06b4-494e-a548-8421fb7a8fda" data-vars-headline="TVA says reservoirs are ready for summer despite drought" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2026/05/01/drought-persists" target="_self">ongoing drought</a>.Why it matters: Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer season, and in North Alabama that means getting out on the Tennessee River.<ul><li>Recreation across the watershed generates nearly <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$12 billion annually" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tva.com/the-powerhouse/stories/Valley-Lakes-Worth-Billions" data-vars-content-id="8e55122c-06b4-494e-a548-8421fb7a8fda" data-vars-headline="TVA says reservoirs are ready for summer despite drought" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tva.com/the-powerhouse/stories/Valley-Lakes-Worth-Billions" target="_blank">$12 billion annually</a> — about $1 million per shoreline mile.</li></ul>

Huntsville biotech boom draws national security focus

The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology and other agencies took a close look at HudsonAlpha on the 20th stop of NSCEB's national roadshow.

Environment

Huntsville is big on defense in more ways than aerospace.Why it matters: The workforce and research engine created by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology" data-vars-click-url="https://www.hudsonalpha.org/" data-vars-content-id="bb8dd234-fd0e-4260-bc13-4734ba48f275" data-vars-headline="Huntsville biotech boom draws national security focus" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.hudsonalpha.org/" target="_blank">HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology</a> doesn&#x27;t only drive economic development such as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Eli Lilly&#x27;s new plant" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2025/12/10/eli-lilly-alabama-6-billion-huntsville-plant-drug-manufacturing" data-vars-content-id="bb8dd234-fd0e-4260-bc13-4734ba48f275" data-vars-headline="Huntsville biotech boom draws national security focus" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2025/12/10/eli-lilly-alabama-6-billion-huntsville-plant-drug-manufacturing" target="_self">Eli Lilly&#x27;s new plant</a>, it&#x27;s key to national security.

Greenways lead to growth in Huntsville

A long-term plan aims to put every resident within a mile of a trail as the network rapidly grows.

Huntsville is big on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="greenways" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2025/08/12/land-trust-nature-center-greenway-outdoor-recreation-huntsville" data-vars-content-id="e3ad1b08-65e8-4ae9-94d6-5f1f1ab8cabf" data-vars-headline="Greenways lead to growth in Huntsville" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2025/08/12/land-trust-nature-center-greenway-outdoor-recreation-huntsville" target="_self">greenways</a>. Why it matters: City leaders see the pedestrian trails as quality-of-life infrastructure that&#x27;s key in drawing in new industry, residents and investment.

"A living museum:" Joy McKee Arboretum takes root

Huntsville plans to open the arboretum in May, weather permitting.

Construction is underway at John Hunt Park on the Joy McKee Arboretum, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="newly named to honor" data-vars-click-url="https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/huntsville-approves-naming-of-arboretum-for-longtime-landscape-director-joy-mckee/" data-vars-content-id="c488d2bc-bbf6-4051-bc2c-0a0715a7063c" data-vars-headline="&quot;A living museum:&quot; Joy McKee Arboretum takes root" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/huntsville-approves-naming-of-arboretum-for-longtime-landscape-director-joy-mckee/" target="_blank">newly named to honor</a> a longtime steward of Huntsville&#x27;s green spaces.Why it matters: City landscapers saw an opportunity to preserve history, support native trees and urban canopy, give visitors a nature break and educate the public in an unused corner of the park.

City greenlights Pinhook Creek park transformation downtown

Huntsville leaders envision a grass- and tree-lined stream beside concrete sidewalks, benches and other amenities.

Culture Brief

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;skybridge&quot; part" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2025/08/11/skybridge-parc-project-development-huntsville-alabama" data-vars-content-id="24a58f2d-2a8b-4632-a7b1-358c3edf25bb" data-vars-headline="City greenlights Pinhook Creek park transformation downtown" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2025/08/11/skybridge-parc-project-development-huntsville-alabama" target="_self">&quot;skybridge&quot; part</a> of an ambitious project underway in Huntsville may grab headlines, but a contract recently approved by City Council could have just as big an impact downtown.Why it matters: Essentially a stream restoration project for a prominent stretch of Pinhook Creek downtown, the contract is the first step in transforming it into a 13-acre linear park and greenway.

HudsonAlpha research helps speed chestnut restoration

Research from HudsonAlpha and The American Chestnut Foundation shows genetic markers can predict the success of chestnut trees in resisting blight.

Huntsville researchers working with the American Chestnut Foundation are driving a leap forward in efforts to restore the trees that once dominated the East Coast.Why it matters: The findings will focus and accelerate <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="efforts to breed" data-vars-click-url="https://youtu.be/2arI3-bOs8g" data-vars-content-id="d610d69c-8fd9-481c-b35c-fd25e13b2df0" data-vars-headline="HudsonAlpha research helps speed chestnut restoration" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://youtu.be/2arI3-bOs8g" target="_blank">efforts to breed</a> blight-resistant chestnut trees and ultimately restore populations of the functionally extinct species.

Get ready for the winter storm hitting North Alabama this weekend

"It is going to be impactful," NWS meteorologist Katie Magee said.

Climate

North Alabama — and a huge swath of the Southeast — is bracing for a significant winter storm expected to blow in Friday and last through the weekend.Why it matters: Get ready to hunker down for a few days.

Huntsville researchers challenge hottest temperature record

Researchers say the hottest temp may have been closer to 120, instead of 134 degrees in 1913.

Researchers at the University of Alabama in Huntsville are calling for the invalidation of the hottest near-surface temperature ever recorded: 134 degrees in Death Valley, Calif., in 1913.Why it matters: Climate monitoring depends on accurate long-term historical data, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new UAH research paper" data-vars-click-url="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/aop/BAMS-D-24-0313.1/BAMS-D-24-0313.1.pdf" data-vars-content-id="bec8d3b6-232a-473f-a955-47b4315e688e" data-vars-headline="Huntsville researchers challenge hottest temperature record" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/aop/BAMS-D-24-0313.1/BAMS-D-24-0313.1.pdf" target="_blank">new UAH research paper</a>.

The next space station era starts in Huntsville

The Huntsville/Madison Chamber of Commerce brought leading companies together to talk about opportunities for public-private partnerships in low-earth orbit.

Business

The era of commercial space stations is here — and Huntsville will play a central role in shaping America&#x27;s future in low-earth orbit.Why it matters: The International Space Station is set to be decommissioned in 2030, and private companies are working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville to maintain the nation&#x27;s competitive edge in space.

HudsonAlpha's BRIDGES Engine heads to funding competition finals

Researchers are looking at ways to use certain grasses as raw materials for manufacturing.

A local research effort hoping to transform manufacturing with grass has advanced to the finals of a national competition for funding.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Huntsville-led research" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2025/07/14/huntsville-grass-research-alabama-tennessee-manufacturing" data-vars-content-id="23fdd44c-57e4-47a4-abc6-3098551a2e40" data-vars-headline="HudsonAlpha&#x27;s BRIDGES Engine heads to funding competition finals" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2025/07/14/huntsville-grass-research-alabama-tennessee-manufacturing" target="_self">Huntsville-led research</a> at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology could launch a new era of sustainable manufacturing for the region.