The ballot for City Council this year just got more crowded.

Why it matters: The election may not be till Aug. 25, but all three districts up for election already have challengers declared to run.

Catch up quick: Liliana Peinder, a translator for Huntsville City Schools and small business owner, is running for the South Huntsville District 3 seat currently held by Council President Jennie Robinson.

• Thomas Casez, a software engineer, is running for the District 2 seat currently held by David Little, representing east and southeast Huntsville.
• They join Will Pylant, another challenger running against incumbent Bill Kling to represent downtown Huntsville in District 4.

Zoom in: Casez, 29, is a James Clemens High School and Auburn grad who grew up in Madison and moved back to Huntsville from Atlanta a few years ago.

• "I was struck by how much everything had gotten more expensive, the growth of the city, the traffic has gotten worse," he told Axios Monday. "(I've) not been confident in the leadership of council to move fast enough to mitigate the issues."
• A resident of Five Points, he says his top issues include keeping utility and housing costs affordable, addressing growing traffic problems and bringing technological expertise to the council.

Peinder, 34, lives in Weatherly Heights and was spurred to get involved politically after seeing that 23 state Legislature candidates were running unopposed a few years ago.

• Peinder tells Axios one of her top issues is education, with a particular focus on improving working conditions for the district's thousands of teachers.
• "I think that if we have strong, well-maintained and invested social infrastructure, that then creates avenues for all Huntsvillians to thrive."

What we're watching: City Clerk Shaundrika Edwards tells Axios official qualifying is June 9–23, when candidates can officially file paperwork with the city to get their names on the ballot.

Read the whole story

Area high school basketball teams are on the big court in Birmingham this week, as state tournaments move to the Final Four stage.

Bob Jones High School's Lady Patriots will face off against Auburn Thursday, March 5 at 9am, for the semifinals of the state's largest division, 7A.

• If they win, they'll face the winner of Alma Bryant and Hoover Saturday, March 7 at 4pm in the state finals.

Hazel Green High School's Lady Trojans face Chelsea at 9am tomorrow, March 4 for the 6A semifinals.

• On a win, they'll face off against the winners of Fort Payne and Park Crossing on March 7 at 12:30pm.

Cullman High School will play Calera tomorrow at 10:30am in the 6A boys semifinals.

• If they win, they'll face the winner of Saraland and Oxford in the finals March 7 at 2:15pm.

Guntersville High School's boys and girls teams are in the 5A Final Four March 4, with the boys facing Sylacauga at 4:30pm, and the girls Briarwood Christian at 3pm.

• If the Wildcats advance to the finals, the boys will play the winner of LeFlore and Wenonah March 7 at 10:45am. The girls will play the winner of Charles Henderson and Moody March 7 at 9am.

Whitesburg Christian Academy's boys team will play Southside-Selma in the 3A Final Four, today at 1:30pm.

• If they make it to the finals, they'll play the winner of Montgomery Academy and Lauderdale County on Friday, March 6, at 2:15pm.

How to watch: Stream all games live on the NFHS Network (subscription required), and catch the championship games on Alabama Public Television.

Gov. Kay Ivey has appointed Ronald "Rex" Vaughn II as the next chairman of the Madison County Commission.

Why it matters: The appointment follows the departure of Mac McCutcheon, appointed by Ivey in 2023, whose retirement took effect March 1.

What they're saying: "Rex Vaughn is well known throughout north Alabama for his tireless advocacy of small business and farming," Ivey said in an announcement Monday.

Catch up quick: Vaughn is a Sparkman High and Auburn University graduate, per the announcement.

What we're watching: Vaughn will preside over the next Madison County Commission meeting, set for 10am March 11.

Read more

🪪 Redstone Arsenal is suspending its Trusted Traveler Program until further notice, meaning all individuals entering the installation will need to undergo a 100% ID check. (Team Redstone)

🌺 Nominations are open for the 2026 Huntsville Beautification Awards. (City of Huntsville)

🍝 Birmingham chef Randall Baldwin is bringing a new Italian restaurant, Dolce Amore, to Village of Providence. (AL.com)

🏗️ Work has started on Huntsville Botanical Garden's INTUITIVE Plant Science Complex, bringing climate-controlled greenhouses to increase plant production by 50%. (Huntsville Business Journal)

Apollo and Artemis? Nano and Nova? What about Percy and Celeste?

The big picture: Those are the choices for names of the Space and Rocket Center's new astronaut mascot duo, unveiling the two on Facebook Sunday.

How it works: Cast your vote on your pick for the names through March 10 and get entered to win a family four-pack of museum admission tickets and planetarium show.

Catch up quick: It's been quite a few years since the center had new mascots, spokesperson Patricia Ammons told Axios Monday.

• The two new astronauts will replace a difficult-to-wear, large inflatable astronaut mascot, she said, and the center is looking for a more transportable, human-sized mascot.

Zoom out: Comments on social media were mixed, with plenty of votes cast for Apollo and Artemis, and plenty of comments critical of the design, leading USSRC to post its own comment: "Wow. Okay. Ouch. 🥲"

What they're saying: "We've had a really fun day," Ammons said. "(We're) really excited to see how many people were interested and engaged in the conversation."