New downtown Huntsville music venue’s future in doubt
The future of a new Huntsville venue that’s been under construction – and a source of optimism for music fans here – is looking unsure at best. And doubtful at worst. As recently as Wednesday, The Mercantile website’s calendar page is devoid of upcoming shows. A week ago, around 17 concerts were scheduled there, from July to November for this 900-capacity downtown space and former location of Crossroads Music Hall and UG White, at 115 Clinton Ave. – AL.com
Alabama Community College System wins advanced manufacturing grant
The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded the Alabama Community College System a $12 million grant toward expanding apprenticeship partnerships. The ACCS was one of 23 academic institutions and consortia nationwide to receive this grant. The grants were awarded to further private-public apprenticeship programs in three categories — information technology, advanced manufacturing and healthcare. The ACCS’s grant is to go toward advanced manufacturing. – AL Political Reporter
Tiny robots almost capable of independent flight. What could go wrong?
Just over six years ago, when researchers at Harvard announced that they had made tiny flying robots, they immediately began talking about the prospect of their tiny creations operating autonomously in complicated environments. That seemed wildly optimistic, given that the robots flew by trailing a set of copper wires that brought power and control instructions; the robots were guided by a computer that monitored their positions using a camera. Since then, however, the team has continued working on refining the tiny machines, giving them enhanced landing capabilities, power supply circuitry and their own power source. – Ars Technica
Ford tells Chatom dealer to knock off free shotgun promotion
An Alabama Ford dealer ran afoul of corporate with its Fourth of July promotion. So it stopped talking about the free shotgun included in the package deal. The original promotion that Chatom Ford in Chatom, about an hour north of Mobile, offered customers was a free King James Bible, an American flag and a 12-gauge shotgun with the purchase of a vehicle. – AL.com
New target for drug intervention in Alzheimer’s disease identified
Scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have identified an enzyme in the brain that may be an intriguing target for interventions against Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The researchers suggest that the enzyme, a serine/threonine kinase known as LIMK1, may play an important role in the degradation of dendritic spines, the connections between neurons in the brain. – News release
Austal delivers 10th Independence variant LCS to Navy
The U.S. Navy has received the future USS Cincinnati (LCS 20) from Austal USA, which will be the 10th Independence variant to join the service’s fleet of littoral combat ships. The company delivered the ship last week during a ceremony at the company’s facility in Mobile, the Naval Sea Systems Command said. – GovCon
Ford’s 2020 Super Duty going after Ram’s Power Wagon
The Ram 2500 has the Power Wagon, the GMC Sierra HD has the AT4, and now Ford’s Super Duty pickup has its own in-house off-road trim. Called the Tremor, this new option package will be rolling out onto the updated 2020 Ford Super Duty range, and it offers significant off-road equipment compared to the mostly appearance-based FX4 package Ford currently offers. – Car and Driver
