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Governor applauds state's investment in education. * By MARIAN ACCARDI Staff writer [email protected] * 22 hrs ago * 0 Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said last week that since she took office in 2017, the state has had "record investments" of more than $69 billion, creating 100,000 jobs. "A great deal of that activity is happening right here in the Huntsville/Madison County area," Ivey said in her final Alabama Update address in Huntsville on May 13. Blue Origin announced it is adding more than 100 jobs to its Huntsville workforce and, last December, Ivey joined Eli Lilly and local leaders in the company's announcement that it was making the largest initial investment in the state's history by locating a new manufacturing facility in Huntsville. "And, of course, preparations for Space Command headquarters (at Redstone Arsenal) are well underway," said Ivey, whose term ends next January. The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber hosted the update at the Von Braun Center Saturn Ballroom. More than 900 people were registered for the event. "This type of success happens because of everyone here today - your local leaders, your legislative delegation, your chamber, your companies, your workforce. Over these next eight months, I will continue doing my part and working hard to deliver results for Alabama. My goal is to see our state build on our success in the future," she said. "That begins with our students' education." Ivey went on to highlight developments in education, infrastructure and other areas during her tenure. Historic education gains have been getting national attention, "thanks to the full implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy Acts," Ivey said. "We're setting the bar high for our students, and they are reaching and surpassing expectations." Because of the Turnaround Schools Initiative, which targets a group of the state's lowest-performing elementary schools for increased support and funding, "some of the most challenged schools are improving at twice the statewide rate," Ivey said. Those schools include Huntsville's Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. During the state Legislature's 2026 session, the largest education budget in the state's history was passed, she said. "I'll say it again, we're investing more today in public education than in any point in our state's history," she said, to applause from the crowd. "Let's keep our foot on the gas pedal to ensure we are giving our students the best opportunity for success." Ivey said that since 2019, the Rebuild Alabama program, an infrastructure initiative funded by a 10-cent gas tax increase, had generated an additional $2 billion, paving the way for 500 miles of road and bridge improvements across all 67 counties. The projects have included the widening of Interstate 565 and Interstate 65 improvements at Browns Ferry Road. "These projects, to put it simply, would not be possible without the gas tax receipts," she said. "We are truly rebuilding Alabama, and we've got to keep our foot on the gas pedal to have success." Ivey said that public safety remains a top priority in her administration's remaining eight months. "There is no more important function of government at all levels than to keep our citizens safe." For the state to be successful, "we have to keep our cost of living low," Ivey said. "Recently, at a Republican Governors Association gathering, they shared some good news for us. For cost of living, Alabama is a top 10 state. For housing affordability, Alabama is a top 5 state and for just plain affordability, Alabama is the No. 1 state. That's because of years of strong, conservative governing." Ivey said state Rep. James Lomax of Huntsville led the charge during the legislative session for a two-month grocery tax holiday and relief for overtime workers. The legislation, sponsored by Lomax and state Sen. Arthur Orr and signed into law by Ivey, provides an income tax deduction for qualified overtime compensation, up to $1,000, and suspends the state's portion of the grocery tax for two months beginning this month. "Here in Alabama, we put our nose to the grindstone and implement major policies so much so that when I'm at these types of gatherings, other governors want to know our recipe for success," she said. "There's no better time to be an American than today, and there's no better time to be an Alabamian than now," Ivey said. "I am so optimistic about the future of our state and country." After Ivey's speech, Madison Mayor Ranae Bartlett read a proclamation signed by her, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison County Commission Chairman Rex Vaughn, declaring May 13 as Governor Kay Ivey Day. The proclamation notes that Ivey has continuously served as governor of Alabama longer than any previous governor.

Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II astronaut: 'we are a mirror that reflects you; if you like what you see, then look deeper' The member of the Artemis II mission focused on the human dimension of the trip; he also spoke about the crew's commitment. By Grupo GDA 01/05/2026, 01:06 p.m. Amid the global expectation generated by humanity's return to lunar orbit, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen brought a different perspective on the Artemis II mission: beyond technology, he emphasized the human impact of the project. During the latest press conference, the crew member highlighted that the experience is not limited to a scientific achievement but also seeks to generate a connection with those watching from Earth. He spoke of the team's commitment to live the mission with 'joy' and 'love' for contributing to collective progress, as reported by El Periódico. In that context, he offered one of the most personal definitions of the program: 'I would suggest that, when you look up here, don't see us. We are a mirror that reflects you. If you like what you see, then look a little deeper. These are you.' Date for the Artemis mission that will land on the moon. The Artemis program aims for the return of astronauts to the lunar surface. The next phase, Artemis III, is expected to achieve that goal around mid-2027. That step will be key within the project's architecture: the Orion spacecraft must perform docking maneuvers in Earth orbit as part of a more complex operation that will integrate various descent modules. The companies competing to reach the Moon. To achieve the lunar descent, NASA delegated the development of the modules to private aerospace companies. On one hand, SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, is working on an adapted version of the Starship rocket to operate on the Moon, with a large-scale structure. In parallel, Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, is developing the Blue Moon Mark 2 module, with a more compact design but similar technical objectives. 'La Nación' of Argentina, GDA Follow topics According to the criteria of Type of work: Promoted content

Kent-based Blue Origin faces FAA grounding of New Glenn flights. Published 5:12 pm Monday, April 20, 2026 A screenshot from a Kent-based Blue Origin video of the New Glenn rocket launch April 19 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. COURTESY IMAGE, Blue Origin The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded Kent-based Blue Origin New Glenn (NG) rocket flights after a mishap on a Sunday, April 19 mission. Blue Origin must conduct a mishap investigation, obtain FAA approval of its final report and take any corrective actions before it can resume flights, according to reuters.com. The rocket launched successfully from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, but failed to deploy the AST SpaceMobile communications satellite it was carrying into the correct orbit, according to the news agency. "Now that we have a more complete view, we wanted to provide an update on our NG-3 mission," Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in an April 20 statement. "While we are pleased with the nominal booster recovery, we clearly didn't deliver the mission our customer wanted, and our team expects. Early data suggest that on our second GS2 burn, one of the BE-3U engines didn't produce sufficient thrust to reach our target orbit. "Blue Origin is leading the anomaly investigation with FAA oversight to learn from the data and implement the improvements needed to quickly return to flight operations. We have been in steady communication with the team at AST SpaceMobile, we appreciate their partnership, and we're looking forward to many flights together." In a statement, AST said that BlueBird 7 was placed into a lower-than-planned orbit by the upper stage of the launch vehicle, according to reuters.com. The satellite will be de-orbited, or sent back to burn up in Earth's atmosphere to prevent the accumulation of space debris. Designed to connect directly with smartphones, AST's satellite was part of an effort to build a space-based cellular broadband network, similar to Amazon's Leo or SpaceX's Starlink, according to reuters.com. Blue Origin reported prior to the launch that the mission will carry AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite to low Earth orbit. BlueBird 7 will expand direct-to-smartphone broadband network capacity and help enable initial service rollout in 2026. This mission featured the return of New Glenn's first-stage booster, Never Tell Me The Odds, which successfully launched and landed on the program's second mission last November, according to Blue Origin. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos opened Blue Origin in 2000 in Kent. The company manufactures and operates rocket engines, reusable launch vehicles, lunar landers and satellite systems.