The Bama Buzz

Renderings of the future community theatre space. (Dothan Chamber of Commerce) A new community theatre is coming to the Wiregrass. The Southeast Alabama Community Theatre broke ground on a new 7,000-square-foot building on South Foster Street this week. It will serve as the organization’s new facility for theatre education and rehearsal. “SEACT does not belong to any one person or any one season. It belongs to everyone who ever gave of their time and resources to make it successful.

Officials cut the ribbon at the new training facility. (Fort Rucker Photos) A new 76,000-square-foot training facility has officially opened at Fort Rucker in Dale County. On Thursday, July 9, the community gathered at the site for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the PFC Garfield M. Langhorn Advanced Individual Training Complex. Keep reading to learn more about the new facility + why it honors Langhorn and his family.

The old City Hall building in Gadsden. (City of Gadsden) Another new addition to Gadsden’s downtown is in the works. During a June city council meeting, tentative plans were revealed for a 4.5-star hotel at the former home of the Gadsden Police Department next to City Hall in downtown. Keep reading to learn more details about the proposed hotel + how it could impact the downtown area.

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A new president has been named at Helen Keller Hospital and Red Bay Hospital in the Shoals. (Huntsville Hospital) Two hospitals in the Shoals have a new president. The Huntsville Hospital System announced that Jeremy Gray has been tapped to lead Red Bay Hospital in Red Bay and Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield. He will begin his new role Monday, August 3, succeeding Kyle Buchanan, who was named president of Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville earlier this year.

SEEDS funding is used to develop new industrial spaces. (Alabama Department of Commerce) Another round of state funding through the Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy (SEEDS) grant program will be handed out in October this year. And applications are now open. The Alabama Department of Commerce says SEEDS will provide roughly $11.7 million in Round 4.

The newest Rural King location is opening in Etowah County. (City of Gadsden) Rural King is set to open its eighth Alabama Location this summer, bringing its first store to Gadsden.

Traffic in downtown Birmingham (The Bama Buzz) Allstate has released its annual America’s Best Drivers Report which highlights three Alabama cities with some of the fastest drivers in the country. Mobile, Birmingham and Huntsville ranked 3rd, 4th and 5th in the country in highest levels of speeding, according to Allstate’s report. However, it wasn’t all about the bad news as all three cities still ranked in Allstate’s top 53 cities for best overall drivers.

A 1,000 foot slide is coming to Gadsden, Alabama. (City of Gadsden) Imagine sliding down a “Slip ‘N Slide” the length of an aircraft carrier or three football fields! That is what’s in store for Gadsden students, residents and visitors on July 25-26, 2026. On those two days, the city is transforming a downtown street (S. 3rd St. near Riverview Regional Medical Center) into a 1000-foot water slide.