The $5.8 million visitors center at Sloss Furnace could become a reality if the city council’s budget and finance committee approves funding. (Artist’s conception/Fred Keith) BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — The Sloss Furnaces new visitors center could finally become a reality if a city council committee approves $4.2 million in funding for the $5.8 million...

Bauer Financial released star ratings for Alabama banks. BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Six banks with branches in the Birmingham metro area got perfect five-star ratings for the fourth quarter from Florida-based Bauer Financial as the rating firm released its findings of Alabama banks and credit unions today. The banks receiving the top ratings for the quarter were...

Joe Songer — The Birmingham News Anthony Underwood with some of the Gees Bend Quilts alreadyy on display. That’s Sew Gee’s Bend is a new part of Alabama Discovery Place, bringing the famed quilters and art to the former WaterMark Place and helping Anthony Underwood move towards his goal of making it a destination to showcase the best of the state....

Lindsay Chappell of Automotive News will speak at the conference.BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — The Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association will hold a two-day meeting this month in Birmingham that focuses on supplier development. The program will feature presentations from officials with Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota on company programs and best...

Sometime next month, 10 men will sit down in a Birmingham conference room and decide the fate of thousands of people and the direction of an economy and environment for more than a generation. They are the directors of Birmingham-based Walter Energy, one of the nation’s largest miners of coal, scheduled to conduct an April board meeting. The company has about...

Honda’s Alabama-made Ridgeline pickup has been climbing up the U.S. sales charts this year, about six months after reports that the model would be discontinued. The Japanese automaker insisted the pickup wasn’t going anywhere, but dismal sales lent credence to the reports. For the past three months, however, the Ridgeline has had double-digit sales...