Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce

Richard Thomas has not one but two big shoes to fill when he goes out on the road this summer in a celebrated one-man show. The Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee is portraying the great American writer Mark Twain in a play written and performed for decades by the late Hal Holbrook. One of his stops will be in Alabama

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to London on Thursday in a show of the U.K.'s support for Ukraine a day before a critical U.S.-Russia summit is set to take place in Alaska. The situation between Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and the European Union hits home for Yaryna Zhurba. The Huntsville resident has family living in the Ukrainian city of Solochiv, near the border with Poland.

The Trump administration reportedly wants to cancel a collection of science missions at NASA. One, whose development and operation is based at Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, appears to be one rallying point for NASA workers planning on staging a protest over federal budget cuts. The demonstration is set to take place on what’s known as “Moon Day” on July 20th, when the agency celebrates the landing astronauts on the moon during Apollo 11 in 1969.

Back in April, the Alabama Manufacturing Madness competition named Boeing’s PAC-3 Patriot missile “seeker system” the winner of the “Coolest Thing Made in Alabama” contest. It’s possible someone in the White House heard about it. Donald Trump says he’s working on a plan to send Patriot Missiles, possibly purchased by NATO countries, to Ukraine to fend off missile attacks from Russia. This could mean extra business for Boeing in Huntsville.

This Monday marks the one hundred and thirteenth birthday of folk singer Woody Guthrie. The composer of classic tunes like “This Land is Your Land” went onto to inspire younger musicians like Bob Dylan. Woody Guthrie also suffered from the neurodegenerative ailment known as Huntington’s Disease. APR student reporter Cooper Towsend attended a unique event that benefits patients with Huntington’s. And, don’t be surprised when Superman and Spider-man get mentioned.

The group launched by Elon Musk to cut federal spending in the second Trump administration is targeting some U.S. Census Bureau surveys it claims are "wasteful," worrying users of federal data who are already concerned about the health of the nation's statistical infrastructure. While this goes on, tests next year for the 2030 census are slated for six places including Huntsville

The skies over Decatur may be a bit more colorful later this week. Organizers are gearing up for the Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Festival. The events has roots going back forty years.

The Trump administration is expected to reverse a controversial 2023 decision on the permanent location of U.S. Space Command, perhap as soon as month’s end. Alabama is watching what happens since Huntsville is one possible landing spot.

The City of Huntsville is preparing to host the 2025 U.S. Paralympics Cycling Time Trial. The nation’s top Para-cyclists are set to take over the Rocket City this weekend at Cummings Research Park for the competition.

Alabamians will get the chance to learn more about domestic violence this week. The Huntsville area support group AshaKiran plans to hold a ZOOM meeting on the causes of this type of violence and what people can do about it. APR listeners have been hearing about domestic violence in the U.S. and how the issue is having international impact.