COAL MINE CONTROVERSY: Eco-groups Black Warrior Riverkeeper and the Southern Environmental Law Center say they will continue to fight a permit issued to the operators of the proposed Shepherd Bend coal mine on the Black Warrior River, despite a recent legal setback.

TIME FOR FOOTBALL, DAMN IT: It’s almost football season, as if it ever ends in Alabama. And now bitter rivals the University of Alabama and Auburn University are putting aside their fierce competition long enough to help the survivors of the April tornadoes.

CHECKBOOK DEMOCRACY: Greenpeace has accused 15 members of the U.S. House of Representatives—all of whom get substantial financial support from the energy business—of fighting attempts to set tougher federal standards for pollutants from coal-fired power plants.

IN SEARCH OF STORM TRUTH: Scientists at The University of Alabama in Huntsville are studying the April tornadoes, according to a July 11 report at www.wsfa.com.

THE GREEN SHIRTS: A group of volunteers called the Green Shirts have been canvassing such hard-hit Jefferson County communities as Pratt City and Pleasant Grove to identify storm survivors who need additional help, according to Robin DeMonia of The Birmingham News. This includes people who lost their homes and lack the insurance or government aid needed to rebuild.

STORM CONCERTS: Pop star Rihanna will appear in a tornado relief concert at the BJCC in Birmingham July 11. She announced the show on Twitter. The concert is to benefit rebuilding in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, according to a post at birmingham.myfoxal.com.

It’s always tough finding the money to film your movie, even the 20,000 bucks you need to make that micro-budget feature. A lot of filmmakers work crappy jobs, sell their bodies for medical experiments or beg their friends and family members for money.

THE BRITS SEE OUR PLIGHT: Displaced families in Alabama are outraged after being denied federal aid to rebuild their flattened homes due to “insufficient damage,” according to British newspaper The Daily Mail, riffing on an al.com report June 13.

Recent tornadoes and floods have made Mississippi and Alabama more prepared for the summer hurricane season, rather than less, emergency directors said at a recent conference in New Orleans, according to Janet McConnaughey of the Associated Press.

WORRY ON THE MOUNTAIN: According to the Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, Birmingham Mayor William Bell’s proposed budget allocates no money for Ruffner, a funding cut that could threaten the continued existence of the Center and its education and recreation programs.