The Lede is Alabama Media Group’s daily dive into the news of the day, curated by our team of reporters, editors and producers. Here are five things you missed last week if you aren’t subscribing:

· In our weekly Sunday Q&A, Steve Ammons former Jefferson County Commissioner and new CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance, talks about making moves that benefit the entire region economically.

· UAB opened a new science center where physicists are making diamonds.

· AL.com’s Mary Colurso highlighted 5 Alabama-centric screenings for this year’s Sidewalk Film Festival.

· Jefferson County got some good financial news when S&P Global Ratings gave the county a better bond rating – which might mean good news for sewer rate payers down the road.

· Your tax dollars at work: Wondering what’s going on with all the road construction? Lede reporter Heather Gann continued detailing the county’s many roadwork projects.

BTW – every issue of the Lede has a page designed to tell you how to navigate The Lede. It even has a cool YouTube video.

The Lede is a work in progress, and we’re making it better every day. We want to hear from you. Suggestions? Constructive criticism? Stories you’d like to see? Questions about your community? Something for us to look into that will make your life better? Send me a note at [email protected].