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GOP US Sen. Tommy Tuberville is expected to announce run for Alabama governor, associates say
Two people who have spoken with Tuberville about his plans said Thursday they expect him to announce a gubernatorial bid. They spoke on condition of anonymity because were not authorized to talk about a campaign.
Hate groups in the US decline but their influence grows, report shows
In its annual Year in Hate and Extremism report, released Thursday, the Southern Poverty Law Center said it counted 1,371 hate and extremist groups, a 5% decline. The nonprofit group attributes this to a lesser sense of urgency to organize because their beliefs have infiltrated politics, education and society in general.
DOGE cuts, policy changes jeopardize care, housing for vulnerable HIV patients in Alabama
Federal funding has helped states like Alabama and Mississippi make strides in fighting the HIV epidemic. Doctors and advocates are worried about the future.
Is AI coming for your job? Maybe. Here’s what to expect and how to prepare
Artificial intelligence is already transforming workplaces in Alabama. And the pace of the AI revolution is about to accelerate.
Judge considers sanctions against attorneys in prison case for using AI in court filings
U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco held a hearing in Birmingham to question attorneys with the Butler Snow firm about the filings. She said there were five false citations in two filings in federal court.
Alabama Power threatened with lawsuit for contaminating groundwater with coal ash
Nine years after the Gadsden Steam Plant stopped burning coal, its unlined coal ash pond is still polluting Alabama groundwater, records show.
WBHM to welcome Report for America corps member
WBHM is excited to welcome Vahini Shori to its newsroom through a partnership with Report for America. Shori will join the station in July.
Ivey appoints first Black Republican on Alabama Supreme Court
Judge Bill Lewis replaces Justice Jay Mitchell, who resigned Monday. Lewis most recently served on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.
How new at-home HPV test kits could help Alabama fight cervical cancer
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the country’s first at-home HPV screening kit, a disease that causes nearly all cervical cancers. While some hope the new kits might turn things around, others have questions.
Bessemer residents want answers about a four-million-square-foot data center coming to their backyards
Residents in and around Bessemer are furious over Project Marvel, a plan to build a 4.5-million-square-foot data processing facility on 700 acres of wooded land. Public officials have been sworn to silence.
Legislative session ends with debate over police immunity bill
The Alabama legislative session wrapped up this week, but not before some contentious debate in the final hours on Wednesday night. The bill at hand was one that would expand legal immunity to police officers under certain circumstances. That's where we start our final legislative update of the session with Todd Stacy, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
Could calligraphy help with anxiety? This study aims to find out
People have a lot of strategies for dealing with anxiety – medication, therapy or exercise, for instance. But a new study explored a different method – calligraphy.
Author revives forgotten stories through historical fiction novel based in Birmingham
Barry Cole is using historical fiction to revive the lost history of enslaved people found buried in a mass grave at the park. That book, called 100 Pearls, is out Thursday.
What was approved, and what failed, in the 2025 Alabama legislative session
Alabama lawmakers ended the 2025 legislative session on Wednesday. Here is a look at a few of the notable bills that passed, and some that failed, during the session.
Lawmakers pass bill to criminalize bringing immigrants in the US illegally across state lines
The legislation given final approval Wednesday protects “not only the citizens of Alabama but also the people that are immigrating here legally and doing everything the right way,” said the bill’s Republican sponsor.
Ivey signs a bill regulating the sale of hemp products
The law would allow gummies, drinks and other consumable products to continue to be sold, but limits the amount of psychoactive compounds in the products. It also puts restrictions on where the products can be sold.
Trump’s plan to bring shipbuilding back to the US? Port fees on Chinese vessels
Port fees on Chinese-built ships and operators will start in October, further raising the cost of trading with the United States.
Trump aims to fast track Alabama coal build-out, citing US need. Nearly all the coal is bound for export
A Trump effort to streamline the project would benefit the overseas steelmaking industry while putting Alabamians and the environment at risk.
Iranian student in Alabama to self-deport despite withdrawal of initial charge behind his arrest
Alireza Doroudi was detained by immigration officials in March as part of President Donald Trump’s widespread immigration crackdown and has been held at a facility in Jena, Louisiana.
School cellphone ban passed in the final days of the legislative session
Smartphones are practically appendages for many nowadays, but one place you probably won't see them in use soon is in Alabama schools. Alabama lawmakers gave final passage this week to a bill that would ban them during the school day. It's where we start our weekly legislative roundup with Todd Stacey, host of Capital Journal on Alabama Public Television.
Nearly 60 cases dismissed due to corruption in Hanceville Police Department
The grand jury determined that 58 felony criminal cases had been tainted by corruption in the Hanceville Police Department, after four officers and the police chief were indicted on a variety of charges related to mishandling or removing evidence from the department's evidence room.
Court rules Alabama violated Voting Rights Act in drawing congressional lines
A three-judge panel permanently blocked Alabama from using a state-drawn map that they said flouted their directive to draw a plan that was fair to Black voters. The decision was not a surprise because the panel ruled against the state twice previously and put a new map in place for last year’s elections.
Coca-Cola Amphitheater poised to open mid-June
With just six weeks until the first show, construction at the new Coca Cola Amphitheater north of downtown Birmingham is still underway.
The story of Lilly Ledbetter’s fight for equal pay comes to the big screen
Lilly Ledbetter's journey began in 1979 at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Gadsden. Her experience working there led her to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ivey overhauls Birmingham Water Works Board amid cries of racial discrimination
The bill redistributes power from Birmingham city officials — who currently appoint a majority of the nine-person board — to the governor, the lieutenant governor and the surrounding four counties that are also in the board’s jurisdiction. It also reduces the number of board members to seven.
As Pynk Beard, Grammy-winning songwriter Sebastian Kole turns the page
Grammy-winning songwriter Sebastian Kole has accomplished a great deal in his career. As his alter ego Pynk Beard, though, he could achieve much more. The Birmingham native is stepping out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight to bring his brand of country music to the masses.
Q&A: How lethal injection ‘hides the violence’ of executions in the South and elsewhere
A new book explores the secretive, complicated history of lethal injection and its relationship to the death penalty.
Alabama lawmakers approve tax cuts for food, diapers and other items
The food tax reduction, if signed into law, will lower the state sales tax on food from 3% to 2% beginning Sept. 1. The reduction comes as lawmakers in both parties said families are being hurt by soaring grocery prices.
Alabama governor signs shark bite alert system into law named after teen who survived attack
The system will issue a public notice to cellphones when there's been a shark attack nearby. The law is named after Mountain Brook teenager Lulu Gribbin, who was one of three people bitten by a shark during a string of attacks off the Florida Panhandle last year.
Birmingham fights against losing control of its water board, citing racial discrimination
Birmingham city officials sued the Alabama governor on Tuesday in an effort to halt the codification of bill that would strip the city of control over the state’s largest water board, alleging the move “constitutes blatant racial discrimination.”
Brutality and humanity at the Angola Prison Rodeo in Louisiana
While the event has been criticized for its controversial and dangerous events, it also offers a chance for participants to connect to the outside world.
International students in Alabama fearful after researcher with no political ties is detained
Alireza Doroudi has been detained in an immigration facility in Louisiana for nearly six weeks. Doroudi’s detention has instilled fear in the small Iranian community in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he and his fiancee are doctoral students
