Longtime Secretary of the Alabama Senate Dies
Former longtime secretary of the Alabama state Senate, McDowell Lee, has died at the age of 89. His daughter says Lee died Thursday afternoon after a brief illness at his home in Auburn.
Lee was born in Clayton, Alabama, in 1925 and attended Auburn University before joining the military in 1943. He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II in both Europe and the Pacific. After the war, Lee graduated from Troy State University. Lee served one term as mayor of Clio before being elected to the Alabama House in 1954. After eight years in the House, he became secretary of the senate in 1963.
Lee served in that position for 47 years before retiring in 2010. Lee was the nation’s longest serving legislative secretary at the time of his retirement and was renowned for his knowledge of Alabama’s legislative procedures.
In 2008, WBHM’s Andrew Yeager spoke with Lee about his position and the change he had seen through five decades in the legislature.
~ Andrew Yeager and the Associated Press, April 18, 2014
Judge to hold hearing on whether Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being vindictively prosecuted
A federal judge this week canceled the trial of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and scheduled a hearing on whether the prosecution is being vindictive in pursuing a human smuggling case against him.
Thailand and Cambodia sign new ceasefire agreement to end border fighting
In addition to ending fighting, the agreement calls for no further military movements by either side and no violations of either side's airspace for military purposes.
Top Instagram reels from Goats and Soda in 2025: Plumpy’Nut, aid cuts, soccer grannies
Our most-viewed Instagram videos include reports from a Rhode Island factory that makes special food for malnourished children and from a tournament for soccer-playing "grannies."
Should the U.S. model its vaccine policy on Denmark’s? Experts say we’re nothing alike
The Trump administration wants to revamp U.S. childhood vaccination recommendations to align with some other peer nations, including one tiny country in northern Europe.
Marijuana rescheduling would bring some immediate changes, but others will take time
President Trump set the process in motion to ease federal restrictions on marijuana. But his order doesn't automatically revoke laws targeting marijuana, which remains illegal to transport over state lines.
Amanda Seyfried’s tally for 2025: 3 starring roles, 2 Golden Globe nominations
Amanda Seyfried is up for a Golden Globe for her performance in The Testament of Ann Lee, a movie musical about the leader of the Shakers, the 18th-century religious movement that preached celibacy, gender and racial equality, and pacifism.
