StoryCorps: “I need to get my last name legally changed, please.”
Gregory: We took our marriage license down to the social security office, got the number like you do when you go in, waited for our number, and then this beautiful lady behind the window looked at us and said, “How may I help you gentleman?” And I handed her the marriage license and said, “I need to get my last name legally changed, please.” And she looked confused, and she saw the marriage license, and then looked at me, and then looked at Josh, and then looked confused for a moment again like “OK.” She smiled and entered in the correct data, and it took five minutes, and my last name is Laning now.
Joshua: The day we got married was just something that was…
Gregory: It was a circus.
Joshua: I didn’t expect to get married at the courthouse. We had actually asked a good friend of mine, Rev. Marge Regona, and did our ceremony at the courthouse and she performed our wedding. She had to actually stop for a minute to do our wedding because during the ceremony she had to change two words. She had to change “holy union” to “marriage” …
Gregory: To “holy matrimony.”
Joshua: And she started to tear up on it. And we started to tear up on it.
Gregory: She started crying. We started crying. David started crying — Josh’s dad —it was really emotional. And we found out later that evening … we were over in her home … she said she’s waited her entire life to perform a ceremony like that instead of just a regular holy union.
UAB building among Alabama’s first to feature ‘bird safe’ glass
Advocates hope the new glass will prevent window collisions, a leading causes of bird mortality.
Researchers look into community health impact of wood pellet production in rural Mississippi
Brown University and Tougaloo College students are testing for potential air and noise pollution near the Drax wood pellet plant in Gloster, Mississippi.
Alabama coal company sued for a home explosion is delinquent on dozens of penalties
Crimson Oak Grove Resources has been cited for 204 safety violations since the March 8 blast, many involving “significant and substantial” safety violations.
The United Auto Workers faces a key test in the South with upcoming vote at Alabama Mercedes plant
The United Auto Workers is aiming for a key victory at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama. More than 5,000 workers at the facility in Vance and nearby battery plant will vote this week on whether to join the UAW.
Gambling, ethics bills fall short as legislative session ends
Alabama lawmakers closed the books on this year’s regular legislative session Thursday. While Republican leaders passed many of their priority bills, perhaps the most talked about issue – gambling – died.
A look at what passed and failed in the 2024 legislative session
Alabama lawmakers have ended a 2024 legislative session that saw the Republican majority win approval for a number of their top priorities.
