Miss Alabama Competes Sunday for the Miss America Crown
This Sunday is the big day for Miss Alabama Hayley Barber as she competes for the Miss America crown. The Pelham native and UAB senior won the top state honor earlier this year and says that actually takes some pressure off competing at the national level.
“At the end of the day, even if I don’t win, I get to go back and still be Miss Alabama,” says Barber. “[It] is the greatest job in the world to me and something I always wanted to be was Miss Alabama and represent my state.”
On Tuesday, Barber won the Quality of Life Award which is given for impact in community service and volunteering. Barber’s platform is called “Sight for Small Eyes” and promotes eye exams for children. She says it stems from the fact she never had her eyes checked until she was 16, when she wanted a driver’s license.
“So I knew other people my age and younger than me were neglecting to speak up about their vision impairments because I did,” says Barber.
The UAB senior plans to study optometry with a goal of opening her own pediatric optometry practice.
See Barber’s tap dancing in the preliminary talent competition:
Ilia Malinin, figure skater favored for gold, finishes 8th
Malinin, undefeated since 2023, stumbled and fell multiple times, landing far off the podium. Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won gold in an upset that shocked even himself.
DHS says immigration agents appear to have lied about shooting in Minnesota
Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg during the incident. Another Venezuelan man was also accused of attacking an immigration officer.
Venezuela debates sweeping amnesty for political prisoners
After the fall of Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan regime promise amnesty and reconciliation — but for hundreds still jailed and thousands facing charges, justice remains uncertain.
It’s been five years since catastrophic Texas blackouts. How much has changed?
Power companies say they're better prepared for extreme weather, but challenges remain to electricity production as the state's demand grows
FBI releases description of suspect, increases reward in Nancy Guthrie case
The FBI describes the armed man caught on Nancy Guthrie's camera as 5-foot-9-inches to 5-foot-10 and of average build. The 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie has been missing since Feb. 1.
Virginia court allows Democrats’ redistricting vote in their plan to counter to Trump
The ruling allows an April election where voters can let the legislature draw a new congressional map. It could help Democrats win more House seats. Republicans might still fight it in court.
