Ditch the Marriage Licenses? Senate Says ‘I Do’
The roads were treacherous in many parts of the state, but Alabama lawmakers still managed to get to the State House this week to hammer out a few bills.
One bill the Senate passed this week would do away with marriage licenses. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Greg Albritton, said this would take the state out of marriages. Under the proposed bill, couples wouldn’t need a probate judge to decide whether to issue a marriage license. And no ceremony would be required to make it official. Instead, a couple would submit documents to the judge stating that they aren’t currently married or related. Albritton first proposed similar bills in 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.
Another bill the Senate passed, proposed by Democratic Sen. Rodger Smitherman of Birmingham, aims to curb racial profiling. Smitherman says he has been the victim of racial profiling by police. His bill would require police to record the race and ethnicity of people pulled over, as well as their own race.
And that’s where WBHM’s Gigi Douban begins this week’s legislative wrap-up with Don Dailey, host of Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
‘It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you’: a visit to a special healing Shabbat
Members of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham gathered recently for their traditional Friday Shabbat service. But this particular service was different, as could be seen by all the people dressed in their finest pink.
Space Command is coming to Huntsville. What might that mean for first-time homebuyers
While Huntsville has been a more affordable market than other growing cities, what’s it been like for those looking for their first home?
