Coroner Releases Names of 23 Tornado Victims
Officials on Tuesday released the names and ages of the 23 tornado victims in Lee County. They range in age from six to 89 years old. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones says the death toll hasn’t increased, but seven to eight people are still missing.
County coroner Bill Harris says the EF-4 tornado, with winds estimated at 170 mph, killed seven people in one family – alone.
“We believe that every victim was in the residence when the storm hit,” he says.
Overall, four of the deaths were children ages 6, 8, 9, and 10. Close to half of the victims were older than 60. Most of the 90 people injured have been released from the hospital.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Darden says people didn’t have much time to go far. “Right on the county line there probably about five minutes of warning but right here in town there was about eight to nine minutes.”
Darden estimates the Lee County tornado continued into Georgia for about 46 more miles. Three of Sunday’s tornadoes in surrounding counties have also been upgraded to an EF-2.
Beauregard, an unincorporated area of about 10,000 people near the Georgia line, was hardest hit.
Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariffs
The 6-3 ruling is a major blow to the president's signature economic policy.
The economy slowed in the last 3 months of the year — but was still solid in 2025
The U.S. economy grew 2.2% in 2025, a modest slowdown from 2.4% the previous year. GDP gains were fueled by solid consumer spending and business investment.
Ali Akbar, who’s sold newspapers on the streets of Paris for 50 years, is now a knight
For decades, Ali Akbar has sold papers on the Left Bank of Paris. Last month, France gave the beloved 73-year-old immigrant from Pakistan one of its highest honors — and his neighborhood is cheering.
Bill limiting environmental regulations goes to the governor’s desk
President Trump has taken steps to roll back environmental regulations. Some of that same action is taking place in statehouses, including Alabama's. Lawmakers gave final passage this week to a bill that would ban the state from enacting environmental rules more stringent than those at the federal level. That's where we start our weekly legislative update with Todd Stacy, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
For years the Taliban told women to cover up in public. Now they’re cracking down
At hospitals, at seminaries and on buses, the Taliban is stepping up enforcement of rules on women's dress in the city of Herat.
What I learned watching every sport at the Winter Olympics
Sit down with pop culture critic Linda Holmes as she watches the 2026 Winter Games. She is exhausted by cross-country, says "ow ow ow" during moguls, and makes the case, once and for all, for curling.
