Gigi Douban has reported for public radio since 2006. She’s filed stories for WBHM, NPR, Studio 360, and Public Radio International’s The World. Most recently, Gigi reported for Marketplace, bringing the country stories about toxic landfills, debtors prisons, and lighter fare, like why urinals are ubiquitous in public bathrooms, but not in homes. She's also written for Bloomberg News and Runner’s World, and on occasion, actually runs.
Alabama lawmakers have been more receptive to bills that ease restrictions on alcohol this year. Senators approved a wine delivery bill this week without much debate.
A bill to ban racial profiling has failed to win support for almost a decade, but it was one of many measures debated this week in the Alabama Legislature.
Alabama is one of several conservative states where lawmakers are considering a measure making it a crime to enforce federal gun regulations.
The push to legalize medical marijuana is gaining momentum in the Alabama Legislature. The bill would allow people with certain conditions to buy medical marijuana with a doctor’s approval. We have more in our weekly legislative wrap-up.
Alabama's prisons are severely overcrowded. Some state lawmakers say repealing a law that stiffens punishment for repeat offenders would help alleviate that.
Alabama is one of several states considering bills restricting transgender minors. The sports bill is the second one related to transgender youth introduced this session.
Storms are expected to last through the night and into Thursday morning.
Impacts of the storm system could be severe.
A bill that would have added a lottery and casinos was defeated in the Senate. In the aftermath, some lawmakers said a lottery-only bill would have stood a better chance.
The agency announced the change on Wednesday.
The week's highlights: A bill to ban therapies for transgender minors passed in the Alabama Senate. Lawmakers rejected a measure that would have given cities and towns more flexibility to move unwanted Confederate monuments elsewhere.
One of the measures that passed with very little debate in the Alabama Senate this week would authorize the use of medical marijuana. But the measure could face bigger challenges in the House.
Sweeping gambling legislation cleared a hurdle in the Alabama Legislature this week.
A number of bills that stalled in last year's abbreviated session returned.
Here’s the entry for best regularly scheduled newscast by reporter and host Andrew Yeager.
Here’s audio of the step-by-step instructions people hear in their cars as they move through UAB’s community COVID-19 drive-thru testing site. The site serves an estimated 350 patients a day.
Alabama lawmakers in Congress ranged in their reactions to Wednesday's Capitol breach by a mob of Trump supporters.
The health department will soon begin its vaccine rollout as UAB drafts a timeline for making the vaccine available to more employees.
Labor officials cite safety concerns as the primary reason for moving to a phone-based system.
The lawsuit is an attempt by federal officials to force the state to remedy a prison system long riddled with violence.
County voters who used a waiver to bypass the state's witness or notary requirements are unsure whether their absentee ballots will be counted.
The city could sell six parking decks, the proceeds from which could help offset a significant budget shortfall sparked by the pandemic.
Alabama's mask mandate will remain in place through Nov. 8.
Want to cast your ballot by mail in Alabama? Here's a guide.
The SEC is delaying the start of its football season and taking extra precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A new report details barriers and inconsistencies around voting that significantly limit access to the ballot box for Alabama's poor, rural, and minority voters.
As coronavirus hospitalizations increase, more hospitals are feeling squeezed. The president of the Alabama Hospital Association says the state is far from getting the pandemic under control. Limited hospital capacity will most affect patients seeking care for health issues other than coronavirus.
Alabama hit record highs this past week in the number of new coronavirus cases. Health officials are taking a wait-and-see approach.
A protest in Homewood remained peaceful. It was one of several planned in Birmingham's mostly-white suburbs.
Workers removed most of a Confederate monument that became the center of Birmingham protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police.
Criticisms of Alabama’s absentee ballot requirements are intensifying. Legal challenges to the law call for greater accessibility, especially to the state's most vulnerable populations -- black residents, the elderly and those with disabilities.
Gov. Kay Ivey will ease coronavirus restrictions starting at 5 p.m. Thursday. Under the new rules, businesses and all retailers can reopen. So will beaches and doctors offices. Nevertheless, many people plan to stay put.
