Government

Alabama and Georgia propose a deal to settle their water war over the Chattahoochee River

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Tuesday they will ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to approve a plan that would guarantee minimum water flows at Columbus, Georgia and in southeast Alabama.

The GOP debate field was asked about Trump. But most attacks focused on Nikki Haley

With just over a month before the 2024 primary calendar begins, the debate demonstrated how firm Trump's grip remains on the party.

A narrowing Republican presidential field will debate in Tuscaloosa Wednesday

Four candidates will be on stage at the University of Alabama for their last scheduled meeting before the Iowa caucuses kick off the presidential nominating season next month. Former President Donald Trump, the race’s clear front-runner, will not be among them.

Tuberville is ending blockade of most military nominees

Tuberville’s blockade of military promotions was over a dispute about a Pentagon abortion policy. The Alabama Republican said Tuesday he’s “not going to hold the promotions of these people any longer.”

Man featured in ‘S-Town’ podcast shot and killed by police during standoff, authorities say

Joseph Tyler Goodson was shot by officers after he barricaded himself inside a home and “brandished a gun" at officers early Sunday, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. Bibb County Coroner Patrick Turner said that Goodson was pronounced “brain dead” Tuesday night at a hospital.

The next Republican debate is in Alabama, the state that gave the GOP a road map to Donald Trump

The state that propelled George Wallace, a Democrat and four-term governor, into national politics is now dominated by Republicans loyal to Donald Trump, another figure who leans heavily on grievance and white identity politics.

54% of support comes from members

City OK’s $5 million to help keep Birmingham-Southern College open

BSC President Daniel Coleman said in a statement that next he’ll ask Jefferson County to meet the city’s commitment, focus on private donors and reengage with state leaders to work on getting more funding.

Alabama inmate executed for the shooting death of man in 1993 robbery

Casey McWhorter was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death for his role in the robbery and shooting death of Edward Lee Williams on Feb. 18, 1993.

Senate takes step toward ending Tuberville’s hold on military nominations

The Senate Rules Committee voted 9-7 to approve a resolution that would allow the Senate to confirm groups of the military nominees at once for the remainder of the congressional term.

Alabama sets January execution date using nitrogen gas

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday announced a Jan. 25 execution date for Kenneth Eugene Smith using the new method.

Tuberville under pressure from Republicans over military holds

Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he's open to negotiating an end to his blockade of almost 400 military nominees after meeting with fellow Republican senators on Tuesday, signaling a shift after he has dug in on his protest of a Pentagon abortion policy for more than nine months.

Alabama can execute inmate with nitrogen gas, state’s highest court says

The justices granted the state attorney general's request for an execution warrant for Kenneth Eugene Smith, one of two men convicted in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of Elizabeth Sennett in northwestern Alabama.

Republicans confront Tuberville on Senate floor over military holds

Sen. Tommy Tuberville stood and objected to each nominee — 61 times total, when the night was over — extending his holds on the military confirmations and promotions with no immediate resolution in sight.

Birmingham-Southern hoped to borrow money. Now the school is on borrowed time

Birmingham-Southern College is running out of money and time. After the State Treasurer rejected the school’s $30 million loan application, school officials must now consider their options, including closing the 167-year-old campus on Birmingham’s west side.

Montgomery judge dismisses Birmingham-Southern College lawsuit against state

Judge James Anderson said he was “sympathetic” to the college, but said after a roughly hour-long hearing that phrasing in the law favored the treasurer.

Hendrix and Brinyark winners in Tuesday’s runoff elections

With no Republican opponent, Democrat Travis Hendrix is expected to take the District 55 seat after January's general election.

Birmingham City Council elects new leadership

Birmingham City Councilor Darrell O’Quinn on Tuesday took on the mantle of council president, and former President Wardine Alexander stepped into the president pro tem position.

Runoff Tuesday in race for House District 55

Democrats Sylvia Swayne and Travis Hendrix will meet in the runoff on Oct. 24. There are no Republicans in the race.

Prime suspect admits to Natalee Holloway’s 2005 murder in Aruba

The disclosure came during a plea and sentencing hearing for Joran van der Sloot in a federal courtroom in Alabama — just a few miles from the Birmingham suburb where Holloway used to live.

Woodfin tells parents to get your children to school

Woodfin said ten weeks into the school year, well more than half of third graders are considered truants, which means they have seven or more unexcused absences.

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54% of support comes from members

Woman accused of falsely reporting she was abducted seeks to avoid jail

A municipal judge on Wednesday found Carlee Russell guilty of misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. The guilty judgement came after Russell's attorneys agreed to a legal maneuver to move the case to circuit court where proceedings will start anew.

Book bans are on the rise in the Gulf South. Here’s what’s being challenged in Alabama

Efforts to ban books believed to be inappropriate for children and teens have seen a sharp uptick recently, but some libraries and bookstores are fighting back.

Alabama finally has a new congressional map after a lengthy legal fight

After a high-profile legal fight, a panel of three federal judges on Thursday picked a map that will be used when Alabamians cast their 2024 vote.

Court ruling offers temporary victory for Alabama birth centers

The preliminary injunction requires Alabama public health officials to license birth centers that meet certain national standards.

Judges aiming to give Black voters more influence in Alabama set to redraw congressional districts

U.S. District Judge Stanley Marcus, noting a ruling will be issued “shortly,” said the three-judge panel is aware of the time constraints posed by elections next year when the state's seven U.S. House seats will be on the ballot. The court could rule as early as this week.

What would a government shutdown mean for me?

If a shutdown arrives, millions of federal employees will be furloughed and many others — including those working in the military and the Transportation Security Administration — will be forced to work without pay until it ends.

State Rep. John Rogers charged with obstruction of justice

The indictment accuses Rogers, a Democrat from Birmingham, and his assistant of offering additional grant money as a bribe to persuade a person to give false information to federal agents who were investigating possible kickbacks that prosecutors said were paid to Rogers' assistant.

The Supreme Court will let Alabama’s congressional map be redrawn to better represent Black voters

The justices, without any noted dissent, rejected the state's plea to retain Republican-drawn lines that were turned down by a lower court.

Court appointee proposes Alabama congressional districts to provide representation to Black voters

The three proposals all create a second district where Black voters comprise a majority of the voting age population or close to it — something that state lawmakers refused to do when they drew lines this summer.

Elections in two JeffCo-area seats Tuesday

In the House District 55 race, voters will select a replacement for Rep. Fred Plump. The District 16 seat is vacant after former Rep. Kyle South stepped down June 30.

Supreme Court to decide whether Alabama can postpone drawing new congressional districts

The outcome could determine what map the state uses in the 2024 elections and whether the high court will revisit arguments over the role of race in redistricting.

Video shows high school band director shocked with stun gun, arrested after refusing to stop music

State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, who is representing band director Johnny Mims as his attorney, said Tuesday that the incident is an “alarming abuse of power” that instead “should have been should have been deescalated.”