Issues
Alabama plans to carry out first nitrogen gas execution. How will it work and what are the risks?
Kenneth Eugene Smith, who survived the state’s previous attempt to put him to death by lethal injection in 2022, is scheduled to be put to death Thursday by nitrogen hypoxia. If carried out, it would the first new method of execution since lethal injection was introduced in 1982.
New opera delves into less familiar part of Helen Keller’s story
The opera TOUCH, commissioned by Opera Birmingham, depicts Keller's later life as an activist and feminist and conflict with her interpreter Anne Sullivan.
Hale Freezes Over
In Hale County, Alabama, many residents have gone without running water for days. Many more are still boiling water.
Spiritual adviser at first nitrogen gas execution asks Alabama for safeguards to protect witnesses
The Rev. Jeff Hood, who will stand near Kenneth Smith during his execution, sent a letter Monday to the Alabama prison system requesting safeguards in case of a nitrogen leak in the execution chamber.
How an Alabama utility wields influence by financing news
A Floodlight investigation found Alabama Power runs a news service and its foundation bought a Black newspaper. Neither publishes critical stories about the utility.
DeBoer embraces chance to replace Saban at Alabama
The former Washington coach, hired two days after Saban's retirement, said he's giving the 72-year-old ex-coach “100 percent access” to his program
Kalen DeBoer hired to replace Nick Saban at Alabama
The powerhouse program tapped DeBoer on Friday to replace Saban, just two days after the 72-year-old coach announced his retirement.
MLK Day is Monday. In Alabama and Mississippi, it’s also Robert E. Lee Day.
Here’s a quick history lesson on why the unlikely joint celebration of a civil rights icon and a Confederate general is still happening.
Deadline approaches for USDA loan discrimination funds for underserved farmers
Gulf South farmers are racing to meet the deadline for DFAP. Some say the aid is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done.
Alabama can enforce a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, appeals court rules
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had previously ruled that the injunction should be vacated, but the decision had been effectively on hold for more than 18 months while families with transgender children asked the full appellate court to reconsider the decision.
Prisoners’ bodies returned to families without heart, other organs, lawsuit alleges
The family of Brandon Clay Dotson, who died in a state prison in November, filed a federal lawsuit last month against the Alabama Department of Corrections and others saying his body was decomposing and his heart was missing when his remains were returned to his family.
Nick Saban’s retirement is a blow to Alabama football’s fans — and a boon to its haters
Sports fans in Birmingham were more than happy to weigh in on the Alabama football icon’s storied career.
Alabama’s Nick Saban retiring after 7 national titles, most in major college football history
Nick Saban’s coaching reign has come to an end. His dominance over college football, however, will forever linger in the lore of the sport.
Federal judge says Alabama can carry out nation’s 1st execution using nitrogen gas
U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker rejected Alabama inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith’s request for an injunction to stop his scheduled Jan. 25 execution by nitrogen hypoxia.
Mercedes-Benz autoworkers in Alabama want to join the UAW. Here’s what the past could teach them
Amid a new push in a region that’s historically unwelcoming to unionization, author Stephen Silvia details what the UAW could learn from its past efforts.
New Orleans residents are uneasy about the NOPD’s planned drone program, documents show
The Gulf States Newsroom obtained more than 350 pages of public comments concerning the NOPD’s planned drone program. Here’s what they said.
Alabama judge puts a temporary hold on medical marijuana companies
A Montgomery circuit judge issued a temporary restraining order late Wednesday to stop the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission from issuing licenses for “integrated” facilities that grow, transport and sell medical marijuana. The coveted licenses will be on hold while he hears a challenge to the selection process.
Inflation is slowing, unless you’re ‘makin’ groceries’ for New Orleans gumbo. Here’s why
With a variety of ingredients from across the region, making a pot of gumbo can illustrate a lot of the ways inflation impacts the average grocery shopper.
Michigan Wolverines to play for national title after stopping Alabama
Michigan advanced to its first College Football Playoff championship game with a 27-20 victory over fourth-seeded Alabama in the Rose Bow
A tantalizing Rose Bowl matchup pits Saban’s Alabama against Harbaugh’s Michigan in the CFP
Nick Saban has won six national championships at Alabama, establishing the most successful program of the 21st century. Jim Harbaugh has completely revitalized his alma mater, reaching three straight College Football Playoffs at Michigan with style and controversy.
The 2023 moments that will stick with us: Reflections from the Gulf States Newsroom
Our regional reporters reflect on delightful, discarded moments they had in the field as they covered stories across Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
A lawsuit challenging Alabama’s transgender care ban for minors will move forward, judge says
U.S. District Judge Liles Burke said no to a request from the U.S. Department of Justice to put the Alabama case on hold until appellate courts decide if they will hear related petitions on whether states can enact such bans.
This New Orleans restaurant made it through the pandemic. Can it survive water billing issues?
Plume Algiers is a mom-and-pop Indian restaurant that overcame every obstacle to open in New Orleans. Now, water billing issues could put them out of business.
Despite strong economic signs, food pantry lines are still growing in the Gulf South
The U.S. economy had a strong year, but more people found themselves in line at their local food pantry due to inflation and a weakened social safety net.
Judge weighs request to stop nation’s first execution by nitrogen, in Alabama
Attorneys for Kenneth Eugene Smith are asking a judge to block his Jan. 25 execution by nitrogen hypoxia. They argued that the method violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment and said the mask would interfere with his ability to pray with his spiritual adviser.
Pajamas, movies, relish: hear some of our favorite holiday traditions
We heard from patrons at Adventurer's Coffee Co. in Calera about their unique holiday traditions.
A books-to-prisons program creates connection behind bars
Katie Willis and Megan Lyle, founders of the local bookstore Burdock Book Collective, began their books-to-prisons program in 2020.
What did Alabama students think of the climate change quip in the presidential debate?
Two University of Alabama students, a conservative and a progressive, said they’re hoping for a more nuanced conversation on the environment.
Place, Erased: A virtual listening session with the Gulf States Newsroom; watch replay
Watch a replay of the Gulf States Newsroom's listening session for its recent series about towns transformed by major environmental shifts.
Jackson State’s Sonic Boom of the South is ready to prove it’s ESPN’s ‘Band of the Year’
The Sonic Boom hopes the inaugural competition to crown the best bands in the nation will expose a wider audience to the rich culture of HBCU schools.
Alabama’s plan for execution by nitrogen gas is ‘hostile to religion,’ lawsuit says
The Rev. Jeff Hood, who plans to enter the death chamber to minister to Kenneth Eugene Smith, said the Alabama Department of Corrections asked him to sign a form acknowledging the risks and agreeing to stay 3 feet away from Smith's gas mask.
Lawsuit challenges Alabama inmate labor system as ‘modern day slavery’
The class action lawsuit also accuses the state of maintaining a discriminatory parole system with a low release rate that ensures a supply of laborers while also generating money for the state.
