Issues
Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg has died after battling cancer
Ryne Sandberg, a Hall of Fame second baseman who became one of baseball's best all-around players while starring for the Chicago Cubs, has died. He was 65.
Mental health warnings on social media? Minnesota will require them next year
Supporters say the pop-up messages could encourage Minnesotans, especially kids, to think twice about how much time they spend on sites. Social media companies argue that the law is heavy-handed.
Medical groups are concerned that RFK Jr. may dismiss a panel of primary care experts
The American Medical Association is urging HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. not to oust members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent group of experts focused on primary care.
USA swim team members recovering from stomach bug at world championships
Some USA swim team members have missed events during the competition.
Here’s a puzzling question: Why are stocks at record highs despite looming tariffs?
President Trump's tariffs could hit the economy badly and lead to higher inflation. But Wall Street investors are reacting by sending stocks to record highs.
Even megastars like Venus Williams get the health insurance blues
In the U.S., as nowhere else, health insurance and employment are deeply connected. And that means confusion can snare even elite athletes.
Fact-checking claims about a proposed hyperscale data center
The developer behind the $14.5 billion project in Bessemer has suggested residents’ concerns are based on misinformation. Here’s what we know about the project and its impacts.
Corporate America is having a weird tariff summer
Some big companies are reporting real financial pain from tariffs and economic uncertainty — but for others, business is booming.
Has the Billboard Hot 100 caught the Holy Ghost?
Brittany dives into the economy behind Christian contemporary music
Independent grocery stores have had a tough five years. SNAP cuts will make it harder
The bulk of sales for many independent grocers come from SNAP. Cuts to the program could leave some making hard decisions about their future.
Education Department says it’s releasing more than $5 billion in frozen grants
The grants fund a wide range of education programs, including migrant education, services for English language learners and adult education.
Are you a single mom? We want to hear from you about your challenges and life experiences
About 40% of all births in America are to unmarried women according to the U.S. Census. Are there situations and challenges that are unique to single moms? We'd like to hear about them.
What we know about Columbia’s $221 million settlement with the Trump administration
The complex settlement allowed both sides to claim victory. It gives the university access to federal funds that had been frozen, and restores some terminated contracts.
Hit the road, Jack! Lumberjills chip their way into timber sports
'Lumberjills' chip away at Paul Bunyon stereotypes at the 65th annual Lumberjack Championship, with more women than ever before competing in the Hayward, Wisconsin, event.
President Trump takes aim at college sports with a new executive order
The order aims to ban "pay-for-play" NIL deals, mandates scholarships for women's and Olympic sports and threatens to withhold funds from schools who don't comply. But its legality is in question.
Alabama officials worry about life-saving Narcan program’s future as CDC grants stall
OD2A funds helped Alabama make naloxone more widely available last year. Health experts say it's responsible for a promising downturn in overdose deaths.
Trump visits Federal Reserve and tussles with Jerome Powell in extraordinary moment
President Trump visited the Federal Reserve to inspect an ongoing renovation and disagreed with the Fed chair about the project's final cost in an extraordinary moment.
Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dies at 71
According to the Clearwater Police and Fire departments, Terry Bollea died Thursday morning after a cardiac arrest.
What borrowers should know about student loan changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill
Now that President Trump has signed Republicans' massive overhaul of the federal student loan program, we explain what's set to change.
Meet the team behind the JCC’s witty sign
The sign hosts puns, Judaic references, and pop culture riffs. While the sign is well-known and appreciated among the community, its authors have remained anonymous, until now.
Irondale police deny wrongdoing in death of Alabama man, dispute family’s account
Police employed no excessive force in the events leading up to the August 2024 arrest and death of Phillip Reeder, the City of Irondale and its police department said in a joint statement late Monday.
Alabama’s new utility commission president wants to hear from ‘all sides’
Cynthia Lee Almond spent four years in the Alabama Legislature and 16 years on the Tuscaloosa City Council before being appointed president of the state’s Public Service Commission.
Alabama man’s death is ruled a homicide after police kneeled on his neck
The death of an unarmed 52-year-old man who died after an Alabama police officer kneeled on his neck was ruled a homicide by a county coroner, according to an official autopsy reviewed by The Associated Press. The finding led lawyers representing Phillip Reeder's family on Monday to compare his death to that of George Floyd in 2020.
Ghost tours bring historic places back to life across the South
Lesley Ann Hyde started the Southern Ghost Girls Tours, a group of women using spiritual investigations of historic sites as ways to preserve pieces of Birmingham’s history.
WATCH: SANEs and survivors in the South, a listening session with the Gulf States Newsroom
The Gulf States Newsroom hosted a virtual discussion of Drew Hawkins' reporting on the shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners in the region.
In praise of the humble recorder — a gateway instrument for millions of schoolchildren
The small plastic instrument has long been the go-to instrument in elementary schools. But it is capable of so much more than "Hot Cross Buns."
Americans’ medical debt can stay in credit reports, judge rules. What does that mean?
The judge's decision vacated a rule imposed by the Biden administration earlier this year to keep medical debt from affecting credit scores.
Texas flash flood recovery effort turns its focus to lakes
With 101 people still missing after the July 4 flash flood, the focus turns to local lakes, and what may be buried in them.
Lawyer says an Alabama teen who was killed by police was shot in the back
Authorities have not released police body camera video of the June 23 encounter or disclosed the name of the officer who shot 18-year-old Jabari Peoples in the parking lot of a soccer field in the affluent Birmingham suburb of Homewood. They also haven't released the findings of the county's official autopsy.
The White House took down the nation’s top climate report. You can still find it here
The National Climate Assessment is the most influential source of information about climate change in the United States.
Floods are getting more dangerous around the country
New York, North Carolina, New Mexico and Texas have all suffered serious flooding this month. Climate change is causing even more rain to fall during the heaviest storms.
In Britain, hopes are mounting to finally clean up sewage-polluted waterways
After years of polluting by the water industry, a report planned for release in the coming days could lead to tightened regulation while also prompting an expensive modernization drive.
