Issues
In wake of mass shootings, Alabama lawmakers eye ban on Glock switches and public safety bills
After a violent year marked by multiple mass shootings in Alabama, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and many lawmakers from both parties are backing a proposed ban on so-called Glock switches and other conversion devices that make semi-automatic weapons fire like machine guns.
Crime and education on the agenda for the 2025 legislative session
The 2025 legislative session in Alabama kicks off Tuesday, Feb. 4 with plenty on the agenda. Education, public safety, and of course the budgets are expected to come up. We get a preview of what's ahead with Todd Stacy, host of Capital Journal on Alabama Public Television.
Steel City Men’s Chorus brings music and friendship to LGBTQ+ community in Birmingham
The Steel City Men's Chorus, formed in 2013, is the only queer identified chorus of its kind in Alabama.
With leaked footage from the inside, Sundance doc shows horrifying conditions in Alabama prisons
Incarcerated men in the Alabama prison system risked their safety to feed shocking footage of their horrifying living conditions to a pair of documentary filmmakers. The result is “The Alabama Solution,” which premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Federal judge hears request to block an upcoming nitrogen gas execution in Alabama
The state of Alabama urged a federal judge Tuesday to allow the nation's fourth execution with nitrogen gas to proceed next week, but a doctor who witnessed an earlier execution by the new method told the judge the inmate appeared to be in distress and awake minutes longer than officials predicted.
Amid sewage issues, a nonprofit is helping Alabama Black Belt residents find solutions
As the region grapples with poor sanitation, groups like the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program are taking it upon themselves to address the issue.
Birmingham’s new resilience chief looks to protect residents from climate change
“Fundamentally, to me, it's about survival,” says Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop, Birmingham’s new chief resilience and sustainability officer about fighting climate change.
Alabama’s foster care caseworker turnover is at 50%. What can be done?
Alabama is struggling to keep foster care caseworkers on the job. The state reports a turnover rate of 50%in 2024. Why does the state have such a high turnover rate and what is being done to fix this?
Alabama woman with a functioning pig organ is thriving after a record 2 months
An Alabama woman passed a major milestone Saturday to become the longest living recipient of a pig organ transplant – healthy and full of energy with her new kidney for 61 days and counting.
Man charged with 11 homicides — including two mass shootings in Birmingham — pleads not guilty
Damien McDaniel is accused of killing 11 people between July and September of last year in Birmingham — which would account for over 7% of all homicides in the city in 2024.
Trump’s geographic renaming plans leave mapmakers pondering what to do next
Mapmakers and teachers are re-thinking what to call the gulf of water between Mexico, the United States and Cuba after President Donald Trump ordered it renamed from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. There's no agreed-upon scheme to name boundaries and features shared by countries. And map lines are inherently political.
Watch: ‘Voices of District 2’ highlights challenges, strengths of Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District
Watch a replay of the Gulf States Newsroom's virtual listening session discussing its coverage of Alabama's 2nd Congressional District during the 2024 election.
From grief to leadership: Randall Woodfin’s journey in ‘Son of Birmingham’
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin really likes music. That’s one of the throughlines in his new memoir Son of Birmingham which is out January 21. In it he touches on his time in office, the influence of his older brother who died at the hands of gun violence, and of course, his favorite tracks.
Alabama supreme court grants breastfeeding women exemption from jury duty after public outcry
The Alabama Supreme Court issued an administrative order that requires Alabama judges to have written procedures excusing breastfeeding mothers from jury duty. Previously, state code did not specifically make exemptions for nursing mothers.
Alabama inmate asks court to block nitrogen gas execution
Demetrius Terrence Frazier is scheduled to be executed Feb. 6. His attorneys in a Wednesday court filing asked a judge to block the execution unless the state makes changes to the protocol.
Lawsuit by college professors and students challenges Alabama’s anti-DEI law
The complaint asserts the new law violates the First Amendment by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on educators’ speech and classroom lessons.
In pictures: snow blankets Birmingham
Snow fell across the Birmingham area early Friday morning, making roadways dangerous, with officials urging residents to avoid travel if possible. Many schools closed in advance of the winter weather giving children the chance to revel in the snow.
The Gulf South needs more sexual assault nurse examiners. Is teleSANE the answer?
While some see telemedicine as a useful tool to help provide care to sexual assault survivors, others believe it's not enough to solve the nursing shortage.
Birmingham braces for winter storm: here’s what to do
Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 37 Alabaman counties Thursday, including the Birmingham metro area, ahead of a weekend winter storm. Forecasters expect icy weather to sweep through the region from Thursday night through Friday night.
In New Orleans, focus shifts toward community recovery, healing after terror attack
Officials and health experts are working to make sure those affected by the Bourbon Street attack have access to the medical and financial resources they need.
Woodfin to run for a third term as mayor
Woodfin was widely expected to make another run following electoral victories in 2017 and 2021. This year’s contest will take place August 26.
Homicide commission report offers strategies to reduce gun violence
Following a record breaking year of homicides in Birmingham, a city commission submitted a report on potential solutions for the crisis to the mayor’s office on Monday. The report lays out strategies for how the city can reduce its homicide rate, particularly those stemming from gun violence.
Birmingham begins new curbside waste collection schedule
Birmingham’s new trash, recycling and bulk waste collection schedule kicks off on Monday, January 6. Residents can expect regular trash pickup on one specific day each week and recycling collection on the same day every other week.
What are your hopes for 2025?
With 2024 coming to a close, we have a whole new year to look forward to. What are your hopes for 2025? We put that question to attendees of our recent News and Brews community pop-up.
Living HealthSmart in Alabama is getting easier thanks to a growing UAB initiative
The Live HealthSmart Alabama initiative, which the University of Alabama at Birmingham launched in 2019, has a goal of pulling Alabama out of the bottom 10 states in terms of negative health indicators by removing systemic barriers. Pilot projects in four Birmingham neighborhoods wrapped up this year, and organizers hope their success can be replicated throughout the state.
The 2024 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.
‘Driven by something greater’: Meet Birmingham’s trainer to the stars of today and the future
Otis Leverette, better known as ‘Coach O,’ is a strength and conditioning coach in the South that’s impacting athletes' lives beyond sports.
Alabama profits off prisoners safe enough to work at McDonald’s, deems them too dangerous for parole
No state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama. Best Western, Bama Budweiser and Burger King are among the more than 500 businesses to lease incarcerated workers from one of the most violent, overcrowded and unruly prison systems in the U.S.
Share your thoughts on gun violence in Birmingham
Anyone in Birmingham who wants to weigh in on how to address the city’s gun violence can do so through a survey offered by an independent gun violence commission. The commission has been working since October to find ways to reduce Birmingham’s homicide rates.
Federal regulators say an Alabama coal mine’s plans may violate law, leaving citizens at risk
A “ten-day notice” issued to Alabama officials aims to mitigate risks to citizens living above Oak Grove Mine. It comes after months of state inaction and community outrage.
Q&A: The little-known history of how enslaved people were jailed in antebellum New Orleans
Author John Bardes discusses how Louisiana’s complicated history with mass incarceration began with imprisonment being used as a tool against enslaved people.
Alabama wants to lower recidivism rates by 2030. What are the obstacles?
Last year, Alabama set an ambitious goal for itself: lower recidivism by 25% and increase post-incarceration employment rates by 50% by 2030. But a recent study on the state's criminal justice re-entry programming shows that many formerly incarcerated people are falling through the cracks.
