Issues
Any school can get you a diploma. This school might get you a house
Fewer young people want to work in trade jobs than ever before, and that’s left a hole in the job market. A private school in Birmingham is giving some young people skills needed to address that problem.
Alabama senators back bill to cut state sales tax on food
The bill introduced by Republican Sen. Andrew Jones of Centre would gradually reduce the sales tax on food from 4% to 2% — taking off .5% each year — provided there is more than enough state revenue to offset the loss to the education budget, which relies on sales and income taxes.
Alabama governor defends dismissal of education leader
Gov. Kay Ivey replaced a Cabinet member who oversaw the state's award-winning prekindergarten program because of a teacher training book with language about inclusion and combatting structural racism, she said Thursday.
Alabama judge denies bond for suspects in Sweet 16 shooting
Five suspects charged with reckless murder in connection with a shooting at a birthday party in Dadeville that killed four people and injured dozens were not granted bond. A sixth suspect, a 15-year-old, is awaiting a hearing.
Birmingham City Council opposes water works bill that would dilute its influence
The bill would reduce the number of Birmingham Water Works Board seats from nine to seven, removing two of the four currently appointed by the council.
Alabama police say 89 shots fired into crowded Sweet 16 party
The lead investigator in the case testified at a court hearing Tuesday that could determine if the three adults accused in last week's shooting will be held without bond. The three juvenile defendants will have separate hearings.
Alabama education director ousted over book’s stance on race
Barbara Cooper was forced out as as head of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education after Ivey expressed concern over the distribution of the book to state-run pre-kindergartens.
Republicans and Democrats split over response to Sweet 16 party shooting
Democrats called for gun control measures while Republicans argued for a crackdown on crime.
Police make 6th arrest in Alabama Sweet 16 party shooting
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency on Thursday night announced the arrest of a 15-year-old juvenile from Tuskegee, Alabama, the sixth person charged in the case, but court records were not released because of the person's age.
5th arrest made in Alabama Sweet 16 birthday party shooting
Willie George Brown Jr., 19, of Auburn, is charged with four counts of reckless murder, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said.
WATCH: A conversation on the experiences of Cameroonians in immigration detention with the Gulf States Newsroom
Watch a replay of the Gulf States Newsroom's virtual listening session for Bobbi-Jeanne Misick's series on the experiences of Cameroonian asylum seekers.
3 charged with murder in Sweet 16 party shooting in Alabama
Two teenagers and a 20-year-old man have been arrested and charged with reckless murder in connection with a shooting that killed four young people at a Sweet Sixteen birthday party in rural Alabama.
Arms are open again for infant cuddling after pandemic pause
Under pandemic restrictions, only staff at St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham were allowed in the wards. Volunteers with the infant cuddling program couldn’t re-enter the NICU until the hospital lightened COVID-19 regulations. That was just four months ago.
Alabama police arrest 2 teens for birthday party shooting
An Alabama Law Enforcement Agency spokesman wouldn’t say where the two are being jailed, or whether they already were in custody when they were charged in the case.
Tornado’s swift arrival in Rolling Fork highlights Gulf South’s emergency management needs
Residents in some Mississippi towns didn’t get much warning before deadly tornadoes struck. It exposed the challenges of emergency response in rural areas.
Commission approves billing agreement with Birmingham Water Works Board
The agreement between the Jefferson County Commission Tuesday follows months of negotiation between the two entities.
Birmingham City Council working on a plan for overhaul of water works board
As the Alabama Legislature considers a complete overhaul of the Birmingham Water Works Board, the Birmingham City Council is mulling its own legislation to meet state lawmakers halfway.
Alabama birthday girl begged dying brother to ‘stay with me’
Alexis Dowdell’s Sweet 16 birthday party ended with her kneeling beside her fatally wounded brother on the blood-slicked floor of a dance studio in small-town Alabama, the bodies of other wounded teens scattered around them. Dowdell told the story of Saturday’s terror in Dadeville to The Associated Press.
Why SCOTUS decision on abortion pill ban won’t change much for Gulf South residents
Physicians and Gulf South advocates say much won’t change in their states — which have total abortion bans in place — whether mifepristone is banned or not.
Pascagoula residents sue EPA to halt production of Chevron’s plastic fuel
Cherokee Concerned Citizens and Earthjustice are seeking to halt Chevron from producing new chemicals from plastic waste at a nearby refinery.
House where King planned Alabama marches moving to Michigan
The role the Jackson House played was integral to the Civil Rights Movement, so a family member contacted the The Henry Ford Museum near Detroit about a year ago to ask if it would take over the preservation of the Jackson House and its legacy.
Alabama police searching for clues in shooting that killed 4
Students at a small-town Alabama school, its flag flying at half-mast Monday, returned to class as investigators worked to piece together what happened at a Saturday night shooting that killed four people, including two Dadeville High School students.
Shooting at Alabama birthday party kills 4 people, wounds 28
Alabama law enforcement officers Sunday implored people to come forward with information about a shooting in Dadeville that killed four people and injured 28 others during a teenager's birthday party. Among those killed was a high school senior who planned to play college football and was celebrating sister's 16th birthday.
School choice bill now on lawmakers’ agenda
Alabama legislators also advanced a bill banning teaching “divisive concepts” in the classroom
Why preventing flooding in Mississippi’s Yazoo Backwater is easier said than done
The Vicksburg Post’s Anna Guizerix discusses the history of flooding in the Yazoo Backwater area, and why finding a solution is considered controversial.
The imbalanced scales of immigration justice: A listening session and conversation
The Gulf States Newsroom and Type Investigations will host a listening session and conversation on Bobbi-Jeanne Misick’s three-part audio series.
With ‘dollar stores in every direction,’ some communities are saying enough
Dollar General opens about three locations a day. Advocates against the rapid expansion released a four-step guide for keeping stores from opening.
As grocery prices soar, push grows to end sales tax on food
Alabama is one of only three states that tax groceries at the same rate as other purchases. But as food prices soar — and as the state sees a record budget surplus — Alabama lawmakers are considering removing, or phasing out, the state's 4% sales tax on food.
Advocates warn of a ‘dollar store invasion.’ Researchers are still figuring out the consequences
A recent report from the Institute for Local Self Reliance laid out 17 problems with dollar stores, but some researchers said there isn’t a consensus yet.
New complaint alleges sex assault, medical neglect, abuse of detainee at Louisiana ICE facility
The attorneys and advocates who filed the complaint on Daniel Cortes De La Valle’s behalf are asking ICE to release him immediately.
Suit accuses Jefferson County of racial gerrymandering in commission districts
The lawsuit accuses the commission of intentionally packing Black voters into two supermajority Black commission districts based in and around Birmingham.
Tougher penalties on fentanyl trafficking now law
Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bill into law Thursday after the measure, which sets mandatory minimum sentences, passed both legislative chambers without opposition.
