Issues
The Downtown YMCA is closing. Will other Birmingham recreation centers be able to fill the gap?
The closure will leave only one full-service YMCA that’s technically in Birmingham city limits — the Mountain Brook branch.
Landfill fire near Birmingham burns for more than a month
Smoke from the underground blaze has caused the air quality in the area to reach hazardous levels.
Advocacy group helps Mexican families in Alabama reunite after decades apart
Some Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. hadn't seen their parents for decades. An advocacy group in Alabama is working with Mexican officials to reunite dozens of families in time for the holidays.
Organización ayuda a familias mexicanas reunirse después de décadas separadas
Algunos inmigrantes mexicanos que viven en los Estados Unidos no han visto a sus padres por décadas. Una ONG en Alabama trabaja con las autoridades mexicanas para reunir a decenas de estas familias.
Why 2022 was a rough year for Gulf South food pantries, and those who need them
The federal aid that Gulf South food pantries have relied on during the pandemic ended this year, but the demand for food assistance still remained high.
Students and faculty nervous about Birmingham-Southern’s financial stress, possible closing
Students, alumni and faculty of Birmingham-Southern College are nervous after school officials revealed the campus could close as early as next year. The private college is now asking for $37 million in public money, most of it from the state, to keep the doors open.
The story of Alabama’s favorite homegrown Christmas tree
The Leyland cypress is a holiday staple for Alabama farmers. But the non-native tree has a surprising history.
She was an ABC News producer. She also was a corporate operative
An ABC News freelance producer confronted critics of a consulting firm's powerful clients. Her actions confirm people's worst suspicions about the news media, says a former network news president.
Santa brings in freezing temperatures for the holidays
After a cold blast of air Thursday night, temperatures will plummet to the teens. Birmingham National Weather Service meteorologist John De Block says it's been a while since it’s been this cold.
Wealthy Governor’s Company to Pay Nearly $1 Million for Chronic Air Pollution Violations
In the generations before Bluestone acquired the plant in 2019, people living in the area faced exposure to levels of contaminants in the air and soil that have ranked among the worst in the nation.
Denial, detention and deportation threats: The uphill battle for Cameroonian asylum seekers in Louisiana and Mississippi
A Gulf States Newsroom investigation digs into the Deep South’s thorny regional immigration system and the obstacles and steep odds at every turn.
In the Southeast, power company money flows to news sites that attack their critics
A consulting firm hired by Alabama and Florida power companies paid six news outlets to publish stories in their favor.
Private Alabama college seeks bailout, warning it may close
State legislators warn that Birmngham-Southern College may close within months without money from the state and county.
Alabama Supreme Court denies new trial for man on death row
Lawyers had argued he was due a new trial because the state failed to disclose a key prosecution witness was paid a reward several years after testifying.
Traveling exhibit goes ‘deeper’ into Emmett Till’s story, civil rights history of host cities
The interactive exhibit “Emmett and Mamie Till Mobley: Let the World See” is in the middle of the first of two stops in the Gulf South region.
Underground landfill fire still contained; smoke could be worse for a few days
While rain would typically aid in fighting an above-ground fire, it likely can’t reach fire that is smoldering under the surface.
Shelby ending career as Alabama’s longest-serving senator
Money for universities, the Interstate 22 highway connecting Memphis and Birmingham and the development of the FBI's second campus in Huntsville are a few of the projects that will be associated with Shelby's legacy.
Alabama has a trash fee exemption. Why didn’t the elderly people of Valley know about it?
In Alabama, elderly residents have been arrested, handcuffed, and taken to jail for unpaid trash bills. However, a little-known state law could allow free trash pickup for some residents.
After years in a museum exhibit, Alabama is giving Native Americans their cultural items back
Alabama’s state archive has over 100 sets of ancestral remains and thousands of objects from Native American graves. Now, the institution is giving them back.
Gov. Kay Ivey wants to give the state more time to carry out executions
Under Ivey’s proposal, the state corrections commissioner could immediately designate a new execution date if a delay prevents the state from carrying out an execution on the original date listed on the death warrant.
Smart homes made affordable for Birmingham residents
According to Alabama Power, smart homes are 35% more efficient than standard Alabama homes being built today.
Recorded state government meetings available through new League of Women Voters channel
The Alabama Channel will capture and save live video recordings of legislative meetings and make them available to the public online and on demand.
Lament and Hope Memorial Ride honors those lost to gun violence in Birmingham
This weekend, over 100 cars with flags honoring people who have died in homicides this year will ride through downtown Birmingham.
Late Alabama artist Thornton Dial honored with first full-scale retrospective in his home state
Thornton Dial's art has been recognized nationally, but this is the first exhibit spanning his full career to be shown in his home state.
Old Carraway complex to be demolished all at once under new deal with city
The former hospital site will be turned into a mixed-use development, Star at Uptown, which is to include residential, retail and dining spaces, as well as an amphitheater.
Attorney General says the execution review should happen quickly, that there is ‘no moratorium’
Last month, Gov. Kay Ivey asked Attorney General Steve Marshall not to seek additional execution dates for any other death row inmates until a review is complete.
Fire department says landfill blaze that spread smoke more than 20 miles away is ‘contained’
The Moody Fire Department determined that a landfill fire that has been burning largely underground has been contained.
UAB hires ex-NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer as head coach
The former NFL quarterback most recently spent four seasons as a high school football coach.
Alabama coal miners begin their 20th month on strike
The miners have survived more than 600 days on the picket line, thanks to widespread support and anger at their employer, Warrior Met Coal. Even now, neither side seems ready to budge.
Cameras, iPads part of plan to improve garbage collection
The City Council approved a software that they say will streamline garbage routes and and improve accountability.
Alabama ‘execution survivor’ reaches settlement with state
Any future effort to execute Alan Eugene Miller will be done by nitrogen hypoxia, an execution method authorized in Alabama but that has never been used to carry out a death sentence in the U.S.
Attorneys: ‘Botched’ execution caused pain and torture
Kenneth Eugene Smith’s attorneys say he was “subjected to ever-escalating levels of pain and torture” on the night of the failed execution.
