Issues
Martin Luther King’s 1963 Birmingham arrest spurred a Supreme Court case. The ruling still matters
The case is Walker v. City of Birmingham, which ruled on the legal principles that allowed Bull Conner and Birmingham to jail Martin Luther King Jr. on Good Friday, 1963. Harvard law professor Randall Kennedy explains why the case continues to impact legal thinking during these tumultuous times.
Judge dismisses lawsuit over upcoming lethal injection in Alabama
The judge on Sunday granted Alabama's request to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Kenneth Eugene Smith, agreeing that Smith waited too long to file the challenge. But the judge also warned Alabama's prison commissioner to strictly follow established protocol when officials attempt to put Smith to death next month.
Why now is the right time for Alabama to honor Hugo Black’s complicated legacy
Alabama native and Supreme Court justice Hugo Black became a civil rights champion after a brief time in the KKK. A new monument honors his complicated legacy.
Birmingham’s status as a minor league sports hub gets a major boost from the New Orleans Pelicans
Friday night isn’t just any old preseason game for the New Orleans Pelicans. It’s also a pivotal moment for Birmingham in its quest to be a sports town.
Black leaders rebuke Tuberville stance on reparations, crime
Tuberville told people Saturday at an election rally in Nevada that Democrats support reparations for the descendants of enslaved people because “they think the people that do the crime are owed that.”
DOJ finds Alabama’s foster care system violates law
The U.S. Department of Justice said the state's foster care program has illegally placed hundreds of students with disabilities into “segregated and inferior educational programs,” a direct violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
New aviation charter school aims to diversify the cockpit
Since the pandemic began, the aviation industry is down two-million workers and those who remain are overwhelmingly white. One new charter school in Bessemer hopes to address both issues by preparing diverse students for jobs in aviation.
Despite pushback, the organizers of Cullman’s first pride event are pushing forward
The announcement of Saturday’s event drew threats and calls for counter-protests. In response, LGBTQ+ communities across the state have offered their support.
6 ways the conversation around a guaranteed income in the US has changed
A guaranteed income conference held in Atlanta shows how the movement has progressed since 2017, with more than 50 pilots currently handing out cash.
New mental health crisis center aims to interrupt revolving door of jail and ER visits
The new clinic in Jefferson County will offer short-term crisis care to people who might otherwise wait hours at a hospital or wind up in jail.
Mississippi’s latest move in its anti-abortion agenda? A tax break for corporate donations
Tax documents show energy company foundations financed the anti-abortion movement in the Gulf South for years. Now, they could get a tax break for that support.
Commission rejects opening courthouse for Saturday absentee voting
Commissioner Sheila Tyson presented the resolution to open the Jefferson County Courthouse for Saturday absentee voting. Others felt the special circumstances of the pandemic had passed.
Birmingham City Council moves toward approval of cannabis dispensaries
Birmingham has taken “the first step” on the road to legalizing medical marijuana. The City Council voted Tuesday to approve an ordinance authorizing medical cannabis dispensaries to operate within Birmingham city limits.
The landmark Voting Rights Act faces further dismantling in case from Alabama
The law is once again on the chopping block — this time on the question of how state legislatures may draw congressional district lines when the state's voters are racially polarized.
Gulf States rank at the bottom for climate-adapted housing. Organizers want to change that.
As natural disasters and extreme weather become more frequent in the Gulf South, a new report hopes to be a road map to providing more climate-adapted housing.
How Dr. Emily Fortney is using her clinical psychology work to help pregnant people
Suicide is a leading cause of death in women, and mood and anxiety disorders make perinatal risks more complicated. Dr. Fortney’s work is focused on this issue.
Regions Bank to refund $141M for illegal overdraft fees
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that between 2018 and 2021, Regions was charging overdraft fees on some ATM withdrawals as well as some debit card purchases, even after the bank told the customers they had enough funds to cover the transactions.
Jackson’s water crisis put new attention on its longstanding lead contamination issue
Jackson’s water issues echo infrastructure struggles across the Gulf South, resulting in nearly 1,800 lawsuits over the past year and attention from the EPA.
Birmingham councilors allege promises broken but city still renews Via contract
Under the contract, the city will pay the Via ridesharing service up to $2.64 million per year to provide transit services.
Alabama prisoners refusing to work in 2nd day of protest
Prisoners including those who provide food, laundry and janitorial services refused to show up for work at major state prisons, leaving staff scrambling to keep the facilities running.
Scottsboro is home to the largest gray bat summer cave. They’re leaving for the winter
At Sauta Cave anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000 gray bats emerge to feast on insects. It’s thought to be the largest emergence of bats east of the Mississippi River, a spectacle that draws curious onlookers from across Alabama.
‘We got our miracle’: Freed Americans back home in Alabama
Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh had gone missing June 9 in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine while while fighting with Ukrainian forces against Russia.
Alabama halts execution because of time, IV access concerns
Officials said the state halted the scheduled execution of Alan Miller after they determined they could not get the lethal injection underway before a midnight deadline.
Birmingham’s new Xpress rapid bus line gives residents a new option to travel across the city
The Birmingham Xpress is a single route that runs east to west between Five Points West and Woodlawn. A total of 32 stops take riders by places like Princeton Baptist Hospital, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Railroad Park and Sloss Furnace.
Jackson residents claim city’s water woes stem from decades of neglect in new lawsuit
The lawsuit claims that Jackson’s water quality was poor long before the recent pump failure at O.B. Curtis — caused by decades of neglect and mismanagement.
Ahead of its Alabama debut, John Archibald gives an inside look at ‘Pink Clouds’
AL.com columnist John Archibald brings his columns to the stage with the debut of his first play, "Pink Clouds." It premieres Saturday at Red Mountain Theatre.
Russian separatists release 2 U.S. veterans as part of a prisoner exchange
Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh went missing in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border June 9. They had traveled to Ukraine on their own and became friends because both are from Alabama.
Judge blocks upcoming lethal injection in Alabama
The judge issued a preliminary injunction to block the state from executing Alan Miller on Thursday by any method other than nitrogen hypoxia, an untested method Miller says he requested but Alabama is not ready to use.
Video appears to show Alabama corrections officer beating inmate
The video, circulating on social media, shows what appears to be a distressed inmate on the edge of a roof at a building at Elmore Correctional Facility, while a group of prison staff look at him from the ground.
U.S. Steel used convict labor in Birmingham. Has it reckoned with its past?
A century ago, U.S. Steel was one of the companies involved in Alabama's convict lease system. The steelmaker has a mixed record on acknowledging that history.
New data show how often Alabama uses solitary confinement
Survey numbers from 2021 show that roughly five percent of people in Alabama's prisons are housed in isolation for at least 22 hours a day for 15 days or more.
Memoir explores ‘being Black but growing up white’ after the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
"Dear Denise" follows Lisa McNair's life in a series of letters to the sister she never met. Lisa recounts her experience growing up in the first generation of African Americans after legal segregation.
