News

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.

54% of support comes from members

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.

Advocates hope Alabama’s execution moratorium leads to change but say the blame is misplaced

Equal Justice Initiative Director Bryan Stevenson says Alabama’s failed executions were “shocking, torturous conduct that provided justice to no one.”

Birmingham Xpress extends free period through the end of 2022

the Birmingham Xpress bus line will offer free rides until the end of 2022 to increase ridership.

Alabama pausing executions after 3rd failed lethal injection

The move follows the uncompleted execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith, which was the state's second instance of being unable to put an inmate to death in the past two months and its third since 2018.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute celebrates 30 years

For decades, the BCRI has educated everyone from local students to global leaders about Birmingham's role in the Civil Rights movement.

Alabama calls off execution after difficulties inserting IV

This is the second execution since September the state has cancelled because of IV difficulties.

Alabama’s Hunting 101 workshops target newcomers — and conservation dollars

State leaders hope to reverse a decades-long decline in hunting participation rates and secure more funding for wildlife restoration.

The Gulf South is dealing with a ‘tripledemic’ of Covid, flu and RSV as the holidays near

Health officials say now is not the time to let your guard down on protecting yourself, and others, as the three contagious viruses spread across the region.

New bike- and scooter-sharing service approved in Birmingham

Lime received unanimous approval from the Birmingham City Council, though council members had concerns about misplaced bikes and scooters becoming a nuisance.

Feminism isn’t always popular or understood in Alabama. FemmSouth wants to change that

Alabama native Leigh Bancroft was looking for a way to educate others and discuss feminism. She began the FemmSouth book club, which now includes a podcast.

City officials want parents to combat gun violence. Community leaders say it’s not that simple

Officials point to parents and the need for strong community networks to stop gun violence in Birmingham. They say it takes a village. But it’s not just the people in charge saying that, it’s also kids, activists, and the parents themselves.