News

A ‘catastrophic’ loss: Severe heat puts a heavy strain on rural farmers in the Gulf South

For one family of farmers in Louisiana, this year’s record-breaking extreme heat is taking a toll on both their crops and their health.

Alabama asks US Supreme Court again to intervene in redistricting case

Despite losing at the Supreme Court earlier this year in the long-running redistricting case, Alabama is pursuing another appeal, hoping for a different result with the most recent GOP version of the map.

In fight to remove divisive New Orleans highway, activists turn to new strategy — an EPA study

The Claiborne Avenue Alliance hopes a study on the health impacts caused by the expressway will support efforts to remediate and potentially remove the highway.

Hundreds of military promotions are on hold as a Tuberville demands end to abortion policy

Top defense officials are accusing Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville of jeopardizing America's national security with his hold on roughly 300 military promotions, raising the stakes in a clash over abortion policy that shows no signs of easing. Tuberville brushed off the criticism, vowing he will not give in.

She looked for help after her power bill doubled. But aid for utilities often falls short

Dolabriel Curry-Hurst’s January power bill in Alabama jumped above $700 — more than twice of what she owed the previous year.

Gulf South’s ‘Hot Labor Summer’ is heating up heading into the fall

The seven strikes in the region signify a slow-growing labor movement that gained momentum in 2021.

Birmingham City Council OKs $4.5 million more for Rickwood Field improvements

Major League Baseball chose Rickwood Field, the country’s oldest surviving baseball field, to host its “2024 MLB at Rickwood Field, A Tribute to the Negro Leagues” game next June.

Judges reject Alabama’s congressional lines, will draw new districts to increase Black voting power

The three-judge panel blocked use of the state's newly drawn congressional map in next year's elections. A special master will be tapped to draw new districts for the state, the judges said. Alabama is expected to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Parents, students deal with record-breaking heat at the start of football season

This has been a record-breaking summer across the country and particularly in the Gulf South in August. Several cities between Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama shattered their all-time high temperature records.

Alabama’s John Christy may be the country’s best known and most criticized climate change skeptic

Alabama’s State Climatologist John Christy is no stranger to controversy and doesn’t shy away from the spotlight. His critics say his work has been plagued by errors and many of his conclusions dismissed.

Alabama lawmaker resigns and agrees to plead guilty to voter fraud

Republican Rep. David Cole, of Huntsville, resigned from the Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday. He will plead guilty to a charge of voting in an unauthorized location, according to a plea agreement filed in state court.

The connection is growing between climate change and big storms

The connection between climate change, hurricanes and tornadoes is not so clear. But data is beginning to show some relationship. That's the topic of the latest story in our series "Alabama's Hot Topic: What Climate Change Could Bring."

From drought to heavy rain, climate change means more of both

Climate change is spurring more big rain events, when several inches fall in a short amount of time. Meanwhile, climate change also makes droughts more frequent, longer, and severe. There's more the latest installment of our series “Alabama’s Hot Topic: What Climate Change Could Bring.”

Alabama describes proposed nitrogen gas execution

The state described the procedures for the proposed new execution method in a redacted court filing. Alabama is seeking to become the first state to execute a prisoner using nitrogen.

Heat is the top weather-related killer. In Alabama, it may just be getting started

Heat kills more people than any other type of weather. Human-caused climate change stands to make that worse. Alabama is one of the few places where temperatures have not increased. But that appears to be changing. It's the latest in our series, “Alabama’s Hot Topic: What Climate Change Could Bring.”

Nature-based education on the rise in Alabama

At least three forest schools have opened across Alabama in recent years. It's part of a nationwide movement to teach kids in nature.

Few bid after U.S. opens first-ever offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Mexico

The entire Gulf of Mexico wind lease sale has the potential to produce 3.7 gigawatts of renewable energy, enough to power 1.3 million homes.

Meet the Alabama scientists connecting soaring global temperatures to carbon dioxide

Two Alabama researchers study ice cores and fossil records from Antarctica, helping connect an alarming increase in the earth’s temperature to rising levels of carbon dioxide.

A campaign aims to bridge the breastfeeding gap for Black mothers in the Gulf South

Despite its well-documented advantages, many regions in the US — especially in the South — continue to grapple with low breastfeeding rates. States like Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have some of the the lowest rates in the country. 

Alabama has escaped the worst of climate change. Is our luck about to run out?

This summer, headlines have screamed climate change. Globally, July was the hottest month on record. Smoke from forest fires choked many parts of the U.S., and the Gulf of Mexico hit a record high for average weekly sea surface temperatures. Here in Alabama, we’ve been spared many of the effects of climate change, but that appears to be changing. We take a look in a new series on climate change called “ Alabama's Hot Topic.”

New mapping tool gives county-by-county breakdown of air pollution

Earlier this month, a researcher debuted a new tool that maps pollution in Mississippi and Louisiana. Some environmental groups are already using it. 

Proposal would create 36-mile trail loop around Birmingham

The loop would connect Ruffner Mountain, Railroad Park and Red Mountain Park.

Alabama can enforce ban on puberty blockers and hormones for transgender children, court says

A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a judge’s temporary injunction against enforcing the law. The judge has scheduled trial for April 2 on whether to permanently block the law.

WBHM 90.3 FM wins National Edward R. Murrow Award for “Deliberate Indifference” podcast

The Radio Television Digital News Association’s Edward R. Murrow Awards are among the most prestigious in broadcast and digital news. This is WBHM’s second National Murrow Award in the past three years.

A medical equipment company is trying to turn the tide on the Gulf South’s ‘diaper divide’

Aeroflow Healthcare has been pushing state lawmakers to end sales tax on necessary items such as diapers, breast pumps and other incontinence products.

Birmingham City Council president dissents from vote pledging financial support for BSC

It’s not about Birmingham-Southern College; it’s about the residents of Birmingham. That’s what Birmingham City Council President Wardine Alexander said Tuesday in her dissent from passage of a resolution pledging city dollars to support BSC.

Alabama argues its new standards — not SCOTUS order — should dictate congressional map redraw

Lawyers for the state defended Alabama’s new congressional map before a panel of judges who previously ruled the 2021 map violated the Voting Rights Act.

Senior Reporter — Justice, Incarceration and Gun Violence: Gulf States Newsroom

The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring a journalist to report stories about the impacts of the criminal legal system on our local communities.

Alabama lost a voting rights case at the Supreme Court. It’s still trying to win

Alabama is under a federal court order to draw a new congressional map with two districts where Black voters have a chance to elect their preferred candidate. But its GOP-led legislature refused.

Alabama riverfront brawl videos spark a cultural moment about race, solidarity and justice

A week after multiple videos showing the now-infamous brawl at a Riverboat in Montgomery and valiant defense of the outnumbered co-captain were shared widely on social media, it’s clear the event truly tapped into the psyche of Black America and created a broader cultural moment.

Alabama artist Delrico Gibson uses ‘Strings of Gratitude’ to tell his story of recovery

Delrico Gibson's new art collection on display at UAB ties together different threads, emotions and stories of his recovery from a life-threatening accident.

As the peak of hurricane season nears, Southwest Louisiana is still recovering from 2020 storms

Three years after Hurricanes Laura and Delta, Lake Charles residents are anxious about the chances of a new storm.