News

Volunteers are driving in to offer hot meals, necessities to Mississippi tornado survivors

The gym of a Rolling Fork school has become a makeshift hub to get much-needed emergency aid, meals and hope for thousands affected by the tornadoes.

UAB tops Utah Valley, sets up Conference USA showdown in NIT

UAB beat Utah Valley 88-86 in overtime to set up an all-Conference USA final in the NIT. UAB will face North Texas for the fourth time this season on Thursday for the NIT championship.

As midwifery evolves, this Mississippi museum is preserving the history of granny midwives

Granny midwives were some of the first to universalize the practice of midwifery in the South. A permanent installation hopes to share their history.

In Rolling Fork, a congregation comes together to save a century-old church

After a deadly EF-4 tornado, a Mississippi town finds hope in the hands of volunteers.

‘We’re going to help them’: How Mississippians are banding together after a devastating tornado

Officials, aid organizations and volunteers sprung into action on Saturday to help Mississippi begin rebuilding in the aftermath of a powerful tornado.

Bills tackling fentanyl trafficking and ‘good time’ limits in prisons advance

The bills would set a mandatory minimum sentence for trafficking or possessing fentanyl and reduce good time incentives, which can shorten prisoners’ sentences.

Man sentenced to 30 years after police officer shot friend

Alabama’s felony murder law holds someone liable for murder if they participate in a felony that results in someone's death.

US ‘concerned’ by Mexican seizure of Alabama company’s port

Mexico’s seizure of the Caribbean cargo port stretched into its second week Tuesday. Vulcan Materials said that police and prosecutors still had not presented any legal paperwork to justify the seizure.

Proposed Ivey budgets: Income tax rebates; public money for charter schools; modest pay raises

Gov. Kay Ivey’s proposed budget for 2024 will call for state money for start-up charter schools, tax rebates for those who filed income taxes in 2021 and some pay raises for state employees. 

Birmingham City Council delays BSC funding decision until at least mid-April

The struggling college is seeking $30 million from Alabama’s Education Trust Fund, as well as $5 million from Birmingham and $2.5 million from Jefferson County.

In the quest for new cancer treatments, researchers look to outer space

The Southern Research team is studying how bacteria reacts in the microgravity environment, and whether it prompts the development of novel cancer therapies.

BSC prez ‘disappointed’ legislature didn’t approve funding but will continue push to stay open

The Alabama Legislature opted not to spend some of the state’s $1 billion-plus allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act to keep the financially troubled liberal arts college open.

Lawmakers wrap up special session on COVID relief funds

Gov. Kay Ivey signed a more than $1 billion plan to spend federal pandemic relief funds after lawmakers approved the package Thursday.

Lawmakers say prison plan will continue despite cost jump

The Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority on Wednesday increased the spending cap for a 4,000-bed prison now under construction in Elmore County, from $623 million to $975 million.

With the NCAA Tournament in town, Birmingham is ready for thrilling games, an economic boost

Birmingham is hosting NCAA Tournament games this weekend for the first time since 2008. It's the latest addition to the city's growing profile as a sports hub.

Spurred by slow deportation wait times, Louisiana ICE detainees attempted a hunger strike

A man held at the ICE facility in Jena said detainees are being held in some cases up to three months after receiving their final deportation notices.

Oats steers Alabama to March Madness in a turbulent season

Nate Oats is steering Alabama through the best and most scrutinized season in Crimson Tide history after one player was charged with capital murder and two others were involved.

In rural Mississippi, E.R. staff are being trained to care for moms and deliver babies

Across the Gulf South, hospitals are cutting labor and delivery services. A program at UMMC hopes to equip health care professionals to fill in the rising gaps.

A months-long landfill fire in Alabama reveals waste regulation gaps

An unregulated landfill that accepts vegetative waste has burned underground for months. Neighbors were inundated with smoke and left wondering why the site wasn't regulated in the first place.

Public transit in the Gulf South is in need of an overhaul. The solution could lie in the past

The Gulf South is not known for its great public transit systems. Some believe Bus Rapid Transit could solve lingering issues and lead to a better future.

New exhibition driving bill would stiffen penalties, including fines and jail time

People have been injured, even killed, in exhibition driving-related incidents in Birmingham. Now, lawmakers are addressing the issue on a statewide level.

Legal complaint claims Alabama discriminates when distributing sewage infrastructure funds

Alabama only allows state funds for sewage infrastructure to go to public bodies. A civil rights complaint argues the policy hurts communities of color.

After deadliest year on record, families remember loved ones lost in Alabama prisons

Two hundred sixty-six incarcerated people died inside Alabama's prisons in 2022, and dozens have died so far in 2023.

WBRC’s new podcast explores the disappearance of Kamille ‘Cupcake’ McKinney

The 3-year-old went missing in 2019 outside a public housing complex in Birmingham. Her body was found about a week later in a dumpster. 

Ivey calls session on relief funds, proposes tax rebates

Gov. Kay Ivey delivered her state of the state address on the opening night of the 2023 legislative session where key issues include how to use the state's remaining pandemic relief funds as well as a $2.8 billion education budget surplus.

Hoover says a girls basketball team’s treatment after topping the boys is a miscommunication

After a parent wrote a Facebook post alleging gender discrimination when a girls' basketball team was denied trophies, Hoover City officials said it came down to policy.

City relinquishes power over old Powell School, raising concerns about historic preservation

The property has the distinction of being the site of the city’s first public school, though it closed its doors in 2002 due to a sharp decline in enrollment.

The 2023 Alabama legislative session starts Tuesday. Here’s your preview

Lawmakers return to Montgomery at a time when money is flush thanks to federal COVID funds. Education is among the top issues expected to generate discussion.

Mississippi updated its solar energy guidelines. Renewable energy advocates want more

Mississippi added incentives for low-to-moderate income residents to encourage more investment in renewable energy. Activists are pushing for more access.

In Selma, Biden says right to vote remains under assault

President Joe Biden referenced the searing memories of 1965's “Bloody Sunday” in Selma to recommit to securing voting rights.

How this year’s Selma Bridge Crossing could mark a community renaissance

President Biden visits Selma for the 58th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday." Residents there are still recovering from tornadoes that ripped through the city in January.

These billboards want you to know how to get abortion pills — even if your state banned abortions

The nonprofit Mayday.Health organized the campaign to travel across 14 states with abortion bans.