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Storms Prompt Schools To Delay Opening Thursday

More than a dozen suspected tornados raked over Alabama on Wednesday.

Alabama Tornado Outbreak Rips Off Roofs, Snaps Trees As State Braces For More

Storms are expected to last through the night and into Thursday morning.

Lawmakers Continue Debating Controversial Anti-Riot Bill

The sponsor of the bill says it would protect first responders from being attacked at tumultuous protests. But the measure has been a sore spot for state Democrats and others who fear the bill’s language is too vague, and that it'll only serve to criminalize peaceful protests.

Severe Storms Barrel Through Alabama

Impacts of the storm system could be severe.

What Labor Wins And Losses In The South Can Tell Us About the Amazon Union Vote

The unionization effort at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala. may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a big union win in the South. Yet union organizers had a nearly-identical opportunity just four years ago in Mississippi.

Alabama Schools Announce Closures Ahead Of Possible Severe Weather

Central Alabama is expected to see strong storms beginning Wednesday at 2 p.m. through Thursday at 4 a.m., according to new modeling by the National Weather Service in Birmingham

UAB To Open New Vaccination Site And Update Demographic Data

The vaccination site located at AOH Cathedral of the Cross in northeast Birmingham is a drive-thru site, but only eligible residents can sign up for an appointment.

StoryCorps: “I found a voice…”

Amanda Keller and Lauren Jacobs work together at Birmingham’s Magic City Acceptance Center. In addition to being co-workers, they are also close friends. They came to the StoryCorps MobileBooth to talk about Amanda’s relationship with her late father and its influence on her work.

Alabama To Expand COVID Vaccine Eligibility March 22

Alabamians aged 55 and older, plus those with high-risk conditions and disabilities are among the groups that will soon be eligible for a COVID vaccine.

Legislative Wrap-Up: Gambling Fails, Medical Marijuana, Anti-Riot Bills Face Hurdles

A bill that would have added a lottery and casinos was defeated in the Senate. In the aftermath, some lawmakers said a lottery-only bill would have stood a better chance.

A Year Like No Other: COVID-19 In The Gulf States

In a special broadcast one year after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, reporters from public radio stations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana reflect on the toll it’s taken on the region.

One Year In, Bama Tracker Creator Considers Future Of COVID Data Site

The reach of David Marconnet's site grew beyond what he imagined. But with cases dropping, Bama Tracker may have run its course.

Lighting Up the Night Again

The neon sign for the historic A.G. Gaston Motel was lit Tuesday night in a ceremony marking the end of phase 1 of the site’s restoration.

Samford Names New President To Replace Retiring Westmoreland

Beck A. Taylor, now president of Whitworth University, will succeed Andrew Westmoreland effective July 1.

New Report Outlines Voter Suppression In 2020 Election

A new report says Alabama did not do enough during the 2020 election to make voting easier for residents. But the Sec. of State disagrees.

Birmingham VA Offers Vaccines To Eligible Veterans of All Ages

The agency announced the change on Wednesday.

As Alabama Seeks To Build New Prisons, Mississippi Sets Sights On Reform

Alabama's governor recently signed leases on two new private prisons with a goal of improving conditions for inmates. But reform advocates in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana are urging a different approach.

JeffCo’s County Manager Plans Retirement After 10 Years Helping To Navigate Rough Waters

Jefferson County’s one and only county manager says he plans to retire this year.

Alabama Would Lose Seven Metropolitan Statistical Areas Under Federal Proposal

There's a proposal that would reduce the number of Metropolitan Statistical Areas in Alabama from 12 to five. Public comment on the proposal is being accepted through March 19.

StoryCorps: “I am completely safe with you.”

Ginger Wyatt and Winston Lancaster started dating in 1984. but the relationship didn’t last. They broke up and had no communication for almost 30 years. One day in 2012, Ginger decided to reach into the past and find Winston. They came to StoryCorps together.

Derelict Banks High School Building Set To Be Demolished

The Birmingham City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the one-year extension of a loan agreement with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to tear down the building.

Family, Faith And Race Collide In Columnist John Archibald’s New Book

Archibald's father was a Methodist minister in Alabama during the turbulent civil rights era. Yet in his sermons from that time, he stayed silent on race.

Environmental Groups Say Water Board Isn’t Effectively Protecting Drinking Water Supply

A new lawsuit against the Birmingham Water Works Board claims it failed to comply with a 2001 consent decree that protects land around the Cahaba River watershed, a major source of Birmingham’s drinking water.

ADPH Plans Mobile Vaccination Clinics For Black Belt Region

State health officials hope to administer more vaccines to residents of rural areas.

Legislative Wrap-Up: Lighter Marijuana Penalties, Transgender Youth Therapies, Confederate Monuments

The week's highlights: A bill to ban therapies for transgender minors passed in the Alabama Senate. Lawmakers rejected a measure that would have given cities and towns more flexibility to move unwanted Confederate monuments elsewhere.

Ivey Extends Face Mask Order But Not For Long

Gov. Ivey leaves face mask order alone for now, but says it will end April 9.

Remembering Homewood Resident And Civil Rights Activist Eileen Walbert

Eileen Walbert died last month at the age of 100. She was heavily involved in school desegregation and led a group of white people during a voting rights march in Selma the day before Bloody Sunday.

UAB And JeffCo To Expand Vaccine Outreach In Underrepresented Communities

As of Wednesday, UAB had administered roughly 80,000 vaccine doses, but Black residents remain disproportionately underrepresented.

Birmingham Divvies Up $500K In Bold Funding For Nonprofits

Nine Birmingham nonprofits will receive funding from the city’s Building Opportunities for Lasting Development grant initiative this year, despite an overall reduction in funding for the program.

StoryCorps: “Play the ball where it lies”

Natalie Holland learned to play golf from her father, Donald Holland. In their StoryCorps interview, they talk about how lessons learned from golf transcend to other areas of life.

Alabama’s COVID-19 Death Count Nears 10,000 Mark

Within about a year, the state has lost almost 10,000 Alabamians to COVID-19.

UAB Officials Hopeful Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Could Accelerate Rollout

UAB health experts say when it comes to vaccine variety, more is better. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the latest to win approval from the federal government.