Hundreds mourn Brown University sophomore Ella Cook, killed in campus shooting
Hundreds gathered at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in downtown Birmingham to remember Ella Cook. She and freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov were killed Dec. 13 when a gunman entered a study session in a Brown academic building and opened fire on students. Nine other students were wounded.
Islamic school’s effort to expand draws anti-Muslim backlash
The Islamic Academy of Alabama is a K-12 school that has been in Homewood since 1996. They applied to rezone an office park space in Hoover to expand. The issue has sparked anti-Islamic rhetoric, notably from U.S. Tommy Tuberville.
A family reunion to commemorate the Montgomery Bus Boycott
This month marked the 70th anniversary of the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott. The demonstration was catalyzed when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus. The boycott lasted over a year and is considered a spark of the Civil Rights Movement.
More News
20 years later, Waveland’s letters to Santa tell stories of recovery from Hurricane Katrina
More than a thousand letters were written and answered after the hurricane. They’re now housed in an exhibit at the Ground Zero Hurricane Katrina Museum.
Former Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron ends campaign for Alabama lieutenant governor
McCarron, who led the University of Alabama to back-to-back championships and played for the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL, announced in October that he was running in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor.
An Alabama woman is among two who died in the Brown campus shooting
Mountain Brook-native Ella Cook’s life was cut short Saturday when a gunman opened fire inside a classroom in the engineering building.
NPR News
Professors, students appeal ruling on Alabama law banning DEI initiatives at public universities
The Alabama measure, which took effect in October 2024, is part of a wave of proposals from Republican lawmakers across the country taking aim at DEI programs on college campuses.
With federal relief on the horizon, Black farmers worry it won’t come soon enough
At the National Black Growers Council meeting in New Orleans, Black farmers respond to the $12 billion in tariff relief announced by the Trump administration and outline challenges farms are facing.
Democratic former Sen. Doug Jones launches campaign for Alabama governor
He said the state has urgent economic, health care and educational issues that are not being addressed by those in public office.
Alabama commission approves licenses for medical marijuana dispensaries as program eyes 2026 start
Commission Chairman Rex Vaughn estimated the products will be available in the spring of 2026. The state’s medical marijuana program has been delayed by false starts and litigation over who should hold the licenses to sell and grow cannabis.
Supreme Court struggles over whether Alabama can execute man found to be intellectually disabled
There was no clear outcome apparent after the justices heard two hours of arguments in an appeal from Alabama, which wants to put to death a man who lower federal courts found is intellectually disabled.
How the Alabama Ballet makes Christmas magic with Balanchine’s Nutcracker
The Alabama Ballet is one of only eight companies in the world licensed to perform George Balanchine’s choreography for the Nutcracker. Balanchine’s production in 1954 first popularized the ballet as a Christmas holiday tradition across the country.
