Search Results for life after prison
Alabama lawmakers close out 2023 legislative session
A proposal to exempt overtime pay from state income tax made it out on the last day. A bill that would have put more teeth in the state’s public records law did not.
Former governor says Alabama’s approach to the death penalty should shock the conscience
Don Siegelman served as both Attorney General and Governor in Alabama. He says he’s come to believe that the state’s approach to the death penalty is flawed.
Suspect in Natalee Holloway disappearance faces extradition to US on fraud charges
Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot will be sent to the U.S., Peru announced Wednesday, to face trial on extortion and wire fraud charges, stemming from an accusation that he tried to extort the Holloway family after their daughter's disappearance.
Tougher penalties on fentanyl trafficking now law
Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bill into law Thursday after the measure, which sets mandatory minimum sentences, passed both legislative chambers without opposition.
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.
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.
A small team works to aid immigrants in Louisiana: ‘Do the best you can with the time you have’
Three women detail the grueling, personal work behind regular visits to Louisiana’s detention centers to help immigrants make it through the asylum process.
Alabama advocates urge treatment over punishment for pregnant women jailed for substance use
Alabama’s chemical endangerment laws are strict, especially for pregnant women. One program offers alternatives to jail for treating prenatal substance use.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey sworn in for her 2nd full term
In a wide-ranging speech, the Republican governor thanked supporters, promised a focus on education, broadband expansion and regulation cuts for businesses but also nodded to GOP hot-button issues.
Alabama woman who joined IS hopes to return from Syria camp
Hoda Muthana was born in New Jersey to Yemeni immigrants and was raised in a conservative Muslim household in Hoover, Alabama, just outside Birmingham. In 2014, she flew to Turkey and crossed into Syria.
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 New Orleans, a symbolic bike ride helps fight recidivism. Here’s how it impacted the riders.
The annual NOLA to Angola bike ride returned this month to help the nonprofit The First 72+ fight recidivism. Participants share what the ride means to them.
Here are the 10 statewide amendments voters will see on the ballot in November
From "Aniah's Law to economic development, the November 8 ballot will give Alabamians the opportunity to vote for 10 statewide amendments.
Slavery is on the ballot in Alabama and 4 other states
More than 150 years after slaves were freed in the U.S., voters in five states, including Alabama, will soon decide whether to close loopholes that led to the proliferation of a different form of slavery — forced labor by people convicted of certain crimes.
Judge dismisses lawsuit over upcoming lethal injection in Alabama
The judge on Sunday granted Alabama's request to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Kenneth Eugene Smith, agreeing that Smith waited too long to file the challenge. But the judge also warned Alabama's prison commissioner to strictly follow established protocol when officials attempt to put Smith to death next month.
The Tragedy of North Birmingham
Industrial plants in Birmingham have polluted the air and land in its historic Black communities for over a century. In an epicenter of environmental injustice, officials continue to fail to right the wrongs plaguing the city’s north side.
Alabama execution is set despite opposition from the victim’s family
Joe Nathan James Jr. was convicted and sentenced to death in the 1994 shooting death of Faith Hall in Birmingham. Hall’s daughters have said they would rather James serve life in prison.
Abortion-rights group navigates ‘unprecedented’ legal territory in Alabama
The Yellowhammer Fund has temporarily stopped funding abortion care for people in Alabama, amid legal concerns for clients and staff.
Regional Edward R. Murrow honors awarded to WBHM, Gulf States Newsroom
WBHM 90.3 FM and the Gulf States Newsroom won 13 of the 18 regional Edward R. Murrow awards for 2022, including Overall Excellence for WBHM for the second year in a row.
Alabama jailbreak mystery deepens as manhunt ends with death
Jailer Vicky White was pronounced dead at a hospital after murder suspect Casey White gave up without a fight in Evansville, Indiana. The fugitives had spent more than a week on the run through three states.
Families with trans kids prepare for the ban on gender-affirming care
A new law in Alabama would make it a felony to provide gender-affirming treatments for transgender minors. The law is forcing some families with transgender kids to choose between staying in the place they love and protecting their children.
Parents challenge law outlawing treatment of trans kids
The new Alabama law makes it a crime for doctors to treat trans people under 19 with puberty blockers or hormones to help affirm their gender identity.
Families, doctors contest Alabama transgender treatment ban
The new law makes it a crime for doctors to treat trans youth under 19 with puberty blockers or hormones to help affirm their gender identity.
Trans kids fear Alabama laws targeting medicine, bathrooms
Transgender kids and their parents say they feel attacked by a wave of Republican-sponsored legislation and policies aimed at trans youth. Bills have been introduced to ban gender-affirming care and block transgender children from using school restrooms or playing on sports teams that don’t match their sex at birth.
Alabama educators push back on bill banning ‘divisive concepts’ from the classroom
Lawmakers also took action this week on a delay to a school reading requirement and a ban on transgender treatments for youths.
Seeking asylum in the U.S. is not easy. It’s harder when you speak a rare language
Two men who speak a rare language languished in Louisiana and Mississippi detention centers, they say, because they couldn't interview in their native tongue.
The 2021 moments that will stick with us: Reflections from the Gulf States Newsroom
Our regional reporters reflect on the most memorable moment they had in the field as they covered stories across Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
An Alabama teen was having a seizure. Police shocked her with a taser.
How an Alabama teen sought justice after a violent police encounter upended her life.
Alabama judge opposed to death penalty set for ethics trial
Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tracie Todd faces an ethics trial in Montgomery this week. Roughly five years ago, Todd ruled that Alabama's capital punishment law was unconstitutional.
Candidates For Birmingham Board Of Education
There are 22 people running for the Birmingham Board of Education. Elections are Tuesday, Aug. 24.
Who’s Running For Birmingham City Council?
Do you know who is running for Birmingham City Council? Check out this complete list.
Taliban Takeover Leaves Americans More Vulnerable, Says Father Of First American Killed In Afghan War
An Alabama man was the first American to die while fighting in Afghanistan. As President Biden withdraws U.S. troops from the area, the family is reflecting on his death nearly 20 years later.
