Alabama is getting a new area code. AT&T told news outlets the 659 area code will be used in parts of west-central Alabama in April.

A federal judge said Monday that Alabama has been “deliberately indifferent” about monitoring the mental health of state inmates placed in the isolation of segregation cells. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson issued the ruling days after attorneys for inmates said the suicide rate in state prisons has reached a crisis level.

U.S. Steel Corp. says it is restarting construction on an idled manufacturing facility in Alabama, and it is giving some of the credit to President Donald Trump’s trade policies. The Pittsburgh-based company says Trump’s “strong trade actions” are partly responsible for the resumption of work on an advanced plant near Birmingham.

A high-tech facility designed to spur innovation and help new businesses has opened in a part of Tuscaloosa that was hit by a killer tornado nearly eight years ago. The Tuscaloosa News reports that The Edge is aimed at supporting entrepreneurial collaboration and innovation.

An Alabama church has removed a pew honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis, saying the memorial has no place at a time when rebel symbols have been adopted by white supremacists. The pastor of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Robert C. Wisnewski, Jr., posted a message on the church website last week saying the wooden pew was […]

The Alabama Ethics Commission has cleared a district attorney of a complaint that he improperly paid an employee. News outlets reported the ethics panel investigated a complaint that 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Randall Houston improperly paid an employee from grand funds.

A Muslim inmate who filed a legal challenge because Alabama would not let his Islamic spiritual adviser be present in the execution chamber was put to death Thursday after the nation’s highest court cleared the way. Dominique Ray, 42, was pronounced dead at 10:12 p.m. of a lethal injection at the state prison in Atmore.

Alabama is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let it proceed with the execution of an inmate who won a stay on religious grounds. The Alabama attorney general’s office on Wednesday asked justices to vacate an execution stay for Dominique Ray. 

A federal appeals court on Wednesday blocked the planned execution of an Alabama inmate to consider whether the state was violating the Muslim inmate’s rights by not allowing an imam to replace a Christian prison chaplain in the death chamber. The 11th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay for Dominique Ray, 42, a […]

A competitor is suing a newcomer in a gas price dispute in Alabama. News outlets report that Oasis Travel Center LLC has sued Buc-ee’s in federal court in Mobile, saying the company is illegally selling gasoline for less than state law allows.

An elementary and middle school in northern Alabama will be closed for the rest of the week because of the number of cases of flu among students and employees. Lawrence County Schools Superintendent Jon Bret Smith told news outlets that Moulton Elementary School and Moulton Middle School are closed Wednesday through Friday.

Alabama’s senior senator says the FBI’s investment in the northern part of the state could reach $1 billion. News outlets reported that Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) met with business and community leaders in Huntsville on Monday.

The military is aiming to ease Alabama’s shortage of teachers. Military officials are leading two efforts designed to increase the number of teachers in the state’s public schools, The Montgomery Advertiser reported .

An exhibit at Auburn University is recognizing important U.S. Supreme Court cases linked to Alabama as the state marks its bicentennial year. Political scientist Steve Brown says he installed the exhibit at the university’s main library to highlight cases including The New York Times v. Sullivan, which arose from Montgomery and established an important standard […]

Alabama high school officials may soon be able to administer a life-saving drug if a student overdoses on opioids. The Alabama State Department of Education and the Alabama Department of Public Health announced that naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, will be available in Alabama public high schools.

Authorities have found two bodies in Gulf waters along the Alabama-Mississippi line weeks after two men were missing while fishing in Mobile Bay. News outlets report the first body was discovered Thursday along Dauphin Island Parkway south of Mobile.

The city council of Huntsville, Alabama, has passed an ordinance to ban the tethering of unattended animals, and it goes into effect next month. News outlets report the ban says owners will be fined several hundred dollars for animal cruelty if unattended animals are left restrained to stationary objects.

Alabama on Thursday said a Christian prison chaplain does not have to be present during next week’s execution of a Muslim inmate who has accused the state of being unwilling to accommodate his religious beliefs in his final moments. Lawyers with the Alabama attorney general’s office made the offer in a court filing as the […]

The head of Alabama’s Medicaid agency says it will need less money in the coming year. News outlets reported Medicaid Commissioner Stephanie Azar told state lawmakers Wednesday that Medicaid is asking for $715 million for the coming year.

Facing a federal court order to improve prison conditions and “unacceptably high” rates of violence, Alabama Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said Wednesday that the department is seeking state funding to hire 500 additional corrections officers. Dunn discussed the needs of the state prison system during budget hearings before state lawmakers.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday withdrew a decision that revived a lawsuit challenging an Alabama law that blocked cities from raising the minimum wage. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals withdrew a July decision that revived the lawsuit filed by civil rights groups, fast food workers and minority legislators who said the 2016 […]

A Muslim inmate scheduled to be executed next week in Alabama said the state is violating his rights by requiring a Christian prison chaplain to stand near him as he is put to death, according to a lawsuit filed this week. Dominique Ray is scheduled to be executed Feb. 7 for the fatal stabbing of […]

An Alabama city councilman has been indicted and jailed on charges related to violations of state ethics laws. AL.com cites the Anniston Star as reporting Anniston City Councilman Ben Little surrendered to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office on Monday.

A judge has ordered mediation in a defamation lawsuit filed against former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley by his former law enforcement chief. AL.com reports that Montgomery Circuit Judge Greg Griffin on Monday ordered the two sides to attempt mediation.