Police officers are expected to protect and serve, but cops often go above and beyond the call of duty. That’s exactly what happened in Tarrant, Ala., on Saturday, when officer William Stacy received a call about a woman trying to steal a dozen eggs from a Dollar General. When Stacy confronted the woman, she said, “I shouldn’t have done that but my babies need food.”

Moved by this woman’s need, Stacy responded with compassion.

“You can’t let kids go hungry,” Stacy told Fox 6 WBRC. “I ran inside bought the eggs for her and walked out and handed her the eggs. She tried to give me all the money she had on her which was $1.25. I told her to keep it. I don’t want it. The way she can repay me is to never do this again.”

The act of kindness was caught on camera by a bystander, and the video of the encounter has gone viral.

Watch the video below:

According to DNAinfo, “Chicago’s leading hyper-local news source,” an unmarked Chicago Police Department squad car that was escorting a “Black Lives Matter” protest to a “die in” on Saturday blared “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd while driving behind protestors.

In response, some of the protest’s organizers are now calling the move blatantly racist, while others are saying it was little more than a Crimson Tide fan showing support for Alabama on the day of the SEC Championship game.

“It didn’t makes sense to me,” said a local photographer participating in the march. “It was [either] a horribly ironic joke that desensitized cops were playing, or it was intentionally disrespectful and intimidating.”

Another man can be heard in the video taking the criticism of the song a step further.

“That’s called terrorism,” he says.

And apparently the Chicago Police Department is taking it seriously enough that spokesman Martin Maloney said the incident was “under investigation.”

“As a Department, we are committed to community policing and fostering stronger relationships, based on trust and understanding, with the communities we serve,” Maloney told DNAinfo in an email. “With respect to the peaceful protests, as you have seen over the past week, CPD is dedicated to protecting residents’ right to free speech and peaceful assembly.”

Watch the video below and let us know what you think in the comments below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snviTYMXn7I

While Auburn is in Tampa, Fla., playing Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl, and Alabama is playing Ohio State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, three other bowl games will be held right here in the Yellowhammer State: the Birmingham Bowl, Raycom Media Camellia Bowl and GoDaddy Bowl.

Here’s everything you need to know about the bowl games taking place in Alabama:

South Alabama Jaguars vs. Bowling Green Falcons

Location: Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.

When: Dec. 20, 8:15 CT

South Alabama’s football program was started in 2009, so being in a bowl game is quite an accomplishment. The Jaguars ended the regular season with a  6-6 record, thanks in part to 6-foot-5 Canadian quarterback Brandon Bridge, who is apparently catching the attention of NFL scouts.

The Falcons ended the season with a 7-6 record, including an Indiana upset. According to ESPN.com, the player to watch here is freshman wide receiver Roger Lewis, who finished the regular season with 69 catches for a total of 956 yards.

Get tickets here.

East Carolina Pirates vs. Florida Gators

Location: Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.

When: Jan. 3, 11 a.m. CT

The last time these two teams played each other Ronald Reagan was President. Florida, who finished its regular season 6-5, hasn’t been bowl eligible since 2012, while East Carolina, who finished its regular season 8-4, will be making its third consecutive bowl game appearance. The two times are scheduled to play each other again next season in Gainesville, Fla.

Get tickets here.

Toledo Rockets vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves

Location: Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

When: Jan 4, 8 p.m. CT

The Toledo Rockets finished the regular season with an 8-4 record and were one of the better teams in their conference (MAC). “Toledo has a balanced offense focused around a strong running game,” says sbnation.com. “Their top four rushers average at least 5.2 yards per carry, led by Kareem Hunt, who has 1,360 yards on 173 carries with 11 touchdowns.”

This was Head Coach Blake Anderson’s first season with the Red Wolves, and he led his team to a regular season winning record of 7-5. “The Red Wolves had one of the stronger offenses in the Sun Belt this season, scoring 36.1 points per game,” says sbnation.com. “Quarterback Fredi Knight passed for 19 touchdowns while rushing for 11 more, while running back Michael Gordon ran for over 1,000 yards with 13 touchdowns this season.”

Get tickets here.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Alabama.

A wise elf once said the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. At Yellowhammer News we want to do our part in spreading Christmas cheer this year. Here are 10 of the best Christmas performances we could find on YouTube. Enjoy!

1. Little Drummer Boy by Pentatonix

How do they make all of those noises with just their mouths? Ridiculous.

2. Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Frank Sinatra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K1LHyzKILM

No one beats Ol’ Blue Eyes.

3. Oh Holy Night by Celine Dion

http://youtu.be/MHdx77aAvkc

You’ll find yourself thinking, “There’s no way she’s going to try to hit a higher note than that one…”

And then she does. And then you’ll weep.

4. Angels We Have Heard on High by Home Free

This is how I would expect this song to sound if it was legitimately sung by angels.

5. White Christmas by Michael Bublé featuring Kelly Rowland & Naturally

Alabamians gave up on the dream of a white Christmas a long time ago, but this song might almost make the Yellowhammer State feel hopeful this year.

6. All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

The New Yorker called Mariah Carey’s massively successful Christmas song “one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon.” It serves as a necessary reminder that love is more important than presents. Thanks, Mariah.

7. Happy Christmas (War is Over) by Darius Rucker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSoO5ovow7c

The children’s choir in the background takes this already strong performance and makes it even better.

8. Silent Night by Kelly Clarkson, Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire

Classic and beautiful. If you weren’t a fan of these women before, you will be now.

 9. Let It Snow by Captain Picard from Star Trek

The internet is wonderful, isn’t it?

1o. Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah performed by the Johann Strauss Orchestra and the Harlem Gospel Choir

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76RrdwElnTU

Legend has it that King George II was so moved by this piece of music that he stood to his feet out of reverence. You’ll understand why.

Are there some great Christmas performances that we missed? Let us know your favorites in the comment section below.

Alabamians have a good reason to look to the stars tomorrow. If weather permits, NASA will launch its unmanned Orion capsule from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Friday morning. The Orion spacecraft is at the center of NASA’s plans to send humans deeper into space, and if the mission is successful, it could pave the way for humans to land on Mars as soon as 2030.

Alabama is deeply involved in the Orion mission, with much of the rocket development taking place in Huntsville.

We often share far more about our lives on social media than we realize. The things we “like,” comment on and post reveal a lot about who we are. You might not think sharing that BuzzFeed quiz means much, but to companies like Facebook, everything you do online—no matter how “personal”—turns into something incredibly valuable: user data.

This isn’t an inherently good or bad thing, it’s just the way it is. Everything you show an interest in online is recorded and used to determine which specific advertisements you’ll probably click on. What you share online often reveals your priorities and what you’re passionate about.

Last week Facebook used some of this data to determine what Americans are most thankful for.

“We started by collecting a set of anonymized English status updates that contained ‘grateful’ or ‘thankful,’ as well as the word ‘day’ preceded or followed by a number,” writes Winter Mason, data scientist at Facebook. “These status updates were then aggregated and processed by a text-clustering algorithm so we could identify what people were grateful for.”

Overall, Facebook users are most thankful for “friends.” It’s unclear if that means the I-actually-know-you-in-real-life kind of friends, or the we-met-at-a-friend’s-wedding-once-and-I-followed-you-on-Twitter-the-next-day kind of friends.

The data scientists at Facebook also broke the data down by state to determine which topic is most distinctive to each state and region. According to what we share on Facebook, Alabamians are most thankful for “god’s forgiveness.” In fact, nearly every Southeastern state is most thankful for something that relates to faith.

Tennesseans are thankful for “god’s love.”

Georgians are thankful for “god’s word.”

Residents of Mississippi and Arkansas are thankful for “mercy.”

Both Carolinas are thankful for “salvation.”

That the South consistently gave thanks for faith-related topics shouldn’t come as a surprise. Pew Research’s Religion & Public Life Project found that the South has the fewest number of people who identify as “unaffiliated” with a faith in the nation. Only 8% of Alabamians identity as “unaffiliated,” which is half the national average.

Here’s what the rest of the nation is most thankful for:

Click to enlarge

UAB officially shut down its football team yesterday, ending weeks of speculation surrounding the financial stability of the program. A video surfaced yesterday that appears to be taken from inside the private meeting UAB president Ray Watts had with football players in which he announced this season would be the final season for the team. According to YouTube, the emotionally-charged video was uploaded about 16 hours ago and already has over 160,000 views.

While the audio isn’t high quality, the players are clearly upset, and at times yell at President Watts.

“It’s more than just numbers,” the UAB player says. “It’s people. It’s families. It’s UAB football.”

“This is a personal matter,” another player says. “This isn’t money. Never did you guys ask us what could we do to fix the program. Never was that asked, because it’s not about the money.”

Tristan Henderson, a senior tight end for the Blazers who served as a military police officer in Iraq before coming to UAB to play football, delivered perhaps the most emotional and powerful remarks.

“My three-year-old…what am I supposed to say to him?” he said before breaking down into tears. “You’ll go home and sleep in a comfortable big a** house. Some of these guys came from 3,000 miles away to play here, to be a part of this.”

In the background, a crowd outside the building can be heard chanting in support of the football team.

Watch the full video below:

(Warning: It includes some strong language)

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us, the country switched gears yesterday for Giving Tuesday, a day set aside to encourage generosity and giving.

“It’s a simple idea,” says the movement’s website. “Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together and give something more.”

Giving Tuesday started as a grassroots campaign in 2012, but it has quickly become a recognized part of the holiday season around the world, with companies like Google, Skype and Microsoft getting involved, and even the White House featuring the event on its blog.

Americans may have a reputation of being consumeristic and selfish, but the numbers tell a different story: Americans love to give. In fact, according to the World Giving Index, America is tied with Myanmar as the number one nation in the world when it comes to generosity.

With generosity and charity in mind, WalletHub, a finance social network, used data to determine which states are the most and least charitable. Eight categories were factored in to determine each state’s ranking:

• – Volunteer Rate
• – Percentage of Adjusted Gross Income Donated
• – Percentage of the Population Who Claim to Have Donated Time
• – Percentage of the Population Who Claim to Have Donated Money
• – Percentage of Taxpayers Who Donated Money to Charity
• – Growth in Charitable Giving (2012 vs. 2006)
• – Median Contribution to Charity (Dollar Amount)
• – Number of Public Charities per Capita

Overall, Alabama tied with Virginia for the 13th most charitable state in the nation. Utah topped the list at number one, and Nevada brought up the rear as 50th. Here’s how the Yellowhammer State ranked in some specific categories:

The numbers don’t lie: Alabamians are generous. In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, be sure to seek out non-profits, charities or organizations that you’d like to donate to this year. If you don’t have much money, you can always donate your time and energy.

Check out WalletHub’s complete study here.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the commercialization of Christmas, but one 5-year-old boy is providing a much needed reminder that real joy comes from giving, not receiving.

I’m talking about Branson Carlisle. If you live in Alabama, you might be familiar with his story already. Branson was a normal boy with a massive heart. While most kids think about all of the toys they’ll wake up to on December 25th, Brandon was worried about the kids around the world who wouldn’t be getting any presents.

“He wanted all the kids in Africa to have toys,” Branson’s mother Jessica Carlisle told WHNT News. “I mean, he was going to give his own toys.”

Last week Branson was bit by a brown recluse spider. He was taken to the hospital, but his health quickly deteriorated, and he ultimately passed away.

“The only time they got his heartbeat back was the seventeenth time they shocked him, and they had his heart beating for four seconds, and I had enough time to tell him I loved him,” his mother said.

But Branson’s big, loving heart lives on. His parents have decided to honor his wishes and donate all of his Christmas presents to children who normally wouldn’t get any.

While you enter the holiday season, let Branson’s story inspire you to give selflessly, and to think of others before yourself.

If you want to help Branson’s dream become a reality, you can drop toys off at his family’s church, Freelife Worship Center in Sardis, Ala.

Check out the video below to learn more about Branson’s story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyjKth8afE8

Here’s your nightmare fuel for the day.

Last week officials from the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office pulled 21 porcelain dolls attached to bamboo stakes out of the Bear Creek Swamp in Prattville, Ala.

“I noticed the dolls several weeks ago while driving through the swamp working on a stolen vehicle report,” Chief Deputy Joe Sedinger told The Montgomery Adviser. “I just thought they were a Halloween prank, and really didn’t give it much thought after that.”

But when residents took to social media to talk about the dolls, deputies decided it was time to retrieve them. Using a canoe, the officers paddled to the dolls and pulled them up. “I admit it looked kind of creepy,” Sedinger told The Montgomery Adviser in the understatement of the year.

No one has come forward to claim the dolls. Yet.

This isn’t the first time Bear Creek Swamp has been involved in eerie happenings. Last year the swamp was featured in SyFy Channel’s “Deep South Paranormal.” One of the legends surrounding the swamp claims a woman’s baby died there in the 1800s, and now her ghost is still out there looking for her child. Chanting “We have your baby” three times supposedly summons the woman. The swamp is said to be haunted by the ghosts of an Indian tribe that lived near the area, too.

What are you theories on the terrifying doll discovery? Who put them there, and why? Let us know in the comments below.

You might think “Stars Fell on Alabama” is nothing more than an old jazz standard, but ask residents of Sylacauga, Ala., in the ‘50s and they’ll tell you the truth is, in fact, stranger than fiction.

Yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of the only recorded incident of a human being struck by a meteorite, and it happened right here in Alabama. On Nov. 30, 1954, Alabama residents reported seeing “a bright reddish light like a Roman candle trailing smoke” streak through the sky. But it wasn’t extraterrestrial; it was a meteorite. An 8.5-pound chunk of the rock broke off, tore through a house’s roof, bounced around inside the home and struck 34-year-old Ann Elizabeth Hodges, who was asleep on her couch.

The odds of a meteorite crashing to earth and hitting a person are astronomical, as in, the Population Reference Bureau estimates that, as of 2011, 107 billion humans have walked the earth, and Hodges is the only recorded case of a person being struck. The meteorite left a massive bruise on Hodges’ left hip, along with “permanent emotional scars,” according to Decatur Daily.

The Hodgeses were renting the house the meteorite crashed into, and landlady Birdie Guy believed that since the rock landed on her property, it was rightfully hers. Hoping to cash in on a stellar stroke of luck, Guy took the issue to the courts, and eventually the Hodgeses paid Guy $500 for the the meteorite.

Ann Hodges used the meteorite as a doorstop before donating it to the Alabama Museum of Natural History in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where it is still displayed to this day.

“Ann Hodges never fully recovered from the incident,” according to the Decatur Daily. “She died of kidney failure in 1972 at a Sylacauga nursing home.”

However, the incident wasn’t bad news for everyone involved. A farmer named Julius Kempis McKinney found a smaller piece of the meteorite a few miles away from the Hodges’ home and sold it to a lawyer for the Smithsonian Institute. The exact amount is unknown, but McKinney was able to purchase a new house and a car.

With nearly two dozen state parks and plenty of lakes, it’s safe to say that Alabama is a beautiful state. But one particular Alabama landmark received national attention recently. On its website, The Weather Channel named Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, Ala., the state’s “most stunning natural wonder.”

The public park’s 90-foot waterfall, winding trails, aboriginal fort, pioneer homestead and Civil War carvings were some of the traits highlighted by the website. The park is named after the bronze statue of Cherokee maiden named Noccolula. Legend has it that Noccolula jumped from the falls to her death after her father tried to force her to marry a man she didn’t love. Along with the falls, the park also features a covered bridge, mini golf course and petting zoo.

Noccalula Falls made headlines recently when a man proposed on the walking bridge at the park but accidentally dropped the engagement ring into the water while he was slipping it onto his girlfriend’s finger. Etowah County Sheriff’s Office divers found the 1-carat ring yesterday and returned it to the man, who presumably slid it onto his fiancée’s finger more carefully the second time around.

In 2011, three kayakers became the first people to descend the 90-foot waterfall in kayaks. Check out the incredible video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z132Np3ze2E

On Nov. 20, President Barack Obama delivered a speech in which he laid out the details of his controversial executive order on immigration. Republicans have been quick to criticize the President’s plan, and even the often left-leaning Washington Post questioned the wisdom of his decision.

The Pew Research Hispanic Trends Project, which “seeks to improve public understanding of the diverse Hispanic population in the United States and to chronicle Latinos’ growing impact on the nation,” has provided a detailed look at immigration in America, and how Obama’s executive order could impact Alabama.

The Pew Research Center found that the number of illegal immigrants fell in 14 states from 2009 to 2012, including in Alabama, where the illegal immigrant population fell from 80,000 to 65,000. Pew says the drop in Alabama can be attributed to fewer illegal immigrants coming into the state from Mexico.

While seven states saw an increase in illegal immigrants, the national population of 11.2 million remained basically stable.

“Among the groups widely thought to be under consideration for relief from deportation are long-time U.S. residents with U.S.-born children,” says the Pew report. “The Pew Research Center estimates that 4 million unauthorized immigrant parents, or 38% of adults in this population, lived with their U.S.-born children, either minors or adults, in 2012. Of these, 3 million had lived in the U.S. for 10 years or more.”

In his speech on Nov. 20, Obama spelled out his plan more clearly. “The president will protect about 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportations,” writes Alan Gomez for USA Today. “They will not get U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residence, known as a green cards. But they will be able to live in the United States without fear of deportation, get a work permit and a Social Security number.”

Under the President’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, illegal immigrants had to be younger than 31 and had to have arrived in the United States before June 15, 2007 to be considered for deportation protections. The President’s new plan expands on the DACA by dropping the age cap and requiring applicants to have arrived in the States before Jan. 1, 2010.

As previously stated, there are 65,000 illegal immigrants in Alabama, which makes up 1.4% of the state’s population, and 2% of the state’s labor force. Below is an interactive map that goes into further detail about illegal immigration in each state.

On Thursday, family and friends will gather to share a meal together, watch some football and remember everything there is to be thankful for. When you think about Thanksgiving, the perfect turkey probably comes to mind. Maybe a few different casseroles and some pumpkin pie, too. But we tend to overlook an important mood-setting aspect of the holidays: the background music.

We’ve selected a handful of songs about love, family, friends and giving thanks that you can listen to while you cook, while you feast and while you spend time with loved ones.

The Ultimate Yellowhammer Thanksgiving Playlist

1) Stella by Cereus Bright

Start the day off with this upbeat love song from Cereus Bright, a folk band from Knoxville, Tenn. Put down the baster for a few minutes and dance around the kitchen. You deserve it.

2) I’ve Got Plenty to be Thankful For by Bing Crosby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOrxFY14D8w

Let Bing Crosby help you everything you’re thankful for.

3) Home by Johnnyswim

This tune from Johnnyswim, the married folk duo from Nashville, Tenn., is a good reminder of the importance of home, a perfect sentiment for the holidays.

4)  You Are The Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne

This year I’m thankful for singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne and his gravely voice and charming lyrics. Don’t forget to tell a loved one just how thankful you are for him or her this year.

5) Billie Jean by The Civil Wars

If you listen to one cover this Thanksgiving, let it be The Civil Wars’ haunting cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”

6) Alabama Pines by Jason Isbell

Because we’re all thankful for the Yellowhammer State. Jason Isbell’s love letter to Alabama is the perfect tune to accompany late November.

7) I Want to Thank You by Otis Redding

If Otis Redding doesn’t make you smile this Thanksgiving, nothing will.

8)  Murder in the City by The Avett Brothers

One of the best songs out there about being thankful for family. “Always remember there was nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name.”

9) Live Forever by Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUf4FEiimwg

Drew Holcomb, along with his wife Ellie, is one of the most exciting singer-songwriters to come out of the Americana genre in the past 10 years. And even better: he’s a Southern boy, hailing from Memphis and Nashville, Tenn. This video for “Live Forever” features Holcomb’s family and friends.

10) You and I by Ingrid Michaelson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvMVCHhwTPs

“You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson captures the whimsical feeling of spending a crisp fall day with someone you love—and it’s just so dang catchy.

11) A Little Help From My Friends by The Beatles

Don’t forget to tell your friends that you’re thankful for them.

12) Come Away With Me by Norah Jones

This is the perfect song for Thanksgiving night, when the dishes are still piled in the sink and the kids are tucked into bed. Maybe you’ve poured a glass of wine. Maybe there’s a crackling fire in the fireplace. I’m just trying to give you some suggestions here.

13) A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Vince Guaraldi Trio

Question: Did Thanksgiving even happen if you didn’t listen to the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving theme at least once?

Answer: No.

As the clock strikes midnight, Thanksgiving 2014 will fade into memory and Christmas songs will become acceptable. Here’s the perfect tune to usher in the Yuletide season…

14) All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

You can listen to the complete playlist on Spotify below:

PIN ME!

A few weeks ago, we shared a list of world records that have Alabama connections. Thanks to students in Dothan, Ala., that list just got a little longer.

Last Wednesday, 2,000 Dothan City Schools students officially secured their spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the world’s largest hip-hop dance performance. According to the Dothan Eagle, students practiced for eight weeks in anticipation of breaking the record previously set by a group of 1,000 people in Japan.

The event was organized in part by Patti Rutland Jazz’s outreach program, a program that seeks to provide art education for students at schools where funding may have been cut. Ben Vereen, Tony Award-winning dancer and actor, was present at the event.

Watch the video below:

(h/t Dothan Eagle)

2014 has been a good year for Montgomery, Ala., when it comes to garnering national recognition.

Earlier this year, Montgomery topped USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice list of the best historic cities in the country, beating cities like Boston, Williamsburg and Savannah. Now there’s another claim to fame the city can brag about.

Montgomery was recently named one of the “Best Value Cities” in the country by travel website Trivago. Montgomery is ranked 3rd in the nation when it comes to cities where you’ll get the most bang for your buck, topped only by Macon, Ga., and Branson, Mo. To arrive at this ranking, Trivago looked at each city’s average accommodation prices for a double hotel room and the overall hotel rating of each city.

Montgomery is a city full of history, and these rankings prove that it’s a worthy tourist destination. There’s something for everyone: The Montgomery Museum of Fine Art for the art lovers, the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum for the bookworms and the Civil Rights Memorial for the history buffs. Kids might enjoy a trip to the Montgomery Zoo.

While planning vacations for the upcoming year, Montgomery is a city worth keeping your eye on.

Here are the top 10 Best Value Cities according to Trivago:

Alabama fans are going to want to pay attention to Ronnie Harrison, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Alabama commit from Tallahassee, Florida.

In the video below, Harrison, the sixth-ranked senior safety in America according to 247Sports, returns a punt 70-yards to win a state playoff game for his team. Harrison currently plays for the Florida State University School, making this quite possibly the only time Bama fans will ever cheer for a Seminole. Harrison committed to Alabama in July.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9VAuUEt3LM&feature=youtu.be

This month the Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), a nonprofit group that seeks to make higher education more affordable and and accessible, released Student Debt and the Class of 2013, an annual report that examines student loan debt around the country.

Using data provided by public and nonprofit colleges, the report takes the usually theoretical debate surrounding student debt and adds actual numbers to the conversation. No for-profit colleges were considered because only 8 of 595 for-profit colleges reported debt numbers.

Overall, student debt for bachelor’s degrees is rising, but the figures vary drastically depending on where you live. “High-debt states remain concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest, with low-debt states mainly in the West and South,” the report says.

According to the report, 69% of seniors graduating from college in 2013 had student loan debt, often in the form of private loans, which are generally more costly than federal loans. The national student loan average last year was $28,400, slightly higher than 2012’s average of $27,850.

The report broke down each state’s student debt data and ranked where each state stands nationally. Here’s how Alabama fared:

Alabama’s average student debt of $28,895—$495 more than the national average—means the state has the 12th highest average in the nation. But only 54% of students in Alabama have debt, which puts Alabama in a more favorable 40th place.

The worst state for student debt is New Hampshire, with an average debt of $32,795 and 70% of students taking on loans. New Mexico is the best with an average of $18,656, although 54% of students take on loans there, too.

Of course, there are always outliers. The report also noted that some universities have particularly high debt levels that exceed the state’s average. TICAS calls these schools high-debt colleges, and the 20 high-debt public colleges and universities in the report have an average debt ranging from $33,950 to $48,850.

The University of West Alabama made the list of top 20 high-debt colleges, although the report does not reveal exactly what the average debt is. According to U.S. News & World Report, in-state tuition at the University of West Alabama during the 2013-2014 school year was $7,660, and the out-of-state tuition was $14,170.

These numbers may seem staggering, but not everyone is convinced that our nation is experiencing a student debt crisis. Earlier this year, Jeffrey Dorfman, a professor of economics at the University of Georgia and a frequent contributor to Forbes magazine, wrote that an unbiased look at the numbers reveals that the student loan debt crisis is a myth.

“A recent Brookings Institution study by Beth Akers and Matthew Chingos carefully compared debt, education, and income levels from 1989 through 2010,” writes Dorfman. “They find that debt levels are rising more slowly than the income gain from a college degree, that debt payment burdens are actually falling thanks to lower interest rates, and that most of the really large debt amounts belong to those with graduate degrees who are most able to pay for such large of debt loads.”

Dorfman goes on to argue that the crisis we constantly hear about on the news is really confined to a small number of people. “Over 80 percent of young households have student loan debt considerably less than an average car loan,” he writes. “Most could pay off their loans in one or two years post-graduation if they held their spending down and devoted their new, higher earnings to student loan debt reduction.”

In a Detroit News op-ed published this week, Jane McNamara, CEO of GreenPath Debt Solutions, says that rising tuition is a factor when it comes to student debt, but the most important issue is making sure students are making wise financial decisions.

“We must equip those students with the skills, knowledge, and clear understanding of how to manage their finances and debts after graduation,” writes McNamara. “By doing so, we will be able to head off a student loan bubble by dramatically reducing delinquency and default rates, while positioning college graduates to achieve a successful financial future.”

What do you think? Is this an issue that concerns you? What are the best ways to combat rising student debt in Alabama? Let us know in the comments below.

Forbes Magazine has just released its ninth annual Best States for Business list and Alabama’s pro-business reputation has taken a little bit of a hit. Forbes ranked the Yellowhammer State 44th in the nation, only placing higher than Hawaii, Rhode Island, New Mexico, West Virginia, Maine and Mississippi. Utah topped the list this year, taking the place of 2013’s winner Virginia.

To reach these numbers, Forbes takes into account data from six different categories: business costs, labor supply, regulatory environment, economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life. Here’s how Alabama ranked nationally:

Forbes’ Kurt Badenhausen went into detail about how the numbers are calculated:

Business Costs

Business costs incorporate Moody’s Analytics cost of doing business index which includes labor, energy and taxes. Moody’s weighs labor costs the most heavily in its index. We also included a state tax index from the Tax Foundation that launched in 2012 and looks at the tax burden on businesses in each state across different industries. Business costs are the most heavily weighted component in the Forbes Best States for Business.

Labor Supply

Labor supply measures college and high school attainment based on figures from the Census Bureau. We also consider net migration over the past five years and the projected population growth over the next five years. Lastly we included the percentage of the workforce that is represented by a union.

Regulatory Environment

Regulatory environment includes metrics influenced by the government. We incorporated the regulatory component of the Freedom in the 50 States report from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. It considers labor regulations, health-insurance coverage mandates, occupational licensing, the tort system, right-to-work laws and more. We also factor in an index from Pollina Corporate Real Estate that measures tax incentives and the economic development efforts of each state. Other data points include Moody’s bond rating on the state’s general obligation debt and the transportation infrastructure including air, highway and rail.

Economic Climate

The economic climate category measures job, income and gross state product growth as well as average unemployment during the past five years. Other metrics include the 2013 unemployment rate and the number of the 1,000 biggest public and private companies by revenue headquartered in the state.

Growth Prospects

The growth prospects category measures job, income and gross state product growth forecasts over the next five years from Moody’s Analytics. This year we added a second component for employment growth (it was the only change to the 2014 methodology). EMSI’s “bottom-up” forecasting approach compliments Moody’s “top-down” forecasts. Other factors in the growth prospects category include business opening and closing statistics in each state based on data from the Small Business Administration. We also measured venture capital investments per the MoneyTree report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association.

Quality of Life

Quality of life takes into account poverty rates per the Bureau of Economic Analysis and crime rates from the FBI. Other factors include cost of living from Moody’s, school test performance via the Department of Education and the health of the people in the state per the United Health Foundation. We considered the culture and recreation opportunities in the state based on an index created by Bert Sperling, as part of our annual Best Places for Business. We factored in the mean temperature in the state as a proxy for the weather. Lastly, we included the number of top-ranked four-year colleges in the state from Forbes’ annual college rankings.

The Forbes rankings differ significantly from other recent studies that have ranked Alabama as one of the better states in the nation for businesses. For example, in Area Development’s annual “Top States for Doing Business” survey, Alabama has ben ranked in the top five for the past five years.

Last Wednesday, Yellowhammer shared the story of Michael Schuette, an Anniston, Alabama, man whose shocking anti-veterans Facebook rant went viral on Veterans Day.

Here’s a screenshot of the post.

The backlash to Shuette’s comments was swift and severe. He recently told WIAT-TV that his family had been getting death threats, and his business, Outlaw Gun Repair and Hydrographing, was being boycotted.

But after defiantly standing by his comments initially, Schuette is now retracting his rant, and says that he regrets what he said.

When WIAT 42 asked Schuette if he would do it again, he responded firmly. “Absolutely not,” he said. “Matter of fact, I did a horrible disservice to veterans.”

But it looks like it might be a little while longer before this one completely blows over for Schuette and his family.

“I’ve dealt with over 20 death threats of me and my family, my wife, my two daughters,” he said. “They had nothing to do with this. Everything that was said was said by me. I take full responsibility for what I say. I’m sorry for what I said, but I’m taking responsibility for what I’ve said. If anyone is angry please be angry at me my phone has been open and everybody’s got my phone number.”

Watch the full video of Schuette’s apology below.

What do you think about his apology? Do you think it’s sincere?

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley on Monday announced that in a second round of grants from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has earmarked $9.6 million for four conservation and restoration projects along Alabama’s Gulf Coast, which was negatively impacted by the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

“The Gulf Coast of Alabama is one of the state’s greatest natural treasures, and it is important that we restore it from the harm caused by the 2010 oil spill,” Governor Bentley said in a release. “The $9.6 million we will receive from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will support our continued long-term recovery efforts from the adverse effects of the oil spill.  I appreciate all of our local, state and federal partners who are working with us in this long-term recovery effort to restore the Alabama Gulf Coast.”

The Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund was established in 2013 when a U.S. District Court made BP and Transocean–the Swiss-based offshore drilling contractor that owned Deepwater Horizon–provide $2.544 billion to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to fund Gulf Coast restoration projects.

Before today, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation had awarded Alabama $22.1 million from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund to help pay for seven projects along the Gulf Coast.

1. Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment
2. Coastal Habitat Restoration Planning Initiative
3. Enhanced Fisheries Monitoring in Alabama’s Marine Waters
4. Alabama Marine Mammal Conservation  and Recovery Program
5. Restoration and Enhancement of Oyster Reefs
6. D’Olive Watershed Restoration
7. Fowl River Watershed Restoration – Phase I

Here are the details about the four new projects receiving funding, as written in the press release:

Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment – approximately $3.6 million

This project will build on previous studies to conduct an engineering feasibility study to assess the current and future function of Dauphin Island, develop an array of options for restoration, and evaluate the feasibility and cost associated with sustainable restoration actions.  Dauphin Island is a strategically significant 14-mile barrier island in the northern Gulf of Mexico, serving as the only barrier island providing protection to the state of Alabama’s coastal resources.

Alabama Marine Mammal Conservation and Recovery Program – approximately $1.2 million

This project seeks to increase the response and research capacity within the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network (ALMMSN).  The ALMMSN will work to enhance survival of live stranded animals and provide continuous, consistent and scientifically rigorous data collection from stranded marine mammals to better and more rapidly define causes of death, and define relationships between environmental variables and stranding patterns, thereby contributing to their long-term recovery.  Funding will be used to operate the ALMMSN and train dedicated personnel for future stranding response and research on marine mammals.

Enhanced Fisheries Monitoring in Alabama’s Marine Waters – approximately $1.8 million

This study will implement a significant and meaningful expansion of the collection of data on both catch effort and stock assessment in coastal Alabama.  This data will be used to improve ecosystem-based management capabilities, assess the recovery of reef fish stocks in association with other fisheries restoration efforts and improve and expand single-species stock assessments for managed fish species.

Coastal Habitat Restoration Planning Initiative – approximately $2.8 million

This proposal will develop comprehensive plans to identify the highest priority restoration and conservation needs within the tidally influenced watersheds that directly feed into Mobile Bay.  This project will acquire high resolution mapping of the diverse habitats in Alabama’s two coastal counties to identify the conditions of streams, rivers, riparian buffers, wetlands, intertidal marshes and submerged aquatic vegetation of Mobile Bay.

“This announcement is the result of a coordinated effort between the State of Alabama and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,” said Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner N. Gunter Guy, Jr. “These projects will significantly enhance long-term restoration and protection of our natural resources based upon sound science ensuring sustainability and resiliency of our coastal ecosystem.”

On Saturday, one Alabama fan had a view of Bryant-Denny Stadium that most people only dream of. Before the Alabama-Mississippi State game, a group of Para-Commandos from the U.S. Special Operations Command jumped out of an airplane and parachuted onto the field.

The best part? They got it all on video.

One of the Para-Commandos attached a Go-Pro to his helmet, which resulted in this incredible first-person view of parachuting into a stadium full of 101,821 screaming fans.

A “Roll Tide” can be heard during the descent.

“This is a dream come true,” Lt. Col. Walter told ABC 33/40. “Being an Alabama boy myself, I’ve always wanted to come to an Alabama game.

Not a bad way to attend your first Alabama game, huh?

“We represent the 67,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines stationed across the United States and deployed in more than 85 countries across the globe defending your freedom,” Walter said. “We’re proud to represent those guys defending our freedom and we go out and tell their story for them.”

Check out the incredible video below

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and according to the American Lung Association (ALA), it’s the deadliest cancer for both men and women. In the United States, lung cancer kills more people than the next three most common cancers—colon, breast and pancreatic—combined. The ALA predicts that lung cancer will claim 159,260 American lives in 2014. The disease is responsible for nearly 27% of all cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society predicts that 224,210 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in 2014 alone.

The analysts at WalletHub, the leading personal finance social network, examined data from every state and the District of Columbia in order to determine which states are doing the most and least to combat the deadly disease. Overall, Alabama ranked 50th in the nation when it comes to fighting and preventing the disease. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those times when the higher number is good and the lower number is bad.

In 2012 the Alabama Department of Public Health released a report quantifying cancer’s impact in Alabama. It’s the second most common killer in the state, surpassed only by heart disease. “The lung cancer incidence rate in Alabama is 76.2–higher than the U.S. rate of 67.3,” the report says. “The lung cancer mortality rate in Alabama is 61.8 – higher than the U.S. rate of 51.6.”

The main reason Alabama has a higher incidence rate of lung cancer than the rest of the nation is because both adults and youth in Alabama are more likely to use tobacco. According to the ADPH, “While 24.3% of Alabama adults and 22.9% of Alabama youth smoke, the national averages are 21.2% and 18.1%, respectively.”

Tobacco use is, without a doubt, the single greatest indicator of whether or not someone will develop lung cancer. The CDC says 90% of lung cancer cases are directly linked to smoking. “People who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke,” says the CDC. “Even smoking a few cigarettes a day or smoking occasionally increases the risk of lung cancer.”

Simply put: There’s no such thing as safe smoking.

The University of Alabama made headlines earlier this month when it announced a strict no-smoking policy that will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2015. The policy says, “Smoking is prohibited at all times and at all locations on The University of Alabama campus, including University-owned and leased facilities, properties, and grounds.” Electronic cigarettes are banned, too.

In addition to smoking bans, some states are piling on the “sin taxes” to discourage tobacco use. The five states with the most expensive cigarettes–Alaska, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts–were all ranked within the top 15 overall in the lung cancer study. “Youth are the most responsive to rising cigarette excise taxes,” says Michael Pesko, the assistant professor of healthcare policy and research at Weill Cornell Medical College. “Higher cigarette excise taxes have a large positive impact in discouraging youth from ever initiating smoking to begin with.”

Yellowhammer warned earlier this year that Alabama’s budget woes are likely to renew calls for sin tax hikes.

Polling often shows that a significant percentage of Alabamians actually favor raising taxes on cigarettes to bring in more revenue. However, when asked if a cigarette tax hike would mean Republicans broke their pledge not to raise taxes, the vast majority of Alabamians say it would. That puts Republicans in a tough spot politically.

Check out all of WalletHub’s statistics on Alabama below and see where the Yellowhammer State ranks:

Whether you know it or not, you’re probably already familiar with actress Zooey Deschanel. She’s the star of Fox’s comedy series New Girl, which has been nominated for five Golden Globes and five Emmy Awards. She also starred opposite Will Ferrel in Elf, and played the elusive love interest in the 500 Days of Summer, 2009’s romantic comedy that received a Golden Globe Best Picture nomination.

But you might not know that Deschanel is also a musician–she is one half of the indie rock duo She & Him. The “Him” refers to Portland musician M. Ward. Together the duo has released four studio albums. She & Him’s fifth album Classics, which features 13 covers of classic songs, will be released on December 2.

Earlier this week, the duo released their cover of “Stars Fell On Alabama,” the 1934 jazz standard written by Mitchell Parish and composed by Frank Perkins. The song has been covered hundreds of times, but the most famous version comes from Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. The phrase “Stars Fell On Alabama” also used to be on Alabama license plates.

Instead of attempting to modernize the tune, She & Him captures the 1930s feel, relying heavily on Deschanel’s gentle, sweet crooning to carry the song.

So what do you think? How does She & Him’s cover compare to other versions of this song? Let us know in the comments.