With violent weather plowing through the Southeast, the kitchen windows exploded at Richard Brasher’s home in eastern Alabama. Using couch cushions for protection, Brasher hid in the bathtub with his wife, daughter and two grandchildren as the storm passed near Jacksonville State University. The roar was terrifying, Brasher said: “I thought we were gone,” he […]

Alabama lawmakers will discuss whether to raise the minimum age to buy an AR-15, or similar rifle, from 18 to 21. The House Public Safety Committee on Wednesday will debate the bill by Rep. Juandalynn Givan. The Birmingham Democrat said a vote will show if lawmakers are serious about making substantive changes to gun laws.

Stricter regulations will be imposed on drunk drivers after a bill to close a loophole in the law and reduce road deaths passed a final vote in the House Tuesday. The vote was 98-0. The legislation sponsored by Republican state Sen. Jim McClendon will require drunk drivers to use an ignition interlock device after their first […]

Longtime New York journalist and Tuscaloosa native Les Payne has died at age 76. Payne’s family confirmed his death to Newsday, where he worked for nearly four decades, rising through the ranks from reporter to associate managing editor. The newspaper reports Tuesday that Payne died unexpectedly Monday night at his home in Harlem.

Auburn will take part in an urban tree canopy study. The Opelika-Auburn News reports the city of Auburn and the Green Infrastructure Center entered an agreement to evaluate the canopy, which is layered with leaves, branches and stems of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above. The study looks to improve the planning […]

When Opelika police officer Benjamin Carswell pulled over Daryl Gray for following too closely in August 2014, Carswell found $32,660 in the vehicle. Gray told Carswell he was on his way to buy a car, but the large amount triggered suspicion. The officer seized the cash and handed it over to the Drug Enforcement Administration […]

Severe storms that spawned tornadoes damaged homes and downed trees as they moved across the Southeast on Monday night. Forecasters warned that the storms could threaten more than 29 million people, raising the risk of powerful tornadoes, damaging winds and hail the size of tennis balls. Cities in northern Alabama reported power outages, and the National […]

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has signed a contract to provide health care in state prisons. Ivey’s office confirmed Monday that she signed the $360 million contract with Wexford Health Sources to supply medical and mental health care to inmates until late 2020.

Daybreak Tuesday revealed widespread damage after a night of violent weather in the Deep South, with a college campus shattered by an apparent tornado and thousands of buildings and vehicles battered by hail as large as baseballs. The area around Jacksonville State University was among the hardest hit as storms swept across the South, part of a […]

The Latest on storms and damage across the Southeast (all times local): 8 a.m. Forecasters say a storm system that battered Alabama and Georgia will threaten a large part of the Florida and coastal communities in Georgia and the Carolinas. The national Storm Prediction Center says much of north Florida and the entire Georgia and […]

Two-time champion Karrie Webb has received a special exemption to the U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek in Alabama. Webb won consecutive U.S. Women’s Open titles by a combined 13 shots when she was at the top of her game. She beat Cristie Kerr and Meg Mallon by five shots at The Merit Club outside […]

Prosecutors say an Alabama man who planned to hire someone to kidnap a woman and her 14-year-old daughter has pleaded guilty to child sex-trafficking charges. A U.S. Department of Justice statement says 48-year-old Brian David “Blaze” Boersma was arrested in October by undercover FBI agents. The Decatur man believed they would kidnap the mother and […]

The governor of Alabama says there has been significant damage in parts of Alabama. Gov. Kay Ivey said state resources were being sent to the affected areas, especially Jacksonville and Calhoun County, in her statement Monday night. She added, “Our first priority is ensuring our people are safe. Please stay out of affected areas and let first […]

Severe storms that spawned tornadoes damaged homes and downed trees as they moved across the Southeast on Monday night. Forecasters warned that the storms could threaten more than 29 million people, raising the risk of powerful tornadoes, damaging winds and hail the size of tennis balls. Cities in northern Alabama reported power outages, and the National Weather […]

Students from the Florida high school where 17 people were fatally shot last month expect more than 1 million participants in upcoming marches in Washington and elsewhere calling for gun regulations, students said Monday. More than 800 March for Our Lives demonstrations are planned around the world Saturday, sparked by the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida. “It just […]

Former “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon said on Twitter Monday that she’ll challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York’s Democratic primary in September. Her announcement sets up a race pitting an openly gay liberal activist against a two-term incumbent with a $30 million war chest and possible presidential ambitions. “We want our government to work […]

Alabama lawmakers are headed into the final days of the 2018 session with key votes looming on proposals to allow some teachers to carry guns in school, changing the position of lieutenant governor and other bills. The House of Representatives on Tuesday will debate a bill to allow designated teachers, after undergoing training, to carry firearms in […]

An organization that preserves Civil War battlefields is looking for volunteers to clean up historical sites in Alabama including Fort Morgan on the coast. The Civil War Trust says volunteers will be working at more than 160 sites nationwide during its annual cleanup day April 7.

Alabama’s tourism agency is promoting a series of walking tours that will start next month in cities both large and small. About 30 communities statewide are offering the free, hour-long strolls beginning April 7.

MöllerTech, a German auto supplier, has opened a $46.3 million plant in central Alabama. Company officials said 222 employees will be hired at the new supply plant by the end of 2019, Al.com reported . The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held this week almost 16 months after the company announced it would build the plant in […]

Clemson isn’t all about football. The Tigers are pretty good at basketball, too, and are going to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 21 years.

Police in Alabama say a man has been charged in connection with the death of a 91-year-old woman. Dothan police said in a news release Sunday that 58-year-old Joe Nathan Duncan was charged with capital murder in the death of 91-year-old Mabel Fowler.

Police say a 41-year-old Alabama man who was found with a stab wound has died. The Montgomery Advertiser reports that police responded to the 2600 block of Endicott Drive shortly after midnight Friday to find George Tucker suffering from a stab wound.

Twenty-nine million people faced a threat of severe storms Monday that could bring damaging hail, high wind and even tornadoes to the southeastern United States.