Alabama’s public schools have been ranked 44th best in the country by the personal finance website WalletHub, which is slightly lower than two other recent rankings by U.S. News and World Report and Education Week. Researchers at WalletHub examined various criteria across two categories – quality and safety – to make their determinations. Those criteria […]

Police say a man killed his 10-year-old son and his sleeping 84-year-old mother before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life in northern Alabama. Athens police said in a statement that William “Billy” Christopher shot 10-year-old Chevy Christopher and 84-year-old Betty Sue Christopher on Saturday in Athens.

The University of Alabama announced its biggest donation in school history Monday. Marillyn A. Hewson, chairman, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp., and her husband, James Hewson, pledged $15 million to the university to go towards the Culverhouse College of Business. “I am deeply thankful for the strong business education I received at the […]

Republicans are up 14 points against Democrats in races for statewide office in Alabama, according to a new poll by Cygnal, a Montgomery-based research firm. Republicans currently lead Democrats 55 percent to 41 percent on the generic ballot, something we should expect according to Brett Cowden, Cygnal’s VP of Client Strategy. “It should be no […]

It was an issue Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin inherited from his predecessor former Birmingham Mayor William Bell, but one from which he is not deviating. Nearly a year ago, Bell ordered the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument, a 52-foot structure located at the entrance of Linn Park a block from Birmingham City Hall covered up […]

Two Georgia residents are accused of scamming north Alabama residents out of nearly $19,000 by phoning to say they’d missed federal jury duty and would be arrested unless they sent money immediately. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Birmingham, Alabama, says 35-year-old Teiana Marie Taylor and 42-year-old Orenthial Walker, both of Decatur, Georgia, were arrested Monday […]

American culture has become “less hospitable to people of faith,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday in vowing that the Justice Department would protect people’s religious freedom and convictions. Sessions spoke at a Justice Department summit on religious tolerance at a time when courts have been asked how to balance anti-discrimination laws against the First […]

Attorneys for a police officer facing murder charges say a judge’s comments that the officer’s story was not “credible” have tainted the jury pool in the case scheduled for trial in two weeks. Attorneys for Aaron Smith on Friday filed a motion asking to remove Montgomery Circuit Judge Greg Griffin and transfer the trial to […]

A pair of researchers who study government corruption by asking the folks who should know best — journalists covering politics — are back with their latest survey. Quantifying corruption long has been an elusive goal because there is no agreed-up criteria to measure it. Some researchers have examined public corruption convictions or indictments. But comparisons […]

The two campaigns for governor have clear disagreements about what it means to support the Second Amendment, as recent statements from both indicate. Democrat Walt Maddox’s communications director, Chip Hill, told AL.com last week that Maddox “fully supports the Second Amendment,” while citing recognition he has received from Moms Demand Action, an advocacy organization supporting […]

Therapists have now coined the phrase ‘Trump Anxiety Disorder’ after hearing from an increasing number of patients who name President Donald Trump’s “volatility” as part of their issues. In a report from Canadian news outlet, CBC, Elisabeth LaMotte detailed the anxiety stemming from her patients. One patient reportedly asked LaMotte at her Washington practice if Trump […]

Former Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore appeared on Sacha Baron Cohen’s Showtime series “Who is America” Sunday night. After failing to pass what Cohen’s character issued as the pedophile detector test, Moore cut the interview short and walked off the set. Cohen played the role as Gen. Erran Morad, an anti-terror expert with a […]

Plans for completing an idled nuclear plant in northern Alabama are to be unveiled soon. Al.com reports that the plans for the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Jackson County are to be unveiled Monday.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Monday the creation of a religious liberty task force within the Department of Justice meant to aid in the implementation of a memo he signed last October guiding how the department litigates such issues. “The Constitution’s protections don’t end at the parish parking lot, nor can our freedoms be […]

Local airports in Alabama will see improvements to their infrastructure through more than $25 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby said this week the grant will help 25 airports with improvements, new structures and safety advances.

An Alabama-based company has completed a $575 million acquisition in producing gas and oil. Diversified Gas & Oil of Birmingham completed the acquisition this week of EQT Corporation’s southern Appalachian, Al.com reported .

Alabama’s public schools chief is giving schools guidance for a program that would allow designated administrators to access guns or weapons stored on campus. Superintendent Eric Mackey sent the memo out Friday to school systems emphasizing that program is voluntary.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the 78-year-old civil rights icon and veteran congressman from Georgia, was released from the hospital Sunday evening after his weekend admission for an undisclosed reason. Lewis’ spokeswoman, Brenda Jones, said in an emailed statement that Lewis left the hospital a day after he was admitted for “routine observation.”

While visiting Jerusalem, conservative talk show host and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee didn’t forget to pack his Southern charm.  During an event with U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Huckabee showed off his bass guitar skills by playing ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ for the crowd. According to Jacob Kornbluh, a reporter for Jewishinsider.com, Huckabee was […]

Alabama’s top innovators gathered in Birmingham recently to celebrate the region’s thriving entrepreneurial scene and collaborate on ways to make it stronger. The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama’s 2018 “imerge” event awarded $151,000 to winners of an Alabama Launchpad startup pitch competition and honored industry leaders with EDPA’s annual Innovation Awards. Attendees networked over food and drink […]

As educators prepare for a new school year, leading their discussions is the issue of keeping students safe, in a time when no corner of the country seems immune to school violence. Tuesday, the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham hosted a school safety forum with two local superintendents, the president of the Alabama Education Association, a […]

Morgan County led the way in Alabama for aerospace industry investment in 2017, landing new facilities and expansion projects worth more than $336 million and spurring job growth. A longtime hub of industry for the state, the county’s assets include its location along the Tennessee River and a solid lineup of businesses already tied to […]

Last weekend, parents across Alabama hustled to stores to buy back-to-school supplies, taking advantage of an annual sales tax “holiday” on such expenses. It is too soon to calculate the full impact of this year’s holiday, but a Washington think tank argues it is a gimmick that amounts to poor public policy. “At first glance, […]

When the door opened again, Kate panicked, but then relaxed when she saw it was Dr. Laue. I smiled and looked expectantly at him as he sat down on the rolling stool again and faced me. “All right,” he began without a moment’s hesitation. “We’ve run her blood twice and it looks like what we’re dealing with here […]