As is my custom for the past 21 years, my year end column illuminates Alabama political luminaries that passed away last year. We lost some good ones. Former State Senator and Lt. Governor George McMillan passed away in Birmingham at 81. George was a vivacious, delightful gentleman, who never met a stranger. I never knew […]

Alabama’s Republican federal elected officials are showing their support for President Donald Trump’s action against the dictator of Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and arrested early Saturday morning after a “large scale strike” by the U.S. military. “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike […]

Judge Gil Self was sentenced to 12 years in prison after having been found guilty last month of 17 of 18 charges. A Lauderdale County jury had rendered verdicts after three weeks of trial in November. Self was sitting in the defendant’s chair as the accused in the same courtroom where he had sat for […]

Some of the faces are always new. They’ve wanted to come here at least once. Other familiar faces come every New Year’s Day and have been coming for decades. Some are local, but many are from out of state. A shrinking number of the oldsters, aged 80s and 90s, knew him. They are all here […]

It’s a long way from Homewood to Hollywood. That’s essentially the trip that the Homewood, Alabama High School Patriots Band made this week. The 375-member band is marching in the 2026 Rose Parade. The eyes of the nation will be on the Pasadena parade and the Patriot band on New Year’s Day. The Patriot Band […]

A new group fighting back against what it calls “lawsuit abuse” in Alabama is starting to flex its political muscle heading into 2026. On Wednesday, Alabamians for Legal Reform, “a professional advocacy organization focused on promoting fairness and balance within Alabama’s civil justice system,” announced that governmental affairs veteran Harrison Proctor, previously a lawyer-lobbyist for […]

The Zoghby family name is a well-known name in Mobile. One of the family matriarchs has died at age 90. Cecilia Theresa Zoghby had a visitation and Rosary on Monday December 29 at 5 p.m. and a funeral Mass at 1:30 p.m. on December 30 in Mobile. In the cathedral where she was memorialized, Cecilia […]

While 22 states have had residents sickened with salmonella, some after eating raw oysters, Alabama is not one of those states. A December 23 report issued by the Center for Disease Control stated that 64 people have been infected with the disease. The situation is referred to as an “outbreak” in many news media and […]

Madison County Commission Chairman Mac McCutcheon notified Governor Kay Ivey today that he will retire from his post effective March 1, 2026. The longtime North Alabama elected official has a career that has spanned law enforcement, state government, as well as local county leadership. A native of Madison County, McCutcheon served 16 years in the […]

Kick off 2026 with fresh air and a sense of adventure while enjoying some of Alabama’s most scenic views by participating in a First Day Hike at an Alabama State Park. Alabama State Parks will again offer First Day Hikes on Jan. 1, giving everyone the chance to explore Alabama’s breathtaking natural landscapes with guided hikes at more than […]

At the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE), the future isn’t something to fear. It’s something to shape. As the nation’s only high school fully dedicated to integrating cyber technology and engineering into every academic discipline, ASCTE is leading the way in preparing students for a rapidly evolving world, including the new era […]

Alabama’s rural communities are getting a infusion of $203,404,327 under the Trump administration’s state-led rural health transformation plan. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Monday that all 50 states will receive awards through the program, which CMS says was established under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation. Awards for 2026 average about […]

A new filing in Alabama indicates UPS is planning layoffs at its Montgomery operation early next year. That filing with the Alabama Department of Workforce shows a Montgomery UPS layoff affecting 128 employees, with an initial report date of December 23, 2025, and a planned start date of February 23, 2026. The cuts in Montgomery […]

First Solar is an American solar manufacturing company, unlike most of the industry which makes its panels in China. Last year, First Solar opened a plant in Lawrence County, which brought more than 800 manufacturing jobs to Alabama. Its entire steel supply chain is within a 25-mile radius of the factory. In Alabama, it isn’t a “solar” story so much as it […]

Alabamians hoping for a white Christmas this year may want to temper their expectations. Meteorologists from across the state are in agreement that Christmas Eve will bring mild temperatures and mostly dry conditions, with no indication of snow in the current forecast outlook. WVTM 13 meteorologists report that forecast models point to a shift away […]

A new Netflix documentary series will revisit the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, the Mountain Brook teenager whose 2005 disappearance during a high school graduation trip to Aruba became one of the most closely followed missing-person cases in the world. Nearly two decades later, the series brings renewed attention to a tragedy that began in Alabama […]

Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) brought a moment of comfort and holiday cheer to young patients this week during a visit to Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Mobile. Troopers from ALEA’s Mobile and Grove Hill posts delivered Trooper Teddy Bears to children receiving care at the hospital, offering reassurance and smiles to […]

The Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) has announced that, pursuant to state law, all public water bottoms will close to the harvest of oysters at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. Alabama’s public oyster reefs opened for harvest on October 6, 2025, and will close […]

Greg Biffle and his family were killed Thursday in a plane crash in North Carolina. Biffle, 55, raced for 16 years in NASCAR’s Cup Series, including races at the Talladega Superspeedway. Biffle, along with his wife, two children and three team members died in the crash. The horrific accident brought back memories for Alabama followers […]

The local sports community in the city of Birmingham was shaken up this week by news that former WBRC sports reporter Christina Chambers was found dead in Hoover. Chambers, a longtime reporter on both high school and collegiate sports in Alabama, was highly admired in the local sports media landscape. Since her death, many have posted […]

For decades, Alabamians have turned to James Spann when storms turn deadly — now, the nation is hearing his story. The longtime ABC 33/40 chief meteorologist appeared on Fox Weather’s “Chillin’ with Bob Van Dillen” this week, discussing the moments that shaped his career and his ongoing mission to protect lives during severe weather. Van […]

This week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Guntersville resident Randall “Randy” Jones to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors. His presence on the board now gives Alabama a new voice on the federal utility’s governing body as TVA works to meet rapidly growing power demand across the Tennessee Valley. “Congratulations to my […]

Longtime benefactor Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. has gifted the first endowment to support The University of Alabama School of Leadership and Policy through the Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. Endowed Professorship in Leadership and Policy. Culverhouse’s $500,000 gift will help the School attract and retain nationally recognized scholars and experts in public policy and leadership. The endowment is […]

Jared Isaacman, the new NASA administrator, plans to donate his salary to U.S. Space Camp, in Huntsville, Alabama. The billionaire entrepreneur was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a 67-30 vote Wednesday. He was previously nominated by President Trump in January but the president pulled his nomination in late May before renominating Isaacman last month. […]