AL.com
130 million Americans would no longer pay federal income tax through new proposal
- Title
- 130 million Americans would no longer pay federal income tax through new proposal
- Runtime
- 0:35
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act would eliminate federal income tax for people who earn below the median cost of living, designating at $46,000.
The bill also provides significant tax breaks for individuals making between $46,000-$80,500 with proportionally higher rates for heads of households and married couples.
The bill would be funded through a surtax of 5% to 12% for individuals with an income over $1 million or married couples who earn more than $1.5 million.
The surtax would apply equally to wages and salaries as well as capital gains and other investment income, lawmakers said.
A fact sheet on the bill said the surtax would impact 615,000 tax filers and raise more than $1.46 trillion over 10 years.
Reporting by Leada Gore
Read more on AL.com
#taxes #taxcut #payment #legislation #congress
- Title
- Suspected war criminal wanted for years released from Alabama jail
- Runtime
- 0:43
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Hamdija Alukic, 70, was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Mobile and held in the Baldwin County Jail. He is suspected of committing war crimes in 1992 against civilians in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to federal records.
Alukic was released on March 20. AL.com left a message with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s office regarding his release but has not heard back.
Bosnian prosecutors opened an investigation into Alukic’s alleged war crimes in 2013 and the state has sought his extradition from America since 2015.
At some point Alukic made his way to Wilmer and has been living a “quiet” life in Alabama, according to Fox10 News. A neighbor told the outlet that they were shocked to find out Alukic is accused of committing war crimes against civilians.
“That just completely blows my mind cause I never seen that coming, that’s pretty wild,” the neighbor said. “They had dogs, chickens and they would sell eggs to Walmart and stuff...
- Title
- Alabama News You Might Have Missed: March 14th - 20th
- Runtime
- 2:34
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The US News and World Report named Samford University as among the most beautiful college campuses in the country, alongside Pepperdine, Harvard, and Duke. It’s the only Alabama institution on the list of 35.
Heads up, if you’re from Alabama and on Spring Break in Florida right now, you’d better mind your Ps & Qs. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office is taking to social media to shame rowdy spring breakers from Alabama as well as other surrounding SEC states. After evicting some loud spring breakers after complaints, the Sheriff’s Office posted quote “heading back to Sweet Home Alabama before sunset must've been a Tide-al wave of emotions."
The bill we mentioned last week that would require voters to register with a political party in order to vote in that party's primary passed the Alabama House of Representatives. HB541 would apply to 2027 so it would not affect this year's primary. It's now moving to the Senate so more updates to come.
- Title
- Tense exchange at Central Alabama Water meeting
- Runtime
- 3:27
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Title
- Trump makes Pearl Harbor joke in front of Japanese prime minister
- Runtime
- 0:31
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- President Donald Trump raised eyebrows Thursday after making a crude joke about Pearl Harbor with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sitting right next to him in the White House.
Trump made the shocking joke after a Japanese reporter asked him why the United States did not give Japan and other American allies a heads-up on the strikes on Iran.
“One thing -- you don’t want to signal too much, you know?” Trump said.
“When we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anyone about it because we wanted surprise."
That’s when Trump made a reference to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
“Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?” the president told the reporter.
“I think you believe in surprise much more than us.”
Reporting by Howard Koplowitz
Read more on AL.com
#japan #donaldtrump #whitehouse #new...
- Title
- How a pastor forced change in Birmingham: Remembering Fred Shuttlesworth
- Runtime
- 1:57
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Today we’re remembering Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who was born on this day in 1922. Rev. Shuttlesworth was the driving force behind the Birmingham integration efforts in the 1950s and early 1960s that energized the national civil rights movement, along with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. #alabama #civilrights #history
- Title
- Alabama snowfall totals
- Runtime
- 0:22
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Alabama snowfall totals as related by the National Weather Service.
#snow #snowday #snowfall #weather
- Title
- Alabama wants to put prayer in schools. Here's how it would work.
- Runtime
- 1:53
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The Alabama House of Representatives last week passed a bill to require K-12 public schools to start each day with a student-led prayer and the pledge of allegiance.
The bill by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, is a proposed constitutional amendment, so it would require approval by voters. It would go on the ballot for the general election in November.
The House substantially changed the bill before passing it, removing a provision that would have resulted in schools losing funding if they did not follow the law and offer school prayer.
Reporting by Mike Cason and Ruth Serven Smith. #alabama #prayer #school
- Title
- Jurassic Park or Birmingham Zoo?
- Runtime
- 0:19
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Dinosaur's in the snow!
The Birmingham Zoo's Dino Safari opened earlier this month. The experience is included with regular Zoo admission and features 23 full-sized robot dinosaurs, 2 nests, and a dig pit scattered throughout the grounds.
Dino Safari is open now until November 1st.
Video courtesy of the Birmingham Zoo.
#alabama #snow #birminghamalabama #zoo #dinosaurs #jurassicpark
- Title
- Snow today in North Alabama!
- Runtime
- 0:40
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Did you get snow?
#weather #alabama #snow #localnews
- Title
- Mother whose son was killed in prison: Steve Marshall lying about ‘The Alabama Solution’
- Runtime
- 2:53
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The mother of a man beaten to death by an Alabama prison correctional officers in 2019 said Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall lied when he said he never met or was interviewed by anyone associated with “The Alabama Solution.”
During an interview on CBS42, Marshall claimed he was never interviewed for the Oscar nominated documentary about state prisons. Marshall said he “never met anybody with the film or any of the family members that were interviewed.”
But in a video response shared with AL.com, Sandy Ray, mother of Steven Ray Davis, who is featured prominently in the film, had a suggestion for Marshall to jog his memory.
“You lied in your video when you said you weren’t interviewed for The Alabama Solution and never met the filmmakers,” Ray said.
Reporting by Patrick Darrington
- Title
- This week in Alabama news: March 7th - 13th
- Runtime
- 3:01
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- For more on these and other stories, head over to AL.com.
See you next week.
#localnews #alabama #whatyoumissed #news #updates
- Title
- Alabama News You Might Have Missed: March 7th - 13th
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Here's what you missed in Alabama news: March 7th - 13th
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall criticized filmmaker Andrew Jarecki for comments made on "The Tonight Show," where Jarecki invited Marshall and Gov. Kay Ivey to the Oscars, claiming they were avoiding the prison issue. Jarecki's film, “The Alabama Solution,” documents severe conditions in Alabama's prisons using inmate footage. Marshall argues the film neglects to showcase the perspectives of victims' families affected by crime. In a Facebook video, Marshall dismissed Jarecki’s invitation as a publicity stunt and emphasized his commitment to public safety over Hollywood criticism. We'll see if the Alabama Solution takes home the Oscar on Sunday.
Heads up to the fans out there but the Better Business Bureau gave Buc-ee’s an F rating. According to the BBB, they’ve racked up 88 complaints over the last three years and are sitting at an average one‑star rating from 43 reviews. As for Alab...
- Title
- Saban's message at Trump's "Saving College Sports" roundtable
- Runtime
- 2:39
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- In case you missed it, President Donald Trump brought Nick Saban and some of the biggest names in college sports to Washington for the "Saving College Sports" roundtable discussion regarding college athletics.
The panel talked over solutions to challenges including NCAA authority, name, image and likeness (NIL) issues, collective bargaining, and governance concerns.
Saban has described Trump in the past as “a great sports fan.” Saban has spoken on the Pat McAfee show about the president’s interest in sports.
“He loves sports,” Saban said. “He loves football, he loves all kinds of sports. And if you ever talk to him, that’s all he wants to talk about.”
Reporting by Nick Kelly
#alabamafootball #footballcoach #collegesports #studentathlete #trump
- Title
- Alabama limits environmental regulations to ‘attract business’
- Runtime
- 1:41
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has signed SB 71, enacting a law that will almost entirely limit state agencies’ ability to make environmental rules.
The bill, introduced by State Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, prohibits the state from making environmental regulations that are more stringent than federal rules.
“If we’re going to be able to compete with states in the Southeast to attract and bring some of these businesses in, then we need to have these standards adopted so that it’s clearly defined what our companies are working with,” Chesteen told legislators earlier this month.
Reporting by Maggie Kates. #alabama #environment #politics
- Title
- Sonny Burton shares what it meant for Doug Battle's daughter to forgive him
- Runtime
- 0:46
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Charles “Sonny” Lee Burton’s sentence was commuted on March 10th by Governor Kay Ivey. He now will serve life in prison with no chance of parole. Burton was set to be executed on March 12 by nitrogen hypoxia for the murder of Doug Battle during a robbery at AutoZone in Talledega in 1991. Burton wasn’t the triggerman, but Alabama planned to execute him anyway.
Calls for Burton to be granted clemency have been growing over the last few weeks, including from former jurors on the case and the victim’s daughter, Tori Battle.
In a letter to the governor, Tori Battle wrote, "I want to remind you of the man this is all supposedly being done for. My father, Doug Battle, was many things. He was strong, but he valued peace. He did not believe in revenge. And in that way, I am very much his daughter. I hope you will consider meeting with me to discuss this. But if you cannot, I hope you will consider extending grace to Mr. Burton and granting him clemency.”
- Title
- Alabama AG slams Ivey for saving ‘murderer’ from execution: He is not ‘a harmless, decrepit old man'
- Runtime
- 0:59
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Gov. Kay Ivey has commuted the sentence of Charles Lee “Sonny” Burton to life in prison with no chance of parole. Burton, 75, was set to be executed on March 12 by nitrogen hypoxia for the 1991 murder of Doug Battle.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall condemned the announcement adding that he was “deeply disappointed” to learn about the commutation.
“Longstanding Alabama law recognizes accomplice liability, as has every judge that has touched this case over three decades," said Marshall.
“Burton does not deserve special treatment because he is old —he could have been executed a long time ago, but like many death -row inmates, he chose to drag out his case through endless frivolous appeals," Marshall wrote.
Calls for clemency had been growing over the last few weeks, including from former jurors on the case and the victim’s daughter, Tori Battle.
“It disturbs me to think of a man who is now elderly, ...
- Title
- Man convicted of assaulting suspect in shooting death of Alabama high school cheerleader
- Runtime
- 0:47
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Silas Aaron McCay, 22, appeared Friday before Jefferson County District Judge Tanita Cain for a bench trial on his misdemeanor third-degree assault charge.
McCay and Hunter McCulloch are charged with the assault on 28-year-old Steven Tyler Whitehead, who is charged in the 2025 shooting death of 18-year-old Kimber Mills.
Video showed a group of people including McCay and McCulloch, assaulting Whitehead after he placed his hand around a girl’s hip and she pushed him, a detective has testified.
The video, a detective testified, showed that Whitehead was punched several times and then the person on top of Whitehead was separated from him.
Whitehead could then be seen pulling a gun before firing multiple times. He is charged with murder and three counts of attempted murder.
McCay was sentenced to 180 days in the Jefferson County Jail. He was also ordered to attend six weeks of anger management with Restorative Counseling Ser...
- Title
- $3,000 payments would be coming to millions of Americans under new plan
- Runtime
- 0:43
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- A new bill introduced in Congress would provide direct payments of $3,000 to millions of Americans. The payments would be funded through an extra tax on some of the country’s wealthiest people.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, introduced the Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act last week.
The bill would establish a 5% annual wealth tax on the 938 billionaires in America. That group, according to a press release from the lawmakers, are worth a collective $8.2 trillion and the tax would raise some $4.4 trillion.
In its first year, the bill would provide $3,000 direct payment to every person in a household with an income of $150,000 or less – or $12,000 for a family of four.
In addition to the direct payments, the money would be used to reverse $1.1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act included in President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” and expand Medicare to cover denta...
- Title
- Bayou La Batre, Coast Guard celebrate milestone for new class of ships
- Runtime
- 0:44
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- A large Coast Guard delegation joined Birdon in Bayou La Batre for the first three Waterway Commerce Cutters, new ships that will replace vessels that have been working for more than 60 years.
Master Chief Phillip N. Waldron said the cutters, part of the new Chief Petty Officer Class, are built to keep America’s inland waterways moving and support the nation’s economic flow.
The first three ships will honor veterans recognized for extraordinary service:
• Master Chief Alan Thiele, the fifth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
• Chief Warrant Officer Fred Permenter, who rescued several men thrown overboard in 1951
• Chief Boatswain’s Mate Samuel Wilson, who led a dangerous 1979 rescue in Alaska
With welding foreman Emily Vice guiding them, the veterans’ families burned their initials into steel plates that will become part of each cutter.
Reporting by Lawrence Specker
#wielding #co...
- Title
- He didn’t pull the trigger. But Alabama plans to execute him anyway.
- Runtime
- 2:13
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Charles Lee “Sonny” Burton did not pull the trigger that killed Doug Battle in 1991.
He didn’t tell anyone to fire the shot, nor was he in the building when it happened, according to Burton’s petition for clemency as the date of his execution nears.
But under Alabama law, if a death occurs during the commission of a dangerous crime, anyone involved can face life in prison or the death penalty.
Burton is scheduled to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia on March 12, during Ramadan. Calls for clemency are growing as the story gains national attention.
Reporting by Savannah Tryens-Fernandes.
#alabama #deathpenalty #sonnyburton
- Title
- Alabama News You Might Have Missed: Feb. 28 - Mar. 6
- Runtime
- 1:59
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- TL;DR — Here’s what you missed this week in Alabama news!
Huntsville's city council is considering both private and public options for a governance restructuring of Huntsville utilities so that one board may oversee the operations instead of the current 3. City council members emphasized the need for a swift decision on this governance to facilitate modernization projects and other utility expansions. 🖋️ Scott Turner
L.L. Bean is opening its first ever Alabama store on April 3rd at Bridge Street. To celebrate the grand opening, L.L. Bean's Bootmobile will start making surprise stops throughout the city on March 28th. Definitely let us know if you see it around town. 🖋️ Scott Turner
Speaking of Huntsville, the Space & Rocket Center just revealed its brand new mascot duo and asked the public to chime in on name ideas. The public responded swiftly — they're kind of terrifying-looking. Bug-eyed, and not in the way you would think. What...
- Title
- Former Birmingham LGBTQ+ nightclub catches fire
- Runtime
- 0:29
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Firefighters were dispatched and found the vacant building in flames. BFRS Lt. Catina Williams said there were no known injuries at this time.
The nightclub closed in the fall of 2024 after the Birmingham City Council revoked its business and liquor license because of continued violence at the club.
Reporting by Carol Robinson
Read more on AL.com
#localnews #fire #nightclub #birminghamalabama #alabama
- Title
- Are you doing well for your age in Alabama? #alabama #census #data
- Runtime
- 1:21
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Are you doing well for your age in Alabama? Reporter Alaina Bookman breaks down the numbers from the 2024 census. #alabama #census #data
- Title
- How Alabama’s senators voted on failed War Powers Resolution
- Runtime
- 0:42
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Both of Alabama’s U.S. senators, Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, voted against a war powers resolution Wednesday after America launched a regime change operation in Iran that could last at least several weeks.
The measure would reassert Congress’s power to declare war and initiate the “removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
“When we are looking at bad actors across the world, Iran has been at the top of that list,” Britt said. “So, allowing the president to finish the mission that was begun, I think, is critically important.”
After the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran many congressional members, primarily Democrats, said that the actions were not authorized by Congress and risks dragging the country into an extended conflict or war.
Republicans have criticized their Democratic colleagues for not wholeheartedly backing the operations which have killed Iran’s supreme l...
- Title
- US shares footage of ‘first sinking of enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II’
- Runtime
- 0:34
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared a video of the sinking of Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean during a news conference this week.
A torpedo fired by a U.S. submarine sank the Iranian warship near Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, roughly 1,000 miles from Iran’s coastal waters, Hegseth told reporters.
“In the Indian Ocean—an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship, that thought it was safe in international waters," he said.
“Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo—Quiet Death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War 2. Like in that war—back when we were still the War Department—we are fighting to win.”
Sri Lanka deployed its navy to rescue some of the Iranian sailors from the vessel, with reports in the country’s press that as many as 80 of the ship’s crew had been killed, according to CBS.
Reporting by Heather Gann
Read more on AL.com
#depart...
- Title
- Alabama man sexually extorted hundreds of teens: ‘The dangerous online stranger every parent fears’
- Runtime
- 0:42
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Jamarcus Mosley, a 22-year-old Mobile man, pleaded guilty to charges of computer fraud, extortion and cyberstalking.
Mosley coerced hundreds of young victims by seizing their social media accounts and threatening to leak their private images unless they sent explicit material and/or money.
Between at least April 2022 and May 2025, Mosley devised a scheme to hijack social media accounts like Snapchat and Instagram belonging to hundreds of young victims, including minors.
In one incident, Mosley tricked a 17-year-old Illinois girl into giving him full access to her Snapchat account. He then used that account to message another victim’s 13-year-old sister about her known location.
Sentencing for Mosley is scheduled for May 27 at 2 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla is prosecuting the case.
Reporting by Heather Gann
#cyberstalking #harassment #minors #extort...
- Title
- Kristi Noem introduced to US citizen twice detained by ICE in Alabama
- Runtime
- 1:18
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- During an oversight committee hearing this week, Sen. Richard Blumenthal “introduced” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to three U.S. citizens detained by immigration officials.
In the hearing, Noem did not answer a question from Blumenthal asking if she has met any of the U.S. citizens detained or arrested by immigration officials.
Blumenthal proceeded to introduce her to three such citizens including Leonardo Garcia Venegas who was arrested twice by ICE in south Alabama last year.
“Do you know what your agents did to Leo Venegas? I’ll tell you,” Blumenthal said.
“On May 21 of last year, they entered the private property at a house that he was constructing without consent, without a warrant, illegally. Again, on June 12, they entered private property, a home where he was doing construction. He is a United States citizen, born in Florida. They seized him and ignored and disregarded his proof of ci...
- Title
- Illegal hunting complaint spirals into multi-charge arrest
- Runtime
- 0:42
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- A complaint about illegal hunting snowballed into a multi-agency investigation involving drug trafficking, firearm and immigration charges in Limestone County.
The investigation began in Dec. 2025 after state conservation officers responded to a complaint in Tanner, Alabama, followed by a search warrant.
Officers took four people into custody and recovered “approximately 17 pounds of marijuana, three firearms and illegally harvested game.”
The individuals were charged with marijuana trafficking, possession of a firearm while in the country illegally, hunting without permission and hunting without a nonresident license.
ICE detainers were issued for the suspects, two identified as Oralia Salgado Luna, 53, of Mexico and Gerson Andres Paz Rivera, 32, of Honduras. The other two people detained have not been identified.
Reporting by Lawrence Specker
#hunting #drugbust #ICE #arrest
- Title
- What will this election change Alabama Republicans want to make mean for voters?
- Runtime
- 0:35
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The Alabama Legislature is considering the idea of closing the state’s political primaries. Under current law, Alabama does not require voters to declare a party when they register.
Any registered voter can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary. Alabama passed a law in 2017 to prohibit crossover voting, but otherwise the primaries are open to all voters.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he has talked with Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, about changing that: “We have to do something about Democrats voting in our primary elections.”
No legislation has been introduced yet. Alabama is one of only eight states with open primaries, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Reporting by Mike Cason
#elections #legislation #voting #primaryelection
- Title
- Tuberville calls deaths of troops in ‘war’ with Iran ‘unfortunate’ ‘It’s going to get worse’
- Runtime
- 0:35
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- During an appearance Monday on Newsmax’s “Ed Henry: The Big Take,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., referred to the combat operations in Iran as a “war” and cautioned Americans to brace for more casualties.
“They got hit. So it’s just unfortunate that happened,” Tuberville said of the troops dying.
“But this is war. It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Tuberville told the cable network.
“But I’m telling you who’s going to win this war ... the United States of America is going to win this war.”
Tuberville, a staunch ally of the president, said Trump made the right decision in ordering the strikes that dismantled Iran’s top leadership.
“President Trump’s doing the right thing. He said the big wave hadn’t come yet, so I would suggest that the people of Iran buckle their seatbelts, because here we come,” Tuberville said.
Reporting by Howard Koplowitz
Read mor...
- Title
- Alabama set to execute Muslim man during Ramadan
- Runtime
- 0:58
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Charles Lee “Sonny” Burton is set to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia on March 12, one week before the end of Ramadan.
“What really hurts me is the governor set my date during Ramadan,” Burton told AL.com. “I was sad and disappointed but I’d like to believe that she wasn’t aware that March 12 is during Ramadan. I’d like to think she didn’t know because she’s a Christian woman.”
Burton was one of six men convicted for the murder of Doug Battle during a robbery at an AutoZone store in Talladega. Burton and a co-defendant, who was the triggerman, were both sentenced to death but the co-defendant was later resentenced to life without parole.
Three years before the 1991 murder and Burton’s arrest, his wife was stabbed to death by another man. Burton said her death made him “so angry.” While on death row, he converted to Islam and found a new life in his faith.
“They snatched my future from me,” he said. “I ...
- Title
- Huntsville City Schools adding more cameras in special needs classrooms
- Runtime
- 0:23
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The Huntsville City school board voted to install and activate more cameras in resource classrooms, which include rooms where at least half of the students need special education services.
The footage is intended solely for use if an incident is reported to school leaders. Access to the footage will be limited to select staff, the student’s parents, investigators or law enforcement and legal counsel.
Reporting by Megan Plotka
#security #cameras #specialeducation #specialneeds
- Title
- Tuberville pitches new state office What would Alabama’s ‘secretary of energy’ do
- Runtime
- 0:41
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Tuberville said the role would be added to the Public Service Commission structure to help oversee energy and consumer needs statewide if he's elected governor.
“In my eyes, I see a future for maybe Alabama having a Secretary of Energy that represents the entire state – where we just aren’t depending on PSC-elected officials, even though they’ll continue to be involved,” Tuberville said.
Alabama State Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger declared HB392 “dead” on Wednesday after public backlash. Alabama is one of 10 states where commissioners are chosen by voters.
The bill would have allowed the governor to appoint the PSC president and associate commissioners from a list of candidates selected by the Speaker of the House and the Senate president pro tem.
Tuberville had backed the bill, arguing earlier this month that more qualified PSC members were needed to strengthen the state’s ability to recruit businesses.
...
- Title
- Tax refunds are higher this year, IRS says Here’s how much people are getting
- Runtime
- 0:28
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Data for the week ending Feb. 20 shows the average refund for the 2026 filing season is $3,804, compared to $3,453 last year.
That figure will likely increase in the coming weeks as the IRS starts depositing refunds that include the Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit. Those refunds can top $8,000 based on the number of children claimed.
The increase is in line with President Donald Trump’s statements that claimed the One Big Beautiful Bill and its tax cuts would translate to about an additional $1,000 per refund.
Reporting by Leada Gore
Read more on AL.com
#taxes #IRS #donaldtrump #bigbeautifulbill #money
- Title
- 2 dead in murder-suicide at Brookwood hospital women’s center
- Runtime
- 0:26
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Homewood police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide at Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital’s Women’s Medical Center.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office Monday identified the new mother as Precious Elicia J’anae Johnson, 24. The man has been identified as 19-year-old Kynath William Terry Jr.
The shooting happened on the fifth floor of the center, which typically houses women after they have delivered a baby.
Homewood police Sgt. Mark Trippe said no one else in the hospital was injured. The baby was not in the room at the time the shooting happened.
Reporting by Carol Robinson
#shooting #hospital #murdersuicide
- Title
- Alabama News You Might Have Missed - Feb. 27th
- Runtime
- 1:49
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Let’s catch up on a few a stories you might have missed this week:
• Huntsville’s Intuitive Planetarium was ranked the No. 1 planetarium in the country in USA Today’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards. 🖋️ Scott Turner | AL.com
• Alabama lawmakers are weighing new rules for data centers as more AI projects launch, aiming to protect ratepayers and tighten developer incentives. 🖋️ Ruth Serven Smith | AL.com
• Athens broke ground on The Grove at South Jefferson, a new workforce housing project with intentionally affordable rents and family‑friendly amenities, including a dog park, playground, and pool. 🖋️ Megan Plotka | AL.com
• Birmingham approved a plan to create a 12‑hour daytime refuge for people experiencing homelessness, a move that leaders say could help “ease tension for businesses.” 🖋️ Greg Garrison | AL.com
•A new EEOC document says federal agencies can deny work‑from‑home requests if employees...
- Title
- Alabama lawmakers agree with Trump: Gulf of Mexico is now Gulf of America
- Runtime
- 0:34
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The Alabama House has passed a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America in accordance with President Trump’s executive order.
Schools, parks and other agencies need guidance on textbooks, maps, and other materials that carry the name of the gulf, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. David Standridge (R-Blount County), said.
Democrats, specifically Rep. Laura Hall (D-Huntsville), opposed the bill and questioned how the state benefitted from following the whims of the president instead of addressing more important matters.
The bill says that all state and local entities and their employees must make the outlined changes beginning Oct. 1, 2026. The requirements would only not apply in the cases of an operational or financial burden.
Reporting by Mike Cason
Read more on AL.com
#alabama #gulfofamerica #gulfofmexico #trump #legislation
- Title
- Tuberville says military action against Iran may be inevitable: ‘We really have no choice’
- Runtime
- 0:57
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Sen. Tommy Tuberville says he is “for whatever the president wants to do” to get rid of the “corrupt leadership” in Iran.
Tuberville made the remarks in reference to President Donald Trump’s State of The Union Address when he threatened Iran for allegedly trying to build a nuclear weapon.
“These idiots ... will use a nuclear weapon” Tuberville said on Newsmax. “This is a regime that is locked and loaded.”
“We cannot allow them to have” and possibly use long-range weapons against countries where American citizens are present, Tuberville continued.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei called the claim, including Trump’s assertion that 32,000 protesters were killed by the Iranian government in January, a “big lie”.
“This is now being systematically used by the U.S. administration and the war merchants surrounding it, especially the genocidal Zionist entity, to serve their malici...
- Title
- Leaks, infighting, and ballot battles rock Alabama GOP: ‘The lack of trust has to be felt’
- Runtime
- 1:05
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The internal friction comes ahead of two pivotal moments in Alabama politics: the March 7 executive committee vote for a new state GOP chair and the May 19 primaries.
The most visible strain came from a leaked recording of House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter during a closed-door caucus meeting where he said he wants what is best for the House and doesn’t give a “sh*t” about the state GOP.
One of the GOP chair candidates, Stan Cooke, called for Ledbetter’s expulsion.
John Merrill, another chair candidate, called the recording and the subsequent leak a “disappointing” breach of confidence.
Rep. Scott Stadthagen, another chair candidate, resigned from his position of House majority leader following the Ledbetter leak. He said the move would resolve questions about conflicts of interest between the two positions.
Ballot challenges in January increased frustration after the steering committee privately weighed residency obj...
- Title
- Why is one Alabama city starting is police department over from scratch?
- Runtime
- 1:37
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The city of Hanceville appointed a new mayor and officially dissolved its police department and municipal court system after a history of “corruption.”
Hanceville, a town of just over 3,000 people 15 miles south of Cullman, has been the subject of scrutiny after the arrest of the former police chief and four officers.
Newly appointed Mayor Nolan Bradford said the decision to abolish the police department would allow the city to “cut it off clean and rebuild it from scratch.”
#alabama #hanceville #corruption #police
- Title
- Mother of missing Alabama toddler hires lawyer, wants $1 million cash bond lowered
- Runtime
- 0:43
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Adrienne Reid, 33, mother of 2-year-old missing Alabama toddler Genesis Nova Reid, is asking for her $1 million cash bond to be reduced.
Reid is being charged with providing false information to law enforcement officers, a Class C felony. She has been held in the Coffee County Jail since her arrest on Feb. 17.
Reid hired Ozark attorney David J. Harrison, who filed a motion to reduce her $1 million bond. The standard bond schedule for a Class C felony in Alabama ranges from $2,500 to $15,000.
Prosecutors asked that if Reid is released on bond, she be required to wear a GPS monitor, undergo drug testing, check in daily with Enterprise police and remain in Coffee County.
When asked whether the high bond suggested Reid’s involvement in Genesis’ disappearance or death, District Attorney James Tarbox said it’s too early to speculate and that the focus remains on bringing Genesis home.
Reporting by Carol Robinson
- Title
- Trump’s approval rating is plummeting with this key voting bloc: ‘Never been weaker’
- Runtime
- 0:35
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- CNN polling shows that President Donald Trump entered his first State of the Union of his second term with a 36% approval rating, the lowest net approval for any of his addresses, according to CNN data chief Harry Enten.
In 2018 and 2019, President Trump’s net approval rating was -15 points, and -20 points in 2020. In February 2026, his net approval rating stands at -27 points: “He’s weaker than any other president this century,” Enten said.
The president also has a lower net approval rating than any other two-term president that went into the first State of the Union address of their last term since 2000.
Trump’s plummeting numbers are being driven by independents. A year ago, Trump had a -13 net approval rating among independents. Now, that number is a staggering -47 points.
Reporting by Howard Koplowitz
#stateoftheunion #ratings #polling
- Title
- IKEA's grand opening in Huntsville!
- Runtime
- 0:50
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Alabama's first IKEA is opening in Huntsville today!
The store is located at 6125 University Place Dr., Huntsville, AL 35806
#huntsville #huntsvillealabama #grandopening #ikea #ikeastore #localnews
- Title
- Alabama’s first IKEA is here! Here’s a first look
- Runtime
- 0:52
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Title
- Trump reveals what Nick Saban wanted to talk about on their Florida golf trip
- Runtime
- 0:41
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- President Donald Trump, Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and Gov. Ron DeSantis were spotted golfing at Trump's West Palm Beach property earlier this month.
During an interview on “Josh Pate’s College Football Show,” Trump was asked what the conversations are like when around “big college figures” like Saban and Meyer.
“They talk to me about politics really, more so than football they liked politics,” Trump said.
“They’re all, obviously, very competitive people. But I would say for the most part we talk about politics. They want to know what’s happening with Iran. How’d you do that with Venezuela.”
But during an interview on the “Pat McAfee Show” in November, Saban said all Trump wants to do is talk about sports not politics.
“President Trump is a great sports fan,” Saban said.
“He loves sports. He loves football, he loves all kinds of sports. And if you ever talk to him, that’s all ...
- Title
- Central Alabama Water execs talk new leadership and cancelled Lake Purdy Dam repairs
- Runtime
- 4:45
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- The CEO of Central Alabama Water said a now cancelled $28 million rehab of a century-old dam that supports drinking water for Birmingham area suburbs was based on overzealous assumptions that led to a massive project the utility could not afford.
Jeffrey Thompson in December ordered work to stop at Lake Purdy Dam in Shelby County, a move that was later supported by a majority of the board after an intense debate.
Thompson, who has not sat for interviews since taking over the state's largest water utility in November offered the most detailed comments on his administration during a recent mass meeting with employees Feb. 12.
AL.com has obtained a recording of the full meeting where Thompson and his senior staff also talked about several issues including the new powers of the CEO and the reduced role of the board following the state law that reshaped the former Birmingham Water Works into a regional utility.
Thompson said workers monito...
- Title
- Alabama’s hold on immigrants for ICE lower compared to other states
- Runtime
- 0:47
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Alabama’s immigrant detention facilities held nearly 140 immigrants in federal custody between January 2025 and January 2026, according to the most recently available U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data.
In Alabama, 76% of detainees had no criminal convictions and were classified as “no ICE threat level” by the agency.
Meanwhile, 10 people at Alabama facilities were classified as a “level one threat,” nine people were “level two” and 13 people were “level three,” which is the highest severity.
Alabama started using a new detention facility in Baldwin County last year, causing the state’s detention numbers to jump 62%.
Other ICE detention centers in Alabama are located in Gadsden at the Etowah County Jail and Carrollton at the Pickens County Detention Center.
Nationwide, ICE has held 68,289 immigrants in detention as of Feb. 7, 2026 and most (73%) of the immigrants detained in the U.S. have no...
- Title
- An Alabama utility board’s water bills will soon grow: ‘That rate increase is going to hurt us’
- Runtime
- 0:55
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- The Helena Utility Board has voted to increase the cost of water for customers. Jeffrey Nelson, the general manager of Helena Utilities, said most residents will see a $21.50 increase on their water bill on April 1.
“Over the past 20 years, we’ve had a lot of deferred maintenance to the system,” Nelson said.
“We have several areas that are worse than others, which is what this overall capital improvement plan is about - to just address aging infrastructure.”
Nelson said the last time the city made major adjustments to the water and sewer infrastructure was in 2014 to address issues at the wastewater plant.
“In 2021, they started an annual 3% increase, which was great, and it was beneficial, but it was not closing the gap on the cost of service that it costs us to run,” Nelson said.
Customers who use over 2,000 gallons of water per month will see an increase of $12.20 for water service and $9.30 for sewer ser...
- Title
- Alabama mayor calls out small town’s corruption while owning up to personal mistakes
- Runtime
- 2:39
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- An Alabama mayor used the city’s social media page to accuse current and past leaders of corruption while also making a personal late-night confession of his own inappropriate behavior with women – including his police chief while he served as an officer in the town.
Lipscomb Mayor Rob Sims in a video on Facebook Live railed against city leaders and declared that his service as mayor is an assignment from God to tear down “spiritual dark kingdoms that have reigned over this city.”
Reached by AL.com, Sims declined to publicly release the documents he displayed in video. He called the papers evidence of a criminal activity, and the chain of custody must be protected. Reporting by Joseph D. Bryant.
