MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama is facing unprecedented wildfire risk. The Alabama Forestry Commission has placed every county under a statewide Fire Danger Warning, as dry conditions intensify and stretch across the state. The warning underscores an alarming reality: Alabama’s lands, from rural forests to suburban parks, are highly vulnerable to fires due to a months-long…

PLANTATION, Fla. — Stephen Johnson, a 40-year-old former volunteer youth pastor from Alabama, was arrested on charges of child sex trafficking. Authorities allege that Johnson was involved in trafficking a minor across multiple states, including Alabama, where he served for over a decade. Johnson, who volunteered at a local church in Argo, was apprehended in…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama legislature is considering a proposal to raise the age of medical majority from 14 to 18, a move that has ignited controversy and drawn criticism from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. The proposed legislation would require individuals under 18 to obtain parental consent for most medical treatments, a significant shift from the…

WALKER COUNTY, Ala. — Betty Jo Cooley, a former corrections officer, is set to plead guilty to falsifying records in a case involving inmate mistreatment at the Walker County Jail. The incident occurred on September 26, 2022, when Officer Joshua Connor Jones used excessive force against a pre-trial detainee. Cooley admitted to fabricating reports to…

LEEDS, Ala. — In a major crackdown on organized crime, five men from New York have been arrested in Leeds, Alabama, on charges of human trafficking and identity fraud. The arrests mark a significant development in a complex investigation that has drawn attention to the use of vulnerable individuals in criminal enterprises. According to authorities,…