BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained dozens of immigrants during routine check-ins in Birmingham and Gadsden this week, prompting alarm among local advocacy groups and immigrant families. Community organizations and legal advocates say that individuals who had previously been allowed to remain free pending further hearings were unexpectedly taken into custody. The…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Across Alabama, a growing number of cities and counties are reconsidering or halting the long-standing practice of adding fluoride to public water supplies, a trend that public health experts warn could worsen the state’s already declining oral health. Madison, Alabama, is set to stop fluoridating its water on June 16 unless the…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama once again leads the nation in per capita non-business bankruptcy filings, with experts pointing to persistent poverty, limited access to healthcare, and weaker social safety nets as key reasons for the state’s outsized financial distress. According to the latest available data, Alabama recorded 527.3 bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents in 2024,…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama’s sweeping new vaping law, which took effect June 1, has sparked a statewide debate as it bans most flavored e-cigarettes from convenience stores, imposes tough new permit requirements and restricts sales to specialty shops accessible only to adults. The law, known as Act 2025-403, now allows only 34 tobacco- and mint-flavored…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Today, June 2, Alabama marks Jefferson Davis’ Birthday, a state holiday that shuts down government offices and schools to honor the president of the Confederacy. The observance, falling on the first Monday in June, is a painful reminder for many residents that Alabama still officially celebrates a man who led a failed…