MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday appointed Judge Bill Lewis to the Alabama Supreme Court, making him the first Black Republican justice in the court’s history. Lewis fills the vacancy left by Justice Jay Mitchell, who resigned Monday to run for state attorney general in 2026. Lewis, most recently a judge on the…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Birmingham has been ranked the eighth dirtiest major city in the United States, according to a new study highlighted by Newsweek, sparking renewed conversation about the city’s environmental challenges and opportunities for improvement. The ranking, compiled by Oxi Fresh and reported by Newsweek, analyzed 35 of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas using…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For decades, the phrase “Tornado Alley” conjured images of twisters tearing across the Great Plains. But new research and recent outbreaks show the nation’s tornado hot zone is shifting eastward, putting Alabama and its neighbors squarely in the path of more frequent and intense storms. Historically, Tornado Alley referred to a broad…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama’s rivers and lakes, once considered safe for fishing and even drinking straight from the source, are now under widespread contamination advisories, according to a new state report. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s latest assessment finds that pollution from industry, agriculture and failing infrastructure has impaired hundreds of miles of waterways…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama has the highest denial rate for in-network health insurance claims among major insurers in the United States, according to newly released federal data analyzing 2023 Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans. The numbers are stark: 35% of in-network claims submitted to Blue Cross and Blue…