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Demopolis Times Closure Marks Another Chapter in Alabama’s Newspaper Decline
DEMOPOLIS, Ala. — The Demopolis Times, a fixture in west Alabama since 1887, published its final edition this June, joining a growing list of Alabama newspapers lost to shifting economics and digital disruption. The closure comes on the heels of a statewide trend. In 2023, The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times, and Mobile’s Press-Register—three of…
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The Gopher’s Journey: Clarence Moore at Moundville
In the spring of 1905, a most peculiar sight appeared on Alabama’s Black Warrior River—a white steamboat called the Gopher, outfitted like a floating laboratory and carrying one Clarence Bloomfield Moore, a wealthy Philadelphia gentleman with an uncommon passion for ancient Indian mounds. Moore had made his fortune in the family paper business, but he’d…
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ICE Detains Dozens of Immigrants During Routine Check-Ins in Birmingham, Gadsden
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…
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Alabama Cities Move to End Water Fluoridation Amid Shifting Trust in Science
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…
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Alabama Leads Nation in Per Capita Non-Business Bankruptcies, Experts Cite Poverty, Lack of Safety Nets
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,…
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Alabama Tightens Laws on Vaping Products
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…
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