BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama has officially made Juneteenth a permanent state holiday, but the move is raising eyebrows after Governor Kay Ivey credited President Donald Trump for the state’s annual observance-a gesture many see as political posturing rather than genuine leadership. Ivey signed the legislation Thursday, closing state offices every June 19 to commemorate the…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Public Library Service Board’s latest meeting turned into a battleground Thursday as librarians, parents, and activists clashed over the state’s escalating crackdown on library materials, with critics accusing Republican leaders of abandoning their long-touted commitment to parental rights and individual liberty in favor of heavy-handed government control. Dozens packed the…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A federal court ruled Thursday that Alabama’s Republican-led legislature intentionally discriminated against Black voters when it drew congressional districts, permanently blocking the state from using its own map and requiring continued use of a court-ordered plan that led to the state’s second Black congressman. The three-judge panel found that Alabama’s 2023 congressional…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Birmingham Children’s Theatre is confronting a funding crisis after the National Endowment for the Arts terminated a grant agreement, part of sweeping federal cuts that have upended arts programming across the city and the nation. The NEA’s decision, announced last Friday, rescinded funds that had already been awarded to BCT, leaving…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers have passed a bill granting the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board sweeping authority over the sale and regulation of consumable hemp products, marking one of the most significant shifts in drug policy in recent years. The measure, House Bill 445, cleared the state Senate on Monday in a 19-13 vote…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — At first glance, the Asian needle ant seems unremarkable-small, dark, and easy to overlook as it scurries beneath logs or leaf litter. But this invasive species, first recorded in Alabama as far back as 1939, is quietly making a comeback, raising new concerns for residents and scientists alike. Native to East Asia,…