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Teacher at Alabama Christian school accused of sex with female student

An Alabama teacher is accused of having sexual relationship with an underage student.

Sarah Huggins Logan, 35, is charged with school employee engaging in a sex act, Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit officials announced Friday.

Sheriff’s office investigators on Wednesday received a report from the parents of a student at North River Christian Academy, said Capt. Jack Kennedy.

The parents reported they had discovered their juvenile daughter had been involved in a sexual relationship with a teacher. The school teaches students in grades pre-K through 12th.

TCVU’s Sexual Assault Section assumed the investigation.

After conducting interviews and recovering evidence, they obtained warrants for Logan. She was taken into custody Friday.

Kennedy said the school has cooperated in the investigation, and Logan is no longer employed at the school.

The investigation is ongoing, and more charges are expected.

There is a possibility of other victims, Kennedy said, and anyone who was a victim or has further information is asked to call the investigators at 205-464-8690.

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Astronomer places Andy Byron, Kristin Cabot on leave after viral Coldplay scandal

Just hours after Astronomer posted a statement they would launch an investigation in CEO Andy Byron and chief people officer Kristin Cabot caught in an embrace at a Coldplay concert, it is being reported both have been put on leave pending the investigation.

Axios, citing a source familiar with the situation, first reported the news.

In addition, the company said the Byron apology circulating on social media was is fake and another employee, Alyssa Stoddard, who many had misidentified, was not at the event.

“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” the statement read earlier Friday. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”

The statement comes after Coldplay’s Chris Martin pointed out if the two who ducked out of the way of the camera were “having an affair or (are) just very shy.”

Byron and Cabot – both married – were those identified in the video. Byron ducked out of the frame while Cabot covered her face and turned around.

Byron became CEO of Astronomer in 2023, whereas Cabot, according to her now-defunct LinkedIn, joined Astronomer in November 2024.

Astronomer is a private data infrastructure and operations company.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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Amazon warns 200 million Prime customers of recent login info scam

Fake emails claiming your Amazon Prime subscription will automatically renew are being sent to customers’ inbox.

According to reports, more than 200 million have been warned by Amazon.

In some instances, the email may include personal information, tempting customers to believe in the legitimacy of the email. In fact, as Malwarebytes reports, some emails include a “cancel subscription.” Others, as seen here, show an “update payment method” button.

If a scammer gets your information, they have access to details they can use to login to the Amazon site and purchase items.

“We’ve recently noticed an increase in customers reporting fake emails about Amazon Prime membership subscriptions. We want to help you stay protected by sharing important information about these scams,” Amazon’s warnings said.

Here’s what you can do:

  • If you receive an email, don’t click on the links.
  • If you are unsure, Malwarebytes suggest checking the “Message Centre” under your account. All company-issued messages appear here as well.
  • Report the scam to Amazon.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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Remembering one of the state’s most dominant runs of championship success

It’s not only one of the most dominant runs in Alabama high school sports, but it’s etched in national volleyball history.

AL.com fans overwhelmingly voted Bayside Academy’s record of 21 consecutive championships as the most unbreakable record in AHSAA volleyball history.

Tuesday’s poll of the most unbreakable records, which included five additional historic marks, saw the Admirals’ championship streak garner 92% of the overall vote.

RELATED: Remembering a historic prep career for one of the state’s top basketball stars

Bayside Academy’s mark of 21 state championships is the longest in high school girls volleyball history and one of 31 programs in the nation to win at least 20 state titles in a row.

The longest streak of state titles by any team is Jackson (Miss.) Prep’s boys and girls swimming team, which won 45 titles from 1974 to 2018.

Bayside Academy’s streak is 21 of the program’s AHSAA-record 31 titles, with 28 coming under Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame inductee Ann Schilling.

A historic streak began in the 2002 season, when Bayside Academy was a Class 2A program after previously winning eight state titles in Class 1A and two more in 2A; the Admirals’ first championship came in 1981, 11 years after the school was founded.

The current count of Bayside Academy’s state championships by classification is…

Class 6A: 1

Class 5A: 2

Class 4A: 2

Class 3A: 10

Class 2A: 9

Class 1A: 6

Before the streak was snapped with a loss to eventual Class 6A champion Mountain Brook in the 2023 state semifinals, Bayside’s 2001 championship loss to Geraldine was the last time the Admirals didn’t come home with a championship.

Now, the Admirals are among the ranks of Class 7A and playing in their seventh classification as a program.

Last season saw the Admirals go 32-12 with a loss to eventual Class 7A runner-up Bob Jones in the state tournament, also landing a pair of all-state nods in Grier Broughton and Haley Robinson.

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Alabama parole board accepts new guidelines, will allow inmates to submit videos

Alabama may soon let prisoners have a say at their parole hearings, but their original crime will carry more weight under new guidelines.

The three-member Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles voted on Thursday to adopt new guidelines for who should be released from the state’s overcrowded prisons.

The new guidelines are stricter in terms of how they rank an inmate for parole readiness, weighing the inmate’s original crime more heavily than the previous guidelines and putting more emphasis on behavior in prison.

“Alabama already has one of the lowest parole grant rates in the country and one of the highest violent crime rates,” said attorney Lauren Faraino, who has gone before the board many times to argue for clients to be released on parole.

“If endless incarceration worked, we’d be the safest state in America. This isn’t reform. It’s regression. Its fear-driven policy cloaked in bureaucratic language. And it’s going to keep making Alabama citizens less safe.”

State law requires the board to look at the parole guidelines as an aide to decide who to release, but doesn’t require the board to follow the guidelines’ recommendations.

The proposed guidelines were released in May, and Alabamians were encouraged to submit comments to the board for review until July 4. After the review period, the board made several small changes to the guidelines before adopting them. According to the bureau, which supervises the 45,000 people on probation, parole and other supervised release throughout the state, there were 53 responses during the public comment period.

The initial revisions primarily concern how the board should weigh an inmate’s behavior and disciplinary record, their participation in treatment and programs while in prison, and their original offense.

Board members accepted one of the changes that came from a comment asking to add education completed while in prison as a factor.

Another change they accepted was an ask to add status for inmates who were juvenile offenders at the time of their offense.

The bureau also said the board was working on a standardized process for all inmates up for parole to have the option to submit a prerecorded video statement. That change would mean inmates would have a say in their hearing, as currently Alabama doesn’t allow incarcerated people to attend their own parole hearings.

Currently, some lawyers who are familiar with the board’s process do create videos of their incarcerated clients. But it’s rare, and inmates without a lawyer to bring a laptop into the prison aren’t afforded the same opportunity.

The guidelines update comes several years after they were due by state law. But today the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles — a separate entity from the board — said the guidelines were “considered” to be revised in early 2024 but the board “voted to make no changes at that time.”

At a meeting with lawmakers from the bipartisan Joint Prison Oversight Committee in the fall of 2024, then-parole board Chairperson Leigh Gwathney talked about the board’s existing guidelines, which Gwathney said were set in 2018 prior to her appointment and had last been revised in 2020.

At the time, Gwathney said that she didn’t know who set them or their reasoning.

Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, pointed out at the meeting that Alabama law requires the board to review the guidelines every three years, seek public comment and share them on the parole board website. “You’re about two years overdue,” said England at that October meeting.

“Fair enough,” Gwathney replied.

At the time, she said the guidelines revision was an “ongoing conversation.”

Gov. Kay Ivey did not reappoint Gwathney to the parole board when her term expired this summer. Her new man for the job, Hal Nash, had his first day at the board on Tuesday. Nash most recently worked as the former chief corrections deputy for Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

How the guidelines work

The parole guidelines consist of a scoresheet, with numbers correlating to how someone fits into the score that can show if a person would be a good candidate for parole. The higher someone scores, the less likely they are to be recommended for parole.

The old guidelines recommended inmates with a score of up to 7 be recommended for parole, and over 8 be denied. The revised guidelines make it slightly tougher to get a positive recommendation. They call for a score of up to 5 be recommended for parole, but a score of 6 to 8 would now be considered neutral and could be recommended for either a grant or denial. A score over 9 would be grounds for a denial.

Other guideline changes in the revised version posted on the bureau’s website revolve around behavior in prison. Previously, the guidelines scored an inmate based on if they had no disciplinaries, and how many violent or non-violent ones were accumulated throughout the year. The revised guidelines make a disciplinary offense involving violence within the last 12 months a score of 3, versus the previous score of 2.

The prior guidelines rank the severity of an inmate’s original offense as ‘low’, ‘moderate’, or ‘high’, with ‘low’ scoring a zero and ‘high’ scoring a 2. The new guidelines put more weight on some original crimes, proposing the scoring of a ‘low’ offense as a 1 and adding a ‘very high’ offense level with a score of 4.

Sex offenses will now be considered as ‘very high,’ while any case with a victim must be scored as ‘high’ or ‘very high.’ Felony crimes involving injury will be considered ‘very high,’ too.

Under the previous leadership, the parole board had long ignored its own guidelines. In 2023, the board finished the year with a staggering 8% parole rate — the lowest in recent years. That same year, the board’s own guidelines recommended about an 80% grant rate. In 2024, the parole rate jumped to 20%, but the guidelines still suggested between 75%-90% of eligible applicants be paroled.

The board is on track for a 21% grant rate this year.

Faraino said the new guidelines will not improve the board’s grant rate.

“These revised parole guidelines are nothing more than fear masquerading as policy,” she said.

“This cannot be what the legislature had in mind when it called for a review of the guidelines. In any other area of public life, we would never accept a scoring system this flawed, this slanted, and this untethered from results.”

According to Friday’s press release, there will be a review committee to see how the guidelines work once they’re enacted. The committee was established “to support the Board in analyzing parole data and its relationship to the revised guidelines” and will meet every three months to assess the guidelines and provide insights.

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Alabama police find man wanted for sex crimes living in a church hundreds of miles away

DeKalb County investigators on Wednesday arrested a man wanted for multiple sex crimes in Mobile County.

Christopher Keith Nichelson,47, of Fort Payne, was discovered living in a church in DeKalb County.

On Wednesday, July 16, investigators received information from an anonymous caller that Nichelson, who was wanted in Mobile County, was living in a church in DeKalb County, according to a recent release.

They determined that Nichelson had arrest warrants out of Mobile County for sodomy first degree, rape first degree, and sex abuse of child less than twelve.

Upon arrival at the church, officers found Nichelson sitting in his vehicle.

Nichelson was detained and told investigators that his name was “Kevin,” according to the release.

Once Nichelson’s identity was confirmed, he was arrested for his warrants and is scheduled to be extradited back to Mobile County.

The church where Nichelson was staying was not involved in hiding him from law enforcement and they were fully cooperative, investigators said.

They were unaware that he was wanted and Nichelson was not around children during the time he was living at the church, according to the release.

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Birmingham public radio faces ‘uncharted future’ after ‘devastating’ funding cuts

Birmingham’s public radio station, WBHM, will lose 10% of its annual operating budget under a bill passed by Congress early Friday.

Lawmakers voted to rescind $1.1 billion in funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

“Community support has always been the backbone of public media, and now it’s everything,” WBHM executive director Will Dahlberg said.

“Following the decision by Congress to eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, WBHM and public media stations across the country enter into an uncharted future.

“This is a devastating decision for the millions of people who rely on public media every single day, including those in and around the heart of Alabama.”

Dahlberg said the bill, backed by President Trump, would leave WBHM with a nearly $400,000 budget gap over the next two years.

“While there is a lot to figure out in the days ahead, the commitment of the WBHM team to serve our community will not change, even if the formula for how we carry out that mission does,” Dahlberg said.

Wayne Reid, executive director of Alabama Public Television, said APT would lost just over $2.8 million, about 13% of its budget.

The bill cancelled a total of $9 billion – the money for public broadcasting plus $7.9 billion in foreign aid.

Republicans were almost unanimous in passing the bill by narrow margins over united opposition from Democrats.

The bill passed the House 216-213 early Friday.

Alabama’s five Republican members – Reps. Robert Aderholt, Barry Moore, Gary Palmer, Mike Rogers, and Dale Strong – all voted in favor of the bill.

“I’ve long called for NPR’s funding to be cut – your taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be used to promote left-wing propaganda. I am proud to work with my Republican colleagues to restore fiscal sanity,” Strong posted on social media.

The two Democrats – Reps. Shomari Figures and Terri Sewell – voted no.

All but two Republicans voted in favor of the bill and all Democrats opposed.

Friday was the deadline to pass the bill, or the funds would have been released.

The Senate had passed the bill 51-48 on Thursday. Alabama Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville voted in favor of it.

It goes to Trump, who can sign it into law.

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Restaurant owner caught in federal raid denies misusing $225,000 in pandemic loans

Cesar Campos-Reyes, the Lee County man and restaurant owner who was the focus of multi-site business raids this week, pleaded not guilty in federal court Friday to multiple counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and forfeiture.

Campos-Reyes, 52, faces a possible sentence of up to 30 years, along with fines, for allegedly taking $225,000 in fraudulent, pandemic-related business loans.

“Rather than use the funds for eligible expenses, the funds were used for personal expenses unrelated to the specified authorized expenses under the Paycheck Protection Program Rule,” stated a federal indictment filed in April.

Campos-Reyes submitted applications for PPP loans for Mariachi’s Mexican Grill, El Patron of Pace, Pensacola and Prattville, according to the filing. He transferred the funds to his own account rather than using them to pay workers and cover the cost of his building mortgages and utilities as authorized for the loans, according to the indictment.

The raids that included a search for Campos-Reyes Wednesday were carried out at 14 locations, including multiple Mexican restaurants and other properties in six Alabama counties. The operation is part of a larger investigation into human smuggling, drug trafficking and financial crimes, according to authorities.

Law enforcement arrested 40 people thought to be undocumented immigrants and seized large amounts of powder cocaine, methamphetamine, crack and pills, 20 guns and $100,000 in cash.

Three other unnamed people were arrested Wednesday and two will be charged with harboring undocumented immigrants. Another person will be charged with crimes related to distributing drugs.

Authorities did not say where the drugs were seized.

“This is allegedly a transnational organized entity that has committed this activity, and this operation is not about any one offense,” Special Agent Steven Schrank of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations said Wednesday.

The raids were carried out by ICE, FBI, BATF, U.S. Marshal’s Service, Homeland Security, the Alabama Department of Corrections and other local law enforcement offices. They included locations in Lee, Elmore, Autauga, Crenshaw, Macon and Baldwin counties.

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‘What Hides in Silence’ movie premiere: How to watch, where to stream free

The brand new mystery thriller What Hides in Silence premieres on the Lifetime Movie Network Friday, July 18 at 8/7c.

Cord cutters looking to check out the latest thriller to hit the popular network can stream What Hides in Silence through Philo (free trial), DirecTV (free trial) or Sling (50% off first month).

What is What Hides in Silence about?

Starring Aubrey Reynolds, Hailey Baird Riemer and Gina Vitori, What Hides in Silence follows Tiffany, an ASL teacher who takes on a new student named Amy, while sparking a romance with the teen’s father.

When Tiffany’s life is threatened, she must confront her tragic and traumatic past and the pain she’s hidden for so long to not only save herself but Amy as well.

How to watch What Hides in Silence

Those interested in streaming the new thriller can find the Lifetime Movie Network available through Philo, DirecTV and Sling.

Both Philo and DirecTV offer free trials for new subscribers to enjoy before committing to a paid plan while Sling offers those that commit to a paid subscription half off their first month.

Out of the three streaming services listed above, Philo is the cheapest at just $28 a month after its 7-day free trial concludes.

What is Philo?

Philo is considered one of the most affordable streaming platforms on the market. Known as an entertainment-focused streaming service, Philo offers its subscribers access to over 70 top-rated TV channels such as TLC, MTV, BET, AMC, CMT, Investigation Discovery and more.

New users can enjoy Philo’s 7-day free trial and continue to stream top channels, hit TV shows and movies on-demand for just $28 a month once the free trial expires.

Those looking to customize their flow of content even further on Philo can consider including add-ons such as MGM+, STARZ, and AMC+ in their subscription.

What is DirecTV?

DirecTV is a top streaming service perfect for those looking to access a plethora of live TV channels and enjoy helpful features. The base package starts at just $86.99 a month after its 5-day free trial and includes popular TV channels such as HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, CMT, CNBC, BET, CNN and more.

DirecTV has also recently introduced a lineup of genre packs, which allows subscribers to choose their favorite viewing options based on what genre they watch the most. With genre packs, users can get the channels and content they want without filler channel overload. Packs start at just $34.99 a month.

Those interested in comparing all DirecTV’s channel packages and the new genre packs can check them out here.

What is Sling?

Sling is another streaming service to consider if you want to access top-rated TV channels such as the Lifetime Movie Network. Though no free trial is available to new subscribers, those who commit to a paid plan get half off the first month.

Both the Sling Orange plan and the Sling Blue plan are normally $45.99 a month, but with the current promotion, Sling users will pay just $23 a month for the first month.

For those who wish to access channels from both the Sling Blue and Sling Orange plans can do so by signing up for the Orange + Blue plan, which combines the best of both plans for just $60.99 a month ($30.50 for the first month).

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Who gave Auburn football a first-place vote on SEC Media preseason poll?

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze spoke confidently about the Tigers 2025 roster during SEC media days.

With promises of being in the College Football Playoff discussion, Freeze’s words might have struck a member of the media harder than expected.

“Our roster is just better,” Freeze said Tuesday. “We’re bigger, we’re faster, we’re stronger. Our culture is strong. Our chemistry and carryover in coaching is here for a second consecutive year, and most of our locker room is bought into the standard to which we think it will take for us to win football games.”

In the annual SEC Media Days preseason poll, the Texas Longhorns were picked to win the conference with 96 total votes.

Eleven different teams got votes to win the SEC championship with Auburn grabbing just one vote.

But, why?

Auburn finished eleventh in the Media Days preseason poll, despite having a roster filled with a notable transfer portal haul and two top 10 recruiting classes.

The Tigers haven’t won more than six games in a season since 2019 and is 11-14 in the Freeze era.

Now we have seen crazy turnaround seasons in sports. Just look at Indiana and Arizona State who made surprise CFB playoff runs last season. However, giving Auburn a first-place vote is beyond bold.

Here’s what else stood out in the SEC Media Days preseason poll.

Was Georgia Snubbed because of Arch Manning hype?

Georgia was the media’s pick last year and won the conference title that December. The Bulldogs placed second in this year’s poll with 44 total first place votes.

Yes, Georgia lost 13 players to the NFL draft. But. Who did Georgia sweep in regular season and the conference title game last year?

Texas.

This season the Texas will travel to Athens for its matchup with Georgia. Another primetime game for the world to see if the Arch Manning hype is indeed real.

Beyond Manning, the Longhorns have plenty of reasons on their roster to justify the preseason adulation.

Texas also returns 12 starters from last season, including All-American linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., freshman All-American edge rusher Colin Simmons and safety Michael Taaffe.

Could the Alabama football doubters please stand up?

Alabama finished third in the poll with 29 first place votes.

In previous years the Crimson Tide were picked to win the SEC in 2014 and 2016-2022. All of those under arguably under the greatest college football coach of all-time.

But it’s still Alabama.

With a roster built on elite young talent like Ryan Williams, Zabien Brown, mixed with vets such as Deontae Lawson, Kadyn Proctor, and more. Alabama will have the same high-quality athletes, this season and beyond.

It might be one of the last times Alabama is this low in a preseason media poll.

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at [email protected].

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