Alabama News

General News

General

Jax State faces win-and-in scenario in CUSA matchup with Sam Houston

It was nine years ago that Jacksonville State played Sam Houston for a chance to compete in the FCS national championship game.

The 2015 group would go on to down the visiting Bearkats in a 62-10 rout to advance.

On Saturday, Rich Rodriguez’s squad has a chance to make history again against a historic foe.

The Gamecocks will host Sam Houston on Saturday, with a victory clinching a spot in the Conference USA championship game for Jax State in just its second season at the FBS level and first season of being eligible to play in the conference title game.

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Burgess-Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium.

“Early in the week, which is today and Sunday, we remind the guys that they put themselves in a position now where you’ve got a chance to compete for a conference championship,” Rodriguez said. “So now, here we are; if we win this game, we have a chance to play for the conference championship, and then I’ll mention it again on Friday, and that’ll be it.

“I want their thoughts more on the process than a potential outcome. I’m proud of the way they’ve worked in the last couple of games. It’s been kind of crazy, but they’ve come a long way since the start that we had and we’re very fortunate to have the opportunities that we have in front of us.”

Fresh off of a 34-31, comeback victory over Florida International, the Gamecocks claimed sole possession of the conference lead after Western Kentucky lost to Louisiana Tech.

Should Jax State beat Sam Houston and Liberty beat Western Kentucky on Saturday, Jax State would claim the CUSA regular-season title and have the opportunity to host the conference title game.

“After the first three games of the year, I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of people that probably wrote us off,” tight end Sean Brown said. “In a way, we all came together and we turned it around right at the right point when conference started, and those conference games matter a lot. Being on a seven-game winning streak with two conference games left, I think it gives us a little bit more confidence knowing that we can make it to that level and just showing what we’ve done for the past seven weeks.”

While Saturday’s victory over FIU marked Jax State’s first time since 2010 winning back-to-back games when trailing in the fourth quarter, it sealed a seventh-straight win and kept the Gamecocks in the top 10 among all FBS schools in points per game (38.7).

Tre Stewart ran for his sixth-straight 100-yard game after piling up 136 yards and two touchdowns in the win, with Jax State leading all FBS teams in rushing touchdowns (38) and ranking fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game (258.2).

“I’m proud of the way they’ve worked,” Rodriguez said of his group. “They’ve come a long way since the start that we had and we’re very fortunate to have the opportunities that we have in front of us.”

The Gamecocks will go against a Sam Houston defense that has allowed just 12 points per game in its last three games and ranks 25th in the nation in allowed yards per game (319.3).

Defensive lineman Chris Murray is tied for the CUSA lead with 5.5 sacks and ranks third in tackles for loss with 9.5, while defensive back Caleb Weaver leads the conference with four interceptions on the season.

“One of the best in the league; very, very athletic,” Rodriguez said. “They have probably played more guys up front than anybody on our schedule. Rotate seven or eight guys in on the defensive line and are all very athletic. One of the most athletic teams, probably the most athletic defense, that we have seen, including some of those teams early in the year that were really good.

“It’s a big challenge, and if you look at some of their games, they’ve won some tight ballgames and their defense has kind of pulled some of that out.”

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday against the Bearkats, with the game to be broadcasted on CBS Sports Network; with next Saturday’s game against WKU being picked up for a national broadcast, there will be eight nationally-televised games for Jax State this season.

“We use that in recruiting,” Rodriguez said. “We say, listen, you’re going to get a lot of exposure if you come to Jax State because our conference has their TV deal and our guys are having some success. It’s neat that those eight games, and it’s not just exposure for our program, it’s exposure for the school. Whether you win or not, you still get a lot of positive exposure for the school, so I think it’s been a big, big boom for all of us.”

General

Alabama-Illinois free livestream: How to watch college basketball game, TV, schedule

The No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide play against the No. 25 Illinois Fighting Illini in a college basketball game tonight. The matchup will begin at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.

The Crimson Tide enter this matchup with a 3-1 record, and they are coming off an 87-78 loss against Purdue. During the loss, Alabama struggled offensively. The team shot 31% from three-point range and had eight turnovers.

Labaron Philon was Alabama’s best offensive player against Purdue, as he scored 18 points and shot 7-10 from the field. He is currently averaging 12 points per game, so he will look to perform similarly tonight.

The Fighting Illini enter this matchup with a 3-0 record, and they are coming off a 66-54 win against Oakland. During the victory, Tomislav Ivisic led the Illinois offense. He ended the game with 20 points and shot 9-14 from the field. Notably, he is averaging more than 17 points per game this season, so he will be a key player to watch tonight.

Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.

General

Man allegedly killed 1 man, injured another person in 2 Montgomery shootings in 2 days

A suspect has been charged in the weekend shooting death of a Montgomery man, and the assault of another person the day after the murder.

Nicolas Kevontay Harris, 21, is charged with murder in the Nov. 16 slaying of 27-year-old Jimiah Bailey.

Police and fire medics were dispatched at 7:11 a.m. Saturday to the 3000 block of Rosa L. Parks Avenue on a report of someone down.

Bailey was pronounced dead on the scene. Additional details have not been released.

On Sunday, authorities responded at 11:35 to an assault in the 1300 block of South Holt Street, said Maj. Saba Coleman.

Charging documents in that case state the victim was shot in the face and arm.

Harris is charged with first-degree assault in that case.

He was taken into custody Monday and remains held in the Montgomery County Detention Facility.

General

BJCC awards $3.9 million contract to rebuild central outdoor space

The Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center board awarded a $3.9 million contract to a minority-owned business Wednesday to upgrade its outdoor space.

The contract is to rebuild the central outdoor space that connects Legacy Arena to the BJCC’s concert hall, theater and exhibit halls.

“The redesigned piazza will be more inviting for public use and more versatile for different kinds of events,” said BJCC CEO Tad Snider. “The space will have a park-like feel, with grassy areas, decorative plants, artistic elements and a water feature.”

Plans are for construction will begin by the end of this year and are expected to summer 2025.

The BJCC board has awarded a $3.9 million contract to rebuild the central outdoor space that connects Legacy Arena to the BJCC’s concert hall, theater and exhibit halls.Contributed, BJCC

“Our goal is to turn a space that is now mostly concrete and bricks and make it an asset for our guests and the community at large,” Snider said. “We want this to be a space you would enjoy for a while before going to a concert or show, and a space that can also host smaller events.”

The project was awarded to SDAC, whose $3.9 million bid was the lowest of three submitted. The company is based in Homestead, Florida, and has an office in Selma.

SDAC recently conducted the site-grading work for the Coca-Cola Amphitheater.

General

House Ethics Committee refuses to release Matt Gaetz investigation report

Republicans on the House Ethics Committee voted Wednesday against releasing a report on the panel’s long-running investigation into President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the top Democrat on the panel said.

Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania said the ethics panel, which is evenly split between the two parties, voted at a lengthy closed-door meeting, and no Republican joined Democrats who wanted to release the report.

Wild said she was compelled to speak up after the panel’s Republican chairman, Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, characterized what had transpired at its session. He had said there was no agreement reached on the matter.

“It was not my intention to make any comment,” Wild said. But she said she did not want “the American public or anyone else to think that Mr. Guest’s characterization of what transpired today would be some sort of indication that the committee had unanimity or consensus on this issue not to release the report.”

The impasse on the panel comes as Gaetz launched an effort to personally secure his embattled nomination, meeting behind closed doors Wednesday with Republican senators who have heard questions about the sexual misconduct and other allegations against him.

At least one Republican senator decried the scrutiny as a “lynch mob” forming against Gaetz, who if confirmed would become the nation’s top law enforcement official.

“I’m not going to legitimize the process to destroy the man because people don’t like his politics,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., as he left the private senators’ meeting .

“He deserves a chance to make his argument why he should be attorney general,” Graham said. “No rubber stamp, no lynch mob.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who is supportive of Gaetz’s nomination, emerged saying, “If you have concerns, that’s fine. But don’t make up your mind yet. Let the guy testify first.”

As the senators met in the out-of-the-way Strom Thurmond Room, Hawley said Gaetz was in a “cheerful” mood. The former Florida congressman met with different senators over the course of about four hours.

It was the start of a personal push by Gaetz, who has long denied the mounting allegations against him, to shore up the Senate support needed to be confirmed as the nation’s attorney general. He brings with him wide-ranging proposals to rid the Department of Justice of those perceived by Trump to have “weaponized” their work against the president-elect, his allies and conservatives in general.

Trump himself told senators that he hoped “to get Matt across the finish line,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.C, who was with the president-elect and others for a SpaceX rocket launch Tuesday with billionaire Elon Musk in Texas.

Cramer said from his observation of Trump’s plans, “None of these people including Matt Gaetz are nominated as a diversion to the others. He wants them. He knows what he wants, he says what he wants and he’ll see it through to some conclusion.”

Gaetz is being shepherded by Vice President-elect JD Vance, an Ohio senator. His meeting with Senate allies was largely a strategy session where he emphasized the need to get a hearing where he could lay out his and Trump’s vision for the Justice Department.

It follows a meeting Gaetz had at the start of the week with the conservative House Freedom Caucus, whose members have expressed enthusiasm for his approach to wholesale changes, which have instilled a climate of anxiety and dismay at the department.

Vance reminded the GOP senators that Trump’s presidential victory had coattails that boosted their ranks to the majority. “He deserves a Cabinet that is loyal to the agenda he was elected to implement,” the outgoing Ohio senator posted on social media.

Gaetz, however, is also racing the clock against the potential release of the House Ethics Committee’s report which would publicly air the allegations against him.

Attorneys involved in a civil case brought by a Gaetz associate were notified this week that an unauthorized person accessed a file shared between lawyers that included unredacted depositions from a woman who has said Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17, and a second woman who says she saw the encounter, according to attorney Joel Leppard.

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Democrats sent a letter Wednesday asking FBI Director Christopher Wray to provide to the panel “the complete evidentiary file,” including the forms memorializing interviews “in the closed investigation of former Congressman Matt Gaetz’s alleged sex trafficking of minors.”

Gaetz has said the department’s investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him.

“The grave public allegations against Mr. Gaetz speak directly to his fitness to serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the federal government,” wrote Judiciary Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and others on the panel.

While House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said the committee should not release the report because Gaetz swiftly resigned his congressional seat after Trump announced the nomination, several GOP senators have indicated they want all information before having to make a decision on how they would vote.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who also met with Gaetz, said of the committee’s report, “We didn’t get into a lot of detail as to what he expects to be in there, but he expressed confidence that what is before the committee are a series of false accusations.”

Trump has long had a valued ally in Gaetz, who was a star at congressional oversight hearings as he railed against what conservatives claim is favoritism within the Justice Department, which indicted Trump over alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left office and for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which lost to Democrat Joe Biden, before the Jan. 6, 2021 attack at the Capitol.

But the president-elect’s pick has been among the most surprising, and provocative.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., a Trump ally, said she had a great meeting with Gaetz and looked forward to “a speedy confirmation for our next attorney general.” She wrote on social media that Trump’s Cabinet “is going to shake up the D.C. swamp, and we look forward to moving his nominees.”

Cramer still said that Gaetz had a “steep climb” to confirmation.

“Donald Trump is understandably, legitimately and authentically concerned that he has an attorney general that’s willing to do what he wants him to do,” Cramer said. “Matt Gaetz is definitely the guy that will not hold on any punches. “

As soon as the new Congress convenes Jan. 3, 2025, when Republicans take majority control, senators are expected to begin holding hearings on Trump’s nominees, with voting possible on Inauguration Day Jan. 20.

General

Alabama mother of 8 killed in wreck with 1-year-old son ‘made sure her children knew God’

An Alabama mother of eight killed in a traffic crash alongside her youngest son is being remembered as a Godly woman who doted on her children.

Brandi D. Odell, 46, and her 1-year-old son, Andrew, died Tuesday morning. Her 3-year-old daughter, Hope, survived the crash.

“She was a Christian girl,’’ said her godmother, Nancy Colvin. “She made sure her children knew God.”

A GoFundMe has been started to help Odell’s family.

The wreck happened at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday on U.S. 411 near Pine Cone Road, about one mile south of Leesburg.

Odell was a social worker at Collinsville Healthcare and Rehab.

She was taking two of her children to daycare before work in Tuesday’s downpours when her Nissan Murano hydroplaned, left the road, and hit a tree.

Odell and Andrew were pronounced dead on the scene. Hope survived and was taken to the hospital.

Odell and her husband, Johnathan, had five biological children and were raising Odell’s brother’s three children, as well.

“She treated them all the same,’’ Colvin said. “She was a very hardworking mom who loved unconditionally.”

Odell was the sole provider for the family.

“This is going to be a long, hard journey for the seven other children and for (Odell’s mother and husband) also,’’ Colvin said in the GoFundme. “No donation is too small to help this family.”

“Please pray for them all,’’ Colvin said. “Pray God brings comfort to them all.”

Donations to the GoFundMe can be made here.

General

Jahki Howard, Ja’Heim Hudson ‘are available’ and will travel with the team to Maui

Jahki Howard and Ja‘Heim Hudson will travel with the team to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, and are available to play, according to Bruce Pearl.

The two players haven’t appeared in a game for Auburn since the season-opener against Vermont on Nov. 6.

Howard and Hudson were reportedly involved in an in-flight altercation during the team’s trip to Houston on Nov. 8, causing the plane to be diverted back to the airport. When the team re-departed later that night, Howard and Hudson did not travel with the team.

They were with the team for Auburn’s home games against Kent State and North Alabama, but did not play. Against North Alabama, the two were dressed out and warmed up, but never entered the game. Pearl confirmed on Wednesday that Howard and Hudson were available against North Alabama despite not playing.

They did not dress out for the game against Kent State.

The Maui Invitational begins for Auburn Monday night at 8 p.m. as the Tigers face Iowa State in the first round. They will play either North Carolina or Dayton on Tuesday depending on the results of the two first round games.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m

General

Former Alabama OC Jim McElwain to retire as Central Michigan head coach at season’s end

Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain — a former Alabama offensive coordinator — is retiring at season’s end after four decades in coaching, the school announced Wednesday.

McElwain, 62, is currently in his sixth season with the Chippewas, who are 4-7 after beating arch-rival Western Michigan 16-14 on Tuesday night. After Central Michigan’s season finale at Northern Illinois on Nov. 30, McElwain will transition into a role as a special assistant to the school’s athletics director.

“My wife Karen and I have cherished every moment of our football journey,” McElwain said. “We want to express our deepest gratitude to the all the players who have welcomed us into their lives, and the incredible coaches and support staff at every stop along the way—it has been a true privilege to work alongside all of them. The lifelong friendships that were created mean the world to us.”

McElwain has also been head coach at Colorado State and Florida, compiling a 77-63 overall record in 12 seasons including his time at Central Michigan. He was Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Nick Saban from 2008-11, helping the Crimson Tide to a pair of national championships.

A Montana native, McElwain has also been a position coach at Eastern Washington, Montana State, Louisville, Michigan State and Michigan, in addition to one season as quarterbacks coach of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. He was Fresno State’s offensive coordinator in 2007 before being hired by Saban at Alabama, where he helped develop quarterbacks such as John Parker Wilson, Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron during his four-year tenure.

Following three seasons as head coach at Colorado State, McElwain replaced Will Muschamp at Florida in 2015. He won SEC East titles in his first two seasons — losing the conference championship games both years to Alabama — before resigning under pressure midway through the 2017 season.

McElwain was wide receivers coach at Michigan in 2018 before landing at Central Michigan the following season. His best season at CMU came in 2019, when the Chippewas went 9-4 and won the MAC East Division title, then ended the season with a victory in the Sun Bowl.

General

Chicken taco kits from Kroger, Sprouts recalled in several states, including Alabama

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recalling chicken taco kits sold at Sprouts and Kroger locations in several states, including Alabama.

In October, Oregon-based manufacturer Reser’s Fine Foods announced it would recall seven types of meal kits that include chicken supplied by BrucePac over fears they may be contaminated with listeria, reports Newsweek. Sprouts recalled several lots of the meal kits with the UPC number 205916813991 and “Best by” dates from Sept. 2 to Nov. 11, 2024. Kroger recalled lots of the chicken taco kit with the UPC number 7203695028.

According to Newsweek, the chicken taco kit recall affects 24,072 units distributed in Kroger stores in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

People with the kits are advised to dispose of them or return to them to the place of purchase.

General

Here’s what to know about the newest M&M flavor

If you’re a fan of peanut butter M&Ms, you’re in for a treat–a new peanut-butter flavored M&M is coming to shelves.

The candy brand will release M&M’s peanut butter and jelly in December. The new flavor mashup is the company’s first new flavor innovation since 2022.

The new M&M’s edition will feature berry-flavored bite-sized chocolate treats with a peanut butter center.

“Peanut butter M&M’S have always been a popular flavor with our fans, so we’re excited to double down on their excitement – with a twist,” said Gabrielle Wesley, Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Wrigley North America, in a press release. “Our new M&M’S Peanut Butter & Jelly taps into a cross-generational staple, turning a delicious and comforting snack into a bite-sized treat to be enjoyed and shared.”

USA TODAY reports the candies will be sold in stores nationwide and at www.MMS.com in three sizes, including:

Single Size (1.63 ounces)
Share Size (2.83 ounces)
Sharing Size Stand Up Pouches (8.6 ounces)