Tim Melson hospitalized

Alabama lawmakers are asking for prayers after state Sen. Tim Melson had a heart attack Thursday while on a trip with colleagues to South Korea, reports AL.com’s Howard Koplowitz.

State Sen. Keith Kelly confirmed the event through social media. The group was there reportedly to recruit businesses and science, tech and math teachers.

WAFF reported that another lawmaker on the trip, state Sen. Arthur Orr, performed CPR to Melson before he was hospitalized.

Melson is a Florence Republican. He’s a retired anesthesiologist and was a sponsor of the medical cannabis legislation that made it into law two years ago.

Look for updates on this story in coming days at AL.com/politics.

Brooks and Trump and 2020

The special counsel in charge of prosecuting former president Donald Trump hasn’t contacted former Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks.

AL.com’s Howard Koplowitz reports that Brooks is a little surprised by that because, he believes, Trump asked him to help overturn the 2020 presidential election in ways that would’ve violated the law.

Remember, Brooks was inside Trump’s circle of favor when he said at a rally in Cullman that Republicans should start looking ahead to future elections rather than continuing to focus on 2020. Some time after that, Trump withdrew his endorsement of Brooks for Senate and endorsed frontrunner Katie Britt instead.

Brooks recently to NBC News: “Donald Trump wanted me to do four things: advocate rescinding the election, advocate physically removing Joe Biden from the White House, advocate reinstating Donald Trump as president of the United States and advocate a new special election for president of the United States — all of which violate the U.S. Constitution and federal law. And after I got done explaining that to him, he withdrew his endorsement and endorsed my opponent.”

Jeremy Pruitt’s return

An Alabama high school has hired a high-profile assistant football coach, reports AL.com’s Creg Stephenson.

Former University of Tennessee head coach and University of Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt is returning to his alma mater Plainview High School in Rainsville as a PE teacher and assistant coach. He’ll also coach junior-high basketball.

Pruitt’s dad, Dale Pruitt, is currently in his third stint as head football coach at Rainsville.

Southern hospitality

Airbnb ranks its most hospitable hosts, based on an unbroken string of five-star ratings from visitors, and for the second time since 2021 Rachel Clarke is tops in Alabama, reports AL.com’s Lawrence Specker.

Her Fairfield Farms started out as a place for horses but now offers overnight stays in a cottage or Airstream.

Quoting

“When (Lana Del Rey) opened her mouth to sing, you couldn’t tell the difference between listening to her on an album and listening to her in real life. Her talent is unbelievable.”

— Muscle Shoals Sound studio and operations manager Ana Megan Hyde, after Del Rey (pictured below in a photo shared by Hyde) laid down some tracks at the famous studio at 3614 Jackson Highway in Sheffield.

By the numbers

$335 million:

That’s how much Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he’s offering Alabama-based Vulcan Materials for a 6,000-acre property the government seized and shut down.

Meanwhile, Vulcan Materials has valued the property at $1.9 billion. That’s nearly five times the Mexican offer.

López Obrador reportedly intends to use the seized port as a cruise-ship destination.

More Alabama news

Born on this date

In 1984, DeMeco Ryans of Bessemer, head coach of the NFL’s Houston Texans.

Listen to the podcast