A Congressional make-up?

Yesterday morning we told you that Congressman Mike Rogers of Alabama District 3 had been staunchly against the Speaker of the House bid by fellow Republican Jim Jordan of Ohio.

The ink was barely dry on your newsletter when Rogers changed his tack, saying that he had spoken with Jordan on some of the coming issues and now will be voting for him.

“I have always been a team player and supported what the majority of the Republican Conference agrees to,” Rogers said.

The Truth about Natalee?

This coming Saturday would’ve been Natalee Holloway’s 37th birthday.

Her family’s attorney told NBC that Joran van der Sloot is expected to reveal details about her 2005 death in Aruba as part of a plea deal, reports AL.com’s Carol Robinson.

Van der Sloot is facing wire fraud and extortion charges over accusations that he exploited Holloway’s mother’s fear of never finding out what happened to her daughter in order to try to extort money from her.

Van der Sloot will be in federal court in Birmingham on Wednesday for a plea-and-sentencing hearing.

Capsized tug

A body has been found near where a tugboat capsized in the Alabaam River on Saturday, reports AL.com’s Warren Kulo.

Daphne Search and Rescue and the Alabama Law Enforcment Agency were involved in the search, and the U.S. Coast Guard sent a helicopter to look for survivors or victims from the tugboat.

There weren’t many details available yesterday about the incident. ALEA is investigating to try to figure out what caused the 27-foot tugboat to capsize.

Jerusalem connection

The owner of an Alabama-themed store in Israel has said he and his family are safe after the recent wave of violence and civilian murders and kidnappings by Hamas, reports AL.com’s Howard Koplowitz.

Hani Imam is a Palestinian Muslim living in Jerusalem. He went to school at the University of Alabama back in the 1980s and worked in Huntsville awhile. He opened a store in Old Jerusalem he originally named the Heart of Dixie and now calls Alabama Shop. It’s gotten media and social-media attention back here because, if you’re from Alabama visiting Jerusalem and see Alabama Shop, you have to stop, buy something and share a couple photos online.

People from Alabama had reached out to Imam and he responded on Facebook: “Thank you all for your concern and prayers. I am in Jerusalem with my family we are all safe and secured. Praying for peace and love for all people. GOD BLESS YOU ALL. ROLL TIDE.”

Born on this date

In 1956, astronaut Mae Jemison of Decatur, the first Black woman in space.

More Alabama news

Quiz results

Here’ show readers answered on yesterday’s Week in Review Quiz:

Hank Patterson, the actor who played Fred Ziffel — the owner of Arnold the Pig — in the TV series Green Acres and Petticoat Junction, was from this Alabama town?

• Springville (CORRECT) 32%
• Fairhope 28%
• New Hope 23%
• Pixley 17%

Trey Reaves of Florence recently won the Great Alabama 650 kayak race. How long did it take him to finish?

• 6 days, 1 hour, 39 minutes (CORRECT) 48%
• 3 days 49 minutes 31%
• 9 days, 2 hours, 27 minutes
• 12 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes 8%

A 17-acre park is being constructed along the Alabama River in Montgomery to memorialize:

• the history of slavery in America. (CORRECT) 60%
• Jimmy Buffett’s contributions to Alabama music and culture. 20%
• George Washington Carver’s work toward making the peanut a major Alabama cash crop. 11%
• the impact of the Negro Leagues on baseball. 9%

What recent development occurred related to an old news story?

• A Moody landfill showed signs it still has an underground title burning, months after officials thought it was extinguished. (CORRECT) 89%
• NASA and state officials agreed that along I-65 near the Alabama-Tennessee state line would be displayed a replica of the space capsule astronaut Tony Nelson rode during the off-camera splashdown in the pilot episode of “I Dream of Jeannie.” 17%
• The Alabama Department of Corrections announced a plan to relieve prison overcrowding by transferring all incarcerated former elected officials to a halfway house. 4%
• Sources said Robert Bentley will be on the next season of “Golden Bachelor.” 1%
• Passengers of the ill-fated 2013 Carnival Triumph cruise gathered at a Mobile park to celebrate their 10-year reunion when the portable restrooms malfunctioned. 1%

Former Alabama state Sen. Roger Bedford of Russellville passed away recently. In 1996 he ran for U.S. Senate but lost in the general election to …

• Jeff Sessions (CORRECT) 47%
• Richard Shelby 41%
• Howell Heflin 7%
• Doug Jones 6%

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