The report cards have been issued since 2018. They take into account test scores, academic growth, college and career readiness, absenteeism and more to measure schools’ performances.
The overall score of 85, or a “B,” for the 2023-24 academic year was two points higher than the previous year and best yet for the state. Last year, 35 districts earned an “A” grades, up from 28 the year before.
A district of particular note is Sumter County Schools, which has been troubled in some management and academic aspects. The system scored a 76 on its latest report card, up a whopping 12 points year-over-year. State Superintendent Eric Mackey notes that the state’s intervention is still likely to last years.
Incidentally, the most improved school in the state was Birmingham charter school Legacy Prep, which improved 24 points to score a 76.
Mind your ticker
Ever notice how good news always seems to be followed by a “but”? Well, here it is:
The latest CDC data show that Alabama has the third-highest rate of heart-disease-related deaths in the nation, reports AL.com’s Heather Gann.
Alabama trails only Oklahoma and, of course, Mississippi.
During 2022, 234 out of every 100,000 Alabamians died of issues related to heart disease. You’re heard the risk factors: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, bad diets, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol consumption.
According to BSC, it rejected Miles’ request for a second closing-date extension.
From a BSC news release: “… to meet its commitments to lenders and other creditors, the BSC Board of Trustees is obligated to sell the 192-acre campus property as quickly as possible.”
Miles College’s president’s office didn’t make any comment, and if BSC has a line on what might be next regarding the sale, it wasn’t sharing.
But if you have an extra $65 million and a burning desire to found an institute of higher learning or something else that fits on a couple hundred acres of college campus, act now.
Reed Phillips has been in the position since 2020 and with ALGOP for close to a decade. The party said he’s leaving to pursue another opportunity. Witt has been working as ALGOP’s director of finance and special events.
More Alabama news
Born on This Date
RECOMMENDED•al.com
In 1973, pairs figure skater John Zimmerman of Birmingham.
For many families, one of those traditions is sitting down together to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Filled with colorful floats and larger-than-life balloons, there’s a lot to love about the annual event.
That said, we think the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade could be that much better if there was a float or balloon inspired by our state in the mix, and it seems our friends at This is Alabama agree.
They recently asked their Facebook followers what they think a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float inspired by our state would look like. The responses ranged from simple to elaborate to hilarious — because who wouldn’t want to see a giant gallon of Milo’s Sweet Tea floating high above New York City?
The USS Alabama on March 29, 2021.Lawrence Specker | [email protected]
“Front of the float is music notes for Muscle Shoals with statues of Florence’s native son W.C. Handy and Tuscumbia’s native daughter Helen Keller. Then, a rocket ship for Huntsville, a waterfall for all the state parks, a hot air balloon for Decatur, a Vulcan skyscraper for Birmingham, the Capitol Building for Montgomery, the Pettus Bridge for Selma, the Tuscaloosa Denny Chimes and bald eagle for Auburn (both with footballs). Then, for Enterprise the boil weevil, peanuts for Dothan and the Mobile USS ALABAMA. Last but not least, a beach of Gulf Shores, all with camellias and yellowhammers tucked in.” — Cheryl Sugg
“A float shaped like the state with all the following items strategically placed in the appropriate area: A houndstooth hat for Tuscaloosa, an eagle for Auburn, Moon Pies for Mobile, a rocket for Huntsville, Vulcan for Birmingham, a guitar for Muscle Shoals and a palm tree for Gulf Shores.” — Missy Gleason Peoples
“The Vulcan on front with his torch then a rocket for Huntsville and a sandy beach on the back. Plus, a big jug of Milo’s sweet tea, peaches for Clanton and peanuts for Dothan. Also, a beautiful edging around of cotton plants and a huge football with a big red ‘A’ on one side and an orange ‘A’ on the other side to pay Homage to these two great SEC teams.” — Sheila Eisenzimmer
And no, not the Minnesota Vikings receiver. Though the Alabama football linebacker with the same name replicating that elite level of play, albeit at a different position, would be welcomed by the Crimson Tide.
He will be the primary player to wear the helmet that is connected to defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s headset. Lawson, a captain, was that player this season.
“Justin can run,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “Justin is physical. He’s a guy you can count on. He’s really trustworthy. He pours everything into it. He has a team-first mindset, going through spring ball, kind of trying to figure out his role at the time. He’s been ready whenever called upon.”
Jefferson, the third linebacker behind Jihaad Campbell and Lawson this season, has tallied 22 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble this season. A former top junior college player, Jefferson is in his second season with the Crimson Tide.
“I know that along with the disappointment that we have and how much we love Deontae, we’re also excited about the next man up and the opportunity that it creates for him and so Justin’s a huge fan of our entire team, our coaching staff,” DeBoer said. “We’re all fans of him and want him to go out there and be great and be confident.”
Jefferson has been working with the green dot helmet all season as an alternate to Lawson, so it won’t be completely new to him. Campbell is capable of being that player for the defense, too, but Campbell is busy moving around from the middle to the edge.
“It’s hard when a guy’s moving around like that for him to be the green dot communication,” Wommack said. “So we have two guys that certainly can handle it, but Justin will take the majority of the responsibility.”
Next up, Alabama will face Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, ABC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, AL.com will explore the best of high school sports in Alabama. We hope you join the conversation.
Last week, AL.com offered its list of the best two-way players in Alabama high school football history. Most were players who starred on offense and defense. But one player, former Huffman star Philip Doyle, was an All-American kicker who was also a star tight end and linebacker.
Seven Alabama colleges ranked in the top 30 for U.S. News and World Report’s rankings for multiple categories and academic programs.
Alabama universities are faring well in nursing, veterans’ programs, value for the money and first-year experiences. U.S. News and World Report is one of several media outlets that rank colleges.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is ranked 13th among nursing programs and the University of Alabama is ranked 26th – tied with the University of California, Irvine – in that category. The top program is Emory University.
To determine these rankings, U.S. News and World Report surveyed deans and senior faculty of nursing programs and ranked the academic quality of 686 accredited undergraduate programs on a five-point scale. Five is outstanding and one is marginal.
The University of Montevallo is 8th in the best value rankings. A college’s academic quality as scored in the best colleges ranking is the first factor to determine the best value. Then U.S. News and World Report looked at how many full-time undergraduates receive need-based scholarships or grants and how much they pay. Murray State ranked first.
The University of North Alabama is the 11th best college for veterans. Troy University and Auburn University at Montgomery ranked at 21st and 29th, respectively. AUM tied with Charleston Southern. The top college is The Citadel.
RECOMMENDED•al.com
A school must be certified for the GI Bill and have a minimum of 20 full-time and part-time undergraduate veterans and active-duty service members in 2023-2024 school year to be on the list. The schools must also be ranked in the top half of one of the overall college categories, such as best regional colleges or best regional universities.
Auburn is ranked 29th in first-year experiences. For best first-year experiences, college presidents, provosts and admissions deans nominated 15 schools. Rankings are based on the total number of nominations. Schools must receive at least 10 nominations to be ranked. Elon University is at the top of the list.
Pepper Cox and her mother Nelva Rasalan are now reopening the restaurant, with an expanded menu and a revamped interior design.
“What we are promoting is a new experience,” Cox said.
Customers can now order pecan pies and sample 12 different varieties of cheesecake, as well as a selection of savory cobblers. The restaurant offers catering as well.
Cox said she and Rasalan sat down before reopening to look at how to improve the overall customer experience. They placed a greater emphasis on customer service and added a display case, so diners could see the selections. The repainted dining room has improved lighting and video screens.
“We were going for a fresher look,” Cox said.
Begun in 2013, the franchise has locations in Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, Daphne, Madison and Saraland.
Future Factories are planned for Birmingham, Gulf Shores, Mobile and Spanish Fort. Cox and Rasalan hope to open another in Springville in 2025.
After starting out of a Nashville city market, The Peach Cobbler Factory grew into a food truck before migrating to brick-and-mortar locations.
Rivalry week in college football provides enough hate to start intense conflicts, but can provide enough joy to solve the world’s problems.
Growing up in Charlotte NC, with parents who spent all their lives in Miami, FL, rivalry week in our house revolved around Miami vs. Florida State and the tobacco road matchup of Duke and North Carolina in basketball.
The ACC was so conditioned in my brain I viewed other college rivalries like the Iron Bowl as just regular primetime games.
My first Iron Bowl since moving down to Alabama left my dad and I speechless in my living room. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe crushed the hearts of Auburn fans, finding former Tide receiver Isaiah Bond in the corner of the endzone to defeat the Tigers 27-24.
The passion, storylines and euphoric feeling behind that game gave me a newfound respect of this state’s most passionate rivalry. No other collegiate pairing can line up with it.
My Iron Bowl experiences are a lot different from readers across the state. Coming from my ACC background it’s a shame I took this game for granted for so many years.
Entering my first Iron Bowl as a college beat reporter, I think about some of the Iron Bowl’s I watched when I was younger, wondering why I didn’t appreciate these games in the moment.
Here’s how the Iron Bowl shaped my fandom for football today and help me connect the dots to the rivalry with all the states I have lived in:
How an Iron Bowl moment impacted my hometown team forever
When I moved to Alabama in April 2023, my mom and I took a day trip to the rainy Auburn A-Day Spring scrimmage. Despite the weather and missing the scrimmage, we saw the statue of Cam Newton making up for all the blunders that day presented.
I was so elated to see that statue. Every kid growing up in Charlotte from 2011-2018 knows Cam Newton was a superhero to us. His nickname was Superman, but he was actually Clark Kent. He could do no wrong and gave the city hope every Sunday when he graced the field at Bank of America Stadium.
After several pictures beside the legendary sculpture, I had the honor of reminding my mom about his magical Heisman season leading Auburn to the 2010 BCS National Championship. ‘He wouldn’t have the statue without that season,’ I shouted to her during the ride back to Montgomery.
But as the story is told, the moment that made that decided his Heisman fate came in that year’s Iron Bowl.
Coined as the ‘Cam-back’, Newton’s four touchdowns rallied for a 28-27 comeback victory for Auburn after trailing 24-0 to Alabama at halftime.
Watching that game with my dad was my first memory of an Iron Bowl. It almost secretly turned me into an Auburn fan, but I couldn’t tell my dad I was no longer pulling for the Miami Hurricanes.
After that game, watching Newton lead his to team a SEC championship victory over South Carolina, winning the Heisman trophy and take down Oregon in a classic BCS title game. I was sold. Whichever team drafted Newton; I was going to support.
And lo and behold, he found his way to the Queen City as the No. 1 overall pick the following spring to the Carolina Panthers.
Auburn Quarterback Cam Newton poses for photographs with NFL commission Roger Goodell after he was selected as the first pick overall by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the NFL football draft at Radio City Music Hall Thursday, April 28, 2011, in New York. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)ASSOCIATED PRESS
We know how the story goes after that as that move changed the trajectory of Panthers franchise for the next decade.
A Kick-Six in Miami
Everyone remembers where they were when the “Kick-six’ happened at Plains as the No. 4 Auburn knocked off No. 1 Alabama in the most dramatic Iron Bowl of all-time.
I was in Miami spending the Thanksgiving break with my family and believe it or not, I only watched part of the fourth quarter of that game.
Since moving my siblings and I to North Carolina in 2008, every year my folks would take us down to Florida and visit family during summer or holiday breaks. So, that Saturday in-particularly was lined up with last minute family visits and Christmas shopping.
It was our last day before we were hitting the 14-hour drive back to North Carolina the following morning. So, The Iron Bowl was the last thing on their minds.
In the days before owning my own smartphone, I was forced to ask ‘What’s the score’ to at least a million random people at every stop we made to check on the game.
My social battery drained quickly trying to hunt down updates and it took a ‘Can I take a picture on your phone’ plea to my mom to sneak and search the 21-14 halftime score.
Just about an hour later, visiting a family friend. We briskly barged through the front door to see Aj McCarron launching a 99-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper giving Alabama a 28–21 lead with 10:28 remaining in the game.
In what seem impossible hours before, I made it in time to see how the Iron Bowl would play out. Little did I know it would turn out to be one of the greatest finishes in college football history.
Auburn corner back Chris Davis (11) looks back at his teammates as he runs in the game-winning TD on the final play of the game on a blocked-field goal return at the No. 1 Alabama at No. 4 Auburn Iron Bowl NCAA football game on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Vasha Hunt)Vasha Hunt
History always repeats itself
The Iron Bowl helped lead the Carolina Panthers to drafting Cam Newton. Ten years later, the roles were reversed, and another quarterback would leave his mark on the Iron Bowl and get handed the keys to the city Superman left behind.
Just like Newton, Heisman trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young used the Iron Bowl stage to prove to the world why he should win the prestigious award and become a future No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
The dual-threat Alabama quarterback conducted a 97-yard drive in 95 seconds on the road to send the 2021 Iron Bowl into overtime.
In the fourth overtime, Alabama walked away with the 24-22 victory over Auburn behind Young’s 12-of-22 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
That performance was played a vital role in Young’s draft evaluations leading him to being the Panthers second ever No. 1 pick in the NFL draft in 2023.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, left, and Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, hold a team jersey after Young was chosen by the Carolina Panthers with the first pick at the 2023 NFL Draft, Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)AP
The impact the Iron Bowl has on the Panthers organization connected me through my journey from a spectator to a young journalist now living in the epicenter of the Iron Bowl.
RECOMMENDED•al.com
Whichever side you root for, the Iron Bowl has a way of creating stories that brings generations together.
Despite the two different types of seasons both Alabama and Auburn are having entering this year’s Iron Bowl, the history always connects the dots between the two programs making for a high stakes matchup every year.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I have the pleasure of hosting an annual holiday dinner for our family, and we believe that almost everyone finds the event enjoyable. A few years ago, we began inviting a group of my relatives. They had previously celebrated with others, but deaths sadly ended those traditions.
During our gathering, these relatives sit down together before dinner and do not move about or mingle until it is time to go. They only interact with others as a group, and only speak with the individuals opposite them during dinner.
We’ve begun to think we’ve failed to make the event sufficiently welcoming.
My husband believes that this year, we should promote mingling by using place cards at the dinner table to “break up the cabal” (as he puts it), but I wonder if that will incite general revolt and make the event even more alienating. What should we do?
GENTLE READER: Start even earlier to break up the cabal.
One of a host’s jobs is to ensure that people mix. Miss Manners acknowledges that grown-ups who know one another ought to do that without prompting, but apparently not in this case.
So take Aunt Jennie’s arm by gentle force and steer her over to Cousin Jason, saying, “You are both avid gardeners, and both Blue Sox fans, right?”
Leaving them together, you scoot over to Grandniece Lilia, saying, “Would you explain friendship bracelets to Uncle Horace? His granddaughter has dozens, but he doesn’t understand what it’s about.”
By dinnertime, they will be too engrossed to protest being artfully scattered around the table.
Please send your questions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com, by email to [email protected], or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
DEAR ABBY: My wife and I are in our 80s, married for 61 years. We are financially well-off and have few medical issues. As we approach our departure from this Earth, we’ve created the necessary legal documents to distribute our assets. So, what’s the problem? My spouse is a “collector.” We have several wonderful china settings, sterling silver and beautiful linens. At one time, we set a beautiful table.
Today, old age has caught up with us. Most of those invitees are gone. But my spouse and I are living like we did 50 years ago, and it’s getting on my nerves. Nobody wants our stuff! It’s time to divest ourselves of possessions that somebody else might have an interest in and get them off our hands. My spouse refuses to part with ANYTHING.
There’s always an excuse to keep the clutter.
I saw this in my parents decades ago. If it came in the front door, it didn’t go out again. Why are people so addicted to things, and what can be done to alleviate my anxiety? — READY TO LET GO IN SAN FRANCISCO
DEAR READY: Consider this: Every piece of china and crystal, every pattern of silverware and all the accessories that people used to think were necessary to create a beautiful home (and life), have treasured memories attached. Where you see clutter, your wife sees the happy years spent acquiring it and entertaining.
Because these items are no longer being used, they could be boxed up “just in case” they are needed again. Photograph them so you have a record of what they are, and discuss with your wife possibly donating them to a charity thrift store. While you are correct that young people today aren’t as avid about formal entertaining as members of your generation were, there are still people around who recognize quality and value who might be interested in having some of it.
As to your anxiety, discuss this with your doctor and, if necessary, ask for a referral to a therapist for some counseling.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
An odd chain of events led to the lineup of Auburn’s 1957 championship team, led by Dr. Lloyd Nix, a well-known Decatur, Ala., dentist and the winning quarterback that year. Nix, who died Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, at age 87, was promoted to quarterback when other players were expelled, reportedly because of a popular trend in the 1950s: a panty raid.
Here’s how it went down. (Spoiler: Nix did not participate)
The backstory
After World War II, more and more women were attending college. Add them to the influx of men attending on the GI Bill and you have a conundrum for the administrators at a time when people feared for women’s virtue whenever the genders mingled.
Dorms at Auburn, then called Alabama Polytechnic Institute, were separated by gender and women’s dorms had chaperones. Women had early curfews; men could visit women in dorm common rooms but were not allowed in bedrooms – or the dorms at all after curfew.
The young men figured out a way to get past the rigid standards: Groups of male students would “raid” dorms and sorority houses, taking with them female underwear, including bras and panties. They were quickly dubbed “panty raids.”
Katherine Cooper Cater, Auburn’s dean of women and social director from 1946 to 1980, wanted to ensure that her women knew how to handle themselves in any situation, going as far as to make a pamphlet called “Rules for Women in Case of Panty Raids.” The instruction booklet advised female students not to go to their windows when men approached. To discourage the raiders, they should turn off lights and sit in the hallways, wearing raincoats or robes for modesty. (A few contrary women instead beckoned to the men from the windows).
In 1952, newspapers were publishing stories about collegiate panty raids across the country.
The May 22, 1952, edition of The Sun in Baltimore, Maryland, wrote, “U. of M. Gets into Panty-Raid Act: 1,000 Students, Defying Pleas, Barge Through Dormitories in Search for Lingerie.”
Funnily enough, just five years before the expulsion of Auburn’s football players. The Huntsville Times reported students at Auburn then called Alabama Polytechnic Institute, were behaving themselves. This article was published May 25, 1952.The Huntsville Times
In the May 25, 1952, edition of The Knoxville News-Sentinel, commentator Ruth Millett wrote: “The panty-bra brawls have spread like grass fires from campus to campus, throwing house mothers into hysterics, embarrassing college authorities, and causing a good many people to wonder if the cultural advantages of a college education are all they are supposed to be.”
In the article, Millett quotes an anonymous dean as saying males in college at that time were acting out because the war, in which many of them served, made them uncertain of their futures.
Law enforcement raids on panty raiders surged again in 1957, leading to numerous headlines across the country. The Auburn student paper, The Plainsman, had a “panty raid reporter,” Tom Duke, according to this Jan. 23, 1957, article.
In 1952, students at the University of Alabama were charged with disorderly conduct for a panty raid. The Huntsville Times published this article May 22, 1952.The Huntsville Times
A week later, on Jan. 30, 1957,The Plainsman published an editorial stating: “We have heard of cases where a crowd of panty raiders have broken into dormitories, taken down doors, destroyed furniture, torn up clothes, and in some cases physically attacked coeds residing inside. These battles have not always been one-sided, either. In one women’s dorm up north a sort of man-trap was set. An attractive coed would stand in a doorway waving some lingerie. As the unthinking male charged through the door a second girl promptly laid into him with a softball bat. Serious injuries resulted.”
During one such event on the Auburn campus in 1957, several football players, including the team’s quarterbacks, were expelled after being caught in a women’s dorm. Nix said in the 2011 interview that he does not recall whether the players were on a panty raid, but said they were definitely in the women’s dorms when they were not allowed to be.
“Coach Jordan sent them home and told me he was moving me to starting quarterback,” Nix said. “It’s been one of the best things that ever happened to me, then and throughout my life.”
Dr. Lloyd Nix talks about his playing days at Auburn during an interview Nov. 15, 2006. TThe Huntsville Times
Nix never mentioned the names of those expelled and no record of the expulsions was published in the available online editions of The Plainsman. None of the quarterbacks in 1956 returned for the 1957 season, according to rosters. The 1957 roster lists Nix as starting QB with four backup QBs.
The game
Alabama Polytechnic’s team was having a heck of a season under Coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan. The Tigers were undefeated when, on Dec. 3, 1957, The Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus, Ga., reported: “Coach Shug Jordan’s Auburn team was given a big lift by the development of halfback Lloyd Nix into a fine quarterback.”
Nix, who was a junior in 1957, was shifted from running back to quarterback following the 1956 season and stayed in the position through 1958. He led API/Auburn to a 6-0 win over the University of Georgia to take the national championship for 1957. In 1958, as a senior, he was named team captain.
The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame says Nix led the team “for the best back-to-back seasons in Auburn football history: the 1957 National Championship season and the 1958 season where Auburn finished with a 9-0-1 record and fourth place in the AP Poll.” He was named to the All-SEC team twice.
In 1958, Nix also played first base on Auburn’s SEC baseball championship team. “During the 1959 season, he had a perfect 9-0 pitching record,” his Hall of Fame entry says. “He won the 1959 Cliff Hare Award as Auburn’s outstanding senior athlete.”
RECOMMENDED•al.com
Lloyd Nix looks at a program from the 1958 Alabama game from his playing days at Auburn.The Huntsville Times
Nix said the fad of panty raids led many young men down the wrong path. He recalled a story told by a member of the clergy at his Decatur church, who told Nix: “When you were at Auburn, you saved my life. There were some students headed into a girls’ dormitory on a panty raid, and you turned me around and led me out and kept me out of trouble.” Nix laughed at the memory.
Nix received the Auburn Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 for his service to his community and to Auburn.
