Category: General

General

Smucker’s $1.1 billion bet on frozen PB&J sandwiches opens in McCalla

Jefferson County and state officials Thursday enjoyed a very sweet treat in McCalla Thursday as J.M. Smucker opened its mammoth $1.1 billion manufacturing plant dedicated to making its Uncrustables brand frozen sandwich treat.

The 900,000-square-foot factory, located on PB&J Way, is the food company’s third attempt nationally at building a plant big enough to satisfy the escalating demands – and the company’s ambitions – for the product. Smucker’s hopes to make Uncrustables a billion-dollar brand by the end of 2026.

General

Alabama prison supervisor allegedly coerced inmate into sex acts by telling her: ‘You’ll never go home’

A state prison corrections supervisor is accused of coercing an inmate to perform oral sex on him by threatening to keep her from being released.

Alabama Department of Corrections Sgt. Laquentin Brantley, 34, was taken into custody Thursday morning by prison investigators with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.

He is charged with custodial sexual contact and first-degree sodomy.

He works at Julia Tutwiler Prison for women.

Brantley is being held without bond in the Elmore County Jail pending an Aniah’s Law hearing.

Charging documents against Brantley state the alleged crime happened Oct. 18 at the prison.

A female inmate told investigators that Brantley coerced her into perform oral sex on him by threats of “writing her up” for disciplinaries “any time he felt like it” to keep her from getting out of prison and going home to see her kids.

The first incident allegedly happened at 11:50 a.m. that Friday.

The inmate said she was wearing a tank top with no bra and Brantley told her, “Let me see ‘em.”

She said she was confused and asked if she meant her breasts, and said Brantley replied, “Yes, let me see them or you’ll never go home.”

The inmate complied with the sergeant’s command.

She said he also touched her breast and genitals.

About 1 a.m. the following day, the inmate reported, Brantley returned and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

ADOC officials said Brantley has been placed on administrative leave.

General

YMCA builds a $15 million neighborhood in Roebuck

The Northeast YMCA is planning a $15.3 million redevelopment on its 8-acre Roebuck campus that will include 22 Habitat for Humanity homes and a renovated community resource center.

“It’s not a fitness center, which is oftentimes what we’re known for,” said Dan Pile, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Birmingham.

The project addresses health disparities and inequities in early learning, affordable housing, pediatric care, mental health and affordable nutrition, Pile said.

“How do we address all those issues?” Pile said. “We recognize we can’t do all of it ourselves. We gathered together like-minded partners to address these inequities that no one can handle themselves.”

Christ Health Center will run an attached pediatric health clinic and Impact Family Counseling will run a counseling center for families. The well-lit walkable neighborhood will include a community garden and playgrounds.

“Habitat will fund their own housing developments,” Pile said. “We’re creating building-ready pads for Habitat, and they’ll come in and build the homes. Christ Health Center will be responsible for the infrastructure of the shell we’re going to build; the same with Impact Family Counseling. With all us partnering together, it’s over $15 million collectively.”

The city of Birmingham this week approved a $1 million contribution to the Northeast YMCA’s renovation and new campus plan taking shape at 628 Red Lane Road.

“This is huge and will be life-changing for the people of East Birmingham and the surrounding communities,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin. “This new, innovative campus concept will be a national model for YMCAs across the country.”

Jefferson County is contributing $1.9 million towards the project, and about $9.5 million in private donations has been raised to help fund the project, Pile said.

Although no homes have been built yet, construction is underway on streets, curbs and sidewalks for a neighborhood that will adjoin the renovated YMCA.

“We’re also renovating the interior of the building to modernize and upgrade all our youth development programs, our First Class Pre-K classrooms, all of our youth and teen work, putting in a commercial kitchen to support our food distribution and Meals on Wheels partnership with United Way.”

The new Northeast Y should be open and running by mid-spring 2025, Pile said. It won’t resemble other YMCA’s that have gyms, tracks and weightlifting equipment.

The project includes major renovations to the current 18,000-square-foot facility and a new 8,000-square-foot addition will include the health clinic, counseling center and resource center.

“This is totally a human service community center,” he said. “There will be a small exercise area for seniors, to keep them active and mobile and counter falls.”

Besides Habitat for Humanity, Christ Health Center, Impact Family Counseling, United Way of Central Alabama/Meals on Wheels, and Alabama First Class Pre-K, Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, is a partner in the project.

General

Wi-Fi upgrades coming to Alabama football and basketball games to enhance fan experience

Better connectivity is on the way for Alabama football and Alabama basketball fans next year.

The physical properties committee for the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees met Thursday and approved the instillation of equipment to expand and enhance Wi-Fi networks at Bryant-Denny Stadium and Coleman Coliseum next year. Now, the full board will officially vote Friday.

It would be installed prior to the 2025 football season and 2025-26 basketball season.

“The department of athletics is seeking a world-class, high performance network capable of supporting the wireless connectivity demands of its athletic venues as well as the many other network components needed within the venues, including its broadcast and audio-visual operations,” the resolution read.

There will be 140 network switches and just under 2,000 wireless access points in Bryant-Denny Stadium and Coleman Coliseum.

The budget for the project is $13.3 million, and the Crimson Tide Foundation will fund it.

“That is the primary goal of this, to enhance the fan experience,” Alabama athletics CFO Kyle Vasey said. “There are multitude of benefits of this Wi-Fi network. The first is connectivity to enhance the ability to enhance the ability to call and text people within the stadium. Beyond that, there are additional operational benefits to our overall gameday experience. Some of those include ingress into the stadium and the ability to get in more smoothly for our fans. Also there are additional security features that provide a safer environment for our fans. Additionally, there are some benefits related to congestion of concessions and restrooms that we hope to be able to ingest to our fans to allow them to be able to go to the least occupied areas to be able to provide a better experience overall.”

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.

General

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl speaks on outspoken support for Donald Trump

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl wasn‘t hesitant to weigh in the 2024 Presidential Election results Monday morning, making a post on X at 7:41 a.m. reacting to the news of president-elect Donald Trump’s win.

“President Trump won big because more Americans believed he will fix inflation, secure our border, support legal immigration, bring peace to the world through strength and put America first,” the Auburn coach posted on “X,” the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “I pray, and I believe he will work for all Americans, uniting us as one nation under God!”

It‘s not the first time Pearl has spoken publicly on social media about politics either. If you scroll through his feed on X, you‘ll find a number of political posts and reposts mixed in with posts about Auburn men’s basketball.

Many of his posts have been in support Israel, referencing the ongoing conflict in Gaza. He hasn’t shied away from aligning himself with high profile Republican politicians either, including support for Trump.

Pearl was asked on Thursday whether there was any concern of the potential impact his public support of Trump could have on recruiting and other aspects of the Auburn men’s basketball program.

“I’m glad it’s basketball season, right? And I’m sure people that follow me on Twitter, are glad it’s basketball season,” Pearl said with a smile.

“I spend more time on issues and policy than I do politics, really. Sometimes, you know, they do get political, but it’s more about policy and issue. And obviously, with Israel being at war and the tremendous increase and rise in anti-semitism, public display of anti-semitism in this country and the things that sort of led up to a couple of holocausts that have taken place, one back in Germany and the other one on October 7 a year and a half ago.”

“And so Dr. King said, silence is complicity. I’m not going to be silent. And as a an American, Jewish person that is in the public eye, I feel like it’s my responsibility to try to speak the truth, know my Bible, know my history, and because we do have a problem with education in this country, and so as a teacher and a coach, I do spend most of my time just trying to provide accurate information so people can have an extra better understanding of the situation.”

On Aug. 26, Pearl made a post criticizing Harris that elicited a statement from the NAACP. It was responding to a post by Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who claimed that Harris wanted to end private health insurance plans and put everyone, including illegal aliens, on government plans.

Pearl quoted the post, adding, “Thank you for pointing this out Senator Cotton, except my guess is that like many of her socialist, woke progressive beliefs she’s now changing them or hiding them to get elected! We won’t get fooled again!”

Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP, responded in a statement saying:

“Kamala Harris is energizing her base which has a significant number of black voters, in her bid for the highest position in the country, and this is causing people to show us who they really are. Since 2014, Coach Pearl has profited off the talents and legacy of Black athletes, but by his own admission doesn’t understand the implications of his words. We do not have to ask, ‘will the real Coach Pearl stand up, because we know he does not want to understand what woke means.”

“The term ‘Woke’ solidifies the harsh conditions and inherent awareness of everyday racial injustices that people of color are subjected to in this country. One would have to be living under a rock to miss the cruel treatments inflicted on Black Americans in a place, we all call our home.

“There is no hiding the fact that Police brutality and brutal murders by police, racism, denial of equitable health care, and refusal to teach our children the truth about our history, all exist and are as visible as your hand is, in front of your face. The only way to not know what ‘woke’ is – is to just go back to sleep.”

Auburn residents celebrated Trump‘s win by rolling Toomer’s Corner as it often does after big wins by Auburn’s sports teams.

After a 94-43 win in its first game of the season, Auburn men’s basketball is in action next against Houston on Saturday. The matchup is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. at the Toyota Center in Houston.

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

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Co-founder of popular travel stop chain dead at 87

Judy Love, co-founder of Love’s Travel Stops, died in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. She was 87.

The company announced her death in a press release this week.

“Our mother, Judy Love, was the heart and soul of our family,” her family said in the release.

“She cared deeply for us and those who worked alongside her and Dad. Her tenacity, strength, and focus will guide us forever.”

“She taught us the importance of hard work, honesty, and the joy of giving back. While we will miss her dearly, her spirit will live on through the countless lives she touched.”

Love co-founded the travel stop chain in 1954 with her late husband, Tom. The couple started the business with a $5,000 loan and it has since transformed into a nationally recognized brand worth nearly $10 billion, according to previous Forbes reports.

“Judy’s financial acumen and dedication to the company’s growth saw her serve as secretary and treasurer as it expanded into 42 states,” the release reads.

“Her warm spirit, generosity, and commitment to community service earned her widespread admiration.”

In 1999, she established the Love Family Affiliated Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. She also established the Tom and Judy Love Foundation in 2013.

In 2020, Judy was honored as Oklahoma Mother of the Year by American Mothers and received the Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Oklahoma City chapter of the National Fundraising Professionals in 1999.

She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2010.

“Judy Love was an extraordinary woman with a huge heart for others and an inexhaustible joy of life,” said Oklahoma public official Jayroe-Gamble.

“Her passion for family, friends, community, and the Catholic Church inspired many. Judy and Tom were a partnership made in Heaven, and their successful business reflects their hard work, dedication, and generosity.”

“As we mourn her loss, let’s celebrate her remarkable life, positive spirit, gifts of encouragement, and significant impact on our world.”

General

New Alabama basketball facility takes next step

The new Alabama basketball facility went through the next step of approval needed for the building to become a reality Thursday.

The physical properties committee for the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees met Thursday and voted to authorize the latest part of Stage IV, which meant approving a construction contract for what is called Package C: the construction of the building foundation for the new basketball facility. The full board of trustees will meet Friday to officially approve the next step.

That comes two months after the committee approved Package B, which included site and utilities.

The board broke the packages into two in order to expedite the process. That’s why construction has already started in the Coleman Coliseum parking lot, even before Stage IV approval officially happened by the physical properties committee in September.

UA will look to have the new facilities fully operational by 2026. The project has a price tag of $58.67 million, with about $56.95 million for the upgrades.

Proposed renderings for new Alabama basketball facility

Thursday’s vote was the latest step toward building the new training and development facility for men’s basketball. The new gym for Nate Oats’ team will be connected to the current practice facility for the men and be 48,883 gross square feet.

Once the men‘s team moves over to the new facility, the women‘s team will move into the practice facility Oats’ team is currently using.

The addition of a new facility is a vital step for a program competing with the nation’s best in basketball, fresh off a Final Four and firmly in the hunt for a national championship this season.

“The practice gym is the coach’s classroom,” Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne told The Tuscaloosa News in June. “It’s where they teach and they develop. We’re doing this right now to take a very significant step for our basketball programs and then allowing us to navigate the waters that we’re in in college athletics right now. Then realizing the arena still has to be addressed.”

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.

General

This OLAPLEX hair style kit is on sale for just $28 this week

Nordstrom Rack has kicked off its Clear the Rack Sale this week with markdowns site-wide, including discounts on best-selling beauty brands.

During this sale, the OLAPLEX Smooth Your Style Kit that typically sells for $40, and is valued at $53, is being sold for just $23, a 30% discount overall. This item also qualifies for free shipping.

The OLAPLEX Smooth Your Style Kit is described as a hair-strengthening, frizz-control kit that features four must-have haircare products from OLAPLEX to keep hair frizz-free, sleek and strong.

The Olaplex Smooth Your Style Kit

The Olaplex Smooth Your Style Kit is on sale for only $28 this week.

Buy Now

The entire set comes with the following OLAPLEX products:

No.3 Hair Perfector™ (1 oz.): a concentrated hair treatment that strengthens hair from within, helping to reduce breakage and improving look and feel
No.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum (0.68 oz.): a weightless, silicone-free, leave-in hair serum that shields strands from pollution for 48 hours and provides heat protection up to 450°F
No. 6 Bond Smoother® (3.3 oz.): a bond smoother that hydrates and provides 72-hour frizz control, faster blow-dries and more defined air-dries
No. 7 Bonding Oil™ (0.25 oz.): an oil that delivers dramatic shine at the finish line

Highlighted Product Feature: One of the standout features of the OLAPLEX Smooth Your Style Kit is the inclusion of No.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum, which actively provides heat protection up to 450°F. This feature is particularly beneficial for users who frequently use styling tools, helping to prevent heat damage while keeping hair vibrant and protected.

Other Features: The No.3 Hair Perfector™ also stands out as a unique treatment that helps to strengthen hair from within. This concentrated formula not only reduces breakage but also improves the overall look and feel of the hair, making it a notable product within the kit that users can utilize for deep conditioning and restorative benefits.

Those interested in this limited-time deal can check out the full rundown here.

Generative AI was used to provide product description for this story, based on data provided by Nordstrom Rack. It was reviewed and edited by AL.com.

General

Cause of death released for Alabama 14-year-old who collapsed at football practice

Authorities have released the cause of death for a 14-year-old football player who died after collapsing at practice in August.

Semaj Wilkins, a student athlete at New Brockton High School, died Aug. 13 at Medical Center Enterprise.

Coffee County Coroner Arnold Woodham on Thursday said an autopsy done by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences determined Semaj died from congestive heart failure due to cardiomegaly with biventricular hypertrophy, resulting from a coronary anomaly.

That means that his heart was failing to pump blood effectively because it was enlarged.

His death was ruled natural, Woodham said.

Woodham said his thoughts and prayers remain with the Wilkins family during this difficult time.

The coroner also extended support to New Brockton High School, and thanked the New Brockton Fire Department, Enterprise Rescue, Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, New Brockton Police Department, and Medical Center Enterprise staff for their swift response and care.

Semaj was a freshman at the school.

Coffee County superintendent Kelly Cobb released the following statement after Semaj’s death:

“Our Coffee County School System family is grieving the loss of a New Brockton High School freshman who passed away after a medical emergency late this afternoon. The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s Office are conducting an investigation, and the Coffee County School System will fully cooperate with both agencies.

“Starting tomorrow, we will have our crisis response team which includes counselors, pastors, and other support staff available at New Brockton High School to provide support for the family, friends, classmates, teachers, and other school staff. Our hearts are broken for the family’s loss and our prayers are with them as they mourn. We ask that the family’s privacy be respected during this difficult time.”

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New Trader Joe’s coming to Alabama town in 2025, will be 3rd in state

Trader Joe’s will open another Alabama location – this time in Hoover – next year.

The city of Hoover made the announcement Thursday.

The new store will open in the space formerly occupied by Bed Bath and Beyond on Lorna Road.

A popular national chain of neighborhood grocery stores, Trader Joe’s has made a name for itself with its variety of niche food products, alcohol and flowers. It has locations in Huntsville and at the Summit in Birmingham. (Mobile has pushed for a store location, but to no avail.)

In the announcement, the city of Hoover stated, “For months, the city worked with the shopping center owner on an incentive package to help make this announcement a reality!”

Attempts to reach city officials for further comment were not immediately successful.