Alabama News

Reba McEntire posted a video in support of PBS in a plea to fans to do the same.

Donald Trump’s administration is looking to cut back on more than $1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides some funding to PBS and NPR.

McEntire, the country music legend, made a plea for PBS.

“Hey, it’s Reba,” she said as the video began. “From my appearances on ‘Austin City Limits’ in 1987, to South Pacific in concert from Carnegie Hall in 2006, I’ve had a long relationship with PBS. Now, PBS needs our help. In just a few short days the Senate is going to vote on a Bill that would remove federal funding from PBS.

“PBS has done so much for us. From children’s education to teaching us about science, the earth and the stars. To the most near to my heart, the incredible arts programming that brings the power of live performance into our homes.

“If you believe in PBS like I do, check out ProtectMyPublicMedia.org to find out how you can help. Let’s help keep PBS keep delivering the incredible programming that we all love so much.”

The Recissions Act would eliminate $1.1 billion in already-approve funding for public media.

Trump said in a social media post Thursday that the proposed cuts — in particular the $1.1 billion to come from public media — are “very important” to him.

“It is very important that all Republicans adhere to my Recissions Bill and, in particular, DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together,” Trump wrote in the social media post. “Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

The area of low pressure in the Gulf may not become a tropical depression after all.

The National Hurricane Center on Thursday lowered the chances of Invest 93L becoming a depression from 40 percent to 30 percent as it tracked westward over the northern Gulf toward Louisiana.

However, the system could still bring heavy rain and concerns about flash flooding to parts of the northern Gulf Coast through Friday, according to forecasters.

The hurricane center said the area of low pressure was located south of Mobile Bay on Thursday morning.

It remained disorganized, with most of its rain and storms well west of its center.

“While some additional development of this system remains possible over the next 12-24 hours, its current structure suggests its chances of developing into a tropical depression before it reaches the Louisiana coast later today are decreasing,” forecasters said Thursday.

HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE IN ALABAMA

Depression or not, it could still bring heavy rain to parts of the Gulf Coast.

The weather service in Mobile is also forecasting a high risk for deadly rip currents along the Alabama and northwest Florida coasts on Thursday and Friday and a moderate risk over the weekend:

Flash flooding will also be possible across parts of south Alabama through Friday, according to the weather service.

Forecasters think 2 to 4 inches of rain will be possible closer to the coast, with 1-2 inches possible farther inland.

Forecasters think that Friday could be the rainiest day.

Forecasters will also be on the lookout for the potential for rotating storms as they move off of the Gulf on Friday. So far there is no severe weather risk in the forecast from the Storm Prediction Center for Alabama on Friday.

The weather service said the system should move out by Saturday and high pressure will take over, which means more typical summertime weather with chances for afternoon rain and storms over the weekend.

Huntsville residents looking for more steak and seafood options in the Huntsville area now have them just north of U.S. 72 at Clift Farm.

Italian, Mexican and Asian options are on the way in the mixed-use development just north of the Madison city limits, according to Joey Ceci, president of Breland Companies.

Construction continues on the $2.8 million, 8,141 square-foot building that will house Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and Melt at 461 John Henry Way in Clift Farm. Neither restaurant is a stranger to the area. Grimaldi’s has a location in Jones Valley. Melt, which specializes in classic comfort food of burgers and sandwiches, has a location in downtown Huntsville. The Clift Farm franchise will be the fourth in Alabama.

Ceci said both restaurants are expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. Breland is the Clift Farm developer.

The two restaurants will be near Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop and the recently opened Chuck’s Fish.

Construction is also ongoing for the $6.5 million, 12,448-square foot Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant just north of that location in the development. It is the franchise’s first location in Alabama.

The restaurant franchise was founded in 2005. The Cooper’s Hawk concept includes four components: an upscale casual dining restaurant, full-service bar, private barrel-aging room, and Napa-style tasting room and retail gift store, according to the restaurant website. Steak, chicken and seafood are among the items on the menu in addition to a wide selection of wine and beers. Brunch will also be served at the restaurant.

Also coming to Clift Farm is Mexican restaurant La Parrilla. This will be the franchise’s second restaurant in Alabama. It has a restaurant in Dothan.

According to the La Parilla website, in addition to Dothan, there are 22 locations in Georgia and South Carolina. The website advertises authentic Mexican flavors “meet a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere.” Offerings include traditional dishes, including burritos, tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas. It will offer online ordering options and catering services.

Rock N’ Roll Sushi is also opening soon at 461 John Henry Way in suite 300. The franchise is an America-style sushi restaurant “founded on great food and rock and roll music,” according to its website. It advertises flavors “that are big, bold and loud.” The restaurant will offer sushi, hibachi and kids’ menus.

Newly opened

The newest business to open at Clift Farm is California-based hair salon Drybar, which opened in June. It is open just around the corner from Rock N’ Roll Sushi in suite 1030. Drybar provides a hair styling service known as blowouts – drying hair after a wash to achieve a smooth and sleek look, style and feel, with no curling or flat iron involved. It is the brand’s first location in Alabama. Franchisees Jenny and Pete Warmingham are owners of multiple Scooter’s Coffee locations. Founded in 2010, the Drybar brand has more than 180 shops globally.

Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill opened behind First Watch on John Henry Way. The restaurant is a sister restaurant to Town Madison’s J. Alexander’s. Ceci describes it as more of a traditional steakhouse than J. Alexander’s. The success of that restaurant paved the way for Stoney River at Clift Farm. Stoney River currently has locations in Nashville, Franklin and Germantown in Tennessee and Atlanta, Roswell and Duluth, Georgia. The Stoney River website describes the restaurant as an upscale steakhouse, specializing in hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood selections, signature salads and house specialties.

Chuck’s Fish is open near Jim ‘N Nick’s barbecue restaurant on John Henry Way. The restaurant specializes in Gulf seafood. The restaurant’s owner, Chuck Morgan III, also owns Harbor Docks fish market in Destin, Florida. The Clift Farm restaurant is the seventh Chuck’s Fish.

Ceci said a village green area is now open as a gathering place for the development. It will host events such as yoga in the park or bands. Later this month, Chick-fil-A will host a back to school event on the green.

Residential construction

Hundreds of homes, townhomes and apartments are in various stages of development on the 500-acre site. Lennar Homes of Alabama is the builder for some of the single-family homes in the development, while Ceci said Breland Homes is planning to build others.

Clift Farm will have about 1,300 apartments by the time it is finished, Ceci said during an earlier interview with AL.com. There will be about 300 townhomes and probably about 500 to 600 single-family homes.

It will take about five to 10 years to complete.

An overnight standoff in Opelika ended with a man fatally shot by police.

A woman was at the home was able to get out of the home, but a toddler remained inside with the man during law enforcement negotiations.

Opelika police responded at 10:41 p.m. Wednesday to a report of domestic violence at the home in the 3000 block of Wymond Drive.

Once at the residence, officers encountered a 32-year-old man who police officials said was irate and armed with a gun.

The man – whose identity has not been released – barricaded himself in the home with the woman and the 2-year-old child.

Opelika crisis negotiators and the Lee County SWAT Team were then dispatched to the residence.

The woman was able to leave, police said, but the child remained inside with the suspect throughout the ordea..

“Negotiations continued, but the subject’s actions led to an officer-involved shooting,” according to an OPD statement.

The man was pronounced deceased at the scene. The woman and child were unharmed.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigations was called in to investigate, which is standard for most officer-involved shootings.

Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Lee County District Attorney’s Office.

The fight to stop a quarry in Belle Mina heads to court Tuesday in Limestone County.

A group of churches and residents have filed suit to block the quarry less than a half mile from the heart of Belle Mina, a Limestone County community that is home to a mixture of farmers in historic homes and low-income families.

The quarry site is north of Interstate 565 and is near an almost 400-acre site recently annexed by Huntsville where up to 3,000 homes and retail development is proposed.

Tuesday’s hearing in circuit court will determine whether the landowners of the quarry property can be named defendants in the case.

New Beginnings Covenant Ministries, Belle Mina Methodist Church, Jerusalem Primitive Baptist Church, New Heavan Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Brad Vice, Nina Perez and Sandra Diaz are plaintiffs in the case.

Named as defendants are Stoned LLC, Grayson Carter and Son Contracting, Elephants R Us and Landquest Properties LLC. Elephants R Us and Landquest Properties are the owners of the property.

The plaintiffs unsuccessfully fought to keep the Alabama Department of Environmental Management from issuing Stoned LLC a permit to discharge water from the quarry site and Grayson Carter & Son a permit to emit air pollutants from the rock crushing site.

Vice told AL.com at a public meeting in February 2024 that he and his wife have been losing sleep over the quarry and what it would do to their daughter’s health. He believes his home is the closest to the site.

He isn’t alone in being concerned about what particles in the air from operations of the quarry would do to the children of the community. The plaintiffs in the case also raise concerns about the impact discharge of water into Limestone Creek and its tributaries might make on the health of residents in the community.

Vice and Perez told AL.com at the meeting last year they were concerned about construction of the quarry doing structural damage to roads and homes in the community. Vice was among residents concerned property values would plummet. Perez was concerned that insurance rates would increase with the quarry’s operation.

According to court filings, operations at the quarry site are conducted 11 hours a day, six to seven days a week, often waking residents in the middle of the night with light and noise.

The filing said dust from rock crushing, topsoil removal and transporting the dirt covers the plaintiffs’ properties, interfering with the use and enjoyment of their properties.

The plaintiffs are also concerned that overtime, activities from the quarry will deplete the community’s groundwater and alter water levels in Limestone Creek and its tributaries in addition to structure damage to roads, homes and churches.

During the permitting process, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service voiced concerns about the impact of the quarry on endangered species in the area. And representatives from Auburn University wrote letters to ADEM about their concerns on the impact on the water levels at the 700-acre Auburn University experiment station located about a mile from the site.

During a public hearing in March of last year, Randy Thomason, a Grayson Carter & Son Contracting corporate officer, promised his company would be a good community citizen. And supporters of the quarry said it would bring much needed jobs to the community and revenue to Limestone County.

Grayson Carter & Son, an Athens company, is one of the companies contracted to work on road projects in the city of Huntsville.

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my husband for eight years. He lost his mom 22 years ago. Ever since her cremation, he has kept her ashes in the living room. It scares me because I believe in ghosts.

I know it’s hard to let go of our dear ones. (I lost my own mom a few years ago, so I know the feeling.) How can I convince him to take the ashes out of the house or put them in the ground without hurting him emotionally? — SPOOKED IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR SPOOKED: Honey, if your late mother-in-law is coming back to haunt you, she will do it regardless of where her ashes are located. Yes, your husband is having trouble letting go of the remnants of his mother, but he’s hurting no one. She may “visit” you SOONER if you push her out from under your roof.

Read more Dear Abby and other advice columns.

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.

Starting Aug. 11, James Spann will be 24/7.

The popular, award-winning Birmingham meteorologist will launch his own channel: The Alabama Weather Network.

It will air recorded programming on storm preparation, as well as events, activities and places to visit statewide.

Oh, and there’ll be weather. Lots of it. Statewide forecasts will air every 20 minutes and be updated several times daily. There will also be targeted forecasts aimed at beaches, lawn care, gardening and other niches.

Of course, during a weather emergency, the suspendered-one will be live – simultaneously on AWN and ABC 33/40.

“There’s a hunger for adequate good weather coverage, and a lot of our rural parts of the state don’t have that. This will fill some holes,” says Spann, who will retain his position as chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40 while appearing on the new network.

Here are 5 things you should know about the Alabama Weather Channel:

1. AWN is building one of the most expansive live weather camera systems in the nation, with cameras across the state linked with solar-powered weather sensors, providing continuous, real-time views and data across Alabama.
2. Veteran storm chasers John Oldshue (also an AWN owner) and Brett Adair (founder/owner of Live Storms Media) will lead a rain-boots-on-the-ground swarm of volunteer spotters (Skywatchers) stationed throughout the state.
3. Weather isn’t just for watching anymore. Crafted for today’s multi-taskers, AWN, during live weather events, will wield a buffet of platforms to simultaneously stream, post and push weather at you via computer and phone.
4. Beyond clouds and radar. AWN will highlight Alabama’s most unique towns, communities, people, traditions, as well as stories on survival and resilience.
5. You’ll be able to catch AWN on streaming services Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire; on social media on YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok; and via the Alabama Weather Network app and website.

Spann is one of four AWN owners.

The others are hotel industry executive Bill Murray, who partners with Spann on the Alabama Weather Blog, Oldshue and business and personal finance expert Bill Hardekopf, who was president and general manager of the Birmingham Barons from 1992-1998.

“There are a gazillion weather apps, a gazillion YouTubers and TikTokers,” adds Spann, “but folks need a source they can trust. I’d like to think I’ve been here long enough where I understand them, they understand me, and I’m always there for them.”

Dear Eric: I am a 35-year-old gay man. My mother is a duplicitous, bitter woman and my father is a weak-willed, hateful, homophobe. I don’t particularly care for either one of them, and have never felt especially close to them in any capacity. Thankfully, I have many younger siblings and plenty of friends. I am emotionally stable and am mentally healthy. Although busy with my career, I frequently date. During the dating phase of a relationship, how does one tactfully make it clear that he doesn’t like to talk about his parents at all?

I feel like people hear that I don’t have a relationship with my parents and they pity me and/or assume that I am a sociopath because I “don’t love my Mama.” It’s nothing like that, it’s just that when I am getting to know another man, I couldn’t care less about the relationship he has with his parents. I’m not trying to garner their approval (although other people’s parents tend to love me) or get to know his family members. Why is there such a societal importance on (specifically gay) men to keep up some fantastic relationship with their mother?

– Never Been A Mama’s Boy

Dear Never Been: Through dating, or, really, any social interaction, you’re likely to find people who have all kinds of relationships with their parents – close, estranged, complicated, and more. Part of getting to know other people involves filling in the biographical details with context, color, and, most importantly, empathy. So, if you’re encountering people who are putting an expectation on you and your relationship with your parents, know that that’s less about you and more about them.

This can be a cold comfort. However, by processing your feelings about your parents, you’ll better equip yourself to navigate these interactions. Notice, I wrote process, not bury. I’m not suggesting you suddenly attempt closeness or reconciliation for the sake of dating.

Instead, I’m suggesting that by talking with a friend or counselor about the difficulty you’ve had with your parents, you’ll be able to own the narrative and communicate it clearly on dates.

One of the most attractive qualities that someone can bring to a date is emotional intelligence. Your letter already has a lot of that, so further processing will only help bolster it. This quality can help you to say to a date, for instance, “my parents are complicated people; they’re on their journey and I’m on mine. I’m working on healing and some of the ways that I’m healing are…”

Even when trying to find a love story, you don’t have to live in someone else’s narrative. Not your date’s and not your parents’.

Read more Asking Eric and other advice columns.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.

Dear Eric: My parents recently died a few months apart. While taking care of my mom’s last wishes, my sister told me that she went to prison for human trafficking years ago. She wasn’t sorry for it in any way and defended her actions. She may as well have told me she was a serial killer. I can’t even look at her now.

I discovered my other sister, who became my dad’s caregiver after Mom died, was neglecting my dad by not giving him his medication, leaving him unsupervised (advanced Alzheimer’s), and recklessly spending, using Dad’s credit cards.

This didn’t surprise me since she abandoned her kids and then gave birth to another child while on meth. Her past is why I investigated the present, discovering she hadn’t changed a bit.

My extended family is pushing me to forgive and forget.

Am I wrong for turning my back on my sisters? I don’t want their toxicity touching my life or my children’s lives. And with the pressure my relatives are putting on me, I’m ready to let them go, too. Somehow, I’ve become the villain for refusing to kiss and make up with these two terrible women.

– Eyes Wide Open

Dear Eyes: In your letter, I see your family pushing you to forgive and forget but I don’t see any apology, remorse or amends from your sisters. So, in reality the family members are not asking you to forgive, they’re asking you to ignore. To what end?

Turning a blind eye to transgressions that hurt a stranger and hurt your father for the sake of family peace is like trying to cover rotted floorboards with a throw rug. There’s so much wrong underneath that even if the appearance is normal, the damage will pull you down.

What your family is asking of you isn’t healthy. And, perhaps more importantly, it’s not right for you. They don’t get to dictate how you feel or how you process this disturbing information. Anyone who is pressuring you doesn’t have your best interests in mind. You can, and should, put a boundary up for your own health and safety.

Read more Asking Eric and other advice columns.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.

If the season started today, Kalen DeBoer would be the Alabama head football coach. That’s a joke, a mash-up of DeBoer’s rote response about current starting quarterback Ty Simpson, but it’s not completely unserious.

Think about the coaches from this state that have gotten people talking through the first three days of SEC Kickoff 2025. DeBoer’s predecessor generated more buzz without showing up or saying a word. His in-state rival sparked more headlines by semi-boldly declaring that his team is playoff-discussion ready.

The big, unanswered questions: Will Alabama football legend Nick Saban be coaching again in 2026? Will Auburn golf legend Hugh Freeze still be coaching here next year?

The current boss in Tuscaloosa has questions of his own to answer this season. In introducing DeBoer in the main media room Wednesday, Greg Sankey noted that he was the first Crimson Tide coach to debut with nine wins since Frank Thomas in 1931.

While it was nice of the commissioner to focus on the positive, his nugget served as a reminder that Alabama is not just another football program. Even veteran coaches like Saban have needed time to learn on the job in Tuscaloosa.

Saban grabbed the Alabama job and everyone in his orbit by the throat, figuratively speaking, when he arrived in January of 2007. His my-way-or-the-highway personality inspired a downtrodden fan base. Still, his first season was an unsettling succession of fits and starts and catastrophic events, ending with seven victories and six defeats.

Alabama football wouldn’t experience anything quite as traumatic again until Saban retired, Greg Byrne tapped DeBoer to uphold the legacy in his own way and the Tide went 9-4. Hence the question aimed at DeBoer in Atlanta. It may have been the easiest question anyone was asked over the past three days.

Did Year One after being handed the keys to Saban’s kingdom live up to the Bama Standard?

The short answer: No.

The long answer: Hell no. Next question.

DeBoer didn’t inherit his predecessor’s salty vocabulary or thirst for confrontation so he went in a different direction. He eventually got to the right answer but only after a halting reply that began with a question in response to the question.

“In what way?”

In every forward-facing, flag-waving, Roll Damn Tide kind of way. To review the manual for newcomers like offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb:

The Bama Standard demands that you don’t lose to Vanderbilt. The 2024 Alabama team did. It was the program’s first loss to the Commodores since 1984. That shocker so emboldened Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia that, last month, he clapped back at Tide wunderkind receiver Ryan Williams.

Williams said that, when the ‘Dores come to Tuscaloosa in October, the Tide plans to “kill an ant with a sledgehammer.” Pavia responded at the time on social media with song lyrics: “They actin like they tough, but they don’t want no confrontation.”

Asked about that summer smoke at SEC Media Days, Pavia kept it polite, if not real. Fun fact: In two years at New Mexico State and one at Vanderbilt, he’s 4-0 against teams from this state with two wins over Auburn, one over Jacksonville State and Vandy 40, Alabama 35.

The Bama Standard demands that you don’t lose to any unranked opponents. The 2024 Alabama team lost to three: Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. In the final 16 years of Saban’s 17-year reign, the Crimson Tide suffered only a single defeat against an unranked foe. That was Texas A&M in 2021.

The Bama Standard isn’t just about avoiding negative outcomes. It’s about putting yourself in position to do great things. It demands that you play in the SEC Championship Game, the College Football Playoff or at least a New Year’s Six bowl. The 2024 team did not reach any of those milestones. In 17 years, Saban’s teams went 0 for 3 on that score only three times in 2007, 2010 and 2019.

Despite his initial failure to live up to that standard beyond defeating Georgia and Auburn, DeBoer has history on his side. Each of the previous six Alabama coaches, from Bill Curry to Saban, improved their win total by at least two from Year 1 to Year 2. The average uptick was 3.2 additional victories in their second season. The standouts were Saban at plus-5 and Gene Stallings at plus-4.

DeBoer charted an upward trajectory himself at his two previous FBS stops. His second Fresno State team improved by six wins, although his first year was abbreviated by COVID-19. His second Washington team improved by three wins and played for the national title.

The playoff discussion may be good enough for Freeze at Auburn this year. It won’t be for DeBoer at Alabama. Freeze’s failures last year and Saban’s wildly successful television debut deflected some of the glare from DeBoer, but no more. The Bama Standard bends for no man. If they have to ask you about it, you didn’t live up to it.

The current Alabama coach’s second chance awaits.