The Alabama High School Athletic Association announced sanctions on a high school baseball program in Huntsville.
St. John Paul II Catholic High School’s baseball team self-reported the play of an ineligible athlete, which resulted in a fine and probation for violation of the AHSAA Transfer Rule.
The violation was self-reported, according to the release.
Along with forfeiting all game won that the ineligible athlete participate in, the player was assessed restitution for the contests he participated in while ineligible.
St. John Paul II plays in Class 4A, Area 15, which also includes Randolph School, West Limestone High School and Westminster Christian Academy.
President Donald Trump continued his attacks Tuesday against media outlets NPR and PBS, calling on Republicans in Congress to “defund” the “radical left monsters.”
“Republicans must defund and totally disassociate themselves from NPR & PBS,” Trump posted to his Truth Social media platform Tuesday, “the radical left ‘monsters’ that so badly hurt our country.”
NPR and CBS have found themselves in the crosshairs of congressional Republicans who claim the outlets should not receive federal funding due to what the lawmakers perceive as left-learning biases.
“We believe that you all can hate us on your own dime,” Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told the heads of the broadcasters during a House hearing last week.
During the hearing, NPR Chief Executive Officer Katherine Maher apologized for tweets she posted calling Trump a “deranged racist” and a “fascist.”
The posts were made before Maher became CEO.
“I regret those tweets,” the NPR chief executive said. “I would not tweet them again today. They represented a time where I was reflecting on something that I believe the president had said, rather than who he is. I don’t presume that anyone is a racist.”
The hearings were held a day after Trump said he would “love” for the Department of Government Efficiency to defund NPR and PBS.
“Well, I would love to do that,” Trump said.
“I think it’s very unfair. It’s been very biased the whole group, I mean, the whole group of them. And frankly, there’s plenty of the media you have right now. There’s plenty of coverage…So the kind of money that’s being wasted, and it’s a very biased view, you know that better than anybody, and I’d be honored to see it.”
Carl Lofton Carpenter, 55, will plead guilty to two counts of deprivation of rights, according to court documents made public Tuesday.
In pleading guilty, records state, Carpenter stipulated to the government’s claims that he “stomped on (the inmate’s) genitals with a shod foot” while Mitchell lay face up on the ground, handcuffed behind his back and that he “rammed” the inmate into the exterior of a patrol vehicle and kicked his legs.
The plea agreement states Carpenter stomped on Mitchell’s genitals out of anger “because he had become accustomed to harming arrestees unnecessarily consistent with the ‘culture’ of the Walker County Sheriff’s Office.”
Carpenter’s agreement also says that at the time of Mitchell’s arrest, Mitchell was evaluated by emergency medical personnel in the presence of Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith.
Smith determined that Mitchell would be transported to the jail despite Mitchell “demonstrating symptoms of severe mental illness, including expressing delusions related to demons and portals” to hell.
Smith did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The sentence for a deprivation of rights conviction is a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of not more than $250,000.
Mitchell was arrested Jan. 12, 2023, during a mental health welfare check at his home. Authorities said he fired a gun while deputies were on his property.
Deputies responded that Thursday afternoon to Lost Creek Road near Carbon Hill on a welfare check after family members of Mitchell feared he could harm himself or someone else.
Anthony “Tony” Mitchell (Facebook-Justice for Tony Mitchell)
Carpenter was one of the officers who walked Mitchell to where the police vehicles were parked.
Mitchell, authorities said, was complaint, obeyed commands, and posted no threat of harm to the officers, himself or anyone else other than to continue to “mutter” his delusional comments.
At one point, according to the plea agreement, Mitchell “stiffened momentarily” but did not pull away or make any aggressive moves toward law enforcement.
“In response and out of anger,” the records state, “Carpenter threw (Mitchell) to the ground where he fell on his side.”
Mitchell was handcuffed, and on his back on the ground, when Carpenter raised his booted foot and brought it down with force on Mitchell’s genitals, saying words to the effect of “this is how we treat seizures in Walker County,” the plea agreement states.
The statement says that when Carpenter and “Officer 1,” believed to be Handley, became aware that the federal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest and detention of Mitchell had turned to them, “they agreed that they would each tell federal investigators the same false version of events.”
Specifically, documents state, they agreed to say Mitchell was passively resisting officers during the escort from the barn where he was taken into custody.
In truth, the plea agreement says, Carpenter knew Mitchell was compliant, threw him to the ground and stomped on his genitals, to “punish him and inflict pain without a legitimate law enforcement reason to do so.”
The county coroner’s death certificate listed Mitchell’s manner of death as homicide and listed the causes as hypothermia and sepsis “resulting from infected injuries obtained during incarceration and medical neglect.”
When Mitchell arrived at the jail, the documents state, he had difficulty walking or standing on his own. He was disoriented, non-combative, and could not follow instructions.
“His face was painted blue from an unknown substance and officers dressed him in a ‘turtle suit,’ often used for suicidal inmates, over his otherwise nude body.
Mitchell, however, was not put on suicide watched.
Mitchell was held in an area known as BK5, often referred to as the drunk tank.
BK5 was unlike all other cells in the jail, but for observation cell AH3, which had no hole in the floor and was used only for detainees for hours at a time.
It did not have a sink, toilet, access to any running water or a raised platform to be used as a bed.
Court records show Mitchell never received any medical evaluation until the morning of his death, two weeks after he was arrested.
In fact, jailers actively denied Mitchell medical access by falsely telling medical staff that Mitchell was too combative to be evaluated “when in truth that was not the case,” documents state.
“Calling (Mitchell) combative was an excuse to mistreat him,‘’ documents state. “There was no conduct that could have been committed by (Mitchell) that would have justified the denial of medical access.”
The efforts to deny Mitchell medical and mental health care persisted event though he was frequently expressing severe mental health symptoms such as talking incoherently about “demons” and “portals.”
“He was often covered in feces, which was an indication that he could not care for himself,‘’ records state.
Mitchell deteriorated over the course of his incarceration.
“At the time he passed, (Mitchell) was almost always naked, wet, cold, and covered in feces while lying on the cement floor without a mat or blanket,‘’ the records state.
Tony Mitchell being placed in a Walker County Sheriff’s Office vehicle. (Court filing)
By the second week of being jailed, records show, Mitchell was largely listless and mostly unresponsive to questions from officers.
Repeatedly during Mitchell’s incarceration, records show, corrections officers actively chose not help him, and would dismiss his needs by saying, “(Expletive) him, he gets what he gets since he shot at cops, or words to that effect,‘’ the document states.
The officers also repeatedly made comments that Mitchell “should have been killed because he shot at deputies rather than being brough to the jail,‘’ the document says.
On the morning of January 26, 2023, a nurse repeatedly told jailers that Mitchell urgently needed to be taken to a hospital, or he could die.
They did not call an ambulance and instead waited more than three hours before taking him to the hospital in the back of a patrol car.
When he arrived at the hospital, Mitchell’s internal body temperature was reportedly 72 degrees.
Doctors tried for three hours to resuscitate him before he was declared dead at 1:15 p.m.
Efrem “Butta” Johnson on Tuesday became the second UAB basketball player in as many days to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
The 6-foot-4 Johnson, who has one season of eligibility remaining, started 21 of 37 games at guard for the Blazers this season and 46 games total the last three years. The Huntsville native, a Grissom High School graduate, averaged 8.8 points per game and shot 86% on free throws this season.
Johnson joins two-time All-AAC forward Yaxel Lendeborg as UAB players to enter the portal this week. The Blazers finished 24-13 and reached the NIT quarterfinals this season.
WASHINGTON — New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker held the Senate floor with a marathon speech that lasted all night and into Tuesday afternoon in a feat of endurance to show Democrats’ objections to President Donald Trump’s sweeping actions.
Booker took to the Senate floor on Monday evening, saying he would remain there as long as he was “physically able.” More than 21 hours later, the 55-year-old senator, a former football tight end, was plainly exhausted but still going. It was a remarkable show of stamina — among the longest in Senate history — as Democrats try to show their frustrated supporters that they are doing everything possible to contest Trump’s agenda.
“These are not normal times in our nation,” Booker said as he launched into his speech. “And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent, and we all must do more to stand against them.”
Booker warns of a ‘looming constitutional crisis’
Pacing, then at times leaning on his podium, Booker railed for hours against cuts to Social Security offices led by Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. He listed the impacts of Trump’s early orders and spoke to concerns that broader cuts to the social safety net could be coming, though Republican lawmakers say the program won’t be touched.
Booker also read what he said were letters from constituents, donning and doffing his reading glasses. One writer was alarmed by the Republican president’s talk of annexing Greenland and Canada and a “looming constitutional crisis.”
Throughout the day Tuesday, Booker got help from Democratic colleagues, who gave him a break from speaking to ask him a question and praise his performance. Booker yielded for questions but made sure to say he would not give up the floor. He stayed standing to comply with Senate rules.
“Your strength, your fortitude, your clarity has just been nothing short of amazing and all of America is paying attention to what you’re saying,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said as he asked Booker a question on the Senate floor. “All of America needs to know there’s so many problems, the disastrous actions of this administration.”
As Booker stood for hour after hour, he appeared to have nothing more than a couple glasses of water to sustain him. Yet his voice grew strong with emotion as his speech stretched into the afternoon, and House members from the Congressional Black Caucus stood on the edge of the Senate floor to support Booker.
“Moments like this require us to be more creative or more imaginative, or just more persistent and dogged and determined,” Booker said.
On Tuesday afternoon, tens of thousands of people were watching on Booker’s Senate YouTube page, as well as on other live streams.
Democratic aides, as well as Booker’s cousin and brother, watched from the chamber’s gallery. Sen. Chris Murphy accompanied Booker on the Senate floor throughout the day and night. Murphy was returning the comradeship that Booker had given to him in 2016 when the Connecticut Democrat held the floor for almost 15 hours to argue for gun control legislation.
His Senate floor speech isn’t the longest, but it’s close
The record for the longest individual speech belongs to Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957, according to the Senate’s records. As it rolled past 21 hours, Booker’s speech marked the fourth longest in Senate history.
In the late afternoon, Booker surpassed the longest speech time for a sitting senator — the 21 hours and 19 minutes that Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, had held the floor to contest the Affordable Care Act in 2013.
Throughout his determined performance, Booker repeatedly invoked the civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis of Georgia on Tuesday, arguing that overcoming opponents like Thurmond would require more than just talking.
“You think we got civil rights one day because Strom Thurmond — after filibustering for 24 hours — you think we got civil rights because he came to the floor one day and said, ‘I’ve seen the light,‘” Booker said. “No, we got civil rights because people marched for it, sweat for it and John Lewis bled for it.”
Booker’s speech was not a filibuster, which is a speech meant to halt the advance of a specific piece of legislation. Instead, Booker’s performance was a broader critique of Trump’s agenda, meant to hold up the Senate’s business and draw attention to what Democrats are doing to contest the president. Without a majority in either congressional chamber, Democrats have been almost completely locked out of legislative power but are turning to procedural maneuvers to try to thwart Republicans.
His speech could make him a leading Democratic figure
Booker is serving his second term in the Senate. He was an unsuccessful presidential candidate in 2020, when he launched his campaign from the steps of his home in Newark. He dropped out after struggling to gain a foothold in a packed field, falling short of the threshold to meet in a January 2020 debate.
But as Democrats search for a next generation of leadership, frustrated with the old-timers at the top, Booker’s speech could cement his status as a leading figure in the party’s opposition to Trump.
Even before taking to the national political stage, Booker was considered a rising star in the Democratic Party in New Jersey, serving as mayor of Newark, the state’s largest city, from 2006 to 2013.
During college, he played tight end for Stanford University’s football team. He became a Rhodes scholar and graduated from Yale Law before starting his career as an attorney for nonprofits.
He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2013 during a special election held after the death of incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg. He won his first full term in 2014 and reelection in 2020.
As Democratic colleagues made their way to the Senate chamber to help Booker by asking him questions, he also made heartfelt tributes to his fellow senators, recalling their personal backgrounds and shared experiences in the Senate. Booker also called on Americans to respond not just with resistance to Trump’s actions but with kindness and generosity for those in their communities.
Booker said, “I may be afraid — my voice may shake — but I’m going to speak up more.”
Sphere ice is perfect for a variety of beverages, however, it is ideal for low-ball whiskey drinks.
“Experience the luxury of savoring every sip of your favorite drinks for longer without dilution. Our slow-melting ice spheres are designed to preserve the flavors and aromas, ensuring that your beverages remain as perfect as the moment they were poured‚” the Frigidaire Gallery product details state.
“Our ice maker is built for efficiency, producing two spheres every 30 minutes. With a total daily output of 82 beautifully crafted ice spheres, you’ll never run out of ice for your drinks, even during the most extended gatherings.”
A temporary restraining order has been filed against a Baldwin County company for alleged deceptive acts, according to Attorney General Steve Marshall.
A release from the attorney general’s office alleged that AKME Gardens lied to customers by falsely claiming that it was certified to sell nursery products and seeds in Alabama.
Also, the attorney general’s office said that several consumer complaints have been filed against the company dating back to 2021.
Efforts to reach the company or identify an attorney representing the company were not immediately successful.
The complaints allege the company scammed customers by taking payments without providing products.
“Making false claims to trick buyers into spending large sums of money without delivering a product is not only unfair but illegal under Alabama’s consumer protection laws,” Marshall said.
“In this case, by falsely claiming to be an Alabama-certified nursery, this business also puts our entire agriculture industry at risk by opening the door to harmful plant pests that could cost farmers and consumers. These actions are a serious threat to our community,” said Attorney General Marshall.
“We urge any consumers who have been affected by this company to immediately contact the office.
Due to the alleged actions by AKME Gardens the company faces 37 violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a statute protecting consumers from dishonest business practices.
According to court records, the case has been deemed confidential.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., confused an Oscar-winning director with one of President Donald Trump’s closest supporters during a House hearing Thursday on records connecting to the John F. Kennedy assassination.
“JFK” director Oliver Stone testified before the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets when Boebert mixed him up with Roger Stone, the former lobbyist and member of Trump’s inner circle.
“Mr. Stone, you wrote a book accusing LBJ [President Lyndon B. Johnson] of being involved in the killing of President Kennedy,” Boebert asked the director.
“Do these recent releases confirm or negate your initial charge? Being involved in the assassination of President Kennedy?”
Apparently confused, Stone then consulted with Jefferson Morley, author of “CIA & JFK: The Secret Assassination Files,” who also testified at Tuesday’s hearing.
“No, I didn’t — If you look closely at the film,” Stone said, “it accuses President Johnson of being part of and complicit in a coverup of the case but not in the assassination itself, which I don’t know.”
Stone then went on to detail why he believed Johnson covered up who was responsible for the assassination as Morley figured out why Boebert asked Stone that question.
“I think you’re confusing Mr. Oliver Stone with Mr. Roger Stone,” Morley told the congresswoman. “It’s Roger Stone who implicated LBJ in the assassination. It’s not my friend, Oliver Stone.”
“I may have misinterpreted that,” Boebert responded, “and I apologize for that.”
Stone’s “JFK” was nominated for eight Oscars, including best picture, and won two. It grossed more than $200 million but was also dogged by questions about its factuality.
The last formal congressional investigation of Kennedy’s assassination ended in 1978, when a House committee issued a report concluding that the Soviet Union, Cuba, organized crime, the CIA and the FBI weren’t involved, but Kennedy “probably was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.”
In 1976, a Senate committee said it had not uncovered enough evidence “to justify a conclusion that there was a conspiracy.”
The Warren Commission, appointed by Kennedy’s successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, concluded that Oswald fired on Kennedy’s motorcade from a sniper’s perch on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, where Oswald worked.
Police arrested Oswald within 90 minutes, and two days later, Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, shot Oswald during a jail transfer broadcast on live television.
For Tuesday’s hearing, the task force also invited Morley and James DiEugenio, who both have written books arguing for conspiracies behind the assassination.
Morley is editor of the JFK Facts blog and vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a repository for files related to the assassination.
Kevin Bacon is starring alongside two Alabamians in his new Amazon Prime horror-comedy series called “The Bondsman.” Gadsden, Ala., native Beth Grant, a prolific character actor, and Huntsville native Bill Billions have roles in the show about a resurrected bounty hunter tasked with tracking demons.
“The Bondsman” premieres April 3, 2025. Watch the trailer below.
In a recent interview, Billions described the show: “Kevin Bacon plays Hub Halloran, a man who is sent back from the dead as a bounty hunter for the devil to recapture escaped demons. While back, he has the opportunity to reconnect with his ex-wife, develop a relationship with his son, and try to resurrect his music career.”
The show, produced by Blumhouse, also stars singer-songwriter Jennifer Nettles and Dam Herriman.
Huntsville, Ala., native Bill Billions is featured in the new series “The Bondsman,” starring Kevin Bacon.Courtesy of Bill Billions
Billions, who teaches acting at The Bill Billions Studios at Hollywood Huntsville, said he enjoyed working with Bacon. “Kevin is an actor’s actor. He loves the craft, he shows up to work and he does his job,” Billions said. “He is a great listener and a supportive collaborator.”
Billions portrays a character called Grizzly Terral in episode seven of “The Bondsman.” Terral is “either a man or a demon posing as a man … or something,” Billions said cryptically. “My character looks and behaves in an unusual manner. You have never seen anything like him. It was a joy to play the role.”
Audiences will enjoy the escapades, he said. “The writers did a great job with it, and the director and crew were excited about it,” Billions said. “I was also excited. You are all going to love it.”
Billions has appeared in numerous projects, including the Tom Cruise film “American Made,” and TV shows such as “Castle Falls” and “The Haves and the Have Nots.”
Kevin Bacon as demonic bounty hunter Hub Halloran in “The Bondsman,” premiering April 3, 2025, on Amazon Prime. Prolific character actor Beth Grant, a Gadsden, Ala., native, portrays his mother, Kitty.Courtesy of Prime
Grant stars as Kevin Bacon’s character’s mother, Kitty, despite the fact that she’s only nine years older. Grant has more than 243 acting credits listed on her IMDb page, including the films “A Time to Kill,” “Speed” and “No Country for Old Men,” and TV shows like “Dexter,” “Justified” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Most recently Grant portrayed Charlotte Mayfair on the TV series “Mayfair Witches”
“The Bondsman” was filmed in Atlanta and Grantville, Ga., IMDb says.
Billions said that during filming he got to interact with Grant, a fellow Alabamian, and with Jennifer Nettles, a singer-songwriter. “Beth Grant is a terrific storyteller,” he said. “She has great stories about her experiences in the movie business. Jennifer Nettles is a sweetheart, as well as a strong actor (and of course an amazing singer). She was great to work with.”
Damon Herriman, from left, Beth Grant, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Nettles, Jolene Purdy, and Maxwell Jenkins attend the Prime Video premiere of “The Bondsman” March 31, 2025, in New York.Associated Press
Nettles and Bacon, also a musician, collaborated on an album for the show called “Hell and Back.” Bacon wrote in a Facebook post: “We made this album for our upcoming show The Bondsman, writing songs together to bring the world of The Bondsman to life through music.” Bacon shared a pre-save link to the album (find it here), which drops April 4, the day after the show.
Auburn football is having a uniquely short and late spring practice window in 2025.
The Tigers started practice on March 25 and will wrap up with A-Day on April 12, meaning spring ball will only last around three weeks. The reasoning is partly due to head coach Hugh Freeze’s wishes to get rid of spring practice altogether, preferring an NFL-like OTA period in the summer.
This year’s spring practice period isn’t quite that, but it’s the closest thing to the NFL model Auburn was able to have. The Tigers have already completed one full week of practice, meaning two weeks remain before the team puts the pads down until fall camp.
Freeze met with reporters during Tuesday morning’s practice, reflecting on the first week while also explaining what he still wants to see from his team before A-Day.
Auburn had its first scrimmage of spring practice last Saturday and Freeze said he was “really encouraged by the competitiveness of both sides.” The team will scrimmage again this Saturday, according to Freeze.
“I thought there were some good things. And obviously, when one side does some good things, there’s some bad things that are happening on the other that you’ve got to get corrected,” Freeze said. “But I really thought it went back-and-forth, and the competitiveness was really good to see on Saturday.”
Freeze also added that the team will finish installing this week, meaning the remainder of spring practice will be running through and maintaining what has already been put in.
Auburn added three new things before Tuesday’s practice, according to Freeze, and he thought the execution was “so-so” when the team ran through it at the beginning of the day.
“There will still be some ups and downs like there was in Tiger Ball today,” Freeze said. “That was probably as dirty as it’s been. We have really been clean in that.”
Auburn will practice four more times after it finishes installing this week, per Freeze. He explained Tuesday that the thing he’s most concerned with once that gets done is how the players are able to retain what they’ve learned and execute it in the final few practices.
“We’ll see if they can retain it and hopefully execute at a high level where your decision-making as a quarterback or a receiver with route-running or an o-lineman assignment-wise, you hope those assignments grade out high the last four times,” Freeze said. “Yes, you’ll get beat in some one-on-ones sometimes, but man, ‘he was in the right place and understood what he’s doing.’ That’s what I would love to see the last four practices. When you call something, they had a complete understanding of it.”
This year’s A-Day also won’t be the same as in years past. Rather than having a traditional spring game, Auburn will have a practice open to fans inside Jordan Hare Stadium on April 12, followed by an autograph session on the field with Freeze and Auburn’s players.
