Weather permitting – the two worst words in the baseball scheduler’s lexicon – Alabama High School Athletic Association teams can take to the field beginning Thursday to play ball.
Which Birmingham area teams should be in the hunt for a deep run in those playoffs and which players will stand out? AL.com sent a questionnaire to area coaches for some insider information.
Read MoreDear Annie: I really need help. I’m a 28-year-old woman living in New York City.
For the past three years, I’ve been in a committed relationship with my boyfriend, “Charles.” He’s 31, works in tech and is super ambitious. We met in college, and while we’ve always gotten along well, I’ve started to notice some major differences between us as we’ve gotten older.
To give you some context, I’m someone who craves emotional connection. I love having deep conversations, spending quality time together and doing activities that foster closeness, like cooking together or hiking. But Charles is more of an introvert.
He enjoys his alone time, often retreats into his hobbies (video games, reading sci-fi and sometimes coding for fun) and is more of a “let’s watch a movie in silence” type of person.
At first, I thought it was just the “honeymoon phase” wearing off, but I’m starting to feel lonely in our relationship. I’ve tried to communicate my needs, but he always says he’s “fine” and that I shouldn’t worry. It’s like he can’t really understand where I’m coming from. I’ve suggested we try couples therapy, but he’s reluctant, saying we don’t need it.
Things got even more complicated when a new coworker, “Mark,” started to work at my office. He’s the opposite of Charles — super outgoing, very emotionally open and we get along like peas in a pod. The chemistry between us is undeniable, and I’ve found myself fantasizing about what it would be like to be with someone who actually gets me on that level. I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help but feel a certain pull toward him.
I haven’t told Charles about how distant I’m feeling, and I definitely haven’t mentioned my growing attraction to Mark. Part of me feels guilty for even thinking about it, but another part of me wonders if I’m just settling for a relationship that no longer serves me.
So here’s my question: Am I just going through a phase? Should I break up with Charles and pursue a relationship with Mark? Or do I owe it to him (and myself) to work on the relationship and see if we can bridge this emotional gap? I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I’m feeling confused and stuck. — Need Help
Dear Need Help: You are caught between comfort and chemistry. You owe it to yourself to have a talk with Charles about your feelings and see if he opens up a bit more. You are young and not married, so breaking up is a lot simpler, but it is important that you not get hurt.
Mark is not going anywhere, so there is no need to rush into anything with him until you have decided what to do with Charles.
Read more Dear Annie and other advice columns.
“How Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner?” is out now! Annie Lane’s second anthology — featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit Creators Publishing for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to [email protected].
Read MoreA woman was killed in a fiery crash when her car left Elton B. Stephens Expressway and dropped to the Birmingham roadway below.
Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said the woman was badly burned so her identity has not yet been confirmed. She was an adult white female, Yates said.
The crash happened at 9:17 p.m. Tuesday.
Authorities said the woman’s vehicle left the highway, fell into the parking lot of a business in the 2600 block of Third Avenue South and caught fire.
The woman was pronounced dead on the scene at 9:57 p.m.
The investigation is ongoing by Birmingham police.
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Terry Curtis spent 52 years as a high school football coach before announcing his retirement from UMS-Wright on Tuesday.
Curtis leaves with eight state titles and 361 victories, the second most in state history. He actually broke the all-time state record of Vestavia Hills’ Buddy Anderson before Danny Horn of Central Clay County bypassed him last year.
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Read MoreThe Alabama House of Representatives this morning passed a bill defining sex as determined at birth, a move that opponents said would cause hardships for transgender people.
The so-called ‘What is a Woman?’ bill has already passed the Senate and now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey, who can sign it into law.
” I look forward to signing it into law to codify common sense,” Ivey posted on social media after the vote.
The House passed it by a vote of 77-12. Democratic representatives cast all of the no votes.
The bill is a priority for Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature and for Ivey, who mentioned it during her State of the State address last week.
SB79, by Sen. April Weaver, R-Brierfield, defines a female as someone whose reproductive system produces ova and a male as someone whose reproductive system produces sperm.
Transgender men and women, as well as others, have appeared at public hearings to speak in opposition to the bill.
They said it could lead to harassment and marginalization of transgender people.
Supporters of the bill said it is a commonsense measure and would protect the rights of women and girls to spaces reserved for females, such as restrooms and locker rooms.
“The purpose of this act is to bring clarity, certainty, and uniformity to the laws of Alabama regarding sex discrimination, equality of the sexes, and benefits or services specifically provided to males and men and to females and women,“ the bill says.
“This act applies wherever state law classifies individuals on the basis of sex or otherwise mentions individuals as being male or female, men or women, or boys or girls.
The Republican leadership in the House took the unusual step today of limiting debate on the bill to 10 minutes.
The usual procedure is to allow unlimited debate on bills, with the possibility of ending that debate through a cloture vote, which generally comes after a couple of hours of discussion.
Democratic lawmakers said putting the bill on a 10-minute limit was unfair to the people they are elected to represent.
Rep. Napoleon Bracy Jr., D-Saraland, said tight limits on debate should be used only for noncontroversial bills.
“It’s a very controversial topic,” Bracy said. “And to me, 10 minutes doesn’t get it, what it deserved.”
Rep. A.J. McCampbell, D-Livingston, said every House member represents at least 48,000 people in their districts and should be able to debate legislation.
“It’s not a problem with the bill, it’s a problem with this process,” McCampbell said.
Rep Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, who chairs the House Rules Committee that puts together the daily House agenda, said the short time debate was because it would be a busy day for committee meetings.
“Our time is restricted,” Lovvorn said. “We need to move through some legislation so we can be done in time for our committees to meet.”
“This is a rarity just because of the timelines we’re under,” Lovvorn said.
Lovvorn also noted that the House debated and passed a similar bill last year.
“This is not a new discussion,” Lovvorn said. “It’s a discussion that’s been ongoing.”
Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, said Weaver’s bill needed a full discussion today.
“We are dealing with some things that we are not professional with,“ Warren said. ”And we’re making it law. We are going to cause more problems than we are trying to correct.”
Rep. Adline Clarke, D-Mobile, said lawmakers needed time to propose amendments and that 10 minutes would not allow that.
Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, asked Lovvorn if people deserved more than 10 minutes of a debate on an issue that would affect their lives.
Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, spoke for the bill today in the House. DuBose sponsored the “What is a Woman” bill that passed the House last year.
DuBose said there had been six public hearings on the bill.
DuBose said the bill was needed for clarity, uniformity, and certainty in the law.
“We have used the word ‘woman’ 149 times in our Alabma laws,” DuBose said. “When these words were passed it was assumed that these words were tied to biology. This bill clarifies the meaning of sex-based term in our statutes. It ensures that laws passed by the Legislature are applied as this body intended and not twisted by judges and bureaucrats.
“In Alabama, we have commonsense. We know what a woman is. We know that God created us, man or woman, that our sex is fixed and determined at birth.”
Read MoreLegacy retailer JCPenney is closing several stores in the coming months.
Axios was the first to report the closures with the company confirming they are expected to occur by the middle of the year. The chain, which recently merged with SPARC Group, operator of brands such as Aeropostale, Brooks Brothers and Nautica to form Catalyst Brands, does “not have plans to significantly reduce our store count.”
“The decision to close a store is never an easy one, but isolated closures do happen from time to time due to expiring lease agreements, market changes or other factors,” a spokesperson told Axios.
The locations set for closure include:
There are approximately 650 JCPenney stores in the U.S. At its peak, the chain operated more than 2,000 locations across the U.S.
Read MoreA new bill filed in the Alabama Legislature would criminalize the act of abandoning a domesticated cat or dog.
The bill, HB249, would categorize abandonment of a dog or cat as a cruel act with the penalty equating to a Class A misdemeanor.
Under Alabama law, a Class A misdemeanor for cruelty to an animal could result in a one year jail sentence or up to $3,000 fine.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Brock Colvin, R-Albertville, defines abandon as, “to forsake entirely or leave a dog or cat at a location without providing minimum reasonable care.”
According to the bill, an officer who sees, has evidence or reasonable belief that a pet was abandoned can do two things.
The officer can remove the dog or cat from the location they found them or have the owner provide care to the animal, at the owner’s expense, at the location the animal was abandoned.
In most states in the U.S. it is already a crime to abandon a dog or cat.
The bill has been referred to the House Agriculture and Forestry Committee.
Read MoreThe San Antonio Spurs play against the Boston Celtics in an NBA game tonight. The matchup will begin at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
The Spurs enter this matchup with a 23-28 record, and they are coming off a 131-121 win against Washington.
During the victory, Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox led the San Antonio offense. The two players combined to score 61 points, and they shot 19-35 from the field.
Wembanyama currently leads the team in points and rebounds.
The Celtics enter this matchup with a 38-16 record, and they have won back-to-back games. In their most recent game, the Celtics defeated Miami 103-85.
During the victory, Jayson Tatum led the Boston offense. He scored 33 points and shot 13-26 from the field, so he will be a key player to watch tonight.
Tatum leads the team in points, rebounds, and assists this season.
Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
Target has officially released it’s new exclusive Owala 40-ounce FreeSip Tumbler, but inventory is limited.
The new Owala 40-ounce FreeSip Tumbler Stainless Steel Water Bottle, available only at Target, is an updated version of the original Owala 40-ounce Stainless Steel Straw Tumbler, but instead of using a straw (like every other brand uses), its features Owala’s iconic 2-in-1 sip-or-swig spout also featured in Owala’s best-selling FreeSip Stainless Steel Water Bottle.
Owala 40-ounce FreeSip Tumbler – $44.99
The Owala 40-ounce FreeSip Tumbler is available only at Target.
RELATED: Yeti is offering major deals on Wild Vine Red tumblers and coolers
The new Owala 40oz FreeSip Tumbler Stainless Steel Water Bottle comes in four colors: Kickflip (pink and purple), Misty Meadow (green), Sandy Shore (beige) and Very Very Dark (all black). Each color sells for $45, which is an average price for a product such as this.
“Stop searching—you’ve found me. I’m FreeSip Tumbler, the tumbler of all tumblers. With my comfy side handle, I’m easy to grab and impossible to put down,” Target’s product description states. “I slide perfectly into cupholders, so no more awkward juggling acts in the car. And let’s not forget my magic 2-in-1, sip-or-swig spout. I’m not just another tumbler, I’m the one you’ve been waiting for.”
Those interested in the new Owala 40oz FreeSip Tumbler can checkout the full listing on Target’s website here.
Read MorePayments stemming from a $2.67 billion settlement related to a class action lawsuit against insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield are likely to arrive soon.
The settlement stems from a class action lawsuit that originated in Alabama in 2013 against more than 35 Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plans, USA Today wrote. The lawsuit claimed the company violated antitrust laws by limiting marketing competition resulting in higher premiums and fewer options for customers.
Blue Cross Blue Shield has denied the claims and a settlement was reached before a court issued a verdict.
“This settlement ends a long-running legal challenge to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association license agreements and related rules. We deny the allegations made in the lawsuit. However, to reach a settlement and put years of litigation behind us, we have agreed to make some operational changes and a monetary payment to the provider class involved in the case,” the company said in an October 2024 statement.
Who is covered by the settlement?
Blue Cross Blue Shield Individual, Insured Group and Self-Funded Account customers between February 2008 and October 2020 were covered under the suit. The deadline to file a claim was Nov. 5, 2021, meaning new filings are no longer being accepted. Payments for those who did file are currently being issued, according to the settlement website.
Approximately $1.9 billion remains in the settlement fund after attorney’s fees. Roughly 6 million claims were filed by the deadline so, USA Today reported, payouts are expected to average $333 a claim.
A deadline for payments has not been announced but the settlement website noted claim determination notices were currently being sent on “a rolling basis.”
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