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Country star’s daughter reveals DNA test confirms they aren’t related

Country singer Rory Feek’s daughter, Hopie Feek, revealed that a DNA test shows they aren’t related.

Hopie Feek posted details on social media, explaining how she took a DNA test after feeling she was “a bit different.”

“I got the results I never knew I needed,” Hopie Feek said in the Instagram video.

Hopie Feek, 37, said she “stalked” her biological dad online.

“Within 24 hours of finding him and messaging him on Facebook, he was here at my doorstep just to give me a hug and meet me,” she explained. “I’ve never experienced unconditional love like that before.”

She refers to her biological father as B.C.

“Over the last six months he and I have gotten really close and gotten to know each other, and it’s so strange because we’re so much alike,” Hopie Feek posted.

Hopie Feek and her older sister Heidi are daughters of Tamara Gillmor, who was married to Rory Feek from 1985 to 1992. Hopie was born in 1988.

In 2002, Rory Feek remarried. He and his wife, Joey, started the duo Joey + Rory.

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.

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Archibald: Alabamians will suffer more than most from NIH cuts, but do they care?

If you had told me Alabamians would cheer over cuts to funding for cancer research for kids, I’d have demanded to know what you were smoking.

Yet here we are. UAB is studying that.

Alabama’s No. 1 killer is heart disease, and UAB is studying ways to treat that, too.

Don’t worry about it. Like the great folk singer Todd Snider told us – without the need of a federal grant – the No. 1 symptom of heart disease is sudden death.

So live with it. Or don’t.

UAB is studying all of the things that kill us most often, and a lot of things with more syllables than I have patience with. But they speak my language.

Strokes and Parkinson’s. My dad had both of those things. Alzheimer’s and Diabetes – I bet you know somebody with those, too.

People wear pink for a whole month to show how much they care about curing breast cancer. They’re gonna have to run more than a 5k if the funding gets cut, as the National Institutes of Health announced last week.

I’ve heard it all, since the news broke. That it’s high time to cut the waste! That it’s blah blah about a woke mob and an institution with “something to hide.” But no specifics. Just a complete lack of understanding about how things work, complete disregard for science, and total callousness about the health of people and communities.

We’re throwing babies out with bilgewater.

Did I say UAB studies babies? And birth defects. Or it did.

The proposed cuts target “indirect” grant costs, which provide funds above the amount of the grant for things like salaries and equipment and expenses, things that make the work possible. Standard industry stuff. NIH announced Friday night it would limit that indirect amount to 15% of the grant.

The negotiated rate for UAB’s indirect costs for on-campus, organized research is 48.5%, according to the NIH agreement and school officials. That is far above the 15% cap, but not above average, they say. That’s less than Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and others.

But but but but but but but…

What about the money? Of course the money should be spent well, which is why it is publicly disclosed and monitored. I wrote earlier that I did not know what UAB’s rate was, but that was only because I didn’t know where to look.

Alabama will be hurt more than most because we depend on that money more than most, even if we don’t want to admit it.

This is a state where our people visit friends in the hospital and pray for them in churches and send casseroles to the grieving, who have seen too many people die too young. I can’t believe they would so willingly put so much in jeopardy.

And not for this. Not in a state that perennially lags in health, in a state that will sell its own soul for the promise of jobs, jobs, jobs.

Alabama has handed out $4.5 billion in grants, tax credits and paybacks, with varying degrees of success, to coax businesses to move here. Which is a harder sell because of our health, our lack of healthcare, and our disdain for science and education. We don’t throw that effort away every time some company turns out to be a fraud.

Jobs have always been more important than lives here. Now it seems we value neither.

Certainly U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville doesn’t. He’s all for the cuts. But then, he’s the hypocrite who took millions to leave that public university in east Alabama, but still has the brass to complain about government waste. Give it back, Tommy.

Give props to U.S Sen. Katie Britt for at least daring to whisper that we need a more targeted approach to cutting the budget.

Damn right. A chainsaw might be better than a hydrogen bomb.

Say it with her, so she can say it louder. Say it, Gov. Ivey. Say it, Ray Watts. Say it loud.

John Archibald is a two-time Pulitzer winner for AL.com.

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Ivey wants Birmingham to replicate Montgomery’s crime-fighting task force: Will it happen?

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said she believes a crime task force active in Montgomery could be replicated in Jefferson County to help combat Birmingham’s violent crime problem.

Ivey said in her State of the State address like week that she wanted to expand Montgomery’s Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit as part of an effort to crack down on crime statewide. This weekend, she told WSFA she wanted a similar unit in Birmingham.

“For sure we need one in Birmingham,” Ivey told the station. “They reached their 90-year high mark in gun violence.”

Birmingham ended 2024 with 152 homicides, its highest number of violent deaths in a single year since 1933. The city has had 13 homicides this year. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 20 homicides in 2025.

Montgomery’s Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit, knowns as MACS, was launched in June 2024 to address a surge in violent crime in and around Montgomery.

MACS is made up of law enforcement officers from ALEA, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, the Montgomery Police Department, the Montgomery Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Ivey’s spokeswoman, Gina Maiola, told AL.com on Monday the governor “believes Birmingham could benefit from the Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit she established here in Montgomery.”

“Cities around the nation have struggled with increasing public safety challenges, and our urban areas are not immune. That is one reason why Governor Ivey is making a big push to pass this comprehensive public safety package this Session that will help back the blue and combat inner city gun violence,” Maiola said.

After last week’s State of the State address, Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Hal Taylor told reporters he had talked to Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin about the possibility of a MACS unit in Jefferson County. Taylor said it could draw from the multiple municipal police departments in the county.

Rick Journey, spokesman for the city of Birmingham, on Monday said the city is grateful for the work the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency does with Birmingham.

“We are certainly open to further conversations related to collaboration much the way we partner with Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway and his department, and our federal law enforcement partners,” Journey said.

“As stated in the news conference today concerning Glock switches, we are committed to showing a united front in combating violent crime.”

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Nancy Mace accuses AG she may face in GOP primary of not prosecuting men she says raped her

Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Monday used a nearly hour-long speech on the U.S. House floor to accuse her ex-fiancé of physically abusing her, recording sex acts with her and others without their consent, and conspiring with business associates in acts of rape and sexual misconduct.

Mace said she was speaking out because her home state’s top prosecutor didn’t take action even after she alerted investigators. That same prosecutor is likely to be Mace’s opponent if she runs for governor of South Carolina in 2026, which she is considering.

Saying she was going “scorched earth,” Mace detailed how, in November 2023, she says she “accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable. We’re talking about rape, non-consensual photos, non-consensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated exploitation of women and girls in my district.”

Mace mentioned four men as being involved, including Charleston-area businessman Patrick Bryant, who was her fiancé until 2023 and went door-to-door stumping for her during her 2022 reelection campaign.

The AP wasn’t able to independently verify Mace’s claims. Bryant told AP: “I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name.”

Mace accused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson of slow-walking any investigation of Bryant and the other men after she brought the photos and video to state authorities.

“Did South Carolina’s attorney general have any of these predators indicted after being provided clear cut-and-dry evidence including video, photos and witnesses?” Mace asked, noting that her office had stood up a tip line for anyone with information on the allegations.

In a statement after Mace’s speech, Wilson’s office called her comments regarding the prosecutor’s conduct “categorically false” and said the office “has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement or prosecution agencies regarding these matters.”

Mace, a former South Carolina state House member, was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, the state’s military college, where her father then served as commandant of cadets. Briefly serving in the state House, in 2020 she became the first Republican woman elected to represent South Carolina in Congress, flipping the 1st District after a single term with a Democratic representative.

Her decision to air the allegations in a floor speech was unusual. In a release, Mace stressed that members’ statements on the House floor “are quintessential ‘legislative acts’” and thereby protected by the “speech or debate” clause, which generally protects lawmakers from being sued for what they say.

“This isn’t a story about bitter ex-girlfriends or consensual sex tapes — there are plenty of those. I don’t care what two consenting adults agree to do,” Mace said. She mentioned a dozen bills on which she had worked in the House, on topics ranging from stopping voyeurism to banning transgender women from using women’s bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol or House office buildings.

In 2019, Mace spoke publicly for the first time about a sexual assault she said had occurred more than two decades earlier, addressing South Carolina legislative colleagues in advocating for adding a rape and incest exception to a state House ban on all abortions after detection of a fetal heartbeat.

On Monday, Mace said she was joined in the House gallery by several women she said had been victimized by Bryant and the other men. Among the Republican lawmakers who sat behind Mace during her speech to show their support were Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo, and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.

“Nancy Mace is our friend and we wanted to support her and give her the encouragement she needed to get that message out,” Boebert said.

Mace, 47, won a third U.S. House term in November and has said that she is “seriously considering” a 2026 run for South Carolina governor. If she enters that race, she will likely face Wilson — in his fourth term and also the son of Rep. Joe Wilson — in the Republican primary.

Mace has largely supported President Donald Trump, working for his 2016 campaign but levying criticism against him following the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the U.S. Capitol, critique that spurred Trump to back a GOP challenger in her 2022 race. Mace defeated that opponent, won reelection and was endorsed by Trump in her 2024 campaign.

Mace declined additional comment to reporters in the Capitol after the speech. Asked how she felt now, she said: “I’m at peace.”

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Rock star cancels show for most disgusting reason

Bryan Adams had to cancel a concert in Western Australia on Sunday night due to a large fatberg, which could cause the venue’s toilets to overflow.

According to CNN, the sold-out show was called off as workers tried to remove pools of water near the venue.

“Water Corporation crews are working to clear the large blockage of fat, grease and rags, which has caused several wastewater overflows” near the arena, the water company said in a statement, per CNN.

“People should avoid contact with any pooled water … as it may be sewage.”

Adams apologized to fans for the short-notice cancellation.

“I’m really sorry we couldn’t make this happen tonight — I was so looking forward to seeing you all,” he wrote on Facebook on Sunday. “I appreciate your patience and support and can’t wait to be back and play for you as soon as we can reschedule.”

Show organizers promised refunds for ticket holders, adding that the cancellation was out of their control.

“Last night’s concert could not proceed due to an external Perth Water Corporation issue, which was unable to be fixed in time,” booking agent Frontier Touring said Monday in a Facebook post, adding it was deemed “unsafe for patrons to enter RAC Arena.”

“The cancellation of (the) show is bitterly disappointing, and we thank fans for their understanding that while every effort was made for the show to proceed, this matter was outside of the control of Bryan Adams, Frontier Touring and RAC Arena,” the post said.

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.

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High school baseball storylines in north Alabama for 2025

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Ranking the all-time best Alabama high school football coaches

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, AL.com will explore the best of high school sports in Alabama. We hope you join the conversation.

The 2024 season will go down as the golden age of high school football coaches in Alabama. Eleven of the state’s 31 winningest coaches – including the men who occupy the top three spots – were active last season.

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Alabama native struck gold with ‘Love Will Keep Us Together’ 50 years ago

In 1975, there was no escaping the hit song “Love Will Keep Us Together” – not that anyone was trying to. The catchy pop tune was No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and played frequently on the radio.

“Love Will Keep Us Together” was recorded by the duo The Captain and Tennille, made up of Montgomery native and Auburn alumnus Toni Tennille and keyboardist Daryl Dragon. The song won a Grammy for Record of the Year and it was the top-selling single of 1975.

It was a last-minute addition to the duo’s first album of the same name.

In her book “Toni Tennille: A Memoir,” Tennille wrote that the first time she heard her voice on the radio she was singing this song.

“I remember when I first heard it on KHJ – the biggest top-40 radio station in Los Angeles – while driving down Ventura Boulevard,” she wrote. “When I heard my own voice coming through the speakers, I nearly drove the car off the road. I was so excited that I had to pull over into a service station to compose myself!”

The Captain and Tennille backstage at Birmingham’s Boutwell Auditorium on June 9, 1977.Birmingham News File

Montgomery roots

Tennille was born Cathryn Antoinette Tennille in Montgomery on May 8, 1940, to Frank and Cathryn Tennille. The family lived on Felder Avenue at one point and Tennille graduated from Sidney Lanier High School, according to her memoire.

Her father owned a furniture store and served in the Alabama Legislature from 1951-1954. Her mother was host of a local TV show, Tennille told The Montgomery Advertiser in 2016. “My mother had her own live TV show called ‘The Guest Room’ doing interviews in the late 1950s on WSFA,” she said. “She used her maiden name, Cathryn Wright, and was born for the camera.”

Tennille got her talent for music from her father.

“My first mentor in music was my father,” Tennille said in a 2016 interview with blogger Richard Skipper. “He was a big band singer in the late 1930s. He sang with Bob Crosby and His Bobcats. Daddy had to leave show business that he loved so much and go back home to Alabama and take over the family business.”

Love Will Keep Us Together

The Captain and Tennille sign autographs at Birmingham’s Boutwell Auditorium on June 9, 1977.Birmingham News File Photo

Frank was also a founding member of the Auburn Knights orchestra in 1930, playing banjo and contributing vocals. Toni would later join the orchestra as a vocalist when she was a student in the late 1950s.

Fame in California

Tennille spent only two years at Auburn, leaving school in 1960 to move with her family to Los Angeles.

In 1971, she met Daryl Dragon, who would become her musical partner and husband. Dragon had been touring as keyboardist for the Beach Boys and was on a break when he met Tennille, according to the “Billboard Book of Number One Hits.

“It wasn’t love at first sight,” she said when interviewed for the book. “I don’t believe in that. There was some kind of really strong vibration because I knew when I looked at him, in some way he would be important in my life.”

The couple had been performing at the Smokehouse in Encino when they made a demo that landed them a contract with A&M Records, the same company where The Carpenters were signed.

They were one song short for the debut album when a producer played a song for them that changed their lives. The producer had them to Neil Sedaka’s recording of “Love Will Keep Us Together” and “Toni Tennille fell off her chair,” Sedaka says in the book “We Found Love, Song By Song.”

Love Will Keep Us Together

The Captain and Tennille performing in Birmingham’s Boutwell Auditorium on June 9, 1977.Birmingham News File

The knew immediately this was the song for their album.

The success of the album led to newfound fame and the couple hosted the TV variety show, “The Captain and Tennille,” for one season in 1976. The duo went on the have many more hits, including “Muskrat Love,” “Lonely Night (Angel Face)”, “Shop Around” and “Do That To Me One More Time.”

They were married for 39 years before divorcing in 2016.

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Dear Abby: My father gave me a gift I gave him. Should I be concerned?

DEAR ABBY: Last year, I gave my dad a cool flashlight for his birthday. It was rechargeable and had a feature that made it work as a lantern. He seemed excited about it and later told me again that he’d been using it.

Abby, this week, my dad gave the flashlight back to me as a gift. Not only that, he went on and on about how thoughtful he was in “finding” this unusual gadget for me! He kept asking if I liked it. I said, yes, I thought it was cool, which is the reason I gave it to him last year. He didn’t seem to understand what I was saying and repeatedly asked me to tell him how much I appreciated the gift. I decided not to make a big deal about it, but I think both our feelings were hurt.

Is this kind of forgetfulness a sign of something bigger I should be worried about? He does the typical old man thing of repeating stories from the good ole days, but this sort of outright forgetting is new. — REGIFTED IN WASHINGTON

DEAR REGIFTED: Yes, in addition to repeating stories about the “good ole days,” something like this IS cause for concern. If your mother is still in the picture, mention to her how out of character this was of your father. Ask if she has noticed any changes. If she has, suggest that when he sees his doctor for his next physical, he is evaluated neurologically to be sure nothing is wrong. If he lives alone, discuss this with your siblings, if you have any, and suggest that “someone” accompany Dad to his next medical appointment.

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.

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Miss Manners: We were invited to a baby shower via text message

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Some relatives and I were told of a baby shower for a distant cousin. No formal invitations were sent; we were invited by word of mouth and received a gift registry link by text message. After that, some of us received an invitation via text, while others did not.

No one in the family really knows the couple, who live out of state. They will not even be present at the shower: We are told they are attending “virtually.” When the couple visited our state several months ago, they did not have time to meet any extended family members, nor attend another baby shower in person at that time.

We feel like this shower is just a tacky gift-grab. Do we have to attend? Do we have to send a gift?

GENTLE READER: Why do you even ask?

Miss Manners finds it curious that people who are presumably inured to scams from strangers are intimidated when it comes to social connections, however tenuous.

Why would you want to give presents to people you hardly know, and who have shown no interest in knowing you? Are you afraid that if you ignore their gift demands, they will turn you over to a collection agency?

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.

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