Alabama News

Birmingham meteorologist James Spann is calling for “empathy and kindness” on behalf of the families of victims of Texas flooding, after receiving “nasty messages and verbal threats.”

The issue for Spann: Theories that cloud seeding caused the catastrophic flooding that has claimed more than 100 lives, with more than 20 victims still unaccounted for.

In a Facebook post, the ABC 33/40 meteorologist says categorically: “Cloud seeding did not cause last week’s Texas floods.”

“Cloud seeding can only enhance rain from existing clouds by up to 20%—it cannot create massive deluges,” Spann said. “The last reported cloud‑seeding flight by Rainmaker Technology occurred on July 2, over 24 hours before the floods began, and the seeded clouds had already dissipated.”

Cloud seeding has been around for 80 years. It involves dropping tiny particles—usually silver iodide crystals—into clouds to trigger rain or snow. It has been used for many years in Texas to mitigate drought conditions. About 31 million acres of Texas land is affected by cloud seeding programs, according to MYSA.

Rainmaker is one of the companies employed for cloud seeding. Its CEO, Augustus Doricko, stated on social media in response to criticism that the rain had dissipated a day before the flooding began.

“Did Rainmaker conduct any operations that could have impacted the floods? No,” Doricko wrote.

Instead, Spann said the flooding was caused by a stalled weather system, powered by moisture from Tropical Storm Barry, air flowing from the gulf and the terrain in the hill country.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, the U.S. Geological Survey has recorded the Guadalupe River as flooding more than a dozen times since 1978. However, the 2025 has been one of its worst, with the river rising 26 feet in 45 minutes.

“The Texas floods were caused by natural weather dynamics—not human interference or weather modification efforts. It was not caused by Democrats or Republicans,” he said.

“I’m asking that you put the political rhetoric and nonsense conspiracy stuff aside for a while… let these poor families grieve. Consider empathy and kindness.”

President Donald Trump on Monday said the Coast Guard and state first responders have saved more than 850 people from the flooding.

Alabama football has been on a recruiting heater.

That includes landing five five-stars (per On3/Rivals) so far in the 2026 class. The latest committed Saturday in five-star safety Jireh Edwards.

General manager Courtney Morgan made clear Alabama can’t rest, though. These are only verbal commitments

“It’s really a culmination of a year of hard work,” Morgan told Rivals in an interview recently. “To us, it’s really not over until it’s over. It’s good momentum but we also know we have to keep them until December.”

Morgan secured the No. 3 recruiting class in 2025, and he will look to do that again in 2026. As of Tuesday, Alabama sits at No.5 in the On3/Rivals rankings and No. 3 in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Morgan joined Alabama after coming with coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington. Morgan was literally on the plane with DeBoer when DeBoer first landed in Tuscaloosa. Morgan has been managing the roster ever since.

In total, Alabama has secured 19 verbal commitments in the 2026 recruiting class so far. That includes top players such as Edwards, edge defender Xavier Griffin, wide receiver Cederian Morgan, cornerback Jorden Edmonds, athlete Zyan Gibson, running back Ezavier Crowell, and more.

For the 2025 college football season, Alabama is +500 on FanDuel to win the SEC title next season. Our comprehensive guide to Alabama’s championship odds provides a closer look at their chances to win it all next season, as well as their other futures odds.

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

The Transportation Security Administration is moving away from a long-standing security procedure put in place more than 20 years ago.

Passengers will no longer have to remove their shoes and walk barefoot when going through TSA checkpoints. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the change in a message posted on X Tuesday.

The change, designed to speed up processing through airports, was made possible by advances in technology that enabled more comprehensive screenings, even for passengers wearing shoes.

“These enhancements are based on updated intelligence, risk assessments, and a shift in known threat vectors. The change reflects confidence in the agency’s ability to detect threats through multiple security layers—both visible and behind the scenes,” TSA said in a statement.

The new policy officially went into effect July 7 and applies to all U.S. airports and passengers who have Real-ID compliant documents. TSA officers may still request footwear to be removed in specific situations where additional screenings is warranted, the agency warned.

The shoe removal rule has been in place since 2006, several years after a British man, Richard Reid, attempted to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoes. The high-profile incident occurred in December 2001, just months after the 9/11 attacks. Reid’s explosives failed to detonate and the plane landed safely in Boston after the “shoe bomber” was subdued by passengers, NBC News reported.

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Mega Frenzy casino bonuses for existing users

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Mega Frenzy sweepstakes casino refer-a-friend bonus

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Mega Frenzy casino banking options

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Purchase options from Mega Frenzy Sweeps Casino

Redemption methods at Mega Frenzy Casino

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Popular games at Mega Frenzy sweepstakes casino

There are hundreds of good slot options available at Mega Frenzy. So, I have compiled some information on five popular titles that you can try:

Mega Frenzy casino user experience

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The customer support at Mega Frenzy is largely very helpful. You can get in touch with a support representative via email. From my first-hand experience, I found the support via email is responsive and eager to resolve any issue.

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• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: N/A
• Live chat: N/A
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Legal status and info for Mega Frenzy

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Mega Frenzy sweeps casino 3 main takeaways

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Pros and cons of Mega Frenzy Casino

Pros:

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• Very quick redemption speed

Cons:

• No referral program
• High minimum redemption limit

Mega Frenzy FAQ

Is Mega Frenzy casino legit?

Yes, Mega Frenzy is considered to be a fully legitimate operator in 2025. The site encrypts player data with SSL technology, while also utilizing identity verification before accepting redemption requests.

In which states does Mega Frenzy Casino operate?

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Does Mega Frenzy casino pay out real money?

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How long does it take Mega Frenzy casino to pay winnings?

Mega Frenzy casino processes redemption requests very quickly. You should receive your winnings within 24 hours following your request.

Who owns Mega Frenzy?

Mega Frenzy is a 2025-established online sweepstakes casino that is owned and operated by a company named Heuston Gaming Limited.

Before the real college football season starts in late August, fans were able to get the virtual season underway on Monday.

It was the early release date for EA Sports’ College Football 26, the second year in a row EA Sports has produced a college football game after a 10-year hiatus.

Last year’s game became one of the most popular video games of the year, resulting in another title in 2026. The most recent edition has even more features than last year, including real life coaches coming into the game.

The players are back too, and Auburn has a few more highly rated players than in the previous game. Junior defensive end Keldric Faulk leads the way at a 93 overall, with wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. joining him in the 90s club at a 92 overall.

Here are the top 10 highest-rated Auburn players in the game:

1. DE Keldric Faulk, 93 overall
2. WR Eric Singleton Jr. 92 overall
3. WR Cam Coleman, 89 overall
4. C Connor Lew, 88 overall
5. CB Raion Strader, 87 overall
6. CB Kayin Lee, 85 overall
7. S Kaleb Harris, 84 overall
8. QB Jackson Arnold, 84 overall
9. OL Dillon Wade, 83 overall
10. RB Damari Alston, 83 overall

Others tied at 83: RB Durell Robinson, RB Jeremiah Cobb

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

McDonald’s is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the McMuffin with three new versions.

Starting today, the breakfast chain will release three versions of the egg breakfast sandwiches: a Spicy Egg McMuffin, a Spicy Sausage McMuffin, and a Spicy Sausage McMuffin with Egg.

Each sandwich will be topped with McDonald’s signature Spicy Pepper Sauce, reports Food & Wine.

According to McDonald’s Menu Spotter, the Spicy Egg McMuffin recipe features an egg on a toasted English Muffin topped with butter, Canadian bacon, American cheese and a spicy pepper sauce.

This week also marks the return date for McDonald’s Snack Wrap. The cult favorite– packed with lettuce, cheese, chicken, and signature sauce inside a flour tortilla– returns to the McDonald’s menu on July 10.

McDonald’s is extending its hours

McDonald’s has extended its hours at locations across the country for the summer.

Restaurants in non-traditional locations like airports and shopping malls will likely not extend hours, the company said. Franchise owners will decide which menu items will be available during the late-night hours.

Richard Fitts started his Major League career by pitching at least five innings without giving up an earned run in each of his first three games. The former Helena High School and Auburn standout was the second pitcher in the history of the American or National League to do that since earned runs became an official statistic in 1912.

But the Boston Red Sox did not win any of those games during Fitts’ September 2024 callup.

But on Monday night, the Red Sox did win with Fitts on the mound, and Boston’s 9-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Fenway Park gave Fitts his first MLB pitching win.

The right-hander got the first 17 outs before leaving with two on and two out in the sixth with the Red Sox leading 5-1. The two runners scored before reliever Chris Murphy got out of the inning.

Fitts yielded three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out six.

“This is a big accomplishment for me,” Fitts said, “but, hopefully, it’s the first of many.”

Fitts won in his 12th big-league outing. All were starts, and Boston lost the first 10 of those games. In Fitts’ previous outing, the Red Sox defeated the Cincinnati Reds 5-3. Fitts had worked the first three innings when the game was suspended due to rain. The contest was completed the next day with reliever Brayan Bello getting the pitching win with five innings of one-hit relief.

Fitts became the second Red Sox pitcher to go without a pitching victory across the first 11 starts of his career. The first was Jack Russell, who made 12 starts during the 1926 and 1927 seasons before getting the win in No. 13. But Russell also pitched out of the Boston bullpen and already had a victory in relief by that time. Russell would go on to represent the Washington Senators at the second MLB All-Star Game in 1934.

In his first 11 starts, Fitts had an 0-4 record with a 3.33 earned-run average. In 48.2 innings, he yielded 45 hits and 16 walks and struck out 31.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Fitts had pitched well enough to win before Monday night.

“He’s been good for us, really,” Cora said after Monday night’s game. “I mean, he gives us a chance to win almost every time. I remember two bad ones – the last one last year and one against Anaheim. The rest solid. Good velocity, mixing up the offspeed pitches. He’s good. He’s a good pitcher, and he gave us a chance to win tonight.”

After his four-game audition in September, Fitts opened the 2025 season in Boston’s rotation. Three starts in, a right pectoral strain kept him out of the lineup between April 12 and May 27, and Fitts returned without taking a rehab assignment.

However, after Fitts gave up five earned runs in one inning against the Los Angeles Angels on June 2, the Red Sox sent him to the minors for one start with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs and three with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox. Fitts rejoined the Red Sox rotation on June 25.

“It’s felt like a roller coaster,” Fitts said. “I feel like I’m on an uphill climb and then all of a sudden hit an obstacle. But I feel like I’m in a good spot right now. And all the work I’ve been putting in this year, I think, is building. And it’s just going to get better as we keep going.”

Boston’s fourth consecutive win lifted the Red Sox to 47-45 in the 2025 season. Boston trails the Toronto Blue Jays at the top of the AL East standings by 6.5 games and is two games behind the Seattle Mariners for the American League’s final wild-card spot.

At Helena, Fitts was a member of the Huskies’ AHSAA Class 6A baseball championship team in 2017, although he missed most of that season with an injury. In 2018, Fitts struck out 102 while posting a 1.68 ERA, and Helena returned to the state-championship series. But Hazel Green took the 6A title for that season.

In three seasons at Auburn, Fitts had a 6-6 record with a 5.54 ERA in 40 games, including 14 starts. In 117 innings, he struck out 104 batters.

Fitts left Auburn after the New York Yankees selected him in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB draft. The Yankees traded Fitts and two other players to the Red Sox on Dec. 5, 2023, to obtain outfielder Alex Verdugo.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

If there was a field or a court, Gerritt Griggs was probably going to be playing on it.

Even better, she was probably filling up a stat sheet.

The three-sport star from Central-Phenix City was voted by AL.com voters as Alabama’s overall female athlete of the year for the 2024-25 athletics season.

Griggs received 30% of the overall fan vote in last week’s poll, which included 10 other athletes from across the state.

Lauderdale County’s Shila Marks finished second with 29% of the vote, while Wenonah’s Samarian Franklin garnered 18% of the fan vote.

An Alabama softball signee, Griggs once again shined on the diamond for the Red Devils to lead them back to the Class 7A state softball tournament in Oxford.

She claimed Class 7A Player of the Year honors and was a first team all-state pick at infield after batting .606 with 83 hits, nine doubles and six triples for Central. Along with a 1.439 OPS, she went 73-for-76 on stolen bases as a senior.

In the fall, she keyed Central-Phenix City to a Class 6A-7A state championship and a defacto national championship in flag football at quarterback, claiming AL.com’s first Miss Football award.

She finished with 3,284 passing yards and 82 touchdowns in the air while running for 471 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. Griggs was also named MaxPreps’ first flag football player of the year for the state of Alabama.

“She is just a special athlete, a special kid,” Central head softball and flag football coach Mitchell Holt previously said. “There’s not anything she can’t do. Really, you wouldn’t know by talking to her that she is as an accomplished athlete as she is. If you watch her, it wouldn’t take you long to figure it out.”

In the past two seasons, Griggs and Central’s flag football team went 37-0, including a 19-0 year last season to claim back-to-back state championships.

The Red Devils averaged 44.4 points a game and allowed just 2.6 per game with 13 shutouts on defense last season.

Griggs also helped lead her school to an appearance in the Class 7A basketball state semifinals as she averaged 8.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game, according to MaxPreps.

She scored 16 points and knocked down four 3-pointers for Central in a 77-58 loss to eventual state champion Hoover.

Central-Phenix City was the only school in the state to advance to the state finals in flag football, AHSAA final four in basketball and the state tournament in softball; Moody advanced to the state finals in flag football and state tournament in softball.

She will be a part of an Alabama softball signing class that includes in-state standouts Vic Moten (Daphne), Holly Beth Brooks (Tuscaloosa County) and Ambrey Taylor (Curry).

“Gerritt might be one of the best athletes we have brought to campus in recent years,” Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy said when Griggs signed. “She could play six different spots on the field and look great at all of them. She will be a green-light baserunner with great speed from the left side. She is also the quarterback for the nation’s top high school flag football team!”