Alabama News

Camille Santana, one of four members of a family swept away from their riverside cabin in last week’s deadly Texas floods, was found Tuesday, July 8, by rescuers.

She was killed by injuries sustained during the flood, according to a Facebook post from her brother-in-law Michael Santana.

She was 38 years old.

“Camille was found and was called by god to be by his side,” Michael wrote.

Camille’s 5-year-old daughter, Mila Rosa Santana, and Mila’s grandparents, Mobile couple Eddie Santana Sr., 69, and his wife, Ileana, 66, are still missing, Michael said.

Her husband, Eddie Santana Jr., was found alive and discharged from a local hospital Sunday morning, July 6.

According to a post from Camille’s sister Kali Vazquez, the family was staying in a cabin by the river in Kerrville when it was swept away by flooding from the Guadalupe River while they were inside.

“As of today, my beautiful sister Camille was found and was called by god to be by his side,” Kali wrote in a post Tuesday.

“Once again thank you to everyone who reached out to us, and my heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones.”

“To my sister, I will love you until the end time,” the post continues.

“I will see you again and I will never forget you.”

As of Wednesday morning, the flood is reported to have killed over 100 people, about a third of them children, according to AP News.

Sarah Marsh, an eight-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, was among the victims.

Marsh was attending Camp Mystic, a Christian retreat near Hunt in Kerr County, when torrential rain and storms that started late Thursday caused the river to swell from seven feet to 29 feet in less than two hours, flooding the camp.

Gov. Greg Abbott vowed yesterday that authorities will work around the clock to find those that are still missing.

“Right now, our #1 job is to find every single missing person,” he wrote in a post to X.

“We will not leave until that job is done.”

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas.

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At Wimbledon, Carlos Alcaraz remains the favorite to secure his third consecutive Wimbledon men’s title at -160. Novak Djokovic is at +300. Aryna Sabalenka is the women’s favorite at +400. She is eyeing her first trip to the Wimbledon finals.

The UEFA European Women’s Championship has two games to consider for wagering, including England vs Netherlands and France vs Wales. England, the defending champions, could be pushed out of Euro 2025 with a loss.

Wales lost its opening match vs, the Netherlands. The Over/Under for goals is 2.5 on both games.

In the American League, two playoff contenders match up again as the New York Yankees host the Seattle Mariners. It will be the second game of the series after New York romped in the opener, 10-3. Starting pitcher

Cam Schlittler will make his MLB debut for the Yankees, who are favored on the moneyline at -150 while Seattle is at +125. Aaron Judge, homered on Tuesday and will attempt to get closer to Cal Raleigh for the MLB HR lead.

In the National League, the NL West matchup between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres will take center stage on Wednesday night.

San Diego took the Tuesday game, 1-0, and will look to handcuff the Arizona bats again with Dylan Cease on the mound. He will try to get back on track after allowing two home runs in each of his last two outings. The Padres are at -140 on the moneyline and Arizona is at +115.

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Auburn linebacker DJ Barber is no longer with the program, head coach Hugh Freeze confirmed to AL.com on Wednesday.

On3/Rivals was first to report the news.

His dismissal comes after Barber was arrested Monday on charges of trafficking in marijuana, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

The arrest came after a traffic stop in Dadeville where two and a half pounds of marijuana, THC vapes, digital scales, marijuana packaging, $1,897 in US currency, and a Glock 19 9mm pistol were recovered from the vehicle, according to a press release from the Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task Force.

Trafficking in marijuana is considered a Class A felony in the state of Alabama and unlawful possession of a controlled substance is considered a Class D felony. Possession of drug paraphernalia is considered a misdemeanor.

Barber was arrested alongside Marcell Brewster, 19, of Birmingham, who was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana second degree and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

The investigation into the trafficking, possession and distribution of illegal narcotics is ongoing in Tallapoosa County.

Barber, a redshirt freshman out of Clay-Chalkville High School, was a three-star commit in the 2024 recruiting class. He did not log any stats during the 2024 season.

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

An Alabama small town near Birmingham has become known for its raucous politics, loud and belligerent public meetings.

But the latest gathering of the Tarrant City Council featured a farewell speech that shocked even seasoned observers.

Tarrant resident and activist Jackie Beltaine used the public comment period Monday night to say “thank you” – along with a few other more pointed words – to city leaders before she moves away next week.

Beltaine said she ended up reading the city code, state laws, court cases and much of the state constitution just to understand the dysfunction in her own city.

“But I learned more from you guys than I ever did in any civics class ever,” she said. “So I just wanted to thank you because I never would have learned any of this stuff if y’all had learned to work together and work as one,” she said.

She then ended her comments by lifting her middle finger.

“F***you, F*** you, F*** you, F*** you, F*** you, F*** you…” she said, gesturing to leaders seated at the dais and then pointing to the city clerk. “And F*** you too.”

A series of legal, political and personal fights among the mayor and council has left the town of 6,000 bitterly divided for more than four years. Tarrant is just northeast of Birmingham.

Beltaine is the founder of the “Tarrant Tattler” social media site. The site that originally declared itself as a place for online satire transformed into a source of news and cutting commentary on city affairs.

It became a forum where Tarrant residents shared information, traded gossip, and expressed overall frustration with their government.

Writers, who maintain their anonymity, back up their reporting with original source material, including the lawsuits and updates that have become synonymous with Tarrant city politics.

“This is the last time I’m going to be addressing y’all. Some of you are going to be very happy to see me go and get rid of me and my loud mouth,” said Beltaine, who has been a vocal supporter of Mayor Wayman Newton and a critic of the city council.

“Thank you for being dysfunctional. It forced me to educate myself,” Beltaine said. “I wanted to be able to understand what was supposed to happen, what was happening and address my concerns in an intelligent manner, so I had to go to the books.”

Newton laughed at Beltaine’s presentation while the council members expressed offense.

Newton said that worse things have been said in the council chamber.

“She was pretty vocal about things going on in the city but the things she vocalized were the sentiments of most people living in the city,” he told AL.com later. “It probably won’t be spoken above a whisper, put into print or put on social media.”

Newton himself has used coarse language in exchanges with his foes on the council. One exchange led to a punch being thrown at him by Councilman Tommy Bryant.

Newton was also accused of using profanity in political confrontations outside the chamber.

On the other hand, councilwoman and mayor pro tem Tracie Threadford – who is running for mayor against Newton – called out Beltaine’s presentation for being profane.

“I would not dare allow any citizen to come in and disrespect my colleagues on the dais in that manner,” Threadford told AL.com. “That was uncalled for. Has Tarrant gone this low?”

Threadford is one of two candidates seeking to unseat Newton in the Aug. 26 city elections.

While some were offended by her profanity, Beltaine said city leaders themselves have been the most offensive by their own coarse language, public bickering and lack of progress.

“I’m not saying anything that other people haven’t thought about,” she said later. “And I’m leaving, so it was the perfect time for me to say what so many people have been wanting to say and I can.”

The Tarrant Tattler might be going away, but in her absence, Beltaine urged residents to continue to read, research and challenge their government.

“I literally had to go and learn all this stuff if I wanted to present any intelligent argument to the council,” she said, “I wanted to be able to present my argument with a little bit of knowledge behind it.”

Tarrant council meetings often begin with tension and end after raised voices and insults from both city leaders and residents in the audience.

The official public comment period is reserved for the end of the meeting, but protocol usually dissolves long before then as residents ask questions, deliver commentary and shout from their seats. But Beltaine on Monday waited for her turn at the end of the meeting.

While the mayor was the only official on the dais who laughed at her middle finger farewell, Beltaine said her words and gestures were pointed toward all the city leaders, including the mayor.

Beltaine said she supported the mayor’s policies but at times disagreed with even his actions.

“I flicked them all off,” Beltaine said. “He drives me crazy too. I’m not aligned with the mayor. That’s what everybody thinks, but I’m not.”

After downsizing her belongings, Beltaine said she will travel the country in her camper, but thoughts of Tarrant won’t be far away.

“I just really wanted to leave with a bang and be memorable,” she said.

This is an opinion column.

Historic 16th Street Baptist Church did not wait. It never did. Not in its infancy — founded 152 years ago in the belly of segregation. It didn’t wait to become the soul-saving spirit and bedrock of a Birmingham community facing hatred every day.

For generations, like myriad Black churches in growing cities nationwide, it did not wait to inspire and provide — and not solely for those who walked through its doors dressed in their best seeking peace and purpose amid a world that thought the worst of them.

In 1890, one of its earliest pastors, Rev. William R. Pettiford, founded the Alabama Penny Savings Bank as its members and neighbors were denied access to white banks. It was the first Black-owned financial institution in the state, and, for more than a quarter century, it remained a wealth-building lifeline for Birmingham’s Black residents.

“Rev. Pettiford used to say, ‘You can’t just stay within your walls,’” shares Ted Debro, a member of 16th Street Baptist for more than three decades who now chairs its board of trustees. “’You’ve got to reach outside to serve the community, to develop that community.’”

You can’t wait.

Not then, and not now.

Not with 16th Street Baptist standing regally on the corner of 16th Street and Sixth Avenue North as one of the most significant historical sites in the nation, a twin-towered beacon in Birmingham’s hallowed yet anemic Civil Rights District.

It is more than a church. It is a unique place where history happened, history that changed our city, our state and our nation.

It is a testament to the young lives lost to hate there in 1963, and to brave young heroes who marched in the face of hate’s fire houses and police dogs across the street in Kelly Ingram Park.

It is a place that, like the entire civil rights district, deserves to be elevated and supported by a comprehensive, focused public and private effort to again become a catalyst for change — this time as a tourism magnet that would spark long-overdue economic development for Birmingham and the region.

Instead, block after block surrounding the distinguished church sits idle and ignored. Lots are empty and void and buildings are wheezing ghosts of their past, deteriorating beyond repair.

And the church’s venerable yet worn and aged neighbor — the 33-year-old Birmingham Civil Rights Institute — is months into pondering a plan for restoration and revival. For “reimagining,” that’s its word.

So many seem to be waiting as the district remains a quilt of unfulfilled promise.

16th Street Baptist Church is not among them. It is not waiting for any of that to change.

“We are pushing and really trying to do things in the district,” Debro says.

Unfortunately, they are largely pushing alone.

In April, the church broke ground on a 13,000 square-foot education and visitors center that is rising on church-owned land adjacent to the parsonage on Sixth Ave North. The center will be an extension of the popular space in the church’s basement that conveys the dynamic history of the church and the community it once surrounded, and of exhibits in the parsonage highlighting former pastors who led the church’s growth as a community pillar of faith and fight.

“We’re trying to show how religion has played a part in people’s lives,” Debro says, “We’re creating spaces to encourage collaboration and drive community progress, for people to dialogue and have a chance to discuss what they experienced when they came through the church and how they can go back and make impactful changes in their lives and communities.

“Civil Rights is just a part of what we have done,” he adds, “but religion created the environment of sharing and building the community.”

The center will also house a restaurant (thankfully, so folks visiting the church, the civil rights institute or the restored A.G. Gaston Motel around the corner won’t have to board a bus and head elsewhere to digest their experience). It’ll be modeled after Monell’s in Nashville — family-style eating “with your neighbors,” says its website, around tables designed for up to a dozen or so. “There is an old saying here in the South,” it touts. “‘There are no such things as strangers, only friends we haven’t met yet.’”

Says Debro: “They pass food around and it creates a fellowship, a way for people to really start talking. It’s almost like the Last Supper, communing and sharing with one another. That’s the kind of environment we want to generate.”

Initially, the church thought it needed to raise $7.5 million to build the structure, support programming and fund an endowment to support ongoing maintenance and operations. Local and regional private and public entities contributed, and the church says it raised $7.2 million.

Alas, their math didn’t quite math. Bids based on the preliminary construction budget of $4.5 million to $6 million came in at $8.5 million before “other things added to that,” Debro says. The church received a $2.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., but it’s earmarked for programming, not construction.

Alabama’s new market tax credits, Debro says, might provide funds “over time.” All in, though, finishing the visitors and education center will cost $12 million to $13 million.

That’s real math.

Through its history, 16th Street Baptist has raised millions to maintain and upgrade its historic facility, enabling it to host thousands who knock on its doors for tours. Those who want to know what happened there. Who want to honor the young lives lost and those who marched for equality and respect.

It also now lends grant-writing expertise to other area churches — still building the community as it’s done for more than a century.

Truth is, though, its modest and aging congregation is being significantly stretched.

“People think 16th Street is a large church with a large membership, but in reality, we are a small church, 250 or so active members,” Debro told me, while sharing that he recently celebrated his 80th birthday. “We probably can’t really afford all of what needs to be done to the church. The membership maintains the operations as a church. We see that as valuable, but we do need the assistance of the community and other sources to move things forward.”

The church secured a bridge loan from Regions Bank to ensure construction continues, Debro says. But that’s an expensive can looming somewhere down the road.

In the meantime, the wrenchingly powerful Legacy Museum and National Memorial to Peace and Justice (the “lynching museum,” as I and so many describe it) in Montgomery draw more than 500,000 visitors annually to that city and have sparked the development of hotels and restaurants around the sites.

In the meantime, Mobile has broken ground on a $5.1 million Africatown Welcome Center that will rightfully honor a community founded by survivors of the Clotilda, the very last slave ship known to have reached our shores. And last month, it unveiled the new Hall of Fame Walk, a dynamic collection of 9-foot bronze statues honoring sons of Mobile who are in the Major League Baseball and National Football League Halls.

In the meantime, Birmingham is losing ground on the ground that should be bearing much fruit as a master plan for the district, developed five years ago by Urban Impact and Rev Birmingham, sits. And waits.

Unlike 16th Street Baptist Church. Its building project, however, should not be a spectator sport.

Right now, the historic church is the primary tourism draw in the withering district. The city, county, state and Birmingham’s private sector should see it as such and collaborate to ensure the completion of the education and visitors center and the future preservation of the church.

“We have been given a big task,” says Debro. “Our pastor, Rev. Thomas Price, always says that we are not a megachurch, but we have a megaministry because people are coming in from everywhere. Everybody wants to come into 16th Street, so we are trying to meet the megaministry challenge.

“We’re just trying to show how the church, how religion still develops community,” he added, “how it must in our climate right now.”

And they must not do it alone.

Let’s be better tomorrow than we are today. My column appears on AL.com, and digital editions of The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, and Mobile Press-Register. Tell me what you think at [email protected], and follow me at twitter.com/roysj, Instagram @roysj and BlueSky.

The Baker football team became a legitimate title contender in 2024.

The Hornets went 9-3, fell four points short of a Region 1 championship and won a Class 7A playoff game for the first time in school history.

What’s next in 2025?

“Try to win another playoff game,” first-year coach Eric Scott said prior to Tuesday’s 7-on-7 event at Saraland. “I think the first thing we want to do is to continue to be competitive in our region and take that next step to a region championship. We’ve been No. 2 in the region the last three years. Then, ultimately, win in the playoffs and make our ascent toward a state championship.”

Scott, who was the team’s defensive coordinator in 2024, takes over as the head coach after the departure of Juan Johnson to James Clemens. He’s been on the Baker staff for the last four seasons.

“We’ve had a good summer, really getting after it,” he said this week. “We haven’t changed much so the teaching has been there. We have a lot of people to replace on defense, so we have definitely been working with them more this offseason. I would say our offense is definitely ahead of our defense, but we kind of knew that coming in. It’s been a good summer.”

A year ago, the Baker defense allowed an average of two touchdowns a game. Only region champ Mary G. Montgomery and second-round playoff opponent Enterprise scored 30 points or more on the Hornets. The offense averaged 26 points a game.

“We are doing the same things on defense just with new personnel,” Scott said. “Those guys are getting acclimated to being the man now. When you are just on the sidelines watching, it’s easy. Now they are in there and they are taking the butt chewings. They have to grow up quickly.”

Prior to coming to Baker, Scott also served as an assistant coach at Foley, Vigor and Saraland. His only previous head coaching stint came at B.C. Rain from 2008-2010.

“A lot has changed since then,” he said. “Now, you have 7-on-7 in the summer, you have OTAs. Also, when I was a head coach before, it was 4A ball. Now, I’m in 7A. There are a whole lot of logistics that are different in this situation. Coaching staff is bigger. Team is bigger. But at the end of the day, it’s still about motivating the kids to be the best and achieve their goals.”

Baker opens the season with a home game against rival Theodore on Aug. 22 before starting Region 1 play at Alma Bryant on Aug. 29. The Hornets host Scott’s twin brother Deric and Foley on Oct. 10.

“That’s going to be a good one,” Eric said, smiling. “I’m kind of not looking forward to it, but kind of am looking forward to it. It will be a competitive game. Foley is definitely one of our games that we have circled on the list every year. We know when it is happening, and we will definitely be prepared for it.”

Baker’s schedule also features an intriguing non-region game at reigning Class 4A champ Jackson on Sept. 12 and a home regular-season finale against Class 5A semifinalist Vigor on Oct. 30. Both of those games were extremely tight a year ago. The Hornets lost 20-13 at home to the Aggies and beat Vigor 10-9 on the road.

Scott said there are still some things his team needs to get done in practice before the season begins in six weeks.

“I need to see leadership and growth on the field,” he said. “I want to see us be more vocal leaders and compete at a high level every time out. We are starting to do that. We need to be consistently competitive every time we walk out on the field.”

Birmingham agreed to an expanded contract with Alabama Power on Tuesday to add an additional 100 security cameras and license plate readers on power poles throughout the city.

Last year, Birmingham partnered with Alabama Power to install 330 cameras on power poles throughout the city to monitor public areas and feed video directly to the Birmingham Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center.

The updated contract includes more than 100 new surveillance cameras and license plate reading Flock cameras.

“It will be spread out citywide,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. “Alabama Power and the Birmingham Police Department have gone really, really deep into this relationship, as well as the deployment of where they should be.”

Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said the police department will keep track of the ways the cameras help fight crime and whether some of the cameras need to be repositioned over time. They are already playing a key role in crime-fighting, he said.

“The cameras are hugely impactful to assist us and to deter crime,” Pickett said. “We’ll do an ongoing assessment to see how beneficial is this investment.”

The 2024 contract has been amended to add 20 additional months and the deal with Alabama Power is now worth $9.7 million, although the city is not shouldering the entire cost of the contract, which includes maintaining the system.

City officials gave credit to U.S. Sen. Katie Britt for helping them secure a $4.2 million Department of Justice grant available to upgrade IT systems and cybersecurity.

Chaz Mitchell, chief of staff for the city, said the agreement covers five years and the early costs will be covered by the federal grant. “We’re making payments on this yearly,” Mitchell said. “This is something we’re paying out over the next five years.”

It’s not currently coming out of the city’s budget, he said.

“Not until we expend the full grant amount,” Mitchell said. “Hopefully, we can get another grant, or budget this in future fiscal years.”

Woodfin said he’s optimistic about additional federal grants.

“We feel good about our position,” Woodfin said. “The contingency would be to plan for it out of our general fund.”

Alabama Power Public Safety Manager Jonathan Bozeman told the City Council in a special called meeting Monday that the costs include installing and maintaining cameras, along with subscriptions to video software, data plans, upgraded data connections for the Real Time Crime Center and power usage of about $3,000 a month. He said Alabama Power has camera agreements with more than 80 cities in the state to manage security cameras.

Woodfin said the cameras have played a key role in reducing crime and lowering the homicide rate this year after a record high of 151 homicides in 2024 broke the city’s record set in 1933.

“The first half of the year has seen tremendous progress,” Woodfin said. “It’s important that we made this issue a priority of public safety, especially around decreasing gun violence, and especially around decreasing homicides. We’ve done that with over a 50 percent decrease in homicides. Kudos to Michael Pickett, chief of police, and the entire police department, for their aggressive efforts and their new approach to how they’re keeping us safe. I want to thank all the partners who helped in this decrease in crime.”

This is a guest opinion column

After more than 25 years in military and security operations, including 23 years of service in the U.S. Army, I have seen what real sacrifice looks like. I have led troops in combat zones, advised senior military leaders, and overseen thousands of high-risk missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have also watched far too many of my brothers and sisters in arms return home carrying invisible wounds—physical pain, trauma, and post-traumatic stress that no number of medals or parades can heal. That is why I support the rescheduling of cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance under federal law.

Veterans across this country are in desperate need of effective, accessible treatments for conditions like chronic pain, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and anxiety. Alabama is home to more than 370,000 veterans, many of whom are underserved by our current healthcare system. The standard treatment options—often opioids, benzodiazepines, or powerful antidepressants—can be addictive, carry severe side effects, and do not always provide the relief our veterans need.

Cannabis, on the other hand, has shown promising therapeutic potential. A 2022 analysis of data from over a 10 year time period stated that cannabis-based treatments improved overall symptoms of PTSD. But because it remains classified as a Schedule I drug—deemed to have “no accepted medical use” under federal law—research has been stifled, VA doctors remain restricted from recommending it, and veterans are left with limited options. If cannabis is not rescheduled, scientists will continue to face numerous hurdles in their research. As it stands, researchers must abide by stricter regulations such as applying for special licenses and sourcing cannabis from specific suppliers.

Rescheduling cannabis to Schedule III would be a game-changer. It would open the door to federally approved medical research and help legitimize cannabis as a treatment option within the VA system.

This is not a call for recreational use. This is about expanding medical access for those who have worn the uniform, risked their lives, and returned home looking for a way to live with dignity and peace. This is about science, safety, and solutions—not stigma.

President Donald Trump has publicly voiced his support for rescheduling cannabis. When leaders from both sides of the aisle agree on something, especially in today’s political climate, we ought to pay attention. In 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reschedule cannabis. With so many leaders weighing in and calling for this change, the DEA should move swiftly to finalize this change.

As the CEO of a security and detection services company based in Opelika, I understand the concerns around regulation, compliance, and enforcement. But I also see the opportunity—to create a responsible, medically focused cannabis framework that respects public safety while honoring those who served.

Rescheduling cannabis is not a radical idea. It is a rational step forward—and one that could change lives for thousands of veterans who call this state home. We ask our service members to fight for our freedom. The least we can do is give them the tools they need to heal.

Eric Hare serves as CEO of Global K9 Protection Group based in Opelika, Alabama.

The Indiana Fever play against the Golden State Valkyries in a WNBA game today. The matchup will begin at 11 a.m. CT on NBA TV. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.

The Fever enter this matchup with a 9-9 record, and they have won three of their last four games. In their most recent game, the Fever defeated Minnesota 74-59.

During the victory, five Indiana players scored double-digit points: Natasha Howard, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Aari McDonald, and Sophie Cunningham.

Notably, Mitchell leads the team in scoring with more than 19 points per game.

The Valkyries also enter this matchup with a 9-9 record, and they have lost back-to-back games. In their last game, the Valkyries lost 90-81 against the Atlanta Dream.

In order to win today’s game, the Valkyries will need a great performance from their star player Kayla Thornton. She leads the Golden State offense with nearly 15 points per game, so she will look to continue her offensive success this morning.

Fans can watch this WNBA game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.