Alabama News

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New exclusive McLuck promo code grants up to 57,500 Gold Coins + 27.5 free Sweeps Coins

With the McLuck promo code, new players are eligible to receive 57,500 Gold Coins and 27.5 free Sweeps Coins. This is a unique offer that is earned by signing up and making one quick purchase.

McLuck is widely considered one of the best sweepstakes casinos in the country. Learn more about this unique gaming platform’s welcome offer here.

McLuck promo code at a glance

McLuck promo code: How to claim this offer

The McLuck promo code offer is easy to claim. This platform has a world-class design and UX that allows players to easily sign up and navigate through pages.

Earning the full 57,500 Gold Coins and 27.5 Sweeps Coins requires several steps. Learn about those steps here:

1. Click any of the McLuck promo code links or banners featured on this page.
2. Click the Join Now button on the McLuck landing page.
3. Create a new account with McLuck by providing some basic personal information, including your name, email address and home address.
4. Immediately receive 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 Sweeps Coins after registration.
5. Make a purchase of Gold Coins for $9.99 via the platform’s online store to receive an additional 50,000 Gold Coins and 25 free Sweeps Coins.

In only five quick steps, new players can earn this massive welcome offer. It’s a two-part bonus, yet should take no longer than 10 minutes to claim.

The 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 Sweeps Coins are given to players simply for making a new account. There is no purchase necessary to claim this offer.

In order to receive the additional 50,000 Gold Coins and 25 Sweeps Coins, players need to make an initial purchase of $9.99. Keep in mind this is completely optional. There is never a requirement to spend money to play games at McLuck.

McLuck promo code terms and conditions

McLuck has gained a reputation as one of the best and most trusted online sweepstakes casinos operating today. This sweepstakes casino’s welcome bonus is great and comes with some very reasonable terms and conditions.

Some of the most important rules connected to this bonus and McLuck, in general, include:

• Only players above the age of 18 years old can join.
• McLuck cannot be played in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Washington and West Virginia.
• The 50,000 Gold Coins and 25 free Sweeps Coins are earned with a purchase of $9.99.
• All Sweeps Coins come with a 1x playthrough requirement.

What are Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins?

Online sweepstakes casinos utilize a dual-currency system. In most cases, they offer players what are known as Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins.

With this model, these platforms can abide by sweepstakes laws and remain legal throughout most of the country. It’s also the model that separates sweepstakes casinos from real money casinos.

Gold Coins are used to play games for fun in a “social” setting. They have no real value and can never be redeemed for prizes.

Sweeps Coins also can be used to play games. These, however, also can be redeemed for real prizes such as gift cards and real money. One Sweeps Coin has a value of $1.

Online sweepstakes sites like McLuck provide players with free Gold Coins (and often Sweeps Coins) daily for free.

Top online slot at McLuck this weekend

Players at McLuck have access to more than 1,000 casino games. This includes slots, “variety games” and live dealer games.

McLuck offers a great selection of high RTP slots. It has more than 1,000 slot games available to play, each of which comes from world-class developers such as Pragmatic Play and Ruby Play.

Here is a look at the top online slot to play at McLuck this weekend:

2 Kings of Africa

One of the newest and most exciting online slot games to launch on McLuck is 2 Kings of Africa. This is a six-reel online slot game developed by Red Rake Gaming.

This game features eight unique symbols. In order to win, players need to land at least five matching symbols on a payline.

2 Kings of Africa also features a huge number of unique features, including wild symbols, five bonus modes and Cluster Pays. With the Cluster Pays feature, winning symbol combinations fall and make way for new symbols, offering players the opportunity to earn multiple wins on a single spin.

The free spins round is extremely fun, as well. To trigger this round, players need to completely fill the Gorilla Meter. Once this is complete, players receive 12 free spins with the opportunity to earn large multipliers on their wagers.

This online slot has an average RTP rate of 96% and offers a max payout of 5,361x your wager. Those features also make it one of the more popular real money slots offered by some of the top online casinos in the US.

It looks great, comes with a large number of bonus features and gives players some great opportunities to win big.

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Birmingham Water Works Board to be replaced after ‘hard negotiations’ by lawmakers: Who will serve on it?

The Alabama Senate on Thursday amended and passed a divisive bill changing the membership and qualifications for the Birmingham Water Works Board.

The board that serves customers in five counties would change into a regional board under that amended bill.

Senate Bill 330, sponsored by Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, had initially sparked disagreement between senators who represent Jefferson County.

Republican senators who represent the suburbs supported the bill, saying that problems in the system would lead to unreasonably high rates and other problems and hurt economic development.

Democratic senators representing Birmingham opposed it, saying it was unfairly taking control of important assets away from the city and its residents.

SB330 had also drawn opposition from the BWWB, which will be replaced under the legislation.

On Thursday morning, the Senate amended the bill and passed it on a 30-0 vote, sending it to the House of Representatives.

The vote came quickly and with almost no discussion. But Roberts said Thursday’s result came after a lot of hard work behind the scenes.

“We sat down as a Jefferson County delegation and hammered it out in a back room, what it would take to get this bill to pass without creating lots of problems for the rest of our colleagues in the Senate,” Roberts said.

The bill would replace the current board.

Initially, it would have reduced the board from nine members to five.

Before passing the bill Thursday, the Senate added two more slots, for a total of seven.

Here’s how the seven members would be appointed:

• One appointed by Blount County Commission
• One appointed by Shelby County Commission
• One appointed by Birmingham City Council
• One appointed by Birmingham mayor
• One appointed by the president of the Jefferson County Commission
• One appointed by the lieutenant governor
• One Jefferson County resident appointed by the governor

Roberts said he would have preferred sticking with five appointments, but said adding the two slots was a necessary compromise.

“We ideally wanted a five-member board,” Roberts said. “A five member board is usually very, very effective.

“But after hard negotiations for several hours yesterday, till late last night, and then again this morning, it became clear that this is what needed to happen.”

The bill also adds new qualifications for most of those appointments, requiring backgrounds in finance, business, and, for one slot, engineering.

“We’re after a board whose goal is to work together to provide true, true loyalty to the customer base, not anyone else,” Roberts said.

“Their fiduciary duty will be to the customers of the Birmingham Water Works. And that’s what we were after.

“We’re after bringing in people – engineers, finance people, general business people who understand how to work together as a board to direct the general manager how to run a water system. And that’s really what the whole objective of this was.”

The bill moves to the House, where Roberts said it will be handled by Rep. Jim Carns, R-Vestavia Hills.

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, who strongly opposed the bill before the changes, voted in favor of the bill, as did six of the eight Democratic senators. Two did not vote.

Smitherman declined to comment after the Senate adjourned Thursday.

Smitherman said he would be ready to discuss the bill it if passes the House and is signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey.

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General

Here’s what to know about the new doughnuts at Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme has a new trio of doughnuts inspired by cheesecake. The collection, which launched on April 22, features notes of strawberry, caramel, and Cookies & Creme.

“Our new Craving Cheesecake Collection is perfect if you love Krispy Kreme doughnuts and crave decadent cheesecake,” said Dave Skena, Krispy Kreme Chief Growth Officer, in a press release. “Each of these distinct doughnuts deliver on your favorite cheesecake flavors and the great taste of a Krispy Kreme doughnut.”

• Strawberry Dream Cheesecake Doughnut: An unglazed shell doughnut filled with cheesecake-flavored Kreme, dipped in strawberry-flavored icing, topped with berry-flavored graham crunch, and drizzled with white icing.
• Cookies & Kreme Cheesecake Doughnut: An unglazed shell doughnut filled with cookies & Kreme cheesecake-flavored filling, dipped in white icing, half-dipped in chocolate cookie crumble and dusted with powdered topping.
• Caramel Delight Cheesecake Doughnut: A cinnamon sugar ring doughnut topped with cheesecake-flavored buttercream, salted caramel-flavored graham crunch, and caramel-flavored icing drizzles

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General

Zappos just slashed the price of the PUMA Easy Rider Vintage Shoes

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Super-popular Kate Spade bags are back at Target but they won’t last long

Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025).

© 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us).
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.

Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.

YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is available here.

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Where to watch 2025 NFL Draft: Free livestream, TV, schedule

The 2025 NFL Draft is scheduled to start tonight. The first round of the draft will begin at 7 p.m. CT on ABC/ESPN. Fans can watch this event 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 2025 NFL Draft should be exciting to watch tonight because many players have had their draft stock change recently. Notably, quarterback Shedeur Sanders was thought to be a top pick in this year’s draft. However, many experts have had him fall out of the top 10 in recent mock drafts.

Quarterback Cam Ward being selected with the first overall pick seems to be the only certainty tonight, as the Tennessee Titans look to improve their offense from last year.

Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter have been perceived as the best players in this draft class, so they should be taken off the board early. The tough decision will likely be made by the Cleveland Browns, who have the second overall pick this year.

Fans can watch the 2025 NFL Draft 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.

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General

Stanley drops new ribbed 40oz Quencher Tumblers

Stanley has officially introduced an all new line of Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumblers called the Stanley Fluted Tumbler.

The Stanley Quencher H2.0 Fluted 40-ounce Tumbler is a line of metallic, gloss and matte Stanley cups with new ribbed designs. The collection features seven earth-toned designs including: Cream Gloss, Gunmetal Shine, Wisteria Shine, Marina Shine, Ash Gloss, Black and Twilight Gloss.

The Stanley Fluted Tumblers also comes in 30-ounce and 20-ounce sizes. The 30-ounce Fluted Tumblers are available in the same color options while the 20-ounce cup only comes in the Cream Gloss, Gunmetal Shine, Wisteria Shine, Marina Shine and Black.

RELATED: The new Stanley Mother’s Day 40oz Quencher is here, but not for long

“Bring a new, dynamic look to any hydration routine with the Quencher® H2.0 Fluted Tumbler. Carefully crafted with a faceted texture in refined, neutral tones and metallic details. Topped with a tinted lid and straw, this is love at first touch,” Stanley states.

Like all of its tumblers, Stanley’s 40-ounce Fluted Quencher keeps drinks cold for hours thanks to its double-wall vacuum insulation. Meanwhile, the versatile FlowState™ 3-position lid has three sip settings: one for the reusable straw, one without and the option to rotate the silicone cover shut. It also fits right in one’s car cupholder while on the go.

Those interested can checkout the full listing on Stanley’s website here.

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General

South Alabama lands FCS offensive line transfer

South Alabama has picked up a transfer portal commitment from offensive lineman Jaylen Booker, who spent last season on the FCS level at Bethune-Cookman.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Booker did not see action for the Wildcats in 2024. A native of Jacksonville, Fla., he has four years of eligibility remaining.

Booker announced his commitment via social media:

Booker joins a South Alabama program that lost both starting tackles — Malachi Carney and Jordan Davis — to the transfer portal. Among those players set to return at the position in 2025 are senior Daniel Foster-Allen and sophomores Adrian Griffin and Ethan Hubbard.

Booker is South Alabama’s fourth portal signee during the current cycle, along with quarterback Zach Pyron (Minnesota), cornerback Nehemiah Chandler (Georgia Tech) and defensive tackle Stephen Johnson (McNeese). The Jaguars are expected to add a half-dozen or more transfers before summer workouts begin at the end of May.

South Alabama finished 7-6 in 2024, its third consecutive winning season.

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Beads, brass, and boarding passes: Amtrak will launch festive ‘Mardi Gras Service’

Move over, beads and king cake — Mardi Gras is hitting the rails.

The long-standing Gulf Coast rivalry between Mobile and New Orleans over who threw the first Mardi Gras party now has a new twist: both cities will soon be bookending a brand-new Amtrak line named in honor of the raucous pre-Lenten celebration.

Amtrak announced Thursday that its upcoming twice-daily service between Mobile and New Orleans — with four stops in coastal Mississippi — will be dubbed the “Mardi Gras Service.”

Amtrak President Roger Harris called the name a “natural choice” that captures the region’s “distinctive culture.”

“Travel should be about more than just getting somewhere,” Harris said. “Our goal is to have some of that festive Mardi Gras feeling on every trip, sharing the culture of the Gulf Coast region while connecting with the rest of the Amtrak network.”

Arriving soon

The party-on-rails is expected to roll out in June, though no official start date, fares, or schedules have been released. Amtrak says more details will be posted on Amtrak.com “in a few weeks.”

“Mobile and New Orleans have always shared a rich cultural heritage and renewing Amtrak service will strengthen our ties to the Crescent City and the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. “We are so excited to welcome new visitors from those communities when the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service launches later this year. It will be an asset to our citizens and another enhancement to Mobile’s growing downtown waterfront.”

Public officials say the naming goes beyond a “shared cultural heritage,” by claiming it will bolster the economies in both cities and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

“This new service strengthens our city’s ties with our neighbors across the Gulf while creating jobs and expanding opportunity throughout the district and the State of Alabama,” said U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said route’s name also “represents renewed investment in our infrastructure, our tourism industry, and the everyday mobility of our residents.”

“The return of intercity Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile is a monumental win for our region,” she said. “This is how we move our city and our region forward – together.”

In Mississippi, Mardi Gras doesn’t produce nearly the same Carnival season festivities and traditions as the holiday does in New Orleans and Mobile. But officials in Mississippi recognized that the holiday represents a closely shared connection along the Gulf Coast.

The route includes stops in Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis.

“Though the Mississippi Gulf Coast is heavily influence by neighboring Mobile and New Orleans, each of Mississippi’s coastal cities has its own unique charm and traditions, especially when it comes to our two great passions – festivities and food,” said Charles Busby, Mississippi Transportation Commissioner for the Southern Transportation District.

The route ends at Union Station in New Orleans, where Amtrak passengers can continue with same-day connections in both directions aboard the City of New Orleans trains between New Orleans and Chicago via Memphis. Amtrak Mardi Gras Service guests will also be able to make next-day connections in New Orleans to Amtrak Crescent trains to and from New York via Atlanta, and Amtrak Sunset Limited trains to and from Los Angeles via Tucson, San Antonio and Houston.

Long-time coming

Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service is a revival, of sorts, of the Gulf Coast passenger rail connection that existed with the long-distance Sunset Limited. Amtrak service has been suspended along the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina damaged much of the line nearly 20 years ago.

The storm destroyed a former train station that serviced the Amtrak service in downtown Mobile. Work crews are currently on the scene at the same spot adjacent to Cooper Riverside Park, building the train stop that will service passengers in Mobile.

The path to getting the train officially named has been a long and often arduous one for passenger rail supporters who have spent years getting support from state governments, freight rail operators and the Alabama State Port Authority.

A much-celebrated inspection train ran between New Orleans and Mobile back in 2016, more than nine years ago.

Disputes involving Amtrak and a host of entities led to a stalling of the project, and a legal proceeding before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.

That dispute pitted Amtrak against the freight operators along the line – CSX, Norfolk Southern — and the Alabama State Port Authority, which expressed concerns over the impact of additional passenger trains to their operations north of downtown Mobile. But an agreement involving all the sides in the case was reached in November 2022, enabling the process to begin toward getting the service started.

Also slowing the process down was gathering the financial support from the three states connected to the route — Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. In Alabama, unlike in Mississippi and Louisiana, much of that support came from the Mobile City Council, which voted in August to provide an operational subsidy for three years.

“This is a step forward in the restoration process of Gulf Coast rail,” said U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican who has been the biggest champion for the project in Congress. “I am grateful to Amtrak for helping restore this line after nearly two decades of no service.”

Knox Ross, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission, a passenger rail advocacy group that has played a critical role in getting the project to move forward, said he’s ready to see the route become a reality.

“It’s incredibly exciting to announce the name for this new service that will have such a positive impact in our three states,” he said.

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Here’s your last chance to binge your Hallmark favorites before the network leaves Peacock

After a three-year partnership with Peacock, one of the most popular streaming services on the market, Hallmark is removing its content from the streaming platform and saying goodbye on Thursday, May 1.

Though the partnership end date is fast approaching, there’s still time to binge your favorite Hallmark original TV series and movies before its content leaves the platform.

For those who have yet to stream Hallmark’s content through Peacock, fan-favorite series such as When Calls the Heart, The Way Home, The Chicken Sisters and more are available for streaming. Those who gravitate to Hallmark’s beloved movies can stream new releases on-demand for 72 hours after its initial release and are available at additional times when airing on Hallmark Channels.

Though Hallmark may be bowing out of Peacock’s impressive lineup of networks, there are still a ton of popular networks still available for streaming on the platform including NBC, Bravo, MSNBC and more. Whether you’re searching for news, sports, or true crime, Peacock offers plenty of networks to enjoy.

In addition to access to networks like those mentioned above, Peacock is known for producing incredible Peacock Originals such as Long Bright River, The Traitors, Poker Face, and, recently, has become the home of the hit Law & Order spinoff series Law & Order: Organized Crime, marking the first time a Law & Order series has been exclusive to a streaming service.

Despite the upcoming loss of the Hallmark network and its content, Peacock is still considered a strong and capable alternative to traditional cable service problems. New and exciting content arrives each month, both from cherished networks and from the streaming service itself.

Peacock’s plans and pricing

One of the qualities that makes Peacock stand out against other streaming platforms is its plans and its pricing. Peacock subscribers can enjoy a world of entertainment including hit movies and TV shows, while also exploring the platform’s extensive collection of originals.

Currently, Peacock offers two plans to choose from including their premium plan for $7.99 a month and their premium plus plan for $13.99 a month.

The premium plan is the most popular package and offers subscribers access to live sporting events, new and hit TVB shows and movies, Peacock Originals and more.

The premium plus plan comes with everything included in the premium plan along with the ability to download and watch select titles offline. Through this plan, subscribers can also stream local NBC channels live at any time. Unlike the premium plan, this plan does not support ads.

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