Alabama News

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.

As Americans seek affordability and better opportunities, a new study has identified 50 cities that are both growing rapidly and remaining affordable.

GoBankingRates used U.S. Census data to find cities with booming population growth and rental or mortgage rates below the national average.

According to the Census Bureau, more Americans are moving away from downtown areas than before the COVID-19 pandemic. The fastest-growing cities across the country were located as far as 60-plus miles from large metro areas in 2023, compared to 2019, before the pandemic hit. Many of these fastest-growing cities are located in the South and Midwest.

According to the study, Texas is home to the most affordable and fastest-growing cities in the U.S. The Lone Star State dominated the top 50 with 12 cities.

Frisco, Texas, took the top spot with an estimated population increase of 26.9% over the next five years. The annual cost of living in the city is $46,718 for renters and $72,262 for homeowners.

Here’s a look at 15 cities that made the list:

1. Frisco, Texas

• 5-year population growth: 26.9%
• 1-year population growth: 4%
• Median household income: $146,158
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $46,718
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $72,262
• Average home value: $678,435

2. Goodyear, Arizona

• 5-year population growth: 32.8%
• 1-year population growth: 5.5%
• Median household income: $101,814
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $49,011
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $58,494
• Average home value: $478,276

3. McKinney, Texas

• 5-year population growth: 16.6%
• 1-year population growth: 3.1%
• Median household income: $120,273
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $45,023
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $58,907
• Average home value: $512,667

4. Fishers, Indiana

• 5-year population growth: 13.8%
• 1-year population growth: 1.9%
• Median household income: $128,141
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $46,989
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $54,414
• Average home value: $438,966

5. Allen, Texas

• 5-year population growth: 8.5%
• 1-year population growth: 2.1%
• Median household income: $129,130
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $44,456
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $58,678
• Average home value: $514,490

6. Carmel, Indiana

• 5-year population growth: 11.5%
• 1-year population growth: 1.1%
• Median household income: $134,602
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $46,507
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $62,126
• Average home value: $553,141

7. League City, Texas

• 5-year population growth: 13.9%
• 1-year population growth: 1.3%
• Median household income: $119,870
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $44,264
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $47,459
• Average home value: $369,058

8. Lewisville, Texas

• 5-year population growth: 22.5%
• 1-year population growth: 2.6%
• Median household income: $85,002
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $43,995
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $53,007
• Average home value: $404,946

9. Olathe, Kansas

• 5-year population growth: 5.7%
• 1-year population growth: 1.1%
• Median household income: $112,232
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $45,070
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $51,825
• Average home value: $401,785

10. Round Rock, Texas

• 5-year population growth: 3.4%
• 1-year population growth: 3.2%
• Median household income: $97,187
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $42,390
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $52,364
• Average home value: $433,767

11. Pearland, Texas

• 5-year population growth: 6.9%
• 1-year population growth: 1.2%
• Median household income: $112,470
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $51,032
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $54,241
• Average home value: $376,350

12. Nampa, Idaho

• 5-year population growth: 16%
• 1-year population growth: 3.6%
• Median household income: $72,122
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $40,684
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $50,656
• Average home value: $404,082

13. Murfreesboro, Tennessee

• 5-year population growth: 20.3%
• 1-year population growth: 2.7%
• Median household income: $76,241
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $45,275
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $52,728
• Average home value: $410,857

14. Peoria, Arizona

• 5-year population growth: 18.1%
• 1-year population growth: 1.6%
• Median household income: $93,403
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $50,490
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $61,963
• Average home value: $495,587

15. Rio Rancho, New Mexico

• 5-year population growth: 12.2%
• 1-year population growth: 2.1%
• Median household income: $85,755
• Total cost of living for renter annually: $45,823
• Total cost of living for homeowner annually: $47,207
• Average home value: $348,895

Did any Alabama city make the list?

Huntsville is Alabama’s most affordable and fastest-growing city, ranked 28th by GoBankingRates. Its population is expected to grow by 13% by 2030. The median household income is $70,778, above the state average of $62,027. Renters have an average cost of living of $40,409, while homeowners pay around $42,970. The average home value is $272,010.

Alabama students are performing better across nearly all grade levels and subjects, a sign that recent reforms could be paying off, according to new test results.

English, math and science scores on 2025 tests jumped. Officials praised results Tuesday and said they would continue to work on weak spots in middle school grades and build on success in reading.

“It’s good news,” State Superintendent Eric Mackey told state school board members Tuesday.

“We’re moving toward the right goals, except in these middle grades… But what this does tell us is the work y’all are doing — investing in basic instruction, high-quality instructional materials, good professional development, and extra help for those students — is moving students.”

The state ACAP exam measures proficiency in English language arts, math and science among second through eighth graders.

In every subject but 7th grade math, more students met their targets and fewer were labeled low-performing.

• In math, 36.8% of students were proficient this year, up from 34.3% in 2024
• In ELA, 60.6% of students were proficient this year, up from 57.6% in 2024
• In science, 39.7% of students were proficient this year, up from 37% in 2024

Alabama students are getting better at key subjects

The gains are the latest of a series of achievements for Alabama schools.

Reading scores released last month also showed improvement among the state’s second and third graders. And the state made headlines for its post-pandemic growth in reading and math on the Nation’s Report Card, which samples a number of fourth and eighth graders in local schools. In just two years, the state jumped from one of the worst-performing states to the middle of the rankings.

The ACAP test, which is aligned to national standards, is the most challenging test Alabama has given to elementary and middle schoolers. Still, officials acknowledge that scores are not where they want them to be.

“We’re obviously not satisfied with these numbers, but we know our teachers are working hard and they’re dealing with a very rigorous assessment,” said Board Member Traci West.

Students still struggle in middle grades

Middle school math continues to be a pain point for Alabama, and for schools in much of the country, Mackey said. While nearly half of elementary schoolers are now proficient in math, just a quarter of seventh and eighth graders met the same benchmark this year.

High-achieving students may start to take advanced math courses in the 7th or 8th grade, but those skills aren’t always measured by state assessments. Mackey said the state is currently working to make sure middle school curricula are properly aligned to the test.

But one bright spot, he said, is that more lower-performing students appear to be getting help. Across all subjects, fewer students scored at a Level 1, meaning they struggle with basic skills like decoding words or adding and subtracting numbers.

The upward trend could mean that more students are getting access to targeted interventions, Mackey said. The state has invested heavily in reading support, and is beginning to bolster the number of math coaches and specialists in local schools.

“They’re getting some kind of extra help, and that help is making a difference,” he told board members.

See proficiency rates by grade in the chart below, or view it here.

English learners are making progress

Alabama’s English learner population is growing rapidly, from just over 41,000 students getting some form of English language support in 2023 to more than 50,000 this year.

Because so many English learners come from different educational backgrounds, it can be tough to compare progress year over year. This year, the percentage of students who exited EL programs went up slightly, at just over 5%.

Future of ACT test

High schoolers in Alabama also have to take a state test, at least once.

This year, ACT composite scores held steady at 17.3, just a slight decrease from last year’s average of 17.4. Fewer students also earned WorkKeys certificates, which measure workplace skills like practical math problems and how to interpret data.

As more diploma pathways open up for high schoolers, testing could look a lot different down the line. Surveys show fewer principals want to stick with the ACT, Mackey said. A committee is currently evaluating other options.

District- and school-level ACAP data will be available in August after systems verify their scores.

Auburn football added a commitment to its 2026 class for a second day in a row on Wednesday, this time adding its first specialist to the class.

Long Snapper Travis Wakefield announced his pledge to the Tigers on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday morning, becoming the ninth commitment of Auburn’s 2026 class. Wakefield is ranked by Kohl’s Kicking as the seventh-best long snapper in the country.

His announcement comes less than 24 hours after four-star linebacker Adam Balogoun-Ali committed to Auburn.

Wakefield plays high school football at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, where he also plays as a tight end and linebacker, according to his bio on X.

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

Though crime remains the dominant political issue, education emerged as a central focus Tuesday as Mobile’s mayoral candidates connected youth violence to Alabama’s largest school system.

While the candidates acknowledged the city has little formal control over the school district, they argued the next mayor must engage with it anyway.

“How can we support our schools?” asked former Mobile County District Judge Spiro Cheriogotis. “It’s a county system. The mayor, some people might say, it’s not your problem. But it’s affecting the mayor of Mobile and that is the mayor’s job.”

From career tech to after-school programs, candidates at the 90-minute forum at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Midtown pointed to education as the key lever to pull if the city hopes to stem its surge in youth crime.

“The city is not nearly as involved in helping our school system as it should be. I’ll change that,” said Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson.

Still, exactly how a mayor could influence Alabama’s largest school district remains an open question. The Mobile County Public School System serves more than 50,000 students and operates independently from city government.

In recent years, security at schools and sports venues have brought the two government bodies together in purchasing security systems or sharing resources like police officers.

But publicly, the two sides are separate and are focused on different policy matters. A rare meeting at Government Plaza involving school administrators and the Mobile City Council to provide updates on career tech programs, among other things, was canceled last December. It has yet to be rescheduled.

None of the candidates talked about how they would work with the school board or the existing administration to make education a citywide priority. But they said that boosting opportunities, especially workforce development programs, was critical to reducing youth violence.

State Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, said that Mobile needs to create a “pipeline” for building trades and welders. She said that she has met with Superintendent Chresal Threadgill to discuss projects, including new programs bolstered with additional state funding this year.

“Training the kids to stay here, that’s my goal,” she said. “To make sure superior talent stays here.”

In calling education Mobile’s “primary problem,” Drummond also praised the school district’s Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) scores and advancements in Signature Academies and vocational education.

“We are building a system we can be proud of,” she said, but then added that “what we got to do in Mobile is we have to prop up our education system by any means necessary.”

Former Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine said Mobile needs to follow Baldwin County’s lead in career preparation education. He repeatedly cited the Baldwin County School System’s $100 million preparatory academy as an example Mobile should follow. The Baldwin County school opened last summer and offers career tech and vocational education in Loxley.

The Baldwin County school offers a rare mix of competitive academics with real-world, on-the-job-training of specialized vocations including healthcare, technology, skilled trades, and creative fields.

“They have a $100 million facility now and they are training Baldwin County high school students who will be ready at graduation for jobs coming to Mobile and Baldwin counties,” Prine said. “There is no reason why the leadership of Mobile has not been ahead of this for the past 10 years.”

Other candidates also linked the two issues, emphasizing the importance of pushing for more vocational training within Mobile.

Cheriogotis, who was a district judge until resigning from the position to run for mayor in January, said he would often see young men in his courtroom who almost uniformly “shared a look of hopelessness” who couldn’t envision a future without crime.

“You don’t need a college degree to be successful in Mobile,” he said, adding that he wanted to build on the thousands of new blue-collar jobs being added within the city. “I want to see more of that happening in high school and more kids with electrician certificates.”

Hudson, who has approached the school board in the past for funding support for projects like a new aquatics center, said it was “incumbent for the city to be a strong partner with the Mobile County Public School System.”

She encouraged the city to work with local businesses and industry to grow their talent pools.

“We have a large community in Mobile of potential workers in our system,” she said. “We need to provide opportunities and make sure they are available to young people.”

Hudson, among the candidates, was the only one to offer a specific creation through city government – the addition of a new Department of Economic Revitalization. Though not directly related to education, the office would focus on boosting certain neighborhoods within the city, focusing on economic development initiatives.

“Until all areas of the city are thriving and doing well economically, then we are not doing well,” Hudson said. “This department would provide a plan to move forward to (improve) these areas.”

Alabama U.S. Sen. Katie Britt criticized Democrats for what she said was their politicizing of the catastrophic Texas flooding that occurred last week.

Britt said “there will be time” later to investigate how more than 100 people were killed in the tragedy.

Britt, appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity,” said the questions are a symptom of “Trump derangement syndrome.”

“The fact that Democrats want to find some way to make this about Donald Trump, to take this moment and make this political, it’s got to stop,” Britt said.

“This nation has to heal, and behavior like this, and antics like this, have no place in America.”

Britt was responding to critics of the Trump Administration who have asked questions about how the flooding response may have been affected by cuts earlier this year to the National Weather Service, and also the response on the ground by the Federal Emergency Management Agency following the disaster.

Independent meteorologists and a former NWS official said warnings issued in the run-up to the flooding were about as timely and accurate as could be expected based on the data, according to NBC News.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer has demanded an investigation by the Commerce Department’s acting inspector general “into the scope, breadth, and ramifications of whether staffing shortages at key local National Weather Service (NWS) stations contributed to the catastrophic loss of life and property during the deadly flooding,” according to The New York Times.

Texas officials yesterday said Tuesday more than 160 people remain unaccounted for after flooding on the Guadalupe River on July 4.

One of the victims, Sarah Marsh of Mountain Brook, was attending Camp Mystic, a Christian retreat near Hunt in Kerr County. Britt mentioned her, as well as Mobile couple Eddie Santana Sr., 69, and his wife, Ileana, 66, who are missing along with their daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

“I think what these families need are our prayers, our compassion, our love and support,” she said.

Britt said those who would criticize should instead lift up victim’s families, saying there will be investigations into what happened.

“I hope that every one of them have said these awful, deranged things look in the mirror and realize that’s not who we are,” she said.

“We’ve got to be human beings. Not everything has to be political. There will be time for us to figure out how we can do better, and do more, and prevent these tragedies in the future. And what they don’t realize is their toxicity is not normal, and it is not something we should tolerate in the United States of America,” Britt said.

This column originally appeared in Kyle Whitmire’s newsletter, Alabamafication. Sign up here to get it in your inbox for free.

I kinda love Jehovah’s Witnesses but I still keep my distance.

And that’s as close as I’m going to get to a joke, because regardless of what I or anyone thinks or says about those folks, at least they’re looking out for our souls.

The same for those Mormon kids on the bikes.

A lesson I’m trying to center in my life is to question ideas but not judge people’s intentions too harshly, at least when it comes to regular folks. If someone on a downtown street corner wants to keep me, a stranger, from burning forever in hell, that’s more than I’ll get from most. Certainly, from anyone in politics. There’s no shortage of political people inviting me to go there at the soonest opportunity.

Proselytizing has become a bad word. Evangelizing now is code language for mixing politics and religion.

And persuasion?

At some point, we seem to have given up.

The fact that there are t-shirts sold at political rallies that say “F–k your feelings!” is testament by itself that we’re tired of testifying. But even some who would never dream of donning one have slipped into some not dissimilar thinking.

Last month, New York Times columnist Ezra Klein interviewed Rep. Sarah McBride about how the trans rights movement has gone into the ditch. McBride is the first and only openly trans lawmaker in Congress, and the two of them bemoaned a common line of thought from the last decade or so. Klein said:

“It reminds me of a line that I hear less now, but I used to see it a lot, which is: It’s not my job to educate you.

“I always thought about that line because on one level, I understood it. It’s probably not your job to educate anyone.

“But if you’re in politics, if what you’re trying to do is political change, I always found that line to be almost antipolitical.

“That if what you want to do is change a law, change a society, change a heart, and you’re the one who wants to do it — well then, whose job is it? And who are you expecting to do it?”

While McBride was sensitive to people who are tired of giving their testimony, she too recognized the importance of trying to change hearts and minds:

“One of the problems we’ve had is that we’ve gone from: It’s not my job as an individual person who’s just trying to make it through the day to educate everyone — to: No one from that community should educate, and frankly, we should just stop having this conversation because the fact that we are having this conversation at all is hurtful and oppressive.

“Maybe it is hurtful, but you can’t foster social change if you don’t have a conversation.”

It’s an obvious idea that many have given up on: If you want to change the world, first you’ll have to change some minds. It’s exhausting work (and admittedly a lot easier for a smart-aleck Southern white boy to say). But for me, it is still a matter of faith: Persuasion matters.

The alternatives are acceptance and force, and both are unacceptable.

You can’t do it by court order, nor by calling in the National Guard. Force, in all its forms, is a shortcut. It’s easy but self-defeating.

Persuasion is hard but lasting. At its best, it’s everlasting.

And that involves talking to people rather than keeping our distance.

Excuse me. I think I hear a knock at my door.

First: Tell me how I did.

Then: Subscribe to ‘Alabamafication.’ It’s free.

THIS WILL BE ON THE TEST

🛑 Not everybody gets a second chance. After Leigh Gwathney joined the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, the state’s parole rate dropped so low that it once denied release to a dead man. Really. Rather than re-upping Gwathney for another term, this week, Gov. Kay Ivey left her … ahem … denied.

Gov. Kay Ivey replaces Alabama’s controversial parole board chair

[AL.com]

😮 Roy Wood Jr has the Blues. Country music is crowded with patriotic anthems, but why not R&B? Now that the July 4 fireworks are litter in the neighbor’s yard, Birmingham’s comedian laureate has a message Americans need to hear.

[Roy Wood Jr/X]

🫠 Found it! On one hand: Another national media outlet has discovered Unclaimed Baggage, the Scottsboro, Ala., outlet where lost luggage goes to be pilfered by savvy shoppers who know how to get to Scottsboro, Ala. On the other hand: Another national media outlet has discovered Unclaimed Baggage!

Your lost suitcase is probably in Alabama

[New York Magazine]

Kyle Whitmire is the Washington watchdog columnist for AL.com and winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize. ,