Alabama News

A weather alert was issued by the National Weather Service on Thursday at 6:57 p.m. for strong thunderstorms until 7:45 p.m. for Franklin County.

Residents may experience wind gusts of up to 40 mph.

“At 6:57 p.m., Doppler radar tracked a strong thunderstorm near Red Bay, moving southeast at 5 mph,” says the weather service. “Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects.”

Locations impacted by the alert include Red Bay, Vina, Hodges and Atwood.

The weather service comments, “If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.”

When lightning looms: Expert safety tips for thunderstorms

Each year, lightning strikes the United States approximately 25 million times, with the majority of these electrifying events occurring during the summer months. Unfortunately, lightning is responsible for claiming the lives of approximately 20 people annually, as reported by the weather service. The threat of lightning becomes more pronounced as thunderstorms draw nearer, peaking when the storm is directly overhead and gradually waning as it moves away.

To ensure your safety during a thunderstorm, consider the following recommendations:

Lightning safety plan:

• When venturing outdoors, it’s crucial to have a lightning safety plan in place.
• Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder. If thunder is audible, it’s an indication that lightning is nearby.
• Seek shelter promptly in a safe location, preferably indoors.

Indoors safety measures:

• Once you’ve found shelter indoors, abstain from using corded phones, electrical appliances, or plumbing fixtures, and refrain from approaching windows and doors.
• Lightning can follow conductive pathways, and these precautions reduce the risk of electrical surges.

Wait for the all-clear:

• After the last lightning strike or thunderclap, wait at least 30 minutes before resuming outdoor activities.
• Lightning can strike even when a storm has seemingly passed, so exercise caution.

When indoor shelter isn’t available:

If you find yourself outdoors with no access to indoor shelter during a thunderstorm, take these steps to maximize your safety:

• Avoid open fields, hilltops, or ridge crests, as they expose you to greater lightning risk.
• Steer clear of tall, isolated trees and other prominent objects. In wooded areas, stay close to lower stands of trees.
• If you’re in a group, ensure that individuals are spaced out to prevent lightning current from transferring between people.
• Camping in an open setting during a thunderstorm is strongly discouraged. If you have no alternative, set up camp in a valley, ravine, or other low-lying areas. It’s crucial to note that a tent provides no protection against lightning.
• Do not approach water bodies, wet objects, or metal items. Although water and metal do not attract lightning, they conduct electricity effectively and can pose significant risks.

In summary, when facing the threat of lightning, vigilance and preparedness are your best allies. By following these guidelines, you can significantly reduce the chances of lightning-related accidents and prioritize your safety.

Navigating rainy roads: Safety tips for wet weather

Heavy rainfall may lead to flooding if prolonged or if there is excessive runoff. Excessive runoff can be a result of saturated ground and/or rainfall intensity. Follow these recommendations from the weather service to stay safe in heavy rain:

Beware of swollen waterways:

Avoid parking or walking in close proximity to culverts or drainage ditches, as the swiftly moving water during heavy rain can potentially carry you away.

Maintain safe driving distances:

The two-second rule for following distance is your ally in heavy rain. Extend it to four seconds to ensure safe spacing in adverse conditions.

Reduce speed and drive cautiously:

If it is raining and the roads are wet, slow down. Take your foot off the accelerator and let your speed drop gradually. Never use the brakes suddenly because this may cause the car to skid.

Choose your lane wisely:

Stay toward the middle lanes – water tends to pool in the outside lanes.

Visibility matters:

Turn on your headlights and be careful of other vehicles to the rear and in blind spot areas as they are especially difficult to see through rain-spattered windows.

Watch out for slippery roads:

Be extra careful during the first half hour after rain begins. Grime and oil on the road surface mix with water to make the road slippery.

Keep a safe distance from large vehicles:

Don’t follow large trucks or buses too closely. The spray created by their large tires reduces your vision. Take care when passing them as well; if you must pass, do so quickly and safely.

Mind your windshield wipers:

Overloaded wiper blades can hinder visibility. If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve. Seek refuge at rest areas or sheltered spots.

If the roadside is your only option, pull off as far as possible, preferably past the end of a guard rail, and wait until the storm passes. Keep your headlights on and turn on emergency flashers to alert other drivers of your position.

In the face of heavy rain, these precautions can make a significant difference in ensuring your safety on the road. Remember to stay informed about weather conditions and heed guidance from local authorities for a secure journey.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

The new agency in charge of regulating name, image, likeness deals in college sports sent a letter to schools Thursday saying it had rejected deals between players and donor-backed collectives formed over the past several years to funnel money to athletes or their schools.

Those arrangements hold no “valid business purpose,” the memo said, and don’t adhere to rules that call for outside NIL deals to be between players and companies that provide goods or services to the general public for profit.

The letter to Division I athletic directors could be the next step in shuttering today’s version of the collective, groups that are closely affiliated with schools and that, in the early days of NIL after July 2021, proved the most efficient way for schools to indirectly cut deals with players.

Since then, the landscape has changed yet again with the $2.8 billion House settlement that allows schools to pay the players directly as of July 1.

Already, collectives affiliated with Colorado, Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia and others have announced they’re shutting down. Georgia, Ohio State and Illinois are among those that have announced plans with Learfield, a media and technology company with decades of licensing and other experience across college athletics, to help arrange NIL deals.

Outside deals between athlete and sponsor are still permitted, but any worth $600 or more have to be vetted by a clearinghouse called NIL Go that was established by the new College Sports Commission and is being run by the auditing group Deloitte.

In its letter to the ADs, the CSC said more than 1,500 deals have been cleared since NIL Go launched on June 11, “ranging in value from three figures to seven figures.” More than 12,000 athletes and 1,100 institutional users have registered to use the system.

But the bulk of the letter explained that many deals could not be cleared because they did not conform to an NCAA rule that sets a “valid business purpose” standard for deals to be approved.

The letter explained that if a collective reaches a deal with an athlete to appear on behalf of the collective, which charges an admission fee, the standard is not met because the purpose of the event is to raise money to pay athletes, not to provide goods or services available to the general public for profit.

The same would apply to a deal an athlete makes to sell merchandise to raise money to pay that player because the purpose of “selling merchandise is to raise money to pay that student-athlete and potentially other student-athletes at a particular school or schools, which is not a valid business purpose” according to the NCAA rule.

Sports attorney Darren Heitner, who deals in NIL, said the guidance “could disproportionately burden collectives that are already committed to spending money on players for multiple years to come.”

“If a pattern of rejections results from collective deals submitted to Deloitte, it may invite legal scrutiny under antitrust principles,” he said.

On a separate track, some college sports leaders, including the NCAA, are seeking a limited form of antitrust protection from Congress.

The letter said a NIL deal could be approved if, for instance, the businesses paying the players had a broader purpose than simply acting as a collective. The letter uses a golf course or apparel company as examples.

“In other words, NIL collectives may act as marketing agencies that match student-athletes with businesses that have a valid business purpose and seek to use the student’s NIL to promote their businesses,” the letter said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

An Amber Alert has been issued for a 4-year-old boy reported missing after his mother and a juvenile girl were found slain inside their Auburn home.

Auburn police responded at 2:30 p.m. Thursday to a home in the 1200 block of Samanth Court on a welfare check.

When they arrived, they entered the home and found the two victims – an adult female and young girl.

Officers learned 4-year-old Jibreel Harun was missing, police said.

Aaron Dontay Williams, the husband of the slain woman and father of Jibreel, was not at the residence when officers arrived.

Police believe Jibreel is with Williams.

They could be traveling in a gray 2010 Honda Accord displaying Alabama tag 43A224A.

Jibreel is believed to be in imminent danger.

Williams, 41, is a Black male. He is 6-feet, 1-inches tall and weighs about 240 pounds.

He is described as armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or Auburn police 334-501-7313.

Authorities are searching for a masked person who broke into a Huntsville art center late Friday night.

Security footage captured a person wearing what appeared to be a costume roaming around Lowe Mill at around 2:30 a.m. on the night of July 4th. Two artists were in their studios working late and one of them was surprised by the masked figure and called the police.

The artist saw the person jump off the doorways of the artist’s studios on the second floor of the North Building. The figure was dressed entirely in black.

Lowe Mill officials have security footage of the incident. The individual accessed several studios by entering through windows and scaling walls that don’t reach all the way up to the ceiling.

Leaders say the person entered six studios and took some artwork but dropped the items while fleeing. Some of the pieces were damaged but all of the artwork was recovered. The person also caused minor damage to the studios while fleeing.

Madison County deputies and Huntsville Police officers completed a full building sweep by 5:30 a.m., including using drones to have a look of the large facility.

Lowe Mill leaders have already started to receive tips about the intruder and have additional evidence not released to the public.

The shortest offseason in sports belongs to the NBA, as things move very quickly following the end of the season. The Oklahoma City Thunder just won the NBA Finals, with the draft taking place just three days later.

Another major milestone of the NBA offseason will be this weekend, as the Summer League will take place. A showcase for younger players to earn a place on the regular season roster, the Summer League is essential for any major NBA fan.

To continue off of this past weekend’s slate of games, the New Orleans Pelicans will be showcasing their young rookies against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. The Pelicans will have No.7 pick Jeremiah Fears on display, along with fellow rookies Derik Queen and Micah Peavy.

Minnesota’s Summer League roster is highlighted by Terrence Shannon Jr and Rob Dillingham.

Fans looking to watch the Pelicans vs Timberwolves game can do so on Fubo, who’s offering a free trial to new subscribers.

Here’s everything you need to know before the Pelicans and Timberwolves tipoff:

When: Thursday, July 10, 2025

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Fans looking to watch the Pelicans vs Timberwolves game can do so on Fubo, who’s offering a free trial to new subscribers.

No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz plays against No. 5 Taylor Fritz in the Wimbledon semifinal tomorrow morning. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. CT on ESPN. Fans can watch this tennis match for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.

Alcaraz enters this matchup with a 5-0 record at Wimbledon, and he is coming off an impressive three-set win against Cameron Norrie. During the victory, Alcaraz did not lose more than three games in a single set. If he continues to play at a high level on Friday, then Alcaraz should reach the Wimbledon Final.

Notably, Alcaraz won Wimbledon last year.

Fritz also enters this match with a 5-0 record at Wimbledon, and he is coming off an impressive victory against No. 17 Karen Khachanov. The No. 5 seed won the match in four sets, so he will try to perform similarly on Friday.

Fritz has been able to knock off two players ranked inside the top 30 at Wimbledon this year.

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

A man injured in a south Alabama boating crash over the weekend died on Wednesday, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

The crash occurred at about 9:30 p.m. on July 5 on Bayou Coden.

The accident involved a 1998 19-ft Pro Line 190 operated by Barry L. Landry, 35, striking a 2006 19-ft Carolina Skiff.

The operator of the Carolina Skiff, Wilson L. Johnson, 49, and the passenger, Misty Johnson, 54, were injured when the vessels collided.

Landry was not injured during the crash.

Misty and Wilson were both transported to USA Health University Hospital in Mobile to be treated for their wounds.

On July 10, Wilson died while at the hospital after succumbing to his injuries, ALEA said.

The San Diego Padres play against the Arizona Diamondbacks in an MLB game tonight. The matchup will begin at 8:40 p.m. CT on MLB Network. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV.

The Padres enter this matchup with a 49-43 record, and they have lost two of their last three games. In their most recent game, the Padres lost 8-2 against Arizona.

In order to bounce back tonight, the Padres will need a great performance from their star player Manny Machado. He leads the San Diego offense with 15 home runs and 53 RBI, so he will look to continue his offensive success this evening.

Notably, Machado also leads the team with 101 hits this season.

The Diamondbacks enter this matchup with a 46-47 record, and they have won three of their last five games.

In order to win this game, the Diamondbacks will need to rely on their star player Eugenio Suarez. He leads the team with 29 home runs and 75 RBI, which highlights his power at the plate.

Fans can watch this MLB game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV.

Can Diego Pavia pull off some magic again?

The Vanderbilt quarterback will have the opportunity when the Commodores travel to Bryant-Denny Stadium and look to beat Alabama football for a second consecutive season. Vanderbilt is fresh off beating the Crimson Tide in Nashville this past season, the first time the Commodores defeated Alabama since 1984.

ESPN picked Vanderbilt as the archvillain for the Crimson Tide heading into 2025. For the Crimson Tide, a second consecutive loss to Vanderbilt would be disastrous, even if the Commodores are more competitive than some of the recent Vanderbilt teams.

What was the criteria to be considered an archvillain?

“We’re doing recon on where each post-spring top 25 team stands and who stands in their way,” the article reads. “These are each teams’ potential future villains, the coaches, players and teams that have the chance to make the whole season go south.”

Meanwhile, Alabama was selected as the archvillain for Georgia.

“Georgia has lost nine of the past 10 games in the series and hasn’t beaten Alabama in the regular season since 2007, Saban’s first season in Tuscaloosa, when the Mark Richt-coached Bulldogs won 26-23 in overtime,” ESPN’s Chris Low wrote. “Georgia has vaulted to elite status under Smart, but a second straight loss to DeBoer — especially with this year’s game being played in Athens — wouldn’t sit well with anybody in Athens.”

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