Alabama News

Several Holly Pond residents of the four-legged variety will soon make their silver screen debut as part of an upcoming Hallmark movie set to air next month.

Stephanie Fortner, who co-owns Fortner Farm in Holly Pond with her husband, Benny, said several of the animals that serve as part of the farm’s petting zoo will make an appearance during a festival scene in the upcoming Hallmark flick “Double Scoop”.

The movie, which was filmed in Harpersville in May, stars Taylor Cole and Ryan McPartlin as two marketing professionals who compete to land the same dairy farm as their client. (And, we’re guessing, fall in love in the process.)

Fortner said that originally, a Hallmark representative reached out to Fortner Farm to see if it would be a good setting to film the dairy farm scenes, and while ultimately it wasn’t, the farm’s petting zoo animals made a big enough impression to land the gig on their own.

Ultimately, several animals from the farm, including a goat, calf and mini-donkeys, were included in the festival scene as well as Fortner herself. She said it all was a surreal experience given that they opened the petting zoo in 2020 after she was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer, never expecting it would someday be a part of a movie set.

“I wouldn’t get out of bed, so my husband pretty much started the petting zoo so that I’d have to get out of bed,” said Fortner. “One goat led to another, but we would have never thought in a billion years we’d be doing a movie with actors that live in L.A. and getting texts from producers and executive producers and everybody. It’s just really surreal.”

Fortner said it was interesting to see how detailed the filming process could be, with them arriving early in the morning and not leaving until the evening hours despite only being a part of one scene.

“It was crazy,” said Fortner. “We got there about 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. and didn’t leave until 7 p.m. Every shot was done almost 10 times. It’s something to see with all the big cameras and the big screens. My husband got to do the little ‘Action’ part. That’s all he wanted to do, he said. I want to do the ‘take action’.”

The Fortner family is looking forward to watching “Double Scoop” when it premieres on the Hallmark channel at 7 p.m. CST on Aug. 23.

“It’s going to be really fun just to see what they used and to see our name at the end in the credits. We never thought cancer would have brought us, you know, things like this, but we enjoyed it.”

To find out more about Fortner Farm and how to schedule a tour, visit their website.

Ex-Alabama basketball player Darius Miles is set to go on trial for capital murder later this year.

In court today in Tuscaloosa, Judge Daniel F. Pruet set the date for the week of Dec. 1. The trial is expected to last at least a week.

That’s how long the trial spanned for Miles’ friend Michael Davis, who was tried separately and found guilty of capital murder for the 2023 shooting death of Jamea Harris.

Prosecutor Paula Whitley said that the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s office this week offered Miles a plea deal. She declined to say what the deal entailed.

“I’m not going to discuss that,” she told reporters after court.

Davis was offered the same plea deal but declined it.

Miles has been in jail without bond since the day of the shooting, Jan. 15, 2023, when he was charged with capital murder. Miles was removed from the Alabama men’s basketball team that day.

Prosecutors said Miles owned the gun that his longtime friend used to shoot Harris near the Strip in Tuscaloosa two and a half years ago.

The jury found Davis guilty of shooting into a Jeep and killing Harris.

After the hearing Friday, Whitley was asked how Miles will be prosecuted compared to how her office prosecuted Davis.

“I’m sure it will be different,” Whitley said. “We have a lot of information and I’m sure we’ll explore every avenue.”

At trial, Davis argued that he acted in self-defense during a dispute with Harris’ boyfriend, Cedric Johnson. Johnson also fired a gun that night and hit Davis in the shoulder. But the jury found that the shooting wasn’t justified, as prosecutors argued Davis fired first.

Davis is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“We believe this is partial justice for Jamea,” said Whitley after the Davis conviction. “It’s not over.”

Turner previously stated in court that Miles provided the gun to Davis for protection. Turner did not answer questions from reporters Friday.

Life without parole is the only possibility if Miles is found guilty of capital murder. The prosecution decided to take the death penalty off the table for both Davis and Miles.

Read more: Texts between Brandon Miller, Darius Miles before fatal shooting revealed in capital murder trial

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

A comedian and podcaster who supports Donald Trump broke with the president over the Epstein files and other campaign promises broken by Trump, according to the entertainer.

Andrew Schulz, who cohosts the popular “Flagrant” podcast which Trump made an appearance on during the 2024 campaign, was reacting to the president’s meltdown over a reporter’s question on the “missing minute” in the hours-long Jeffrey Epstein jailhouse video released by the Department of Justice earlier this week.

Trump claimed the Epstein question– made on the heels of Attorney General Pam Bondi saying there was no “client list” months after she told Fox News the list was sitting on her desk — was a waste of time.

“I mean, I can’t believe you’re asking a questions on Epstein at a time like this when we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened at Texas,” the president said. “It just seems like a desecration.”

But Schulz, who voted for Trump, said the question was a legitimate one, especially because the president campaigned on releasing the so-called Epstein files if elected.

“Yeah, we’re talking about [Epstein] because of you,” Schulz said on his podcast Tuesday. “You’re the one who keeps the conversation going when you hand out the binders to the social media influencers.”

Schulz pointed out that FBI Director Kash Patel also promised to release information on the Epstein case.

But in a Sunday night memo, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI said a list of Epstein’s clients does not exist despite Bondi confirming a client list during a Fox News interview in February.

Bondi claimed she misspoke during the interview and that she intended to say that files, not a a list of clients who received trafficked underage girls from Epstein, were on her desk.

Schulz wasn’t buying the explanation.

“That happens. Like, don’t you misspeak about thousands of hours of footage of adults having sex with children?” the comedian said with sarcasm. “You would oopsie-daisy that.”

“That is what I think is enraging people right now. It’s insulting our intelligence,” Schulz continued.

“Obviously the intelligence community is trying to cover it up. Obviously, the Trump administration is trying to cover it up. Something changed, because they ran on this idea of exposing it all. All these guys had great ideas – Cockeyed Kash, Dan Bongino,” Schulz said, referring to the FBI director and deputy director.

Patel “was ready to tear it all down,” Schulz said.

“Then he goes on Joe Rogan and says, ‘do you think if I had it I wouldn’t share it with you?’ Yeah, I do believe that. One hundred percent, especially when you’re staring at me like this,” Schulz said, doing a cockeye gesture with his eyes, “telling me that.”

“Once you protect pedophiles, you are the most cockeyed person in the entire world,” the comedian said.

The Epstein files isn’t the only beef Schulz has with the president, adding that he receives messages on social media when Trump announces a policy he disagrees with.

“They’ll be like, ‘you see what your boy’s doing? You voted for this.’ I’m like, ‘I voted for none of this,’” Schulz said. “He’s doing the exact opposite of everything I voted for.

“I wanted him to stop the wars – he’s funding them. I wanted him to shrink spending, reduce the budget – he’s increasing it,” the podcaster said.

“It’s like everything that he said he’s gonna do, except sending immigrants back – and now he’s flip-flopped on that, which I kinda like.”

GENEVA (AP) — UEFA demoted Crystal Palace to the third-tier Conference League on Friday because of the English cup winner’s ownership ties to French club Lyon through American businessman John Textor.

Textor’s 43% minority stake in Palace — even though he had limited decision-making influence there — while he owned Lyon outright, conflicted with UEFA rules on multi-club ownership designed to protect the integrity of its competitions.

UEFA said its club finance panel accepted Lyon’s entry into the second-tier Europa League instead.

The decision follows the financially troubled French club being reprieved this week from demotion to the French second division.

UEFA’s decision came after six weeks of uncertainty for the south London club which has taken the shine off the first qualification for European competitions in its history. Palace beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Palace can challenge the UEFA ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A fast-track case would need to be held within about one month before Conference League qualifying playoffs.

Textor has been an increasingly controversial figure in global soccer, also owning Brazilian club Botafogo and Belgium’s Molenbeek while being linked with a failed bid to buy Everton.

Nottingham Forest should now step up into the Europa League from the Conference League, which is potentially worth 20 million euros (dollars) more in UEFA prize money.

Forest has had its own potential multi-club issues because Evangelis Marinakis also owns Greek league winner Olympiakos which will play in the Champions League.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

The brand new six-part docuseries The Wild Ones premieres exclusively on Apple TV+ Friday, July 11.

Those hoping to catch the docuseries release can stream the premiere exclusively through an Apple TV+ subscription, and those new to the platform can enjoy a 7-day free trial before committing to a paid subscription.

What is The Wild Ones about?

Viewers tuning into the new docuseries will travel along with a trio of experts to explore hidden corners of the Earth as they try to save six endangered species from extinction.

With crafty camerawork and survival skills, the team races to find, record and protect these elusive creatures before it’s too late.

The endangered animals featured throughout The Wild Ones include tigers, bears, rhinos, leopards, gorillas and whales.

Declan Burley, Vianet Djenguet and Aldo Kane star.

Episode summaries

Episode one: Deep in the Malaysia’s remote rainforests, Declan, Vianet and Aldo look for the world’s rarest tigers in hopes of defending them from ruthless poachers.

Episode two: While in the desert of Mongolia, the team plays the ultimate game of hide-and-seek, searching for Gobi bears before they disappear forever.

Episode three: On the island of Java, the crew dodges crocodiles to try and find the world’s rarest rhinos in a bid to help them breed again.

Episode four: High atop the rugged mountains of Armenia, the team pursues one of the most mysterious and majestic predators: Caucasian leopards.

Episode five: The crew ships out to Gabon’s dense jungles to track down an entirely wild troop of gorillas—with a surprising plan to save them from extinction.

Episode six: Battling the North Atlantic, the team squeezes into the belly of a boat to find endangered whales with the help of emerging technology.

How to stream The Wild Ones on-demand

Those interested in streaming The Wild Ones on-demand can access the wildlife docuseries exclusively through Apple TV+. Those currently without a subscription to Apple’s streaming service can enjoy a 7-day free trial before committing to a paid subscription.

What is Apple TV+?

Designed by Apple, Apple TV+ is a popular streaming service that offers exclusive Apple Original shows and movies from some of the industry’s top talent. New content arrives each month meaning users will never be short of entertaining content to watch.

Along with docuseries like The Wild Ones, subscribers can catch other popular Apple TV+ movies, documentaries and award-winning shows.

A record from a historic basketball career in DeKalb County still stands today.

Will it be broken anytime soon?

AL.com is continuing its series of some of the most unbreakable records in AHSAA history, with this week’s poll allowing fans to choose the most unbreakable boys basketball record.

Fans chose former Crossville High star Cale Black’s record-setting mark of 514 3-point baskets in the 1989-90 season as one that may never be broken.

RELATED: Remembering a historic prep career for one of the state’s top basketball stars

His record garnered 64% of the overall fan vote. Walter Garrett’s single-game record of 97 points in a game finished second in the voting, followed by Bart Hyche’s career assists mark of 1,261.

Black’s mark of 514 3-pointers attempted for Crossville is over 100 more than the second-most in the record book, which is former Lindsay Lane star Tommy Murr’s 410 attempted 3-pointers in the 2019-20 season.

The most recent entry in this records list is from Hamilton’s Kel Battle, who ranked eighth with 336 attempted 3-pointers last season; he signed with Bevill State Community College.

Along with ranking at the top of AHSAA history, Black’s mark ranks second in the National Federation of State High School Associations’ national record book.

Former Tennessee prep star Taurean Moy ranks atop the list with 537 attempted 3-pointers in the 2000-01 season at Booker T. Washington High in Memphis.

Black was named a first-team all-state pick in Class 3A for the 1990 season, which saw him make 166 3-pointers; that mark ranks second in AHSAA history behind Darryl Wilson’s 172 in the 1991-92 season with South Lamar.

Along with his records, he is also tied for fifth in most 3-pointers attempted in a game (24 vs. Collinsville, 1990-91) and 18th in single-season 3-point percentage (45.6%, 1988-89).

After his playing days, he stepped into coaching with his first job as Plainview’s head coach from 2002-04. After that, he went on to Geraldine where he spent 11 seasons with six 20-win seasons and multiple Northeast Regional appearances.

He spent three seasons leading Class 5A Boaz before guiding Plainview to a Northeast Regional appearance in the 2023-24 season.

Huntsville International Airport has opened revamped restrooms as part of millions of dollars in renovations under way this year.

Located on the east side of the concourse, the new men’s and women’s rooms, along with a lactation room for nursing mothers, are next to Gate 4 and the family restrooms that opened earlier this year.

The new facilities double the footprint of the original restrooms, HSV said in a news release, and touch-free, automatic fixtures have been installed. They also feature stainless steel, gap-free doors with occupancy indicators and backlit mirrors in the vanity area.

“We are proud to offer these beautiful new amenities to our customers, and we appreciate their patience as we continue to improve our facilities for their benefit,” said Butch Roberts, CEO of Huntsville International Airport.

The $5.7 million project began last summer. It was funded by the 2021 Bilateral Infrastructure Law, according to the airport, with design by EDT-THA and construction by Robins & Morton.

It’s the latest project to be completed under the airport’s “HSV Refresh” program, which comes as the airport has set back-to-back traveler volume records the past two years. The airport also has over $142 million in capital improvement projects under contract or under construction, according to its most recent annual report.

In March, HSV opened a $14 million “concourse connector” overhaul designed to help travelers enter and exit the concourse faster and more securely. The airport is also on track to begin opening an extensive overhaul to its food, beverage and retail spaces this year.

A Starbucks coffee shop and Interstellar Pizza are expected to open this summer at the south end of the concourse by gates 9 and 10, according to an airport spokesperson. After that, the Spaceport Café and Beer Garden will close for a several-month-long renovation. Grab-and-go food and beverage kiosks will be placed throughout the concourse during that time.

“We know these won’t come without some pain points, but we are working to minimize these, and the end results are going to be fantastic upgrades for our passengers,” said Mary Swanstrom, public relations director for Huntsville International Airport.

South Alabama on Thursday added a 2026 football verbal commitment from Chris Wells, an outside linebacker from Petal (Miss.) High School.

Wells (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) is South Alabama’s 20th verbal commitment in the current cycle. Rated a 3-star prospect by 247 Sports, also has offers from Southern Miss, Troy, UNLV and Jackson State, among other schools.

The early signing period for the 2026 class begins on Dec. 2.

South Alabama 2026 recruiting class (20)

Xavious Anderson, LB, 6-1, 215, Hogansville, Ga./Callaway HS

Darius Burwell, SAF, 6-2, 185, Huntsville, Ala./Mae Jemison HS

Deon Callins, CB, 6-1, 180, Pinson, Ala./Clay-Chalkville HS

Lavonte Cole, RB, 5-11, 190, Thomasville, Ga./Thomasville HS

Trakarris Collier, CB, 6-1, 180, Semmes, Ala./Mary G. Montgomery HS

Tyray Darensburg, LB, 6-1, 215, Chalmette, La./Chalmette HS

Teryn Green, SAF, 6-1, 195, Flowood, Miss./Hartfield Academy

Heij Jackson, WR, 6-3, 190, New Orleans, La./McDonogh 35 HS

Taylor Jacobs Jr., QB, 6-1, 185, Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln HS

Brody Jones, WR, 5-10, 163, Fairhope, Ala./St. Michael Catholic School

Zech Hall, SAF, 6-2, 195, Havana, Fla./Gadsden County HS

Khatori Marion, WR, 5-11, 180, Mobile, Ala./Baker HS

Caleb Metzner, DE, 6-2, 215, Mobile, Ala./Cottage Hill Christian HS

Noah Moss, RB, 6-1, 205, Fairhope, Ala./St. Michael Catholic HS

Aaden Shamburger, QB, 6-3, 180, Spanish Fort, Ala./Spanish Fort HS

Camen Upshaw, SAF, 6-0, 180, Tallahassee, Fla./John Paul II Catholic School

Jarvis Washington, WR, 6-5, 185, Baton Rouge, La./The Dunham School

Chris Wells, LB, 6-3, 215, Petal, Miss./Petal HS

Dominic White, WR, 6-1, 180, Adamsville, Ala./Minor HS

Caleb Wynn, RB, 5-11, 205, Oxford, Ala./Oxford HS

Jerry Jeudy’s move from the Denver Broncos to the Cleveland Browns in an NFL trade last offseason led to the former Alabama All-American’s first 1,000-yard season and first Pro Bowl selection.

Now Jeudy has landed in the “NFL Top 100” for the first time, too. In its 15th year, “NFL Top 100” features a ranking for the league’s best as selected by the players for NFL Films.

On the 2025 list, Jeudy placed 82nd in the voting, the NFL revealed on Friday.

RELATED: JERRY JEUDY RIDING THE CLEVELAND BROWNS’ QUARTERBACK CAROUSEL

A consensus All-American in 2018 and an American Football Coaches Association’s first-team All-American in 2019 for the Crimson Tide, Jeudy entered the NFL as the 15th selection in the 2020 draft. In four seasons with the Denver Broncos, Jeudy had 211 receptions for 3,053 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Broncos traded Jeudy to the Browns on March 13, 2024, for fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

For Cleveland, Jeudy had 90 receptions for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns in 2024. His output included nine receptions for 235 yards and one touchdown in a 41-32 loss to Denver on Dec. 2.

Using a new digital-first format this year, “NFL Top 100” is being revealed two players at a time every weekday on the social-media platform X until Sept. 1, when the top 10 players for 2025, as selected by their peers, will be announced on NFL Network at 7 p.m. CDT.

Jeudy is the third Alabama alumnus to appear in this year’s rankings, with New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams at No. 87, and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at No. 91.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

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

A Tuskegee teen has been charged after a Thursday night shooting in Opelika that left one person dead, and two others injured.

The shooting happened at 10:40 p.m. in the 700 block of Herndon Street.

Police officials said one victim was pronounced dead on the scene. Two others were hospitalized.

The victims’ names have not been released.

Kentravious Rashaun Lark, 18, is charged with murder, attempted murder, first-degree burglary and first-degree robbery.

He was booked into the Lee County Jail shortly after 3:30 a.m. Friday and remains held.

A motive has not been disclosed.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to call detectives at 334-705-5220 or the Secret Witness Hotline at 334-745-8665.