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General

Semifinal voting now open for the AL.com fans girls basketball player of the year

The No. 1 seed has fallen as the AL.com fans bracket heads into the semifinals to name the top girls high school basketball player in 2025.

No. 8 Ava McSwain knocked off top-seeded Ace Austin to advance to the semifinals and will face off against New Hope star Kaylee Yarbrough.

Jabria Lindsey of Central-Phenix City will face Vigor star Jamonica Chambers on the other side of the bracket.

Here are the results from last week’s round:

No. 8 Ava McSwain (Good Hope) def. No. 1 Ace Austin (Spring Garden)

No. 5 Kaylee Yarbrough (New Hope) def. No. 13 Chauncey Dixon (McIntosh)

No. 2 Jabria Lindsey (Central-Phenix City) def. No. 10 Sarah Gordon (Vestavia Hills)

No. 14 Jamonica Chambers (Vigor) def. No. 6 Lani Smallwood (Albertville)

Voting is now open for our two semifinal matches. It closes Monday. Voting in the championship round begins a week from today.

Remember to hit the “finish survey” button after voting.

If you can’t see the survey above, click here to cast your vote.

General

Popular grocer recalls sauce due to an undeclared allergen

Trader Joe’s is recalling one of its branded sauces due to a labeling error.

Due to the error, certain Trader Joe’s Hot Honey Mustard Dressing bottles may contain undeclared allergens including peanuts, sesame, soy, and wheat.

The sauce has a use-by date of May 27 and was sold in 18 states including Arizona, Colorado, Arkansas, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.

Customers in the 18 states who purchased the dressing should discard it or return it to Trader Joe’s store for a full refund. Customers with questions may contact Trader Joe’s Customer Relations at 626-599-3817,

General

Goodman: Is Alabama football in ‘real trouble?’

This is an opinion column.

_____________________

The University of Alabama is accepting handwritten checks, piggy banks, Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, title loans and pawned jewelry to pay for athletics. Athletics director Greg Byrne needs money, so he went on a Fox News podcast to shake the trees.

Not those trees.

I’m talking about the family trees.

Auburn basketball is still dancing, but the mailbag this week shifts to football and financial aid.

Winston in Maylene, Ala., writes …

Bama is in REAL trouble and might be the unspoken reason Nick Saban retired. I guess I thought along with everyone else that Bama has alumni who have made it BIG financially. But what is actually big? If you are worth $10 million, that is a pile of money but not enough to write a check for $500,000 or so. Besides Paul Jr., is there anyone else with deep pockets to “buy players?”

Tim in Oxford, Ala., writes …

Why has it gotten to this point in college football where we are concerned about the cost of a player? I don’t like this version of our current system of buying players through the portal. Frankly, it sucks! I remember standing in a line at the bank at Leland Shopping Center with a tall young man trying to cash a two-party check. The teller told him that she could not cash the check. He said with disgust, “Don’t you know who I am? I am Derrick Thomas … I play for the University of Alabama!”

He turned around and looked at me and sighed and shook his head … I get it, athletes need funds to live. Paying huge salaries for college players is not the answer.

Ron writes …

There is a real possibility Bama will not have a returning starting quarterback until the start of the 2027 season. With the current changes taking place in college football — NIL and the portal — keeping quality quarterbacks on a team is going to get more and more difficult. In fact, keeping quality depth is going to be an issue for many teams. As you noted in one of your articles, Vandy has money and now they can go out and buy players for a season or maybe two seasons.

The quarterback problem may not be an easy thing to fix, but if the quarterbacks are given the opportunity to play in each and every game then that helps for the future of the position. For me, I’d love to see all three quarterbacks get playing time in each game this season. Let’s not put all our eggs in one basket. Last season Bama depended on Jalen way too much and when things were not going well they probably were not comfortable playing Ty.

Lewis in Birmingham writes …

The Tide will roll with Ty just fine. We don’t need an elite quarterback to win a national title (see Jake Coker, AJ McCarron, Greg McElroy). Blake Sims did a great job, so did John Parker Wilson. The Ohio State quarterback last year, is he on anyone’s draft board? I think Ty was a five-star recruit. He’s a smart kid. A coach’s kid. Look at Riley Leonard from our state, the Notre Dame quarterback — hardly elite but took them to a championship game. What we need is a running game that is semi-reliable. It is Ty’s time and I can’t wait to see how he does.

ANSWER: Hopefully Tim in Oxford gave Derrick Thomas $5 to get some lunch.

Times have changed for college athletes. Would Miami-born Derrick Thomas even be playing football for Alabama in today’s game?

I’d like to think so. But to hear Byrne tell it, Alabama isn’t the king of college football anymore.

Byrne’s comments to Fox News on Monday are worrisome. Why go public with that stuff now? Is Byrne trying to give himself cover before the football season? Is it already time to start blaming Alabama fans for being poor?

Byrne hired Kalen DeBoer. If Alabama’s AD wanted a football coach who could raise money in Alabama, then maybe he should have gone with Dabo.

Alabama has won national titles with game managers at quarterback, but everything we’ve seen suggests DeBoer needs an elite passer to run his system.

Is Ty Simpson an elite quarterback? Is Austin Mack an elite quarterback? What about freshman sensation Keelon Russell? Someone needs to make the jump from good to great this spring or DeBoer is going to have trouble making the playoffs once again.

And if DeBoer misses the playoffs for a second year in a row, then maybe he’s not the right fit for Alabama.

DeBoer had a plan at Washington, but things haven’t gone quite as smoothly in the SEC. Why? It’s not the money.

DeBoer went into the portal when he was at Washington and grabbed Michael Penix, Jr. In fact, it’s one of the first things he did as the new coach of the Huskies. It’s almost like it was a package deal.

DeBoer was hired at Washington on Nov.29, 2021. Penix transferred to Washington two weeks later.

Alabama will always have money to pay football players. The problem is that Alabama suddenly doesn’t have the most money to pay all the best football players.

Is Alabama in “real trouble,” though? If Alabama AD Byrne thinks Texas is rich now just wait until Elon Musk starts going to Longhorns games with Matthew McConaughey.

McConaughey is the University of Texas’ official “minister of culture.” I’m not making that up. That’s a title that the university has given the famous actor.

Who’s Alabama’s minister of culture?

It’s Saban, of course, but he’s on TV working for ESPN instead of helping Alabama in the perpetual football arms race.

Maybe it’s time to bring Saban back to the field. He can even wear his signature Alabama Jones hat on the sidelines during games.

Saban got out at the right time, but maybe Alabama should have let Saban name his replacement instead of putting it all on Byrne. Saban did a great job of raising money. Hugh Freeze and Bruce Pearl at Auburn do great jobs, too. Byrne couldn’t raise enough money for a new basketball arena and now he’s talking about limiting scholarships for non-revenue sports.

Byrne’s interview with Fox News paints a dire picture, but let’s take a second to put everything in context.

Byrne is sounding the alarm at a very specific time. Auburn is in the Final Four and spring football practice is almost over in Tuscaloosa. Alabama needs to shore up the football roster through the portal and remake its basketball roster all at the same time.

What Alabama football really needs is more billionaires. How can the state of Alabama help make that happen? Maybe Saban can invite Musk to some games this fall. They’re both dictator-types who sell cars on the side, so it’s not like they don’t already have something in common.

BE HEARD

Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”

General

Mayor seeks $400K study to make Birmingham stronger, greener; others question unmet promises

The city of Birmingham will spend $400,000 to create a new plan to address infrastructure, environmental and economic challenges, if Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin gets his way.

Woodfin’s office calls the Birmingham Sustainability Plan a “strategic roadmap” for building a stronger city, but critics say the city has other needs. Work on Woodfin’s plan would begin this spring, if approved by the Birmingham City Council.

“As stewards of our city, we must do all we can to help remove the barriers in creating a healthier, more sustainable community for all,” Woodfin said in a statement announcing the initiative. “I am excited that the city’s experts in sustainability and planning will join with our residents and stakeholders in developing a path for a more resilient future.”

The project will be led by the city along with Colorado-based planning consultant Lotus Engineering & Sustainability, and Hummingbird, an Atlanta-based community engagement firm.

Woodfin’s office said the goal is to have a plan completed by April 2026.

Still, a veteran council member said the other side of City Hall remains unaware of the details. Valerie Abbott, the city council’s most senior member and longtime chair of its planning and zoning committee said the latest initiative is a surprise to her.

“I guess I’ll find out more about it when he shares the information with the council,” Abbott told AL.com. “He just didn’t do it before he made the press release.”

Abbott has long criticized Woodfin’s communication style and what she described as a lack of advance notice to the council regarding major initiatives.

“The council is usually the last to know what’s going on, and that sometimes has a tendency to frustrate the city council because we feel like we are partners except when we are not,” she said.

Woodfin’s staff said the funding was included in the city’s planning, engineering, and permits budget which was approved by the City Council during the city’s budgeting process.

They said a request for proposals was issued and a committee selected the consultant team.

Abbott said she is unsure how the new initiative will integrate into existing efforts to complete the city-wide comprehensive plan.

“This is a problem that the city council has that when it comes to fleshing things out, we are not included, then we have to play catchup,” she said.

Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop, chief resilience and sustainability officer in Woodfin’s office of Resilience and Sustainability, said the initiative is an extension of the city’s comprehensive plan that includes green systems.

“It also addresses other aspects of city business where sustainability can be applied such as transportation and land use policy,” she said.

Abbott said she supports efforts to address long-standing infrastructure needs throughout the city but not before details are presented about the objectives, the consultants and the money.

“At this point all the city council knows is what we’ve seen in the press release,” she said.

Abbott sent a text message to Woodfin with her list of questions seeking specifics on the project. She said Woodfin responded back with a simple, “Yes Ma’am.”

“The council wants to do things to clean up the air and the water because we’re the ones who get the complaints. But how is this going to help?” Abbott said. “I grow weary of just giving money to consultants who don’t actually accomplish things.”

Anna Brown, a longtime Birmingham resident, said she wants the city to focus more on implementing past plans and fulfilling old promises rather than spending resources on new initiatives and concepts.

“We’ve been made promises in the city before and none of those have materialized,” said Brown, who is secretary of the North Birmingham Neighborhood and co-chair of the North Birmingham Community Framework Plan. “Why do we keep spending money to bring other people in with new promises and you have not given any action to the promises that have been made already?”

For example, Brown said her neighborhood is still waiting on action on the long-promised transformation of the former North Birmingham School into a community resource hub, in addition to city help to revitalize the historic yet, largely dormant North Birmingham Business District.

“I’m quite sure we’re not the only neighborhood that’s been promised something,” Brown said. “Let’s honor the promises that have already been made.”

General

First Look: Houston vs. Duke predictions, picks and best bets for Final Four matchup

For only the second time since the NCAA Tournament first expanded in 1979, the Final Four will feature all four No. 1 seeds: Auburn, Florida, Houston, and Duke. The latter two teams, Houston and Duke, will battle on CBS this Saturday, April 5, at 8:49 PM ET.

Can the Cougars finally get over the hump and get one step closer to a national championship under Kelvin Sampson, or will Cooper Flagg propel Duke to another title game?

The Blue Devils are 5.5-point favorites, according to the latest March Madness odds. The total is hovering around 136.5. Let’s get into my Houston vs. Duke predictions and best bets for Saturday night.

Houston vs. Duke Predictions and best bets for Final Four

Duke Blue Devils -5.5: -105 at DraftKings
Under 136.5 Points: -110 at bet365
Duke to win and Cooper Flagg to score 15+ points: -125 at FanDuel

*NOTE: Odds are based on the best value our experts find while writing; check lines closer to game time to ensure you get the best odds.

Houston has had a tremendous campaign, continuing its dominance on the defensive end of the floor and the offensive glass while also improving substantially on offense.

The Cougars have been a top-five team in turnovers per game and 3-point shooting percentage, which has helped them tremendously reduce their offensive dry spells.

However, Houston still lacks enough firepower to keep up with Duke, the best team in the history of KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin metric. The Blue Devils started the 2024-25 regular season slow offensively, but have been dynamite during the second half of the year.

In fact, Duke has shot 52.4% from the floor, 40.8% from 3-point range, and 82.3% from the charity stripe while committing merely 8.0 turnovers per game over its past 14 outings.

I don’t think Duke can be beaten at this point. The Blue Devils are playing their best basketball at the right time, and Houston’s only real chance would be if it hit a ton of 3-pointers.

Unfortunately for Houston, Duke has held its past six opponents to just 28.1% shooting from deep. The Cougars could keep it close for a while, but Duke will break away in a somewhat low-scoring game by the final horn.

In addition, expect Flagg to continue his red-hot play by scoring at least 15 points, which he has done in 12 of his past 13 outings, not including the game against Georgia Tech when he suffered an untimely ankle injury.

Houston vs. Duke moneyline odds analysis

On Monday afternoon, the Duke Blue Devils (-250) were listed as 5.5-point favorites over the Houston Cougars (+205) ahead of their Final Four game this weekend.

Duke has been one of the best teams this season against the spread, boasting a 25-13 ATS record. Meanwhile, the Cougars are a respectable 20-17-1 against the spread entering this matchup.

Why Duke could win as the favorite

Best odds: -230 at FanDuel

Duke is the country’s most well-balanced and talented team, led by veteran guard Tyrese Proctor and freshmen sensations Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel.

The “moment” has in no way, shape, or form looked too big for Flagg, Knueppel, or any of the Blue Devils’ other talented players, so it should not be a surprise that they have cruised through the 2025 NCAA Tournament thus far.

The Blue Devils have the highest adjusted efficiency margin of any team in the Kenpom.com database, meaning that this year’s Duke team might be one of the greatest in recent memory and possibly of all time.

Duke has the best offense in the country and does not have weak spots on either end of the floor, meaning that to beat the Blue Devils, an opponent has to play their absolute best. There is no margin for error.

Why Houston could win as the underdog

Best odds: +210 at Caesars

This Houston team is one of college basketball’s most physical and relentless defensive teams this season. The Cougs rank first in adjusted defensive efficiency (per Kenpom.com), first in opponent points per game, second in opponent effective field goal percentage, and 13th in block percentage nationally.

A few key things differentiate this season’s Houston team from previous ones: three-point shooting, ball handling, and overall offensive efficiency. Under head coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougs have always been terrific in offensive rebounding and defense.

However, during the 2024-25 season, Houston has also managed to be one of the top 3-point-shooting teams in the country (third in 3P%), and it scarcely turns the ball over (fourth in turnovers per game).

General

Popular Texas doughnut chain coming to another Alabama city

Texas-based Shipley Do-Nuts is planning to open a new location in Huntsville.

LandCo Real Estate announced through social media that the franchise has signed a lease to open a location at 1010 North Memorial Parkway.

The new buildings at that location offer office, retail and restaurant space.

There was no anticipated opening date announced.

Founded in 1936, Shipley Do-Nuts serves up glazed, filled and cake doughnuts and kolaches, as well as other pastries and coffee.

In 2023, Shipley said it was targeting more than 30 Alabama cities for expansion.

Shipley currently has a location at 2050 Greenvale Lane in Hoover.

For more information, visit the website.

General

Tiger Woods devastates fans with April Fools prank about Masters news

Tiger Woods said he’s ready to play in the Masters next week at Augusta.

He also made the statement on April Fools’ Day.

Woods, a 15-time major champion, messed with fans on social media Tuesday, posting he was going to play in the annual tournament.

“I can’t believe I am saying this, but a few weeks after rupturing my left Achilles, the sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber plus the explosive lifts my doctors and trainers have me ready to play the Masters next week!” he posted. “Can’t wait! See y’all on the course.”

Five minutes later, Woods posted it was nothing more than an April Fools joke, stating his Achilles “is still a mess.”

Woods is expected to be at Augusta National for the Champions Dinner.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

General

UAB basketball star in transfer portal, reportedly drawing major SEC interest

UAB basketball standout Yaxel Lendeborg has entered the transfer portal and declared for the NBA draft while also retaining his college eligibility, according to multiple reports.

Lendeborg — who has one season of college eligibility remaining — posted a “goodbye” message to UAB basketball and its fans on social media late Wednesday, but made no mention of entering the portal or turning pro. However, Joe Tipton of On3 Sports reported that the 6-foot-9 power forward has already received extensive transfer interest from numerous power programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Michigan.

Here’s Lendeborg’s goodbye message (which was reposted by Blazers coach Andy Kennedy, among others):

A Puerto Rico native who grew up in New Jersey, Lendeborg was named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-AAC pick in both of his seasons at UAB. He averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 blocks this season for a Blazers team that finished 24-13 and reached the quarterfinals of the NIT.

Lendeborg played his first two seasons of college basketball at Arizona Western Junior College, where he was an All-American and set the NJCAA career record for rebounds. He played two seasons at UAB, but received an additional year of college eligibility after the NCAA’s Diego Pavia ruling in December.

Players who declare for the NBA draft prior to the April 26 deadline have until June 15 to withdraw from consideration and return to college without affecting their eligibility.

General

How to watch the new ‘The Death Coast’ series, where to stream free

The brand new series The Death Coast premieres on the History Channel Tuesday, April 1 at 10/9c.

History buffs and adventure seekers can unite for this series as it follows Cape Breton’s Captain Jeff MacKinnon, a third-generation shipwreck salvager. MacKinnon along with his team of ex FBI, military and police divers risk everything to uncover lost artifacts and hidden treasure beneath the waters of the North Atlantic.

As the name of the series depicts, the show centers the team search “The Death Coast”—an area of rough sea in the North Atlantic that’s claimed more than six thousand vessels across centuries. Many sailors met their downfall after braving these waters for trade, war, and plunder.

Gold and priceless objects from their wrecked ships now lie scattered across the ocean floor but salvaging has been banned for the last decade. After a long battle, MacKinnon has won exclusive rights to dive and his team has just 12 weeks to search the wrecks before the turbulent waters of the Death Coast make diving impossible.

MacKinnon’s team is comprised of Dan Griego, Mike Haas, Mike Pizzio, Jim Sinclair and Dr. Aaron Taylor.

What can I expect from The Death Coast’s premiere episode?

Those tuning in for the premiere episode will follow MacKinnon and his team as they hunt for the Le Chameau, an 18th-century French cargo and passenger ship that sank with a fortune in rare coins.

Armed with a 300-year-old map and backed by a world-class team of divers, MacKinnon races against time—and the unforgiving ocean— to recover the Chameau’s lost treasure before the relentless storms of the Death Coast shut him down.

Where can I watch The Death Coast?

Those interested in catching this high-intensity series can stream the show through Philo or DirecTV Stream—both of which have free trials set up for new subscribers. Out of the two, Philo is the cheaper option at just $28 a month after its free trial.

The Death Coast is also available for streaming through Sling, and although there is no free trial, Sling is offering new subscribers half off their first month.

What is Philo?

Philo is one of the cheapest basic cable alternatives currently on the market. Users can access over 70 live TV channels for just $28 a month after its 7-day free trial.

Some of the most popular channels available through Philo include MTV, AMC, HGTV, Discovery Channel, CMT, TLC, BET and more. Users can stream these channels and various movies/TV shows on-demand.

Philo subscribers can take advantage of useful features such as the unlimited DVR option which makes recording favorite content simple.

What is DirecTV Stream?

Much like other top streaming services, DirecTV Stream offers subscribers with a plethora of live TV channels and helpful features, too. The Entertainment package, also known as DirecTV Stream’s base package, starts at just $86.99 a month after its 5-day free trial and includes popular TV channels such as HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, CMT, CNBC, BET, CNN and more.

Two other DirecTV Stream packages are the Choice package (original price $114.99) and the Ultimate package (original price $129.99), both of which are part of an ongoing promotion that offers new subscribers $25 off the original price for the first three months of their subscription.

DirecTV Stream has also recently introduced a lineup of genre packs, which allow subscribers to choose their favorite viewing options based on what genre they watch the most. Whether it’s MySports, MyEntertainment, MyNews or MiEspañol, users can get the channels and content they want without the worry of filler channel overload. Genre packs start at just $34.99 a month.

Those interested in comparing all DirecTV Stream’s channel packages and genre packs can check them out here.

What is Sling?

Sling is another basic cable alternative to consider if you’re looking to ditch the hassle of traditional cable. Sling users can stream on-demand movies, live TV shows and live sports instantly on all favorite devices.

Though there is no free trial through Sling, there is an ongoing promotion offering half off your first month with any Sling plan. Both the Sling Orange plan and the Sling Blue plan are normally $45.99 a month but start streaming with Sling for just $23 your first month.

For those who wish to access channels from both the Sling Blue and Sling Orange plans can do so by signing up for the Orange + Blue plan, which combines the best of both plans for just $60.99 a month ($30.50 for the first month).

General

Birmingham woman, 21, killed in shooting at Pleasant Grove home; suspect jailed

A young woman was shot to death at a Pleasant Grove home.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Montease Yvonne Booker. She was 21 and lived in Birmingham.

The shooting happened at 5:21 a.m. Monday in the 1300 block of Seventh Place.

Police Chief Daniel Reid said officers were dispatched to the home on a report of a person shot.

When they arrived, they found 31-year-old Devin Jamar Johnson standing in the front yard. A pistol was on the roof of a car nearby.

Officers entered the house and found Booker had been shot multiple times.

She was pronounced dead on the scene at 5:28 a.m.

Reid said statements from Johnson, as well as several other witnesses, led to officers takingJohnson into custody at the scene.

No motive is known at this time.

Johnson is currently being held in the Pleasant Grove city jail awaiting a formal charging of murder, Reid said.

Booker is Pleasant Grove’s first homicide this year.

In all of Jefferson County, there have been 32 homicides, including Booker’s slaying.