Alabama News

One of Calhoun County’s top football prospects will be staying close to home.

Piedmont High wide receiver Rollie Pinto has committed to Jacksonville State, he announced on social media Wednesday.

Pinto picked the Gamecocks over other offers that include UAB, Kennesaw State, Navy, North Alabama, Samford and West Alabama.

RELATED: The 2026 A-List: Who are the top 15 senior football prospects in Alabama?

Last season, Pinto finished with an AHSAA-record 1,826 receiving yards for the Bulldogs while hauling in 22 touchdowns for the Bulldogs, while also running for 428 yards and four touchdowns.

He was a first team all-state pick in Class 3A and a finalist for the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 3A Back of the Year award.

Along with his single-season receiving record, Pinto tied for second in the single-game receiving record with 20 during a 34-27 victory over Class 4A runner-up Cherokee County last season that saw him log 250 yards and three touchdowns.

Piedmont finished last season 13-1 and made its ninth semifinal appearance in 10 seasons before falling to eventual Class 3A state champion Mars Hill Bible.

In other recruiting news:

COMMITMENTS

Dale County tight end/athlete Andrevius Smith Jr. also committed to Jacksonville State, announcing his choice on Saturday. He picked the in-state Gamecocks over a final list that also included North Alabama, Liberty and Mercer.

OFFERS

Thompson QB Trent Seaborn announced an offer from Clemson.

The 6-1, 180-pound 4-star junior has also been offered by most SEC school, including Alabama and Auburn, along with Miami, Oregon, Washington and more.

Two Mary G. Montgomery players announced recruiting news. Devin Pettway has narrowed his list to three schools while Kaleb Morris picked up an offer.

The 6-2, 215-pound 3-star LB Pettway, who previously committed to Jax State, will choose among the in-state Gamecocks, Louisiana or Tulane.

Morris, who earlier committed to Mississippi State, was recently offered by Miami. The 3-star 6-4, 260-pound DL also had offers from Kentucky, Georgia Tech, UAB and others.

Jaden McKenzie-Rivers of Tallassee was offered by UNA. The 5-9, 170-pound ATH also has a D1 offer from Southern Miss.

Mars Hill Bible tight end Matthew McIntyre picked up an offer from North Alabama. The 2027 prospect was a part of the Class 3A state championship team last season and also holds offers from Troy, UAB and UT Martin.

In basketball, Park Crossing’s Maliyah Meeks earned an offer from Cal State Fullerton. The 6-foot-2 power forward/center also holds offers that include Jackson State, NC Central, Sacramento State, from Florida A&M and Coppin State.

Hoover’s Aaliyah Blanchard received a Division I offer fro Tulane. The Class 7A state champion was a first team all-state pick last season with the Bucs.

Sports writer Dennis Victory contributed to this report.

Joe Biden’s White House doctor’s uncooperativeness in a House probe looking into the former president’s fitness to serve has led the Republican congressman overseeing the investigation to allege a “coverup” of Biden’s “cognitive decline.”

“It’s now clear there was a conspiracy to cover up President Biden’s cognitive decline after Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician and family business associate, refused to answer any questions and chose to hide behind the Fifth Amendment,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement.

“The American people demand transparency but Dr. O’Connor would rather conceal the truth. Dr. O’Connor took the Fifth when asked if he was told to lie about President Biden’s health and whether he was fit to be President of the United States,” Comer continued.

Republicans on the Oversight Committee subpoenaed O’Connor last month as part of a their sweeping investigation into Biden’s health and his mental fitness as president. They claim some policies carried out during Biden’s term through the use of the White House autopen may be illegitimate if it’s proven the Democrat was mentally incapacitated for some of his term, the Associated Press reported.

Biden has strongly denied that he was not in a right state of mind at any point while in office, calling the claims “ridiculous and false.”

Comer suggested “legislative solutions to prevent such a coverup from happening again,” but did not say what those measures would be.

O’Connor’s testimony is not the end of the probe, Comer said.

“We will continue to interview more Biden White House aides to get the answers Americans deserve.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rising Alabama country star Ella Langley has purchased a lakefront home near her parents in the Montgomery area as a vacation spot from her busy life in Nashville.

“It just brings me back to who I am at the root of me every time I go back there,” she recently told Audacy’s Katie Neal.

“And when it comes to writing songs and being in that state of mind, I think it’s important to have a place like that.”

“I think I’ll always have to live in Tennessee to some extent in my life, but being from Alabama, it’s so close,” she continued.

“It’s under four hours to get there.”

Langley, a Hope Hull native, has been riding high on the success of her 2024 album “Hungover” and her smash duet with fellow Alabamian Riley Green, “You Look Like You Love Me.”

In May, the singer took home five Academy of Country Music awards, then appeared at the inaugural Sand in My Boots festival a few days later.

“I’m still out of breath a little, and I feel like I kind of have been since this song came out,” she said at the awards ceremony.

While she has teased new music, Langley told Audacy fans still have a while to wait before her next album.

“My next record’s not going to be out until 2026,” she said.

“I feel like people move on from their records so fast…and I think there’s something to be said with taking your time with making the record and putting all those pieces in place where it can last a long time, last in a way where fans can keep digging into it and digging into it and finding new songs that they love and finding new little pieces about the record that’s different.”

A Birmingham man has been charged in the death of a 13-year-old boy was killed when his ATV was hit by the driver fleeing a nearby shooting scene.

Antonio Tremayne Weldon Jr., 24, is charged with reckless manslaughter in the 2024 death of Braylen “Bray Bray” Hardy, a seventh-grade student and basketball player at Bush Hills STEAM Academy, according to court records made public Wednesday.

Weldon was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on the felony charge Tuesday afternoon and remains held on $30,000.

Charging documents allege Weldon was under the influence of alcohol when he collided with Braylen’s ATV.

Braylen was sitting on his four-wheeler on a sidewalk on Avenue E in his father’s neighborhood that Saturday evening, Oct. 26, 2024.

He and his dad and brothers had just finished riding, a family activity they liked to do every chance they got.

It was about 6:45 p.m. when there were shots fired nearby, in the 2400 block of Avenue D.

Birmingham police said a vehicle fleeing the shooting scene crashed into the child.

The driver – later identified as Weldon – fled on foot, but Birmingham patrol officers took him into custody a few blocks from the scene.

Braylen’s mother, Vannessa Riggs, previously told AL.com her son was about to put up the ATV for the night.

Ruggs rushed to the scene but by the time she got there, Braylen had already been taken to Children’s of Alabama.

Braylen stopped and started breathing a couple of times, and he was put on a ventilator once at the hospital.

The impact of the collision injured Braylen’s lungs and head, and he also sustained a broken leg and a broken arm.

“We were trying to see if God was going to turn it around,’’ Riggs previously said.

Three days later, after multiple tests showed no brain activity, the family made the decision that they didn’t want to see Braylen suffer any longer.

“The only thing keeping him was the breathing machine,’’ Briggs said. “I just decided to let him go, to be an angel.”

Braylen loved to play video games, and he loved to eat – especially a six-piece of mild wings with Cajun ranch cheese fries. He also loved school and was loved by teachers and administrators.

“He was just a happy kid,’’ his mom said.

Braylen left behind three brothers and a sister who are also mourning the loss of the outgoing little boy.

“He loved to spend time with his family,’’ his mother said. “He was just a fun-loving kid.”

New gas turbines at a plant near Nashville are adding 500 megawatts to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s grid capacity, the utility announced Wednesday.

The completion of 10 new aeroderivative gas turbines at Johnsonville Combustion Turbine Plant brings its total capacity to more than 1,200 megawatts, TVA said in a news release.

Justin McBath, TVA senior project manager, said the turbines are designed to ramp up and down quickly or be turned off when not needed.

“They have a fast-start option,” McBath said. “You can go from a cold engine to full power in five minutes, generating 50 megawatts per unit – and these will actually generate up to around 57 to 59 megawatts under the right conditions.”

According to TVA, 500 megawatts is enough to power almost 300,000 homes. The TVA serves more than 1.2 million customers through 25 local power companies in northern Alabama, including Huntsville Utilities.

The aeroderivative turbines’ fast-start feature will help meet daily and seasonal peaks in electricity demand, TVA said. The Johnsonville turbines are the first to come online for TVA, but the utility is working on another 16 at its 1,500-megawatt energy complex on the site of Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tennessee.

TVA has near-term plans for 6,200 megawatts of new generation, with over 3,500 of those megawatts already under construction. That’s enough to power about 2 million homes, the utility said.

The photos in Nick Saban’s new office caught some attention.

During the final weekend of official visits in June, two five-star in-state recruits posed with the retired Alabama football coach in front of his mantle.

Naturally, that set the college football internet ablaze. Saban’s still recruiting for Alabama? Is he the secret weapon behind the Crimson Tide’s recent recruiting success?

To quote one of Saban’s ESPN College GameDay coworkers, “Not so fast my friend.”

AL.com spoke with several people familiar with Alabama’s recruiting behind the scenes and those aware of Saban’s post-coaching life. The consensus among them was that Saban’s involvement in the last official visit weekend was a one-off, not a regular occurrence.

Three in-state recruits met Saban in his office that weekend in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Those players were Ezavier Crowell (Jackson), Cederian Morgan (Alexander City) and Tank Jones (Mobile), all five-star prospects. Multiple people described it as something special for three local guys during a weekend Saban happened to be in town. It was more like how some recruits for other UA programs used to meet with Saban on visits when he was still coaching. For example, a basketball recruit being brought by his office. The notion of Saban being a closer or ace for Alabama football in retirement was shot down by multiple sources.

Those three meetings in his office are the only recruiting involvement Saban’s had up to that point, per multiple people. It falls in line with Saban’s approach to his presence around the program in retirement as he remains on the payroll at about $500,000 annually — He can be available, but he isn’t hovering.

Saban’s not walking through the halls of the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility on a regular basis anymore. In fact, he has largely stayed out of the football building since he retired, per multiple people. His new office is inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, which is in another part of campus.

Saban wasn’t even in the state much in June, according to multiple sources. You were more likely to find him at his home in Jupiter, Florida or at Lake Burton in Georgia. Specifically, on the golf course. Saban’s plenty busy with other ventures, such as ESPN responsibilities and his business endeavors.

But he was in town that final weekend and agreed to meet with the three recruits.

That same weekend, DeBoer, some staff members and a few players took a brief trip to Tupelo, Mississippi to attend the funeral for Kierston Russell, the twin sister of freshman quarterback Keelon Russell. DeBoer still met with all the recruits that weekend, though. Saban wasn’t a stand-in for DeBoer. It was a case of the busy recruiting weekend schedule allowing time for those players to meet with Saban, who was in Tuscaloosa and available.

In total, Alabama has secured 19 commitments so far in the 2026 class. Saban only met with two of those 19 commits. Jones, the third recruit with whom Saban met, has yet to commit anywhere.

Saban’s involvement in recruiting hasn’t been zero, but there’s a chasm between meeting with three recruits during a weekend in June and getting back into the recruiting game full bore.

Saban didn’t retire to still take part in the day-to-day grind of recruiting.

No matter how the 2026 recruiting class for Alabama plays out, for better or for worse, it will be the handywork of DeBoer, general manager Courtney Morgan, director of player personnel Bob Welton, assistant coaches and staff. Not Saban.

“Let me make this clear for (five-star commit Xavier Griffen’s) recruitment when it comes to Alabama,” his mother, Jay Clay, wrote on social media. “Makes me mad to hear Kalen DeBoer can’t recruit because our coach and his staff did a great job! I met Saban once but he is not the one that offered or talked to us at any point. (Outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson) was and is the (G.O.A.T) that got my son to Bama!! Love our staff and can’t wait! Roll Tide.”

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

Donald Trump just committed “the biggest fumble of the administration,” according to a Fox News guest and longtime supporter of the president.

Patrick Bet-David, a conservative commentator and owner of the YouTube channel Valuetainment, voted for Trump in all three general elections but said the president made a big mistake by not being forthright about the so-called Epstein files.

On Tuesday, Trump blasted a reporter who asked about the “missing minute” in the hours-long Jeffrey Epstein jailhouse video released by the Department of Justice and the FBI.

Trump claimed the Epstein queries — 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 — were 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.”

Bet-David said Trump’s response constituted a grave error, pointing out that Epstein was the most trending topic on social media.

“There is a reason why people are asking about this: this is the by far the biggest fumble of the administration they’ve had thus far,” the businessman said.

Bet-David claimed the Trump administration was not on the same page about Epstein following promises to release the files and the about-face on the client list.

“Why are you fumbling this? Why are you not having an emergency meeting together to conversate and say, ‘hey, we’re going to be on the same message on this…’” Bet-David said.

He estimated that 20% of Trump voters are interested in the Epstein files.

“It’s a big letdown,’” Bet-David said. “I think this was a big fumble when it came to Epstein, and the more they answer like that the more attention you’re gonna draw.”

Trump’s response indicates the administration is either wary of what’s in the files or wants to hold on to the information to call in favors for those named in them.

“So people are gonna ask: why are they so nervous about this? What do you know that the rest of us don’t know?” Bet-David said.

“If it’s just the fact that you want to hold people’s blackmail — is that the relationship between everything?”

“My biggest suggestion: let’s not have another fumble like the one we just had here,” Bet-David said, “because this was the biggest fumble of the administration.”

Shopper-favorite Aldi is continuing its march towards opening 225 new store locations this year.

Part of a five-year national growth strategy, the additions are a combination of new stand-alone locations and conversions of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores. Aldi plans to convert some 220 Southeastern Grocers locations to the Aldi format.

One of the new locations is in Alabama. The new Aldi in Alexander City, located at 1061 U.S. 280, will open mid-July. Another store is also under construction in Madison, set to open in 2026.Florida is home to the greatest number of new stores, according to information on Aldi’s website.

Here’s a list of locations set to open:

Alabama

• Alexander City, 1061 U.S. 280

Arizona

• Surprise, 13723 West Bell Road

Florida

• Melbourne, 961 E Eau Gallie Blvd.
• Jensen Beach, 1105 Northeast Jensen Beach Boulevard
• Lutz, 18407 US Hwy 41
• Orlando, 1403 South Hiawassee Road
• Deerfield Beach, 2301 W Sample Rd
• Aventura, 20417 Biscayne Boulevard
• Lehigh Acres, 61 Bell Boulevard North
• The Villages, 820 Old Camp Road
• St. Cloud, 3318 Canoe Creek Road
• Westlake, 5062 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road
• Fort Lauderdale, 941 Southwest 24th Street
• Bushnell, 1122 North Main Street
• Odessa, 17649 Gunn Highway
• Crawfordville, 2629 Crawfordville Highway
• Ormond Beach, 353 West Granada Boulevard
• New Port Richey, 12124 Moon Lake Road
• North Fort Myers, 5690 Bayshore Road
• Sarasota, 4230 Bee Ridge Road
• Jacksonville, 8775 Old Kings Road South
• Port Orange, 5500 South Williamson Boulevard

Kentucky

• Madisonville, 535 Whittington Drive

Louisiana

• Zachary, 5005 Church Street
• New Orleans, 3008 Holiday Drive
• Slidell, 2985 Gause Boulevard East

Maryland

• Prince Frederick, 429 Solomons Island Road North

Mississippi

• Ridgeland, 750 Highland Colony Parkway
• Gulfport, 11312 H Hwy 49
• Long Beach, 109 North Cleveland Avenue

North Carolina

• Asheville, 480 Swannanoa River Road
• Charlotte, 9609 North Tryon Street

New York

•     Bethpage, 3988 Hempstead Turnpike

Ohio

• Akron, 2981 South Arlington Road

Pennsylvania

• Dillsburg, 1350 Gettysburg Pike

South Carolina

• Mount Pleasant, 3153 N Highway 17

A brand new season of the hit reality competition series Big Brother premieres on CBS Thursday, July 10 at 8/7c.

Those hoping to catch all of this season’s twists and turns can stream the long-running series through Fubo, DirecTV or Paramount Plus—all three of which offer free trials for new subscribers to enjoy before committing to a paid subscription.

What is Big Brother?

For those unfamiliar with Big Brother, the show follows its contestants as they compete against each other for a chance to win a significant cash prize. While games and challenges are a big part of the show, another large portion of the show focuses on the contestants as they live together in a house wired with cameras and microphones, capturing their every move for the world to see.

What to know about Big Brother season 27

Earlier this month, CBS released the theme for season 27 of Big Brother which is “A Summer of Mystery,” and with the ominous nature of the theme, fans have been speculating on what’s to come from this season through online discourse.

Luckily for those eager for any information on the upcoming season, CBS has released small tidbits about what viewers can expect from the upcoming season including a masked visitor, a secret accomplice and a mystery houseguest—all of which will make an appearance throughout the season.

Meet the season 27 cast

Though Big Brother is notorious for delaying the reveal of cast members in order to build anticipation, the season 27 cast members have been revealed mere days ahead of the season’s premiere episode. Below you can learn about the confirmed cast members.

• Adrian Rocha – A carpenter from San Antonio, Texas
• Amy Bingham – An insurance agent from Stockton, California
• Ashley Hollis – An attorney from New York
• Ava Pearl – An art instructor from New York
• Clifton Williams – A sports podcast host from Charlotte, North Carolina
• Isaiah “Zae” Frederich – Employment unknown, lives in Utah
• Jimmy Heagerty – A strategy consultant from Washington, D.C.
• Katherine Woodman – A dining server from Columbia, South Carolina
• Keanu Soto – A personal trainer/nutritionist from McKinney, Texas
• Kelley Jorgensen – A web designer from South Dakota
• Lauren Domingue – A bridal consultant from Lafayette, Louisiana
• Mickey Lee – An event curator from Atlanta, Georgia
• Morgan Pope – A model from Los Angeles
• Rylie Jeffries – A profesional bull rider from Oklahoma
• Vince Panaro – Unemployed, from Los Angeles
• Zach Cornell – A marketing manager from Atlanta, Georgia

How to watch Big Brother season 27

Those interested in catching this season of Big Brother can find the series available for streaming through Fubo, DirecTV and Paramount Plus—all three of which offer free trials to new subscribers.

What is Fubo and DirecTV?

Fubo and DirecTV are two of the top streaming services steadily replacing traditional cable services. Both offer free trials to new subscribers, a plethora of popular live TV channels, on-demand streaming options and helpful features such as unlimited DVR storage.

Fubo considers itself a sports-focused live streaming service, but with over 100 live TV channels available through its base package at just $84.99 after its free trial, it offers much more to its subscribers.

Popular TV channels available through Fubo include ABC, FOX, BET, MTV, CNBC, MSNBC, USA and much more.

DirecTV mirrors Fubo by offering many of the same live TV channels and useful features. The base package starts at just $86.99 a month after its 5-day free trial and includes popular channels such as HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, CMT, CNN, BET and much more.

Two other DirecTV 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 $10 off the original price for the first three months of their subscription.

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

What is Paramount Plus?

Paramount Plus is one of the most popular live streaming services on the market now. Through Paramount Plus, subscribers can access exclusive originals, movies and documentaries all in one place.

As of now, Paramount Plus offers two plans to new subscribers, and both come with a week-long free trial. The base plan, Paramount+ Essential starts at just $7.99 a month and includes exclusive originals, the ability to stream on up to three devices concurrently, access to CBS News 24/7, and access to select Showtime series. This plan is also ad-supported.

The Paramount+ with Showtime plan starts at just $12.99 a month and includes everything that comes with the Essential plan plus 4K content, downloadable movies and shows, and all of Showtime’s content. Those hoping to ditch ads can do so through this plan.