Alabama News

General News

General

AL.com wins Story of the Year, Public Service awards from Alabama Press Association

AL.com was recognized with 54 awards at the 2025 Alabama Press Association Media Awards ceremony on Saturday.

Investigative reporter Savannah Tryens-Fernandes won Story of the Year for her 2024 reporting on Alabama’s health care deserts.

Alabama routinely routinely ranks at or near the bottom in health outcomes among states. In her series, Tryens-Fernandes reported that the situation continues to become more dire, particularly in rural Alabama. Her reporting highlighted shortages of pediatricians, dentists, ambulances and pharmacies.

“There were many worthy stories, but this in-depth look into the crumbling health care infrastructure in your state needs to be highlighted,” the contest judges wrote. “A lot of work and research went into this.”

The judges added that the series “should be mandatory reading” for Alabama lawmakers.

Ivana Hrynkiw, an investigative reporter for AL.com, won first place for Best Public Service for Denied: Alabama’s broken parole system.

The reporting found that the Alabama parole board used to release most prisoners who were eligible. But under new leadership, paroles fell to 8% by 2023. That’s despite the board’s own guidelines suggesting more than 80% of prisoners should qualify for a second chance.

The series led to significant impact. The parole rate rose to 20% the month after the first article, and finished 2024 at 20%, according to state data. That comes out to roughly 250 more people getting out of prison last year than in 2023.

Lawmakers also held hearings and demanded answers, as prisoners featured on AL.com found lawyers or got new hearings that resulted in their release.

“There are talented people all across this newsroom, doing top notch work,” said Challen Stephens, acting vice president of news for AL.com. “And AL.com has also seen a wave of new reporters step up and embrace investigative reporting that makes a difference, that let’s Alabamians decide for themselves what’s working and what’s not in this state.”

Investigative reporter Hannah Denham won the first place award for Freedom of Information for her reporting about a deadly police shooting in Birmingham. A federal judge released the body camera footage to AL.com in response to a public records request from Denham.

“It’s rewarding to see this reporting from Savannah, Ivana and Hannah recognized because these stories resonated with Alabamians,” said Ashley Remkus, investigative editor at AL.com. “That’s why we do this work — because we care about Alabama.”

In this year’s state contest, 53 publications submitted 1,725 entries. The Michigan Press Association judged the entries.

AL.com competes in Division A for large newspaper outlets.

Here is the full list of awards AL.com took home:

Best Public Service

1st Place: Denied: Alabama’s broken parole system by Ivana Hrynkiw

2nd Place: Alabama’s pandemic unemployment fiasco by Sarah Whites-Koditschek

Freedom of Information-First Amendment

1st Place: “Bodycam shows deadly Birmingham police chase and shooting” by Hannah Denham

2nd Place: Library attacks by Williesha Morris, John Sharp and John Archibald

Best Sports Coverage

1st Place: Matt Stahl, Peter Rauterkus and Nick Kelly

Best Local Education Coverage

1st Place: Rebecca Griesbach and Alaina Bookman

Best Local News Coverage

1st Place: Kayode Crown, Joseph D. Bryant and Maggie Kates

Best Local Economic Coverage

2nd Place: Hannah Denham and John Sharp

Best Spot News Story

1st Place: “Alabama executes Kenneth Eugene Smith by new nitrogen gas method” by Ivana Hrynkiw

2nd Place: “‘None of you are pregnant’: Paid parental leave bill sparks emotions in Alabama Senate” by John Sharp

Best In-Depth News Coverage

1st Place: “Alabama’s health care deserts” by Savannah Tryens-Fernandes

2nd Place: “He’s been on death row for decades. Alabama ‘downplays’ DNA that points to someone else” by Ivana Hrynkiw

3rd Place: “It’s almost weed. And it’s taking Alabama by storm: A big human guinea pig experiment” by Amy Yurkanin, Challen Stephens

Best Business Story or Column

2nd Place: “The final decline of Birmingham-Southern College: New tax records show pattern of losing money” by Hannah Denham

3rd Place: “Why the union vote failed at Alabama’s Mercedes-Benz plant ” by William Thornton

Best Feature Story Coverage

1st Place: “Their parents died during COVID. Now, a Birmingham nonprofit is helping them out of homelessness” by Savannah Tryens-Fernandes

Best News Feature Story Coverage

1st Place: “Alabama girl, 11, dies by suicide: ‘Teach your kids to be kind,’ family

says” by Carol Robinson

2nd Place: “Can Five Points South recover after mass shooting?” by Greg Garrison

3rd Place: “‘I just held him and prayed,’ 16-year-old boy killed in Birmingham shooting died in parents’ arms” by Carol Robinson

Best Humorous Column

1st Place: “How Nick Saban drove me away from Bryant-Denny Stadium” by John Archibald

Best Human Interest Column

1st Place: “Who killed Daniel Williams? A tale of terror in Alabama prisons” by John Archibald

2nd Place: “We banned ‘divisive concepts.’ So, why do we still have Confederate holidays?” by Roy S. Johnson

Best Editorial Column or Commentary

1st Place: Roy S. Johnson

2nd Place: Kyle Whitmire

Best Sports News In-Depth Coverage

1st Place: “The complicated legacy of Birmingham’s white baseball legends” by

Creg Stephenson

3rd Place: “Boosters started a nonprofit to pay Alabama athletes millions. Now, it’s shutting down” by Hannah Denham

Best Sports Single Event Story

1st Place: “Inside Auburn’s 15-play, 74-yard drive to send the Texas A&M game to overtime” by Peter Rauterkus

Best Sports Feature Story

1st Place: “The story behind this Alabama basketball fan’s wild, scary journey to the Final Four ” by Bob Carlton

2nd Place: “Scenes from Tuscaloosa’s first full day after Nick Saban’s retirement ” by Matt Stahl

Best Local Sports Column

1st Place: “Nick Saban is the new face of an old scam” by Joseph Goodman

Best Feature Photo

1st Place: “Coates-Thornton reunion” by Tamika Moore

Best Use of Graphics or Illustrations

1st Place: “Life’s a process ” by JD Crowe, Joseph Goodman

2nd Place: “The Mount Rushmore of Alabama Barbecue” by Bob Carlton, J.D. Crowe

Best Headline

1st Place: “The genie is out of the bong in Alabama ” by Challen Stephens, John Archibald

2nd Place: “Gordon Ramsay fumes, hurls pork chop cooked by Alabama child: I messed up” by Mary Colurso, Ben Flanagan

3rd Place: “Man stuck in urn at Mountain Brook party loses pants, breaks expensive vase and Alabama Internet” by Howard Koplowitz, Jeremy Gray

Creative Use of Multimedia

1st Place: “Descendants of Alabama slaves reunite in old plantation house” by Bill Thornton, Tamika Moore, Amanda Khorramabadi

2nd Place: “The moment of truth for Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer” by Nick Kelly, Clay Yeager

3rd Place: “JD Crowe Cartoons” by JD Crowe

Online Breaking News Coverage

1st Place: “Alabama Supreme Court rules embryos are children, halting IVF” by staff

2nd Place: “Mass shooting at Hush lounge” by Carol Robinson, Hannah Denham, staff

Best Use of Social Media

1st Place: “If you could change one thing about Alabama…” by Tandra Smith, Monica Keener, Heather Gann

2nd Place: “Will legal marijuana ever come to Alabama?” by Monica Keener

3rd Place: “Youth homelessness in Alabama” by Monica Keener

Best Podcast Series

1st Place: “Down in Alabama” by Ike Morgan, John Hammontree

2nd Place: “Beat Everyone” by Ben Flanagan, John Hammontree, staff

Best Use of Video (Shorter than 2 minutes)

1st Place: “Denied: Alabama’s Broken Parole System trailer” by Amanda Khorramabadi, Ivana Hrynkiw

2nd Place: “Birmingham mass shooting” by Amanda Khorramabadi

3rd Place: “The two voices of Katie Britt” by Amanda Khorramabadi

Best Use of Video (Longer than 2 minutes)

1st Place: “Days and Hours Matter Here: Alabamians speak out against Alabama Supreme Court IVF ruling” by Anissa Latham-Brown, John Hammontree, Dawson Estes

2nd Place: “How one Alabama woman is getting people to the polls” by Amanda Khorramabadi

3rd Place: “Hush Lounge Shooting Arrest Reveals tragic links in 11 Homicides” by Anissa Latham-Brown

Best Community Event

1st Place: “AL.com 2nd Congressional District debate”

General

Beloved pizza buffet chain closes 2 Alabama locations

Several Alabama Facebook users have taken to the platform this week to mourn the loss of a beloved buffet style pizza chain.

Buckshot Enterprises, LLC, recently closed at least two of its three Cicis Pizza locations, according to signage posted on the doors.

The Florence store, located at 157 Cox Creek Parkway South, closed two weeks ago. And the Northport store on 929 McFarland Boulevard closed on Sunday.

Buckshot Enterprise’s third Huntsville location on University Drive has not made any public announcements about closing as of June 30, and efforts to reach the store were not immediately successful.

The Texas-based chain first opened its doors in 1985 and has since become a favorite for families and children’s sports teams looking for a dinner deal.

Citing loss of revenue due to the pandemic, the company declared bankruptcy in 2021 but has launched a series of promotions in the years since in an attempt to increase business.

“The vibe was always good here!” one woman wrote on Facebook in response to the Northport location closing.

“So sad to see it go! Our kiddos loved Cici’s.”

Another woman said she wasn’t sure how she was going to “break the news” to her son.

General

Trump ridiculed for blanking on world leader’s name, calling him ‘Mr. Japan’: ‘Dangerously embarrassing’

President Donald Trump was mocked on social media after he apparently forgot the name of a world leader and referred to them as “Mr. Japan” during an interview.

Trump made the remark while talking about the end of his 90-day deadline to hash out deals with other countries to avoid harsh tariffs.

“I’m going to send letters, that’s the end of the trade deal. I could send one to Japan,” Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo during an interview on “Sunday Morning Futures” that was taped Friday and aired Sunday.

“Dear Mr. Japan, here’s the story: you’re going to pay a 25% tariff on your cars, you know? So we give Japan no cars. They won’t take our cars,” Trump told Bartiromo.

Trump had played down the deadline at a White House news conference Friday by noting how difficult it would be to work out separate deals with each nation. The administration had set a goal of reaching 90 trade deals in 90 days, the Associated Press reported.

Negotiations continue, but “there’s 200 countries, you can’t talk to all of them,” he said in the interview.

Trump was ridiculed for apparently not knowing the name of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

“Dear Mr Japan? Trump doesn’t know what or who he is talking about,” tweeted Barbara Comstock, a former Republican congresswoman from Virginia who has been critical of the president.

Another X user added the rolling on the floor laughing and clown emojis to mock Trump’s remarks.

“‘Dear Mr Japan’ Trump’s mind has completely gone. Time to get him committed,” the user wrote.

Another commented with other Trumpisms:

A fourth said Trump’s gaffe was “dangerously embarrassing”:

A fifth X account said that Trump did not just display ignorance of foreign affairs, but car manufacturing as well.

“This truly demonstrates trump’s ignorance,” the account wrote. “First, there is not a ‘Mr. Japan’. Next the majority of the Japanese cars, for American consumption are made in America.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

General

Popular regional home decor chain closing all locations

Trees N Trends, once a presence in Alabama, announces the closure of all locations.

In a Facebook post, members of the Wallace family, longtime owners of Trees N Trends, thanked customers and employees for 33 years.

“Running a retail store for home décor involves a lot of physical work. As the seasons change so does the product mix. I want to say “thank you” to our employees past and present for your hard work, dedication, and loyalty. Many of our employees have been with us 20 years and some even 30 years. Many of these employees have been like family to us,” the post said.

“A heartfelt “thank you” to our customers, our employees, and our family all of whom have made our journey of the last 30 plus years possible,” the post added.

Trees N Trends first opened in Paducah, Kentucky in 1992 under the name of Silk Tree Factory. It was later changed to Trees N Trends to reflect the mix of décor items.

Trees N Trends currently has locations in Paducah, Henderson and Bowling Green, Kentucky, Jackson, Tenn., Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Jonesboro, Arkansas.

The chain once had a handful of Alabama locations with stores in Boaz, Foley and Huntsville.

Going out of business sales are expected to take place in the coming weeks but a timeline for the shutdown has not been announced.

Trees N Trends is the latest home decorating and craft store to close. Earlier this year, JOANN, a national fabric and home goods store, closed all 800 of its locations.

General

Stanley’s Summer Edit collection debuts in trendy pastel colors

Leading up to its official release, Stanley secretly stocked select retail stores with its latest pastel-themed summer collection that sent the internet into a frenzy as shoppers shared early finds. Now, the full Summer Edit is no available to shop online, featuring fresh, limited-edition designs perfect for summertime.

The Stanley Summer Edit collection includes Stanley’s viral Quencher tumblers and other fan-favorite products in new dreamy summer hues. Given the brand’s track record of fast sellouts, especially after a secretive in-store release, these cups are expected to fly off the shelves.

If you’ve been waiting to score the newest Stanley styles, now is the time to shop the Summer Edit before it sells out. The main products included in this new collection are as follows:

Quencher® 30 oz Tumbler (Flip Straw 2.0) – $35. Available in all-new summer shades like Pink Mesa Sunset, Lichen, Agave, Petrol and Prickly Pearca.
Quencher® ProTour 40 oz Tumbler – $45. Featuring enhanced insulation with a soft-touch lid, offered in the new Pink Mesa, Lichen, Agave and Prickly Pear.
30 oz IceFlow™ Flip Straw Tumbler – $35. Double-wall vacuum insulated with leakproof straw lid, in summer edit colors Pink Dusk Stitch, Pink Mesa, Agave, Lichen, Petrol and Prickly Pear.
All-Day Midi Lunch Boxes – $60, and All-Day Mini Lunch Boxes – $45. Part of “Let’s Grab Lunch” lineup, designed to keep meals cool and secure. Available in matching Summer Edit hues.
Adventure Easy Carry Outdoor Cooler – $80. Ruggedly lightweight, leakproof and boasting more than twice the foam insulation of a typical cooler, this Adventure is ideal for tailgates, fishing trips and even all-day festival festivities.
Adventure Fast Flow Water Jug 2G – $55. A rugged handle and leak proof design means you can take it anywhere and the double-wall foam insulation will keep drinks cold for hours (iced for 2 days). The high-flow spigot also removes easily for cleaning.

Those interested can browse the entire Stanley Summer Edit collection here.

General

Texas State officially leaving Sun Belt Conference after 2025-26 athletic year

Texas State will leave the Sun Belt Conference after the upcoming athletic year to join the re-constituted Pac-12, it was announced Monday.

The move will become official on July 1, 2026. The Pac-12 will have 10 football-playing schools beginning next year, with the Bobcats set to join holdover members Oregon State and Washington State, along with Mountain West transfers Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State (Gonzaga, which does not play football, will also join the conference in all other sports).

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” commissioner Teresa Gould said. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.

“Under great leadership from (president) Kelly Damphousse, athletics director Don Coryell and excellent head coaches, Texas State has shown a commitment to competing and winning at the highest level as well as to providing student-athletes with a well-rounded college experience academically, athletically and socially. We look forward to seeing the Bobcats’ future trajectory continue to shine big and bright.”

Texas State had been a member of the Sun Belt since 2013 after moving up from the FCS level. The Bobcats will pay a $5 million exit fee, which would have gone up to $10 million on Tuesday.

“This is a historic moment for Texas State and Bobcat athletics,” Texas State president Kelly Damphousse said. “Joining the Pac-12 is more than an athletic move — it is a declaration of our rising national profile, our commitment to excellence, and our readiness to compete and collaborate with some of the most respected institutions in the country.

“Our acceptance into the Pac-12 affirms the strength of our academic vision, our commitment to providing access to a Texas State degree, the momentum of our athletic programs, and the ambition that defines this institution.”

Texas State’s departure will leave the Sun Belt with 13 members, including South Alabama and Troy. Immediate speculation to replace the Bobcats now turns to Louisiana Tech, a longtime member of Conference USA.

Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill released a lengthy statement in response to the news.

” I will continue to update our stakeholders on developments whenever possible as we work to ensure the sustained rise of the Sun Belt Conference — a collection of like-minded, regional rivals with winning football traditions, passionate fanbases and enduring commitments to excellence in all sports,“ the statement read in part. ”The Sun Belt Conference is rising, and our best days are ahead.”

General

Recruiting update: Central-Phenix City DB commits, more news

Players from Class 7A power Central-Phenix City continue to impress recruiters.

The latest to commit is 3-star DB Tony Arnett, who chose Liberty.

Arnett also had offers from South Alabama, Troy, Jacksonville State, Arkansas State, Navy and more for the 6-1, 180-pound senior.

In other recruiting news:

COMMITMENTS

Briarwood 3-star DL Garrett Witherington committed to Kentucky.

The 6-4, 290-pound senior also had offers from Mississippi State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt along with Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, Stanford and more.

Jackson Carlisle of Central-Tuscaloosa committed to Boston College.

The 6-3, 265-pound senior DL chose the Eagles over Jacksonville State and Troy among others.

Pell City’s Jordan Woods committed to Jacksonville State over offers from Vanderbilt, Austin Peay, Murray State and more for the 6-4, 240-pound senior DL.

Theodore 3-star DL Davon Young committed to Mississippi State.

The 6-3, 280-pound senior also had offers from Jacksonville State, Troy, South Alabama and more.

In volleyball, Thompson senior Kenzly Foote committed to Troy.

OFFERS

FOOTBALL

Ramsay’s Karlos May received an offer from Oklahoma.

A 6-4, 305-pound junior DL, May also has offers from Georgia, Ole Miss, UAB, Troy, Arkansas State and others.

James Clemens 5-11, 200-pound junior RB MJ Gideon was offered by Ole Miss to go along with SEC offers from Missouri and Vanderbilt as well as Liberty, North Alabama, Tulane and more.

Orange Beach 2029 QB Tucker Wade picked up his first offer from Bowling Green.

Grissom 6-4, 230-pound senior DL Kasey Laury picked up an offer from Alabama A&M. He also holds an offer from North Alabama.

BASKETBALL

Park Crossing’s Maliyah Meeks earned D1 offers from Coppin State and Florida A&M. The 6-foot-2 forward also holds offers from North Carolina Central, Jackson State, Sacramento State and Nicholls State.

Oxford guard Jaylen Alexander picked up an offer from Chattanooga. He has also picked up offers from Belmont and Louisiana this month.

Gadsden City 6-3 senior guard Jakobi Sharp was offered by UAB to go along with an offer from Troy.

General

Feral swarm of aggressive honeybees found in Alabama

The bee on the left is an Africanized honeybee. They are known to be more aggressive than the European variety on the right.Scott Bauer, USDA Agriculture Research Service

Beekeepers in Barbour County collected a feral swarm of Africanized honeybees, a hybrid variety that is more aggressive than bees normally found in Alabama, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries said.

The ADAI said the bees were humanely euthanized to protect Alabama’s honeybee population.

The ADAI said it is deploying traps within a 5-mile radius of where the Africanized bees were found as a precaution. ADAI said it is committed to safeguarding pollinators and supporting local beekeepers.

“There is no reason for public concern at this time, but we are treating this situation seriously,” said Rick Pate, commissioner of Agriculture and Industries.

“Our team is actively collaborating with local beekeepers and entomology experts to ensure swift detection and appropriate response. Protecting both the health of our communities and Alabama’s honeybee populations is our top priority.”

Africanized honeybees were also found and euthanized in Alabama last year.

According to the ADAI, Africanized honeybees are a hybrid of African and European honeybees.

They are physically much like European honeybees but can exhibit more defensive behavior, particularly when protecting their colony.

The ADAI said it is important to note that honeybees, Africanized or European, do not pose a threat unless provoked.

The ADAI noted some key differences between Africanized and European honeybees.

Africanized bees:

Are more defensive and may respond in greater numbers when disturbed.
May swarm more frequently and nest in a wider variety of locations, including utility boxes, debris piles and underground cavities.
May pursue perceived threats farther than European honeybees, up to a mile in some cases.

The ADAI recommends to the public:

Do not attempt to disturb or remove any bee colonies or swarms.
Report any unusually aggressive bee behavior to ADAI immediately.
Beekeepers should remain vigilant and report any changes in colony behavior or suspected AHB presence.

People who believe they have encountered a colony of Africanized honeybees or would like more information can call the ADAI’s State Apiary Protection Unit at (334) 240-7228 or (334) 240-7172.

General

Johnson: Gov. Ivey, I repeat, for true parole reform, Gwathney must go

This is an opinion column.

Gov. Kay Ivey has a list. A list of names. A list of names submitted by a trio of presumably astute parties: Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, Senate President Pro Tempore Garland Gudger and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter.

Names for the governor to consider appointing as chair of the Alabama Bureau of Pardon and Paroles — that less-than-august three-headed body that does very little pardonin’ and parolin’.

We don’t know the names on this list. The astute submitters sent a list of five. Then, of course, anyone could whisper a name in Gov. Ivey’s ear.

I’ll take a swing and presume one name in front of her, whether submitted or whispered, is Leigh Gwathney.

She’s the current pardon and paroles chair, a seat she’s coldly warmed since 2019 when Gov. Ivey initially appointed her to do exactly what she’s done: Close the gates.

That swiftly followed yet another knee-jerk move by our Republican super-majority state legislature, a bill rushed toward passage and law under the guise of “reform” after the then-board botched the case of Jimmy O’Neal Spencer.

Serving two life sentences after eight convictions, including robbery, escape and assault, going back to 1984, Spencer was paroled in November 2017. He went on to be convicted of seven counts of capital murder for killing Martha Dell Reliford, Marie Kitchens Martin, and Martin’s seven-year-old great-grandson, Colton Ryan Lee in Guntersville.

In the legislative session following Spencer’s arrest, state lawmakers wretched parole board nominating power from a commission and handed it to the aforementioned presumably astute parties.

“The paramount duty of this board is to protect and instill confidence in public safety,” Ivey crowed after signing the rushed bill into law.

So here we are: Six years after Gwathney, a former Alabama assistant attorney general, did exactly what she was supposed to do — allow almost no one to walk through the gates of Alabama’s horrid prisons into a second chance, no matter what the board’s own recommendations.

Keep them behind bars, behind the wall, even as many are deemed safe enough to work beyond the walls for companies (though for pennies, not even for Alabama’s paltry minimum wage) and interact with us as part of the prison system’s work release program.

Yet they’re not safe enough to live beyond the walls and pursue a life that embodies true reform.

In her time, Gwathney almost overwhelmingly voted no to freedom and yes to feeding the state’s prison work release machine, at a much higher rate than fellow board members Darryl Littleton and Gabrelle Simmons.

In her time, the grant rate plummeted to 31% in Year One. Then 20% in 2020, 15% in 2021, 10% in 2022 and a feckless 8% in 2023 (297 paroles granted in 3,583 hearings). The board’s own recommendation was that about 8 in 10 applicants should qualify for release.

In her time, too, Gwathney favored putting off the option for another hearing for five years, the maximum allowed by the law.

Call it The Gwathney Effect.

In 2024, that egregious effect was masterfully exposed by my AL.com colleagues, led by Ivana Hrynkiw, in the series Denied: Alabama’s broken parole system.

The board was shamed into ever-so-slightly reforming itself. Though Gwathney still voted no far more than otherwise, the board granted 20% of parole requests in 2024 and is on track for a 21% grant rate this year. (For context, rate was a high of 55% in 2017).

Before the most recent legislative session, before lawmakers who finally began to see the folly of the Gwathney Effect, the chair stumbled trying to explain the board’s process, why not only did it ignore its own recommendations – but why it didn’t even adhere to its required review of its guidelines every three years.

“Fair enough,” Gwathney said.

Governor, at the risk of repeating my call from last August: Gwathney must go.

Her time is up.

The chair’s term ended today and if her name is among those in front of you, governor, she must not be reappointed for another six-year term.

Not if true prison reform — if offering any counter to the lawsuit levied against the state by the U.S. Department of Justice (whatever’s left of it), charging our prisons with being inhumane and unconstitutional — means anything to you.

Not if fairness, empathy and common sense—while, yes, being mindful of public safety— mean anything to you.

Not if providing the deserved a second chance means even as much as spending $1.25 billion and counting on a new 4,000-bed prison (work release dorm?) in Elmore County.

Pick another name, governor. Or your legacy will be little more than slapping your name above a mega-prison gate.

We’ll call it The Ivey Effect.

Let’s be better tomorrow than we are today. My column appears on AL.com, and digital editions of The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, and Mobile Press-Register. Tell me what you think at [email protected], and follow me at twitter.com/roysj, Instagram @roysj and BlueSky.

General

Grab your fresh New York Yankees 2025 Subway Series gear on Fanatics with free shipping

Crosstown rivalries are always fun to watch in any sport. In New York, it’s bigger than the rest. It means more. Whenever the New York Yankees and New York Mets play each other, the two boroughs of fans go at it like it’s the World Series.

The Yankees and Mets’ first meeting was back in May at Yankee Stadium, with the Bronx Bombers winning the series 2-1. This weekend, the series shifts to Queens for a three-game slate on July 4th weekend.

Fanatics just dropped brand-new Yankees 2025 Subway Series gear, which can be viewed here. Here’s a look at some of the best items we found:

Fans can get free shipping on any of the items above with code ”29SHIP” at checkout.