Alabama News

Two parts of a Parkside development are coming together, beginning this week.

Fairway Social Birmingham, a virtual game and dining destination, is opening Thursday at Urban Supply, while its hidden speakeasy inside, The Lodge at Fairway Social, will open later this month.

Reservations are now available and can be booked online here.

Urban Supply is the latest project of downtown developer Orchestra Partners and combines the company’s signature concerns – restoration of historic properties, innovative use of outdoor spaces and the creation of walkable experiences.

Fairway Social and The Lodge are located at 114 13th St S.

In addition to being a full-service restaurant and bar, Fairway Social has a total of six Full Swing powered bays and a sports entertainment hub.

Signature cocktails and craft beer are served with elevated food choices amid an atmosphere of virtual and interactive games.

Diners can choice from more than 100 world-renowned golf courses, as well as baseball, football, soccer and more. There’s also Golden Tee Golf, cornhole and yard games.

The Lodge is billed as an intimate, speakeasy-style lounge hidden inside Fairway Social, with live music, duckpin bowling and signature cocktails.

Gaining entry also promises a bit of adventure. Guests will need to retrieve a scorecard from the host, find the secret entrance and crack a code to uncover the hidden door.

In addition to live music, it will also host events and stand-up comedy.

The more than 14,000-square-foot joint venue was designed by Monument and constructed by Shelby General Contractors.

Alpharetta, Ga.-based Competitive Social Ventures is the creator of Fairway Social. CEO Neal Freeman said this isn’t just about opening a new venue but “shaking things up and creating something that doesn’t exist here yet. Birmingham has energy, culture and creativity – and we feel honored to be a part of that.”

Orchestra Partners Principal Hunter Renfroe said he’s ready to play a round of golf.

“We are so excited to see Fairway Social and The Lodge open their doors at Urban Supply. I have been both impressed and humbled watching the Competitive Social Ventures team at work, crafting these unique spaces with such passion and commitment,” he said.

Fairway Social will operate from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with extended hours until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Once open, The Lodge will operate from 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Lodge is for guests 21 and older.

Beat Everyone is on the scene at SEC Media Days with Nick Kelly. Nick sat down with Josh Pate, Damien Harris, Chris Low and Rich Clark, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, for frank discussions about the rumors of Nick Saban’s return, Alabama football, Kalen DeBoer, and the future of the league.

Tune in and let us know who else you want to hear from this week.

TIME STAMPS

• 1:06 Josh Pate, CBS Sports, host of the Josh Pate’s College Football Show
• 12:25 Damien Harris, former Alabama running back and CBS analyst
• 28:40 Chris Low, ESPN, Senior Writer
• 40:32 Rich Clark, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff

Beat Everyone is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on your favorite platform to automatically receive new episodes every Monday and Wednesday evening.

Florida airports soon must submit monthly reports on weather modification activities or face the loss of state funding under a controversial new law derided by critics as fueling conspiracy theories.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote to operators of public airports on Monday that their compliance is needed to “catch those who seek to weaponize science” and will safeguard the atmosphere from “harmful chemicals and experiments.”

“We need your help to keep our state free and make sure the skies belong to the people —not to private contractors, corporate experiments, or climate extremists,” he wrote. “In Florida, we don’t jeopardize the public health so that we can bend the knee to the climate cult.”

Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June, the law prohibits the release of any substance into the atmosphere in Florida that seeks to “alter weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity.”

Critics, though, say state officials are seeking to address a nonexistent problem and burdening airports with an unproductive mandate. Among the conspiracy theories is the longstanding notion that aircraft condensation trails are actually “chemtrails,” consisting of chemical agents sprayed for nefarious purposes.

“This bill is crazy to me,” said state Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami, as the legislation was debated earlier this year. “We’re asking in this bill to do something that is not happening in Florida,” she said. “There’s a phrase … ‘Go outside and touch some grass.’ We need to get grounded.”

Florida previously required a license to engage in weather modification efforts. But the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has never issued such a license or even received an application for one since that program was created in 1957, according to an agency spokeswoman.

Orlando International Airport and Orlando Executive Airport received the attorney general’s letter and will comply with the new reporting requirements, said Angela Starke, a spokeswoman for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which operates the airports.

“Neither airport performs any geoengineering or weather modification activities, nor are we are aware of any activity on airport properties that must be reported at this time,” she wrote in an email.

Officials with Orlando Sanford International Airport also said they will comply with the law and aren’t aware of any such activities.

Under the new law, airports must report the presence of any aircraft equipped with devices or components that release substances or chemicals into the atmosphere for the “express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, climate, or the intensity of sunlight.”

Starting in October, monthly reports must be filed with the Florida Department of Transportation.

Additionally, the Department of Environmental Protection is launching a portal for the public to report suspected violations. Supporters of the law have been critical of research into geoengineering, large-scale interventions into the Earth’s climate that could potentially be used to mitigate climate change.

The weather modification ban drew opposition from Augustus Doricko, CEO and founder of the cloud seeding startup Rainmaker Technology Corp. He testified to lawmakers that cloud seeding is not occurring in Florida but could be a safe and effective water supply tool.

In the letter to airports, Uthmeier wrote that he thinks weather modification could have played a role in the Texas floods that killed more than 100 people over the Fourth of July weekend.

An Associated Press investigation, however, found no evidence that weather modification caused the deadly flood. Andrew Dessler, director of Texas A&M University’s Texas Center for Extreme Weather, called such a claim “complete nonsense.”

Social media-fueled conspiracy theories prompted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to issue a statement in October that it does “not modify the weather, nor does it fund, participate in or oversee cloud seeding or any other weather modification activities,”

Between 1962 and 1982, NOAA supported research into whether hurricane intensity could be modified, known as Project STORMFURY, according to the statement.

The research was not successful, and the project was discontinued, federal officials said.

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©2025 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

It’s not uncommon for teams to bring their starting quarterback with them for SEC Media Days.

Each team typically brings three players to accompany the head coach, and the group usually consists of veterans and names that the general public knows.

A team’s starting quarterback often fits both of those categories. Of the 16 teams at media days this week, 11 brought a quarterback with them. Auburn was part of that group, despite not returning its starter from last year.

Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold is set to take the reins in 2025, and his appearance at media days was a way for head coach Hugh Freeze to send the message that Arnold is the man for the job.

“If I really want him to be my guy, then he’s gotta be my guy. He’s gotta do it here,” Freeze said.

Arnold joined Connor Lew and Keldric Faulk as Auburn’s media representatives, two players going into their third season as starters with the program.

Freeze said Arnold’s leadership stood out to him shortly after he arrived in Auburn, quickly making an impression on the team. Arnold was ineligible for the leadership council in January, but was one of the leading vote getters during re-elections in June, according to Freeze.

Given Arnold’s strong reputation within the team and the opportunity to showcase him to the public, bringing Arnold to Atlanta for media days became an easy decision for Freeze.

“I love Deuce Knight and Ashton [Daniels] also. I think we got an incredible quarterback room,” Freeze said. “But I think making sure he is confident that we believe in Him is one of the other reasons. That and the combination of what he’s done in a short time to become a leader.”

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m

Hugh Freeze’s golf game — and its frequency — has become a talking point around the SEC of late, and quarterback Jackson Arnold was asked to weigh in on Tuesday.

Arnold was in Atlanta as part of the Tigers’ contingent at SEC Media Days, and made an appearance on SEC This Morning on the SEC Network. Asked about Freeze and golf, he said it’s a story that has gained what he views as unnecessary traction.

“Coach loves to play golf, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to have something outside of football to go to and kind of get away,” said Arnold, who transferred to Auburn from Oklahoma prior to spring practice. “I feel like if Auburn was 8-4 or 9-3 last year, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. It’s just because we didn’t win enough ball games last year.

“Maybe recruiting is a little shaky right this second if you want to go and blame that. I bet you Coach Freeze was playing golf just as much last year and he was in this year.”

Auburn is coming off three straight losing seasons — two under Freeze — which has led to some criticism of the frequency with which Freeze was on the golf course during the month of June, the height of recruiting season. The coach defended himself during a podcast appearance last week, saying “I never missed a camp day or a recruiting day.”

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin appeared to troll Freeze last week and again Monday at SEC Media Days when he “congratulated” the Auburn coach on his golf and fishing success. Kiffin denied any ill intent behind his social media posts and comments, but it’s difficult to tell if he was being sincere.

Arnold was also asked Tuesday if he plays golf and he said he does “if I have the time.” The game can be a great outlet from the “grind” of football, he said.

“I enjoy playing it,” Arnold said. “It’s a great time to be with your buddies in the summer. You’re grinding, you’re working out with the guys. You get your football in, and after that I go home and I decompress, whether that’s playing golf or watching TV or cooking or doing whatever.

“You’ve got to have an outlet outside of football and Coach Freeze goes out and plays golf with his wife. I don’t think it’s an issue at all. I think people are kind of blowing it out of proportion.”

Alabama U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville waved away an ongoing debate among supporters of the Trump Administration over releasing information related to the case of billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged clients, saying “we won’t get involved.”

Speaking to 1819 News Monday, Tuberville said, “We’ve got a lot more problems than that.”

Attempts to contact Tuberville’s office for comment were not immediately successful.

The imbroglio over Epstein, who died in 2019, has roiled the Trump Justice Department since a July 6 joint memo with the FBI saying that there was no Epstein “client list,” inflaming segments of the MAGA movement.

This was followed by reports that Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is considering resigning from his post over disagreement with how Attorney General Pam Bondi handled the memo.

President Trump tried to quell the controversy with a Truth Social post urging patience with Bondi and telling supporters to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein.”

Tuberville instead said Trump’s supporters should seize the initiative on other legislative goals.

“That’s been talked about so much that’s kind of made it a huge issue and it is to a lot of people because, you know, child predators and all those things,” Tuberville said.

“Hopefully, eventually this will all be worked out but we won’t get involved in it. We’ve got so much to do with those bills coming up. We’ve only got three-and-a-half years.”

Tuberville was not alone. Several GOP senators asked in recent days about the Epstein case have steered clear.

“I’ll leave that up to DOJ and to the FBI. I think that’s in their purview. I think the president’s expressed his views on it and so I’ll just leave it at that,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told The Hill.

Academy Sports is slashing prices on the ultra-popular Stanley 40-ounce FlowState Quencher Tumbler, giving shoppers a rare chance to grab the viral “Stanley Cup” for less.

With this online deal, Academy Sports customers can purchase the Stanley 40 oz Adventure Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler in select colors for $27 instead of the normal list price of $45, a 40% savings overall. Originally, there were plenty of sale styles to choose from, but many of the discounted Stanley Cups have already sold out.

RELATED: Yeti launches largest Rambler water jug yet with new 1-gallon size

The Stanley 40oz Quencher Tumbler is designed for versatility, making it suitable for camping, travel and everyday hydration. The Stanley tumbler notably features its signature FlowState rotating lid With a straw opening, a wide drinking opening and a full-cover top, users can easily switch between different drinking styles based on their activity and preference.

All features included in the Stanley 40oz Quencher Tumbler are as follows:

• Recycled stainless steel construction helps you live sustainably
• Double-wall vacuum insulation maintains ice for up to 30 hours
• FlowState rotating lid features a straw opening, a drinking opening, and a full-cover top
• Designed to fit in most standard cupholders
• BPA-free and dishwasher safe

“Take your favorite beverages on the go with a Stanley 40oz Adventure Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler. This durable stainless steel tumbler is made with 90% recycled materials to support a sustainable lifestyle. Double-walled vacuum insulation keeps beverages cold for hours, while a rotating FlowState™ lid lets you adapt your sipping style‚” Academy Sports’ product details state.

Those interested in this Stanley cup deal can check out the full listing on Academy Sports website.

Despite injuries and rotations in the first half of the season, cornerback became a position of strength for Auburn in 2024.

Kayin Lee and Jay Crawford eventually became the two players to hold down starting spots on the boundary, and both were solid. Lee locked down his place in the starting lineup by Week 1, while Crawford’s emergence came during the season.

Injuries to Keionte Scott and Champ Anthony forced Crawford, a freshman at the time, into action, and he was up to the task. Of players who played in five games or more, Crawford finished with the second highest coverage grade on the team, according to Pro Football Focus, and the second-highest catch percentage allowed in the SEC.

Despite the solid seasons from both players, Auburn was active in the transfer portal at that position. The Tigers signed Raion Strader from Miami (OH) and Rayshawn Pleasant from Tulane, two-starting caliber players.

When asked why Auburn was so aggressive in adding to a position of strength, head coach Hugh Freeze said he wanted to create competition.

“We need competition, particularly at places like corner where you need four guys that can play,” Freeze said. “We believe in them, they are good players. But I’m glad we got two other good ones behind them too.”

At Tulane, Pleasant finished with 35 tackles, three pass deflections and one interception in 2024. He was also named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-America Second Team as a kick returner after averaging 34.5 yards per return last season.

Strader finished with 53 tackles, 17 pass deflections and two interceptions at Miami (OH) last season and was the 2024 MAC cornerback of the year.

Freeze mentioned that Pleasant and Strader bring length and quick twitch ability, along with experience, something Auburn is lacking at corner behind Lee and Crawford.

More than anything else, Freeze believes bringing in the two experienced transfers can bring the best out of Lee and Crawford and kill any entitlement or complacency that could come with being handed a starting job.

“If we truly want to get Auburn back to where it has to be, there has to be a level where every single kid buys into the standard all the time,” Freeze said. “And this is not a deal where some entitlement because I played well last year at times, or I got a certain NIL deal or revenue sharing deal that I’m entitled to something now.”

Auburn will begin fall camp ahead of the 2025 season on July 29. The Tigers will open the campaign exactly one month later against Baylor on Aug. 29.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m

The National Hurricane Center thinks a tropical depression could form in the Gulf in a few days.

Forecasters continued to track an area of low pressure that was in the western Atlantic Ocean just east of the Florida peninsula on Tuesday.

It is expected to move westward, across the Sunshine State, and into the Gulf by Wednesday.

The hurricane center said conditions in the Gulf will be favorable for the system to organize, and it could become a tropical depression as it continues to track to the west or west-northwest this week.

The hurricane center has raised the probability of a depression forming to 40 percent, an increase from 30 percent on Monday.

A system has to have a defined center of circulation and sustained winds of at least 40 mph to be classified as a tropical storm and get a name.

The next name on the 2025 Atlantic storm list is Dexter.

Weather watchers aren’t expecting this system to intensify into a hurricane, but it could bring a lot of rain to parts of Florida and the northern Gulf Coast, including Alabama.

WHAT CAN ALABAMA EXPECT?

The National Weather Service in Mobile continued to keep a close eye on the system on Tuesday and said it could potentially bring 2 to 4 inches of rain to parts of south Alabama.

Here is the current rainfall outlook through Friday for parts of south Alabama:

“There is still a lot of uncertainty regarding whether or not this develops into a tropical depression and regarding the eventual track of the system” the weather service said in its Tuesday morning forecast discussion.

“One potential scenario is that the system moves into the Gulf and remains near the coastline with less time to develop. Another scenario is that this system moves a little further out into the Gulf with more time to develop. Regardless of development, we will get drenched with heavy rain (especially across the southern portion of the area), which may lead to flooding issues if storms repeatedly move over the same locations.”

The weather service is forecasting a low rip current risk today, but it will increase to moderate on Wednesday and high (the highest level) on Thursday and Friday. That means swimming the Gulf will be hazardous.

Here is the rip current forecast for Alabama and northwest Florida coastal areas: