Alabama News

Stanley’s all-new pastel green Pistachio drinkware collection just dropped, and if you’ve been eyeing the viral 40-ounce Quencher in this fresh summer color, don’t wait. The limited-edition color is already selling fast, and fans know these launches rarely stick around.

The new eye-catching Stanley Pistachio color collection features a full lineup of Stanley favorites including the IceFlow Flip Straw Tumbler, the AeroLight Transit Bottle and the classic Adventure Quencher in multiple sizes. But as always, the 40-ounce Quencher is the star of this collection. Known for its oversized capacity, comfortable handle, and viral status on TikTok, this cult-favorite tumbler tends to sell out quickly.

All products included in the new Stanley Pistachio color collection are as follows:

RELATED: Stanley’s Summer Edit collection debuts in trendy pastel colors

Right alongside Pistachio, Stanley also introduced the dreamy pastel-blue Dew Drop collection. It also includes Stanley favorites like the 40oz FlowState Quencher, 30 oz IceFlow Flip Straw Tumbler and even a 7.4‑quart All‑Day Julienne Mini Cooler. This lineup taps into the current “blue everything” trend.

Those interested in these new Stanley summer color collections can checkout the full rundown here.

At 2:08 p.m. on Monday, the National Weather Service released a heat advisory in effect until Tuesday at 9 p.m. for Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan and Cullman counties.

The weather service states to prepare for, “Heat index values up to 107 degrees.”

“Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses,” comments the weather service.

Beating the heat: Heat safety guidelines from the weather service

• Stay hydrated: Make sure to drink plenty of fluids.
• Seek cool shelter: Opt for an air-conditioned room to stay comfortable.
• Avoid sun exposure: Stay out of the sun, and make sure to check up on relatives and neighbors.
• Child and pet safety: Never leave young children and pets unattended in hot vehicles – car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.
• Caution outdoors: Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside.
• Select the ideal time: If possible, reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening when the heat is less intense.
• Recognize heat-related issues: Recognize the warning signs and familiarize yourself with symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
• Stay cool with clothing: Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing to help your body stay cool.

Additional tips for outdoor workers:

• For outdoor workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends regular rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned areas.
• If someone succumbs to the heat, promptly relocate them to a cool, shaded location.
• In emergency situations, dial 911 for immediate assistance.

These NWS heat safety recommendations are vital for your well-being during periods of high temperatures. Stay informed and take the necessary steps to protect yourself and others from the heat’s potentially dangerous effects.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

Walmart is offering tons of deals on bikes and electric scooters this week, including a major discount on the best-selling AOVOPRO Electric Scooter perfect for commuters.

With this Walmart deal, you can score the AOVOPRO Commuter E-Scooter for only $289 instead of its original list price of $600. This is a more than $300 discount overall. Free shipping is also included for both regular customers and Walmart+ members.

RELATED: Is a Walmart+ membership worth it? 5 benefits of being a member

Whether you’re going to class or navigating a large city, the AOVOPRO Electric Scooter was designed specifically for commuters. The adjustable and soft seat, combined with the front dual hydraulic shock absorber and rear spring shock absorption, ensures a comfortable riding experience, even on long-distance commutes. The scooter’s 14-inch tires further enhance ride comfort by absorbing most shocks. For added convenience, it comes with a detachable carry basket for carrying groceries and packages, along with a mobile phone holder for easy navigation.

This E-Scooter has a default maximum speed of 22 MPH and a mileage range of 21-28 miles on a full charge. Powered by a 48V-54.6V lithium-ion battery and a 500W motor, it can support a maximum load of 264 lbs and takes 4-5 hours to fully charge. Not to mention, it is foldable, waterproof and weather-resistant.

Those interested in this deal can checkout the full listing on Walmart’s website here.

Huntsville’s member of Congress is hailing the confirmation of a Space Force general with Redstone Arsenal experience to oversee President Donald Trump’s signature missile defense effort.

The Senate confirmed Gen. Michael A. Guetlein last week as program manager for the Golden Dome missile shield, a multibillion-dollar push to bolster homeland defenses against threats from both global superpowers and rogue nations.

“President Trump’s decision to have General Guetlein serve as the Golden Dome Czar is a strategic move to strengthen our national defense at a critical time,” said Republican Rep. Dale Strong of Alabama’s 5th Congressional District

Guetlein has served as vice chief of space operations for U.S. Space Force, tasked with helping organize, train and equip space forces, integrating space policy and guidance, and coordinating space-related activities for Space Force and the Air Force.

He served as the program executive for programs and integration within the Missile Defense Agency at Redstone Arsenal from April 2017 to June 2019.

Space Force Lt. Gen. Shawn N. Bratton has been nominated to succeed Guetlein as vice chief but is awaiting Senate confirmation.

“I am confident that under [Guetlein’s] leadership, President Trump’s vision to innovate our homeland missile defense through Golden Dome will soon become a reality – creating a strong deterrence against our adversaries,” said Republican Rep. Jeff Crank of Colorado Springs, Colo., Strong’s co-chairman of the House Golden Dome Caucus.

Strong and Crank have said the caucus would be a platform for members of Congress to advocate for policies, funding and capabilities around Golden Dome.

In an executive order issued in late January, President Donald Trump outlined a vision of an “Iron Dome for America” – a national missile defense program with a special emphasis on space-based capabilities.

Trump’s order borrowed its name from Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense program, a joint U.S.-Israeli venture designed to defend that nation against missile threats launched from relatively short distances. The name of Trump’s program was changed to “Golden Dome” shortly after his announcement.

Details remain scant, though north Alabama’s sector strengths in space and missile defense imply the Huntsville area could have a large role to play in Golden Dome research and development.

Lawmakers approved nearly $25 billion in funding for Golden Dome in Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” taxing and spending package, though the legislation did not specify how much of that would go toward existing Defense activities or to new lines of effort.

Trump has said the effort would cost $175 billion and would be in place by the end of his term. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated Golden Dome could carry a price tag of up to $831 billion over 20 years.

Upon his nomination in March, Guetlein described Golden Dome as an effort, “on the magnitude of the Manhattan Project.”

The man convicted in the 1979 killing of 6-year-old Etan Patz was awarded a new trial Monday as a federal appeals court overturned the guilty verdict in one of the nation’s most notorious missing child cases.

Pedro Hernandez has been serving 25 years to life in prison since his 2017 conviction. He had been arrested in 2012 after a decades-long, haunting search for answers in Etan’s disappearance on the first day he was allowed to walk alone to his school bus stop in New York City.

The appeals court overturned the conviction because of an issue involving how the trial judge handled a jury note during Hernandez’s 2017 trial — his second. His first trial ended in a jury deadlock in 2015. The court ordered Hernandez’s release unless the state gives him a new trial within a reasonable period to be set by the lower court judge.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it was reviewing the decision.

Harvey Fishbein, an attorney for Hernandez, declined to comment when reached Monday by phone.

A message seeking comment was sent to Etan’s parents.

Hernandez was a teenager working at a convenience shop in Etan’s Manhattan neighborhood when the boy vanished.

Hernandez later confessed to choking Etan. But Hernandez’s lawyers said his confession was false, spurred by a mental illness that makes him confuse reality with imagination. He also has a very low IQ.

Etan was among the first missing children pictured on milk cartons. His case contributed to an era of fear among American families, making anxious parents more protective of kids who many once allowed to roam and play unsupervised in their neighborhoods.

The Patzes’ advocacy helped to establish a national missing-children hotline and to make it easier for law enforcement agencies to share information about such cases. The May 25 anniversary of Etan’s disappearance became National Missing Children’s Day.

From the start, Etan’s case spurred a huge search and an enduring, far-flung investigation. But no trace of Etan was ever found. A civil court declared him dead in 2001.

Hernandez didn’t become a suspect until police got a 2012 tip that he’d made remarks years earlier about having killed a child in New York.

Hernandez then confessed to police, saying he’d lured Etan into the store’s basement by promising a soda and choked him because “something just took over me.” He said he put Etan, still alive, in a box and left it with curbside trash.

The appeals court ruled Monday that in 2017 the trial judge gave “clearly wrong” and “manifestly prejudicial” instructions to the jury in response to a question about Hernandez’s confessions to law enforcement.

The jury had asked whether, if it deemed invalid a confession Hernandez made before being advised of his Miranda rights to remain silent, it must also disregard a subsequent confession after those warnings were given. The judge said no, but the appeals court said that answer was incorrect.

Emmy Russell and her Tyler Ward are asking for prayers after their baby daughter, Taylor Raydiant, was hospitalized over the weekend for seizures.

The 2024 “American Idol” finalist and granddaughter of country music legend Loretta Lynn posted an update on Monday after an emotional video was posted Sunday on social media.

“She did spasm this morning,” she posted. “She has the EEG, so we will see what her results are and next steps. The neurologist should be coming in very soon. Please continue to pray.”

On Sunday, her baby was rushed to the hospital with signs of spasms.

“We’ve noticed that little Taylor has had some seizures, and we took her to the hospital today,” she posted Sunday. “We really do believe in the power of prayer, so we’re just asking you to come alongside us in this moment.”

Russell, 26, said the baby was place on an EEG to monitor brain activity.

“Just pray for like, normal brain waves,” she said. “She’s been having these spasms, kind of just like she’s falling almost … they were just really concerned about it and wanted to do some checking.”

The singer explained the child was fussy and she and her singer-songwriter husband believed it was a result of teething. However, they saw what they believed to be spasms and rushed to the hospital.

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.

South Alabama linebacker Blayne Myrick is the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, the league office announced Monday.

Myrick, a junior from Fairhope, totaled a team-best 101 tackles along with eight tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception (which he returned for a touchdown) and a forced fumble in 2024. He was a second-team All-Sun Belt pick after last season.

Voting was conducted among the Sun Belt’s 14 coaches and select broadcasters. Voting totals were not released.

Myrick also earned a spot on the preseason All-Sun Belt first team, along with running back Kentrel Bullock. A senior from Columbia, Miss., Bullock ran for for 832 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, while catching 15 passes for 153 yards and a TD.

South Alabama had three players selected to the preseason All-Sun Belt second team: offensive tackle Jordan Davis, safety Wesley Miller and punter Aleksi Pulkkinen. Davis was a third-team all-conference pick after last season.

Troy had no players named first-team preseason All-Sun Belt, but had four on the second team: offensive lineman Eli Russ, defensive lineman Luis Medina, defensive back Devin Lafayette and kicker Scott Taylor Renfroe. Russ, Lafayette and Medina were all honorable mention selections after the 2024 season.

Southern Miss quarterback Braylon Braxton, a Marshall transfer, is the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Arkansas State kicker Clune Van Andel earned the nod on special teams.

The complete preseason All-Sun Belt football teams for 2025:

First-team offense

QB — Braylon Braxton, Southern Miss

RB — George Pettaway, James Madison

RB — Kentrel Bullock, South Alabama

WR – Corey Rucker, Arkansas State

WR – Josh Dallas, Georgia Southern

WR – Ted Hurst, Georgia State

TE – Toby Payne, Marshall

OL – Nick Del Grande, Coastal Carolina

OL – Caleb Cook, Georgia Southern

OL – Pichon Wimbley, Georgia Southern

OL – Pat McMurtrie, James Madison

OL – Zach Barlev, Old Dominion

First-team defense

DL – Bryan Whitehead, Arkansas State

DL – Latrell Bullard, Georgia Southern

DL – Jordan Lawson, Louisiana

DL – Kevontay Wells, Louisiana-Monroe

DL – Brodarius Lewis, Southern Miss

LB – Brendan Harrington, Georgia Southern

LB – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion

LB – Blayne Myrick, South Alabama

DB – Chance Gamble, Georgia Southern

DB – Jacob Thomas, James Madison

DB – Tyree Skipper, Louisiana

DB – Josh Moten, Southern Miss

First-team specialists

K – Clune Van Andel, Arkansas State

P – Alex Smith, Georgia Southern

RS – Ian Foster, Southern Miss

AP – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State

Second-team offense

QB – Alonza Barnett, James Madison

RB – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State

RB – Bill Davis, Louisiana

OL – Jax Harrington, Louisiana

OL – George Jackson, Louisiana

OL – Jalen Slappy, Marshall

OL – Jordan Davis, South Alabama

OL – Eli Russ, Troy

TE — Kyirin Heath, Southern Miss

WR – Dalton Stroman, App State

WR – Jameson Tucker, Coastal Carolina

WR – Dalen Cobb, Georgia Southern

Second-team defense

DL – Henry Bryant, Georgia State

DL – Immanuel Bush, James Madison

DL – Kris Trinidad, Old Dominion

DL – Luis Medina, Troy

LB – Shane Bruce, Coastal Carolina

LB – Trent Hendrick, James Madison

LB – Cameron Whitfield, Louisiana

LB – Koa Naotala, Old Dominion

DB – Tracy Hill, Georgia Southern

DB – DJ Barksdale, James Madison

DB – Wesley Miller, South Alabama

DB – Devin Lafayette, Troy

Second-team specialists

K – Scott Taylor Renfroe, Troy

P – Aleksi Pulkkinen, South Alabama

RS – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State

AP – George Pettaway, James Madison

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his role at Theodore Huxtable in the 1980s sitcom “The Cosby Show,” is dead at the age of 54, TMZ is reporting.

Citing a reliable source, TMZ reports Warner died as a result of an accidental drowning. PEOPLE, citing a source, reports the actor was in Costa Rica on a family vacation when the drowning took place.

ABC News reports that Warner died of asphyxia after he was caught by a high current in the ocean. His body was reportedly found Sunday afternoon.

Within minutes of the news, “Theo” was trending on social media.

The Emmy-award winning actor was most recently hosting the podcast “Not All Hood,” and his latest episode dropped just 3 days ago.

Warner is survived by his wife and daughter.

He and Eddie Griffin starred in the sitcom “Malcolm & Eddie” from 1996 to 2000. He also starred in “Reed Between the Lines” from 2011 to 2015.

Other credits include “Major Crimes,” “Suits” and “The Resident.” He also voiced The Producer from 1994-1997 on “The Magic School Bus.”

However, Warner is most remembered for his role as Bill Cosby’s son in the “Cosby Show.” Warner was just 14 when the show premiered in 1984 and ran through 1992.

He also won a Grammy winner for Best Traditional R&B Performance with the Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Lala Hathaway for the song Jesus Children in 2015.

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.

It looks “Duck Dynasty” is adding to the family.

That’s right, Jep and Jessica Robertson will be grandparents again.

Jessica Robertson posted Monday that daughter Priscilla June, 18, is expecting.

“Me and Jep are excited to welcome another new grandbaby in October,” she posted. “Priscilla will give birth to our granddaughter, and we are blessed to add another grandbaby.

“This isn’t the plans we had laid out for Priscilla, but God takes our meager offerings and turns them into His greatest blessings.

The baby’s father is a man named Dillon, per her post.

“We are so proud that Priscilla and Dillon chose life for their baby and we will all be rewarded with this precious baby girl,” she added.

“We pray blessings on her pregnancy and ask God for a safe delivery for Mom and baby. We praise God for His perfect gifts!”

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.

Alabama is set to get its first Hard Rock hotel. The REVERB hotel is slated for downtown Florence.

The eight-story building will replace the Days Inn hotel, which has stood vacant for 15 years, in the heart of Florence. Sak Capital Partners is spearheading construction.

Florence was chosen in part due to its proximity to Muscle Shoals, which has a rich music history. It is near the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and FAME Studios. Icons like Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones and Willie Nelson have recorded music in the Shoals.

“Hard Rock International recognized the Muscle Shoals & Florence community’s music heritage and contribution to all things in modern music, specifically the rock, country and gospel genres,” developer and president Eugene Sak said. “Hard Rock is the largest collector and preservationist of modern music memorabilia and culture in the world.”

The Hard Rock is the first hotel to be built in Florence since 2010, but Sak said tourism has doubled in the area.

The hotel will have the area’s music history throughout the building, along with 155 guest rooms, 2,000 square feet of meeting space and more.

The REVERB hotel is similar to the traditional Hard Rock hotel. It’s still an upscale hotel with a recording studio, live music venues and restaurants, according to Sak. It just does not include gaming associated with the property.

Sak says the hotel is expected to create over 200 jobs, bring $1.3 billion to the local economy and attract more than 68,000 annual visitors to Florence.

The REVERB Hard Rock hotel was a recipient of a tax rebate from the Sweet Home Alabama Tourism Investment Act. Sak said incentives like this were necessary to make this project a reality because “the local private market could not support this upscale project in its early years.”

In the past year, the city has received revates, held public hearings and rezoned the area to bring the hotel giant to the Shoals.

Sak said demolition is set for later this year. It’s expected to be open in 2028.