Alabama News

St. Michael Catholic coach and former NFL QB Philip Rivers thinks South Alabama may have hit the jackpot with Noah Moss and Brody Jones.

The two rising Cardinal seniors committed to Major Applewhite and the Jaguars on separate days last week.

“I think they will both do well,” Rivers said. “As you would expect in high school, they are still ascending players. They both have high ceilings. They both have a really high football IQ. When you add the physical gifts they have with their football smarts and the desire to get better, I think they can have a lot of success.”

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Moss is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound running back for Rivers’ team. Jones is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound wide receiver. Together, they helped the Cardinals to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the Class 4A state semifinals a year ago.

“I was excited about it,” Rivers said of the duo’s choice to play for the Jaguars. “South has dang good football. It’s a heck of a conference. They’ve won a lot of football games. They have great facilities and a great stadium. It’s close to home. South has been on both of them for a long time now.”

Jones, the son of former Kentucky quarterback Pookie Jones, caught 104 passes a year ago for 1,581 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago. He averaged 15.2 yards per catch. He also had offers from North Alabama and UAB.

He said South Alabama’s coaching staff played a big role in his decision to commit to the Jaguars.

“Their receivers coach and offensive coordinator (Paul Petrino) is someone I’ve talked to a lot throughout the whole process,” he said. “He’s a great coach, and he’s kept it straight with me the whole time. It made for an easy decision.”

Jones said the staff hasn’t talked to him about which wide receiver spot he might play, just about getting on campus and doing the work.

“He’s one of the most naturally talented people I’ve ever played with, and I’ve played with some pretty good people,” Moss said of Jones. “The way he can just glide in the air, his ball skills, all that stuff.”

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Moss is also a football legacy. His dad, Jarvis, played at the University of Florida and also for the Denver Broncos.

“I think Noah is one of the best running backs I ever played with or played against,” Jones said. “He’s a dog. I think he’s like a little Alvin Kamara.”

Moss rushed for 1,805 yards and 32 touchdowns on 252 carries as a junior. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry and 150 yards per game. Moss also pointed to the Jaguar coaching staff as a key reason for his commitment.

“When I met with coach Applewhite, he was brutally honest,” he said. “He wasn’t trying to fluff anything or play any games with me. He just told me how it was going to be moving forward. Coach (Broderick) Fobbs seems like there is a lot he can teach me about the running back position, but he also prioritizes the right things outside of football and that’s the type of man I want to be and surround myself with the next four years.”

The duo said they did talk to each other about college and hope to be roommates at South, but they weren’t necessarily a package deal for the Jaguars.

“We did talk, but it was both of our decisions,” Jones said. “We both wanted to commit there regardless of what the other did. I think it’s a great school for both of us.”

St. Michael is scheduled to play a jamboree game at Alma Bryant on Aug. 15. The Cardinals open the season at home against Bayside Academy on Aug. 22.

An Alabama lawmaker wants to strengthen the state’s prohibition on slap fighting, a brutal contest that is popular on YouTube and sanctioned in the state of Nevada.

In a slap fight, two contestants stand face-to-face and exchange open-palm blows without defending themselves.

“Essentially, you stand there and get slapped as hard as you can,” said John Parris, executive director of the Alabama Athletic Commission.

“You’re not allowed to move. So it’s just a head injury waiting to happen with no gear or anything.”

The Alabama Athletic Commission regulates professional boxing, mixed martial arts, professional wrestling, and Toughman competitions in the state.

The commission voted to prohibit slap fighting in Alabama in 2022, shortly after it was sanctioned in Nevada.

Sen. Gerald Allen, a Republican from Tuscaloosa, has filed a bill that would put the Alabama Athletic Commission’s ban on slap fighting into state law.

Allen’s bill says the commission cannot authorize any match, contest, or exhibition of slap fighting.

The bill describes slap fighting as “unarmed combat consisting of two opponents who stand at arm’s length from each other and take turns slapping each other in the face.

“The opponents are prohibited from moving, flinching, or defending themselves in any way as blows are struck.”

Allen said he learned about slap fighting earlier this year while working on an update to the state law on the Alabama Athletic Commission.

“It caught my attention and I said we don’t need this,” Allen said. “And we need to police this thing as best as we can and to prohibit those events in Alabama.”

Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, leads a slap fighting organization called Power Slap.

The YouTube channel has more than 3 million subscribers.

Parris said the commission has received a few reports of slap fighting events in Alabama over the last few years, including one that was confirmed.

“We got video and the person was fined and it was taken care of that way,” Parris said. “They were banned for a certain amount of years from doing any events in the state.”

Last year, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh published a study based on analysis of videos of 78 slap fights. They said 44 of the 56 contestants showed at least one sign of concussion.

Allen said the long-term consequences of multiple concussions is the main concern.

Parris said he does not know of another competition that exposes participants to injury like slap fighting.

“The only thing even akin to it would be a bare-knuckle event,” Parris said. “But even in bare-knuckle boxing, you can move and protect yourself. So there’s nothing else like this, that you’re not allowed to protect yourself.”

The Alabama Athletic Commission’s website says it is illegal to promote, participate, or attend a slap fighting event in Alabama and can result in fines of up to $10,000.

“Anyone that is aware of an illegal slap fighting event is encouraged to contact the AAC and the local authorities to have events shut down immediately,” it says.

Although there have been several reports of slap fight events in Alabama, Parris said it has not been a major problem. He said the commission has a good rapport with wresting promoters who keep him informed.

“We have a lot of really good investigators out there that work with us,” Parris said.

“I have a lot of good communication with my wrestling promoters and they tell me if anything bad is going to happen.”

Wimbledon continues today, as second-round action is ready to begin this morning. No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is scheduled to play against Oliver Tarvet at 9 a.m. CT on ESPN. Fans can watch this Wimbledon match for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.

Alcaraz is looking to win Wimbledon for the second season in a row this year. In his first-round matchup, Alcaraz defeated Fabio Fognini in five sets.

After struggling in the first four sets of the match, Alcaraz was able to bounce back and win the final set 6-1. If he carries that momentum into today’s match, then he will be difficult to defeat in the event.

Tarvet has an impressive 4-0 record at Wimbledon this year, which includes two victories against top 30 players. Notably, Tarvet knocked off No. 14 Terence Atmane in two sets during the qualifying round.

In his first-round matchup, Tarvet defeated Leandro Riedi in three sets. During the victory, Tarvet did not concede more than four games in a single set. With this in mind, he will try to perform similarly this morning.

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Two-time defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will face Oliver Tarvet in Wimbledon on Wednesday, and Yankees-Blue Jays and Padres-Phillies are featured games on the MLB schedule. You can get on board to wager on any sport today with our exclusive BetMGM bonus code ALCOM1500. A winning $10 bet triggers your $150 in bonus bets.

Alcaraz is coming off a tough first round against Fabio Fognin and is aiming for a better performance after winning in five sets on Monday. The Atlanta Braves are also hosting the Los Angeles Angels in the second game of a six-game homestand.

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Alcaraz was certainly tested more than expected in the first round by Fognini. But he was able to extend his career-high winning streak to 19. “I have to improve in the next round,” Alcaraz said, via the Associated Press. He remains the favorite to win the tournament at +125.

The Blue Jays are sticking close in what has become a tight three-team race in the American League East. The division-leading Yankees, though, will send Max Fried to the mound.

He is shining in his first season with New York, as his 10 wins and 1.92 ERA are among baseball’s elite in both categories. In his one start against the Yankees this season, Toronto’s Kevin Gausman allowed six earned runs in 2.2 innings pitched.

The Phillies are atop the National League East, and San Diego is jockeying with San Francisco for second place in the National League West. Cristopher Sanchez will look to push his record to 7-2 as he opposes the Padres’ Nick Pivetta. Grant Holmes, who did not allow more than two earned runs in his last three appearances, will start for Atlanta.

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The Huntsville City Council annexed about 128 acres of land at its June 26 meeting and is poised to annex more than 1,000 acres at its first meeting this month.

But Huntsville City Councilwoman Michelle Watkins continues to voice concerns about whether Huntsville City Schools can handle the increase of students the new land acquisitions could potentially bring. Watkins abstained from voting on the largest annexation at the meeting, a 121-acre site north and south of Little Cove Road and west of U.S. 72 East.

“I’m asking these questions because the schools are busting at the seams,” said Watkins, who was a school board member before her election to the council last year.

Mayor Tommy Battle said city officials meet with City Schools Superintendent Clarence Sutton monthly and talk about annexations and where Huntsville is growing as a city.

The mayor said they talk about a lot of different issues that affect the city and school board.

Manager of Planning and Zoning Services Thomas Nunez said a more than 100-single family home development is proposed for the site off Little Cove Road, although 90 acres – of the 121 acres – of property would be kept in its natural state. The council also voted to annex two other properties totaling about seven acres.

Deposit Road, LLC, management committee managers James R. Hays and John W. Hays, the estate of William Stevens and the estate of Kelly Virginia Stevens were the petitioners for the Little Cove Road property.

So far this year, the city has taken in more than 600 acres in surpassing Chicago as the nation’s 27th largest city geographically at 722 square miles. Included in the previously annexed land is an almost 400-acre site off the Interstate 65-565 interchange where about 3,000 homes are proposed as part of a mixed-use development.

And the council will vote on annexing 1,013 more acres south of River Loop Road and west of Vaughn Road at its July 10 meeting. Huntsville only annexed a little more than 85 acres last year.

Amtrak’s restoration of service along the Gulf Coast next month will not include a stop in Atmore, despite the city’s status as Alabama’s “rail welcome center.”

Still, city officials are determined to have the nation’s passenger rail service come back someday to a city that, more than any other in Alabama, celebrates its rail heritage with an annual fall festival.

“We are fully supportive,” said Atmore Mayor Shawn Lassiter, who took office on June 1, at a news conference hosted by Amtrak announcing the start date, fares and schedule for the new Amtrak Mardi Gras Service between Mobile and New Orleans.

“We’ve been looking at it for years,” he said. “We miss it. We want it back.”

Port concerns

However, standing in the way is a powerful entity in Alabama – the Alabama State Port Authority with support from the Mobile City Council.

Considered Mobile’s largest economic engine, the port has established a limit of not having trains traverse north of downtown Mobile in exchange for its support of Amtrak’s return to the Gulf Coast.

The Mobile City Council, last year, approved a three-year agreement with Amtrak to support the initial operations of the Mardi Gras Service with a clause added that allows the city to terminate the agreement if service is expanded beyond a Mobile-to-New Orleans route.

Maggie Oliver, spokesperson with the Alabama Port Authority, said it’s important for all parties involved in Amtrak’s return to the Gulf Coast to work on improving the existing rail line. That includes moving forward on agreements that were included in a $178 million federal grant awarded to Amtrak nearly two years ago.

“While we recognize there is broader regional interest in expanding passenger rail around the Gulf Coast, multiple infrastructure projects along the current service route still need to be completed,” Oliver said. “All parties should remain focused on executing the grant at hand before contemplating a service that extends beyond Mobile.”

In recent years, Port Authority CEO John Driscoll has said the only way he could support a longer route is if there is an additional rail traffic study performed that analyzes the impact of passenger rail to the port’s operations. The study should also look at additional infrastructure that would be required to accommodate both freight and passenger trains.

No such study has taken place or appears to be in the process of occurring.

The port has long been concerned over adding Amtrak trains through the crowded freight train movement that officials say happens routinely into and out of Siebert Yard. The yard is north of downtown Mobile and is a major freight rail corridor serving the Alabama State Docks.

Jerry Gehman, surface transportation director with the City of Atmore and a former member of the Southern Rail Commission, said that previous long-distance trains that operated through Mobile and connected to Atmore did not create any backups or headaches within Siebert Yard.

The Sunset Limited was the last long-distance train that operated through Atmore, connecting west to Mobile, before service ceased after Hurricane Katrina damaged the line in 2005.

“It never created an issue in the Port of Mobile, ever,” Gehman said. “Nothing has changed.”

Florida interest

Gehman acknowledged that there is interest throughout the Florida Panhandle for their cities to get connected to Amtrak, which presumably would mean a connection from Atmore into Pensacola east toward Tallahassee and Jacksonville.

Pensacola has applied for grants to support Amtrak restoration. Last year, Walton and Okaloosa counties both signed onto letters expressing support to bring Amtrak service to Northwest Florida.

There is support among Florida state lawmakers as well. Legislation introduced this spring calls for including Florida in the Southern Rail Commission. The commission, formed in 1982 to advocate for passenger rail service, includes the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

“They are petitioning Amtrak to resume services,” Gehman said about the Florida cities and counties. “It’s not just us. We need another form of transportation.”

Last year, the Federal Railroad Administration proposed a map of possible routes worth studying that included a new passenger line from Dallas/Fort Worth to Miami through New Orleans to Mobile and into Northwest Florida.

Another route had Jacksonville connecting to Dallas/Fort Worth through Georgia and into Alabama along the Crescent line that includes stops in Anniston, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.

Gehman said that Atmore, a city of about 8,300 residents, is the only city with a train stop within Alabama without passenger rail service. He said that moving the route east would benefit rural Alabama and would provide Atmore and Escambia County with a new economic generator.

For Atmore, restoring rail service could be economically significant, as the city has among the highest poverty rates in Alabama. Its median household income is $33,104, which is only slightly more than half of the state’s average of $62,027.

“The only real stop in the state along Amtrak’s route not served now is Atmore,” Gehman said. “We say that moving it east benefits rural Alabama.”

Funding potential

Efforts to extend the route eastward gained momentum a few years ago during President Joe Biden’s administration after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) set aside $66 billion for Amtrak.

The momentum could continue even with Biden no longer in office. President Donald Trump’s administration, earlier this month, released a fiscal year 2026 budget for Amtrak that included similar levels of funding than in prior years. The budget request calls for an increase from $1.29 billion to $1.58 billion to support Amtrak’s national network, while defunding the Northeast Corridor from $1.14 billion to $850 million.

The funding request also includes boosting the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program from $100 million last fiscal year to $500 million. The same CRISI program is financing the $178 million of improvements along the Gulf Coast rail line, including $77 million viewed as “critical” to the Port Authority’s operations.

Knox Ross, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission, said any effort to move the train beyond downtown Mobile will require working closely with the port.

The Port Authority, along with CSX and Norfolk Southern – the two freight operators along the Gulf Coast route – were a party in a lawsuit filed by Amtrak in 2021, that was before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. At the time, the Port Authority was vocally opposed to adding passenger trains to the route.

An agreement involving all sides was reached in late 2022.

“We respect their issues,” Ross said about the Port Authority’s concerns about taking the trains east of downtown Mobile adjacent to Cooper Riverside Park. “I think (an eastward expansion) is something that will be driven by Florida, and from Jacksonville back to the west. They’ve expressed interest in that.”

He added, “It’s something worth investigating carefully in expressing the needs and wishes of the port.”

In its quest to bring space exploration to more screens, NASA is partnering with Netflix to stream live programming beginning this summer.

Netflix, the world’s largest paid video streaming service, will begin carrying NASA+ content, the space agency said in a news release. It has not specified a date the streaming will begin.

NASA+ live content includes rocket launches, astronaut spacewalks and views of Earth from the International Space Station. It is also available on the NASA app and the agency’s website.

“The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 calls on us to share our story of space exploration with the broadest possible audience,” said Rebecca Sirmons, general manager of NASA+. “Together, we’re committed to a Golden Age of Innovation and Exploration – inspiring new generations – right from the comfort of their couch or in the palm of their hand from their phone.”

The content will be available to all of Netflix’s global audience — more than 700 million people, NASA said.

Additional programming details and schedules will be announced ahead of launch, according to the space agency.

A popular marine park in Florida’s panhandle is closed and the property is to be sold, after five dolphins died at the park in less than a year.

“How is this happening in the United States of America?” Valerie Greene, a former animal trainer and volunteer with TideBreakers, a Canadian advocacy group against marine mammal captivity, told AL.com. “It’s unconscionable that we’re allowing this type of abuse, and it’s very public.”

Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach, Fla., closed in May after a bottlenose dolphin named Samira died at the park, according to a press release from the park’s parent company, The Dolphin Company.

Samira was the fifth dolphin to die at the park since October 2024. That month, three dolphins died at the marine park. Greene said TideBreakers believes the deaths were due to a deadly fungus that leached during nearby construction and infiltrated the pools.

A fourth dolphin died in March after doing a trick and landing in a shallow part of the tank. TideBreakers put out a video later that month showing the dolphins swimming in dirty, algae-covered water.

Following the dolphins’ deaths, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier opened a criminal investigation into the park and its parent company in May, according to news reports.

The Dolphin Company then filed for bankruptcy on March 31. In a filing last week, the bankruptcy officers noted that the Gulf World property on Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach is being prepared for sale, along with some of the company’s other properties.

In the meantime, the remaining dolphins have been transferred primarily to other facilities owned by The Dolphin Company.

Seals and sea lions were also moved to the Miami Seaquarium, despite concerns that some of the seals had eye issues, according to reporting from the Panama City News Herald.

The Miami Seaquarium is another Dolphin Company facility and has made headlines for its treatment of animals. Miami-Dade County tried to evict the seaquarium in 2024; that remains pending.

“They went from basically trading a headache to an upset stomach,” Greene said, “going from one deplorable roadside attraction to another.”

In the news release, The Dolphin Company blamed the difficulties at Gulf World on “years of neglect” from the Mexico-based team tasked with managing the park.

“Animal welfare and safety continue to be top priorities for the fiduciaries who are managing the company under the auspices of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court,” the company’s news release states.

A representative for The Dolphin Company did not respond to AL.com’s request for comment.

Greene says the federal agencies tasked with regulating Gulf World Marine Park failed to hold the park accountable as conditions deteriorated. An inspector with the U.S. Department of Agriculture documented the dolphin’s water tank cracking as early as 2023.

Greene filed complaints with the Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Those complaints were largely ignored, she said.

TideBreakers has begun circulating a petition, asking for U.S. Congress to hold hearings on the agencies’ alleged failure to monitor The Dolphin Company. It currently has almost 2,500 signatures.

In a statement, Andre Bell, a spokesperson for the agriculture department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it works hard to enforce laws protecting animal welfare.

“APHIS takes its mission to ensure the humane treatment of animals covered by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) very seriously. We continue to conduct inspections and work with facilities to ensure they are in compliance with regulations under the AWA,” Bell said in an email. “When we find issues that bring facilities out of compliance with the AWA regulations, we work hard to bring them back into compliance as quickly as possible. Our investigative process for individuals and/or businesses found out of compliance with the AWA may lead to an enforcement action such as letters of warning, monetary penalties, license suspensions and revocations.”

A representative for NOAA did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

Greene said she’s frustrated that the animals are still being housed at Dolphin Company-owned facilities as the legal proceedings continue, but she’s hopeful that the increased attention will lead to improved conditions for marine animals held in captivity.

“We need to radically reimagine the laws that are designed to protect these animals that are woefully inadequate,” Greene said. “I think we’re sort of witnessing this whole entire industry implode, starting with The Dolphin Company, and just how they’ve been allowed to function like this for years.”

Auburn athletics is officially a Nike school.

So, what’s next?

The Tigers’ fall sports will be the first to combine Auburn’s traditional colors with the Nike logo.

With all the questions surrounding on how the uniform designs will look in the Nike era. Auburn uniform researcher Clint Richardson broke down his expectations for each major sport.

“I think that football especially is going to be very similar to what we have seen in the last 60 years,” Richardson told AL.com Tuesday morning.

Richardson elaborated on how most Nike college teams and NFL organizations wear the Nike F.U.S.E. jerseys and that fans can expect that same style for Auburn this fall.

“It has a very sharp V seam on the chest and like a large cowcatcher collar,” Richardson added when explaining the jersey design. “You don’t see a lot of teams go with a blank collar with Nike. They always tend to add a logo to the middle of the front collar.”

“Auburn is probably going to go with a blank one and keep the copper plate chest mark on the front. It might get pushed down a little bit. Might get made a little bit bigger than what it was with Under Armour, but I expect football is going to be 99% the same that’s what we’ve always seen.”

For Auburn baseball and Softball, it’s going to follow the same template the MLB is using.

During the 2024 MLB season, there was a widespread of criticism of the Nike-designed-uniforms. The MLBPA addressed the concerns with the league, allowing for changes to be made ahead of this season.

“Baseball is probably going to be moving to the same template that MLB has been using since early last year that caused a lot of controversy between players of fans,” Richardson said. The main issues were on how the looked, how they fit, how they sweat and how the graze didn’t match. So, it’s a very different take on baseball uniforms than what most companies have done.”

Just like the previous sports, Auburn basketball is most likely going to follow the NBA template with its jersey designs. However, sports like soccer could be in for a fresh new design.

“In 2014 they introduced a straight sash jersey and they’ve worn that design ever since,” Richardson said. “It’s gone for a couple iterations, but it’s still a striped sash on the front of the jersey with the Auburn and the player number right in the middle. So, are they going to keep that or are they going to hit a refresh button and try something brand new especially with the coach?”

Through the years, Auburn has kept its tradition alive repping its original colors from the golden ages of the football program. Now officially in the Nike era, Richardson is eager to see the evolution of the Tigers historic colors and stripes.

“There’s a very traditional look that’s being used throughout all of all uniforms currently,” Richardson added. “I wonder if that’s an Auburn as a whole holistic choice to do or trend that’s just keeping on. I’m curious to see what direction each program is going to take him next couple of weeks.”

Even though the partnership launched today, all Nike products will be available for purchase online and in stores July 25th.

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at [email protected].

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend embarrassed me when he told me to apologize to a woman standing behind him in line at the market. He was about to pay for the groceries when I said I’d run to get an item I had forgotten. It took less than a minute, and the order was still being rung up.

When I went back to include the item, he ordered me loudly to apologize to the woman standing in line behind him. Abby, he was still paying! She wasn’t even in line when I went to get the mustard. Because he was still there, I thought he had told her he was waiting for me.

It’s not the first time he’s done something like this. I don’t think I did anything wrong, and even if I did, he could have told me privately and not made me feel like a misbehaving child. I would feel different if we had left the checkout line, but he hadn’t. I thought he was holding the line for me. — NOT A CHILD IN FLORIDA

DEAR NOT A CHILD: If there had been a long line, I can understand that running back to fetch the mustard might have caused a serious inconvenience.

Because there wasn’t, your boyfriend should not have embarrassed you the way he did. Since it wasn’t the first time he has done something like this, assume that he derives satisfaction from doing it. Think hard about whether you really want a future with a partner like him. (I know I wouldn’t.)

Read more Dear Abby and other advice columns.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.