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General

Chicken taco kits from Kroger, Sprouts recalled in several states, including Alabama

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recalling chicken taco kits sold at Sprouts and Kroger locations in several states, including Alabama.

In October, Oregon-based manufacturer Reser’s Fine Foods announced it would recall seven types of meal kits that include chicken supplied by BrucePac over fears they may be contaminated with listeria, reports Newsweek. Sprouts recalled several lots of the meal kits with the UPC number 205916813991 and “Best by” dates from Sept. 2 to Nov. 11, 2024. Kroger recalled lots of the chicken taco kit with the UPC number 7203695028.

According to Newsweek, the chicken taco kit recall affects 24,072 units distributed in Kroger stores in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

People with the kits are advised to dispose of them or return to them to the place of purchase.

General

Here’s what to know about the newest M&M flavor

If you’re a fan of peanut butter M&Ms, you’re in for a treat–a new peanut-butter flavored M&M is coming to shelves.

The candy brand will release M&M’s peanut butter and jelly in December. The new flavor mashup is the company’s first new flavor innovation since 2022.

The new M&M’s edition will feature berry-flavored bite-sized chocolate treats with a peanut butter center.

“Peanut butter M&M’S have always been a popular flavor with our fans, so we’re excited to double down on their excitement – with a twist,” said Gabrielle Wesley, Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Wrigley North America, in a press release. “Our new M&M’S Peanut Butter & Jelly taps into a cross-generational staple, turning a delicious and comforting snack into a bite-sized treat to be enjoyed and shared.”

USA TODAY reports the candies will be sold in stores nationwide and at www.MMS.com in three sizes, including:

Single Size (1.63 ounces)
Share Size (2.83 ounces)
Sharing Size Stand Up Pouches (8.6 ounces)

General

Urban Meyer calls out Lane Kiffin for SEC championship comment

Lane Kiffin’s comment about other SEC coaches not wanting to play in the conference championship game doesn’t track for Urban Meyer.

“I can’t even think like that,” Meyer said during “The Triple Option” podcast.

“What do you (mean), you hope you don’t go to the championship game? Like, I don’t — what do you like, you go and then you eat dinner afterward? You get up in the morning, as you’re driving to work, do you say, ‘Boy, I hope we don’t win the SEC Championship.’ I mean, that doesn’t compute.”

Earlier this week, the Ole Miss coach said league coaches don’t want to risk another loss – even in the conference title game – and be left out of the College Football Playoff. The thinking is a two-loss SEC team which doesn’t make the title game has a better chance of making the CFP than a 3-loss team which lost in Atlanta.

“I’ve talked to other coaches, so I’ll just kind of give you the feeling from some other coaches that. They don’t want to be in it,” Kiffin said of the SEC. “You know, the reward to get a bye (in the CFP) versus the risk to get knocked out completely. I mean, that’s a that’s a pretty big — that’s a really big risk.

“I think it has ended up being a very unique situation of all postseason sports, the way that system is set up there. How you could go to (the SEC Championship) and get knocked out (of the CFP race)? And if you don’t go (to the SEC Championship game), you’re in.”

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.

General

Texas imam arrested in Shelby County child pornography case after his wife alerted DHR

A Texas imam and well-known former Quran instructor is jailed in Alabama on a federal charge of conspiracy to produce child pornography.

The charge against Wisam A. Sharieff, 43, is connected to the arrest last month of a 50-year-old Chelsea woman – Blake Miller Barakat – who was jailed in Shelby County on 23 child sex charges with bond set at $1.9 million.

Sharieff founded and led the Quran Revolution program – an online course aimed at recitation and retention of the religious scripture of Islam. He was a teacher at the Houston-based AlMaghrib Institute and taught more than 25,000 students worldwide.

Not only did he coach Barakat in Quran, according to federal documents, but also in the sexual abuse of the young female victim.

“Sharieff told (Barakat) that achieving an orgasm would help her spiritually and allow her to communicate better with Allah,” wrote FBI Special Agent Eric Salvador, who is a member of the agency’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force based in Birmingham.

Sharieff also told Barakat that he wanted to help the juvenile victim, who is under the age of 12, also better understand Allah, so Barakat bought the child a vibrator and showed her how to use while watching pornography, the complaint states.

Sharieff went before a federal judge Tuesday and was ordered to remain in custody pending trial.

Officials at the AlMaghrib Institute issued a statement saying they were “horrified” by the allegations against Sharieff.

“This criminal allegation against Wisam Sharieff is a jarring and sickening experience for his students as well as AlMaghrib Institute’s staff and instructors who worked with him,’’ read the statement.

The Institute said it has a long-standing policy of zero tolerance for instructors having any romantic relationships with their students.

“Instructors are expected to abide by AlMaghrib Institute’s strict code of conduct in both their public and private lives,’’ the statement read.

“As soon as AlMaghrib Institute was notified of a possible violation of its code of conduct by an instructor in his personal life, AlMaghrib Institute conducted its own investigation but did not have access to law enforcement’s investigation.”

Sharieff was immediately fired.

The investigation began in October when a woman identifying herself as Sharieff’s wife called the Alabama Department of Human Resources to report seeing videos on her husband’s phone of a young girl watching adult pornography.

In the video, she said, the child’s mother was explaining the sexual acts they were watching.

The wife said she recognized the child and the woman because she had met them both at a conference in Atlanta.

The caller also told DHR that there were messages on her husband’s phone directing Barakat to produce additional sexual videos of the girl for him.

On Oct. 15, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office investigators made contact with Bakarat.

Salvador wrote in the federal complaint that Bakarat, who also goes by the name Hamna, spoke at length with investigators about her religion and said Sharieff was her teacher in an online Quran school.

Documents go into great detail about the sex acts performed by the child and said Bakarat would film the activities and send them to Sharieff. The two communicated through the Telegram messaging app.

She said she sent the videos to Sharieff to let him know how far they were progressing on their quest to become closer to Allah.

Some of the messages from Sharieff to Bakarat included:

“You are special and safe with me and our family time is a secret.”

“You’ve been lied to by men for so long it’s impossible to believe someone truthful.”

“When can papa work on Quran with (the juvenile victim”

Investigators, according to federal investigators, seized multiple electronic devices and sex toys from Bakarat’s residence.

Barakat was arrested last month on three counts of sex abuse of a child under the age of 12, 10 counts of production of child pornography and 10 counts of dissemination of child pornography.

She remains in the Shelby County Jail. A court date has not yet been set.

Sharieff remains in federal custody and is being housed at the Talladega County Jail.

General

McDonald’s for a first date? Alabama men say they’re ‘lovin it’

A romantic night out- would you like some fries with that?

A majority of Alabama men say they would.

In a survey of 3,000 American men recently conducted by DatingNews.com, 54% of Alabamian respondents chose McDonald’s as their top pick for a fast food first date.

Pizza Hut took second place and Taco Bell came in third.

“The old-school method of taking a new date out for dinner has been replaced by casual quick-service dates at coffee shops, bars, and even fast-food joints,” said Amber Brooks, Editor-in-Chief at DatingNews.com.

“A first date is a risk, and in this economy, modern singles are saving their time and money by opting for a chicken sandwich over a chicken marsala.”

In the national ranking, Chick-fil-A came in first place, Dairy Queen in second, and Sonic Drive-In and Pizza Hut tied for third.

54% of the men surveyed said they would consider taking a first date to a fast-food restaurant, and 66% of women said they would say yes if a man asked them out to one.

And over half (56%) of survey respondents said they would be happy to split the bill.

General

Alabama lawmaker wants to impose death penalty for child rape: ‘Worst of the worst’

A Republican legislator and prosecutor wants to change Alabama law to allow the death penalty for rape or sodomy of a child younger than 6.

Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne has pre-filed the bill in advance of next year’s legislative session.

“I think these crimes are some of the worst crimes that are possibly out there,” Simpson said. “I think when you injure and take the innocence of an individual that young, there’s no rehabilitation for someone like that.

“This is not something that, ‘Oh, I’ve learned my lesson. I raped a 5-year-old, so I’ve learned my lesson.’ No, this is a situation that these are the worst of the worst crimes. And sometimes the worst of the worst crimes deserve the worst of the worst punishments.”

Simpson’s bill would add first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy of a child younger than 6 to Alabama’s list of 21 capital offenses. The others are all murder offenses with aggravating circumstances.

Alabama law already mandates a sentence of life without parole for first-degree rape or sodomy when the victim is younger than 6.

Simpson’s bill says the sentence would be either death or life without parole. Offenders younger than 18 would be sentenced to life without parole or life with the possibility of parole.

Simpson said changing the Alabama law to allow the death penalty and similar bills in other states could lead to a successful challenge to a 2008 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that prohibited the death penalty for child rape.

In that case, Kennedy vs. Louisiana, the defendant was sentenced to death for aggravated rape of his 8-year-old stepdaughter.

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court overturned the sentence. The opinion, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, noted that Louisiana was one of only six states to authorize the death penalty for child rape. Kennedy wrote that there was a “social consensus against the death penalty for child rape.”

Kennedy noted that no person had been executed for rape of an adult or child in the United States since 1964, and that no execution for any other non-homicide crime had been done since 1963.

The opinion concluded that the death penalty for child rape violated the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments.

Simpson said the Supreme Court has changed since 2008 and noted that other states are passing laws similar to his bill. Florida passed a law calling for the death penalty for child rape in 2023. A Florida prosecutor sought the death penalty under that new last year, although the defendant made a deal to receive life without parole.

Simpson has handled cases with child victims during his career as a prosecutor in Baldwin and Mobile counties. He said those victims and their families relive the experience for the rest their lives.

“I think the death penalty would hopefully be able to send a message to the community and send a message to the individuals that Alabama is serious about crime,” Simpson said. “Especially if you’re taking advantage and doing horrific things to little ones.”

Simpson’s bill has 11 co-sponsors. The legislative session starts Feb. 4.

Republican leader of Alabama Senate going to work for Gov. Kay Ivey

General

Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame announces 2025 class

The Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame will have 12 new members, it was officially announced Wednesday.

The hall of fame’s 2025 class includes honorees from across the Madison County area, including three players from Butler High School’s basketball program: Courtney Beasley, Bobby Lee Hurt, and Tasheika Morris.

All of the inductees will be enshrined at a banquet on Monday, April 14, at the Von Braun Center. Tickets and advertising information can be found at www.hmcahof.com.

“It’s an honor,” Beasley said. “I’m from Butler, I didn’t know I was one of a few from Butler that was in the hall of fame, like Bobby Lee Hurt. It’s a real honor to be a Hall of Fame next to Bobby Lee Hurt, which he played on the NBA and everything.”

Other inductees include longtime Sparkman coach Dale Palmer, longtime Alabama AM bowling coach Jeff McCorvey and former Lee-Huntsville football standout Dwight Scales.

“It’s a great honor,” Palmer said. “When I got the phone call, I was really shocked, because since I’ve retired, I’ve been working in another business, and I hadn’t really had time to think about anything. All of a sudden, it’s an emotional moment, because it is a big honor and a tribute to all the kids who played for me and helped us achieve the success we had.”

The 12 inductees include:

— Courtney Beasley: Was an all-state guard at Butler High School, who went on to play at Southern Miss before a professional career overseas.

–Bobby Lee Hurt: Another former Butler High School basketball standout who was a three-year starter at the University of Alabama.

— Tasheika Morris: Along with earning Miss Basketball honors in 1999, Morris was a four-time All-State selection and three-time state champion with Butler High School; she signed with Tennessee out of high school.

— Israel Raybon: The Huntsville native is regarded as one of the best football players in University of North Alabama history, being inducted into the program’s hall of fame. He was a two-time All-American on the defensive line and went on to play in the NFL with the Steelers and Panthers.

— Dwight Scales: A Lee High graduate, Scales played at the collegiate level with Grambling State before an eight-year career in the NFL. He is a member of Grambling State’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

— Jayson Swain: He was an all-American receiver at Grissom High School before a collegiate career at the University of Tennessee, where he was a team captain as a senior.

— Tom Pruett: After a playing career at Huntsville High and Alabama A&M, he served on Huntsville’s soccer coaching staff for over 20 years.

— Dale Palmer: One of the most successful softball coaches in Alabama high school history, Palmer collected over 1,000 wins and six state championships leading the program at Sparkman High School.

— Jeff McCorvey: A longtime bowling coach at Alabama A&M, he coached with the program for 16 years. He helped lead the team to a 2006 runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament and SWAC titles in 2007 and 2010.

— Carlos Matthews: A Huntsville High and Alabama A&M alum, he had an all-conference track career in college before winning 10 gold medals in the Alabama State Games. He currently serves on the Huntsville School Board.

— Cecil Hurt: A Butler High graduate, Hurt is regarded as one of the state’s most decorated sports writers after spending almost four decades with the Tuscaloosa News; he passed away in 2021 after complications from pneumonia.

— Brian Campe: The Bob Jones High alum has spent almost two decades in the motorsports community, currently serving as technical director of Legacy Motorsports, owned by Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty.

General

‘He accidentally shot his daughter,’ 911 caller said after woman killed in south Alabama

Police say a Mobile County father accidentally shot and killed his daughter on Monday.

Now, 911 transcripts reveal the distressing calls made to first responders after the incident occurred.

The Mobile County Sheriff’s office said that on Nov. 18 Rickey Smith accidentally fired his gun while loading it in a car with his daughter Emily Roney and her husband Martin Roney.

Emily was struck by a bullet as the weapon discharged and would subsequently succumb to her injuries.

911 transcripts obtained by Fox10 News describe the aftermath of the incident.

According to Fox10, it was unknown whether Martin or Smith called first but the caller told a dispatcher, “Oh, we were…we were uh loading up a gun and it went off by accident.”

Shortly after the first call another individual called 911 and said “he said he accidentally shot his daughter.”

Smith was not arrested and a grand jury will convene to hear the case. The 911 transcripts will be evidence used in the grand jury proceedings.

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Tuberville says Biden should be ‘arrested’: Claims Democrats ‘stole’ 2020 election from Trump

In a recent interview with former Donald Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., agreed that there was “no doubt in his mind” that 2020 election was “stolen” from Trump, the current President-elect.

“They [Democrats] stole the election from President Trump, and they were able to get four years with a bed-ridden dementia patient at the end of the day,” he told Bannon.

He went on to say that President Joe Biden and other Democratic leadership should be “arrested for what they’re doing.”

Trump and his supporters have asserted over the last four years that Biden’s win in 2020 was a fraud, citing unsupported claims of election tampering and illegal voting.

On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, moments after Trump, during a “Stop the Steal” rally told supporters that he had been cheated in a “rigged” election, rioters stormed the Capitol building. Five people died in the attack, including a Capitol police officer.

Democrats who controlled the U.S. House quickly impeached Trump for his role in the insurrection, making him the only president to be impeached twice. He was acquitted by the U.S. Senate, where many Republicans argued that he no longer posed a threat because he had left office.

In 2021, Tuberville, in speaking to the media during a stop in Mobile, said he believed Trump was not responsible for inciting a mob of his supporters to rush the Capitol building.

Tuberville told Bannon this week that the GOP has to be strategic and united in their leadership choices moving forward to avoid Democrats regaining control of the House in two years.

If they were to regain control, he believes that the party would pursue efforts to impeach Trump again.

“How do you know how to win if you don’t know what you’re fighting for?” he said.

“We’re fighting for our country, and we better wake up and smell the roses. Because if we don’t, we’re going to lose this country and it’s going to be gone.”

“And we’re not going to have a second chance of a Donald Trump, it’s not going to happen.”

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Birmingham Water Works customers to pay more in 2025 as rates rise again

Customers of the Birmingham Water Works will ring in the new year with another price increase.

Birmingham Water Works Board today approved a 4.9% rate increase for 2025.

Officials said the rate increase for customers will represent a monthly increase of $2.14 on average bills.

The utility serves about 770,000 customers in Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount and Walker counties.

“Nobody wants rate increases, and we were all committed to reducing the burden on our customers as much as we could,” Water Works Board Chairwoman Tereshia Huffman said in a statement this afternoon. “We are proud that our 2025 increase remains below national averages while providing the revenue necessary to maintain and improve our system.”

The increase was approved on a vote of 5 to 3. Members George Munchus, Lucien Blankenship and Mashonda Taylor were no votes.

The operations and maintenance budget for 2025 totals $142.5 million, which is a 7.9% increase over the current year. The capital budget for 2025 is $115.6 million, a 37.5% increase over 2024.

Major projects for 2025 include the first phase for automated meters to reduce billing and service issues, increased pipeline replacement and major renovations to the Lake Purdy Dam in Shelby County.

“Our immediate priorities are improving customer service while upgrading our infrastructure to ensure we can continue to provide our customers the very best water,” said Interim General Manager Darryl Jones.

The hike comes after a mandated public hearing Nov. 4 and a town hall Nov. 13 where some residents questioned the annual increase and asked officials for alternatives.

Munchus, the longest-serving board member, said he agreed with residents and Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson who urged the utility to take a pause from another annual rate hike.

“There are other ways to generate revenue and not just look for ratepayers to pay operations cost but they will not engage in any robust business and economic development that could generate revenue to offset costs on the backs of ratepayers,” Munchus told AL.com after the vote.

Additionally, Munchus said he has lingering questions about major capital projects that were ignored by the board, including details regarding the $85 million upcoming overhaul of the Lake Purdy Dam.

“It’s all about transparency and accountability,” he said. “The ratepayers deserve better.”