Alabama News

If you’re out enjoying Alabama’s beaches this weekend for the Fourth of July, you may spot a black and white bird flying very low over the water, or maybe flopped on the sand, trying to rest.

It’s the black skimmer, one of the many shorebirds that call Alabama home. They have a long, black and orange bill, with with a noticeable underbite.

Black skimmers use their unusual bill to catch fish: They fly just above the surface of the water, using their lower mandible to skim the surface. When the birds find a fish, they snap their bill shut, ensnaring the fish.

“That’s how they get their name,” said Lianne Koczur, science and conservation director with Alabama Audubon, the local chapter of the national group. “They’re like skimming the surface of the water trying to catch fish, which is really neat.”

Along with the other two skimmer species, black skimmers are the only birds on earth that feed this way, according to Cornell University. They will bring some of those fish back to their young to feed them, Koczur said.

Young black skimmers are born with beaks that are roughly even in size, then as the birds grow, the lower mandible becomes longer than the top.

In April, black skimmers begin to arrive in Alabama, where they will breed for the summer on nearshore islands on the coast, like in Portersville Bay. Extremely sensitive to disturbances, black skimmers avoid nesting in areas with a lot of human intrusion, Koczur said.

Their nests are small holes in the sand called “scrapes.” Koczur estimates that Alabama has about 200 nesting pairs that reside in the state every summer.

“They’re a really cool bird that really needs some help here to try and get this population decline reversed,” Koczur said.

The black skimmer population has been in steep decline over the last 60 years, according to Cornell University. The bird’s population declined an estimated 4% per year between 1966 and 2015, a cumulative loss of 87%.

Black skimmers face a variety of challenges, Koczur said. Like many shorebirds, habitat loss is a big driver of their decline, especially because they are so sensitive to disturbances. If they’re disturbed too much, Koczur said, they’ll abandon the site.

In addition, black skimmer nests are vulnerable to flooding and storm surge, as well as erosion. Eggs and chicks also have to be protected from predators, including other birds like night herons and gull-billed terns.

Starting in August, the black skimmer will begin migrating south for the winter. They spend their winters in Central and South America, primarily living on the coast. They live year-round in Brazil, according to the Audubon Society.

If you encounter a black skimmer on the beach, be sure to give it plenty of room, Koczur said. You can see them well enough from a distance. You’ll know you’re too close to them if the birds start making a lot of noise and divebombing (a habit of the least tern, another sassy shorebird in Alabama).

Black skimmers will sometimes rest on the beach by laying their head and belly on the sand, Koczur said. A casual observer may think the bird is dead. But rest assured, it’s not—the bird is just trying to relax and beat the heat, like anyone else on a beach in Alabama in July.

Dear Eric: I’m close friends with one of my sisters-in-law but not the other, Betty. Betty and I used to be close until jealousy came between us. She was jealous that her brother and I were the first to get married, have kids and reach other milestones. She is also very sensitive, so I’ve felt like I need to walk on eggshells, especially after she confided to my husband that she thinks I complain too much. In short, I don’t feel like I can share my joys or my struggles with her.

I am cordial toward her, but I do not make an effort beyond being polite and kind.

I’ve been going through an intense period of stress and burnout for almost two years. A few months ago, I had a mental breakdown. Since then, Betty has made several attempts at rekindling our former friendship. I haven’t reciprocated. Mentally and emotionally, I am still very burned out and I don’t have the emotional energy to restore a complicated friendship.

Based on previous patterns of behavior, I know that it’s just a matter of time before my husband is told either by Betty or their parents that she’s hurt that I’m not reciprocating. I know I will be asked why and feel pressured to make more of an effort. How do I set a boundary and explain that I’m not interested in restoring this relationship right now, without further complicating the situation?

– Not Ready to Make Nice

Dear Not Ready: Being proactive will really help you and Betty here. Reach out to Betty first and tell her that you’ve noticed (and perhaps appreciate) her desire to rekindle a friendship and you want to acknowledge that. Then let her know that you’re still in a tough place and that you just don’t have a lot of capacity.

This is a little more “it’s not you, it’s me” than I’d like, but what seems most important is that you right-size Betty’s expectations before this becomes a family issue. Acknowledging her efforts keeps her feelings from getting hurt, and being honest about what you can and can’t offer right now saves you from having to reject her outright. It also gives her useful information that will, ideally, help her be a better friend. Hopefully, she’s self-aware enough to be able to hear what you’re asking for. Sometimes the most loving thing a person can do is give us space and the most loving thing we can do is ask for it.

Read more Asking Eric and other advice columns.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.

Huntsville Hospital’s Madison Street Tower expansion leads the way in construction projects started so far in 2025 in the Huntsville area.

Overall, more than $1 billion in construction has started this year in Madison, Limestone and Morgan counties, according to permits pulled by Southern Exposure Information. Other top projects started since Jan.1 include construction on the Ditto Landing event center and buildings at the Redstone Gateway and Cummings Research Park.

And looking ahead toward the latter half of the year will be construction for a $44.6 million expansion of the Ice Sports Center and bids expected to be let soon for the expansion of Big Spring Park East.

Permits issued through June 30:

• Huntsville issued 1,123 permits totaling $464.2 million.
• Madison County issued 1,202 permits totaling $324.2 million.
• Decatur issued 234 permits totaling $96.2 million
• Madison issued 242 permits totaling $86.5 million.
• Athens issued 213 permits totaling $69.8 million.
• Priceville issued 12 permits totaling $950,000.

Here is a list of the top builders so far in 2025 and what they’re working on.

Robins & Morton Group

Robins & Morton is the top builder so far with four permits totaling $119 million. It is working on the most expensive project. A permit was issued in February for a $112 million project that is part of Huntsville Hospital’s $150 million Madison Street Tower expansion.

The Huntsville Hospital expansion includes adding 154,000 square feet of new clinical space. The Alabama Certificate of Need Review Board unanimously approved the five-story addition late last year.

Most of the work will take place at the northeast corner of the hospital facing Madison Street and St. Clair Avenue. Construction is expected to take about two years. The $150 million project includes:

• A new Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit, made possible by a $10 million philanthropic donation – the largest private gift the hospital has ever received.
• A new Neuro Intensive Care Unit for neurosurgical and stroke patients.
• Three floors of new acute medical space.
• 120 new private patient rooms.
• A new and improved Emergency Department vehicle entrance.

When construction is finished, HH Health System’s flagship facility will have a total of 931 patient beds – up from 881 currently. Seventy existing patient rooms are being converted from double occupancy to single occupancy.

Robins & Morton built the Madison Street Tower in 2006. Chapman Sisson Architects designed the tower and the expansion.

The hospital expansion is not the only project started by Robins & Morton this year. The firm is working on a $3.7 million, 28,000-square-foot buildout at 9700 Advanced Gateway. The facility will include office space and high bay space, Robins & Morton spokesman Chris Yazbec told AL.com.

Other top area builders for the quarter were:

Davidson Homes

Davidson Homes was the top homebuilder for the first six months of the year. It was issued 288 permits totaling $63.3 million. Davidson Homes is building homes in Huntsville, Madison, north Madison County, Decatur, Athens, Toney, Hartselle and Harvest.

It advertises homes starting in the $250,000 to $500,000 range.

Lennar Homes

Lennar Homes has been issued 264 permits totaling $58 million. Lennar Homes is the main homebuilder for the Clift Farm development bordering north Madison off U.S. 72.

It has also constructed other homes in Madison and Athens, and the Retreat subdivision in Meridianville. Most of the homes listed on the Lennar website are in the $280,000-$400,000 price range.

Brasfield & Gorrie

Brasfield & Gorrie has been issued three permits totaling $29 million. It is working on a $25 million, 125,000-square foot building at 8500 Redstone Gateway. The building is managed by COPT Defense Properties.

Brasfield & Gorrie is also working retail and office components for the Stadium Commons development near Joe Davis Stadium that was started last year.

Woodland Homes

Woodland Homes was issued 57 permits totaling $28.4 million. Woodland Homes’ website advertises 15 new home communities, including in Madison, Athens, Meridianville, New Market and Owens Cross Roads. Most of the homes on the website advertise for more than $400,000.

Olympia Construction

The Albertville based firm concentrates on multifamily developments but also does work on commercial projects. It has been issued two permits totaling $26.5 million.

DR Horton

Homebuilder DR Horton has been issued 173 permits totaling $21.7 million. It is the builder for Greenbrier Preserve not far from Interstate 565 and major Huntsville employers in the Limestone County portion of Huntsville. It is also constructing homes in north Huntsville, north Madison County, Athens, Madison and the Owens Cross Roads area. It advertises homes in the $200,000-$350,000 price range.

Fite Construction

Fite Construction of Decatur was issued five permits totaling $18.4 million.

Two of the permits were issued for alterations to the Nucor Towers and Structures facility at 913 Maero St. NW in Decatur. The permits were issued to the City of Decatur’s Industrial Development Board

Fite is the builder of the recreation center at John Hunt Park, a preschool in Town Madison and several downtown Decatur projects. It is also the builder for the $32.7 million hangar project at Pryor Field that is just now getting underway.

Turner Construction

Turner Construction is the contractor for a $16.5 million building at 905 Mark C. Smith Drive in Cummings Research Park. The Huntsville-Madison Chamber was issued the permit for the work.

The firm has worked on several high-profile projects in the Huntsville area, including Huntsville’s new City Hall, which opened last year.

Lee Builders

Lee Builders has been issued two permits totaling $14.6 million. Included in that is the $13 million Ditto Landing event center project. Lee Builders was the company that renovated Joe Davis Stadium that reopened in 2023 as a multipurpose stadium.

Not included in the totals are projects that are ongoing that were started before the beginning of the year. That includes the $375 million Front Row mixed-use development going up at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Monroe Street across from the Von Braun Center. ARCO/Murray National Construction, the top builder in the Huntsville area the last two years, is the contractor for that project.

ARCO/Murray was awarded the contract by the city last month to work on the Ice Sports Center on Leeman Ferry Road.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Every day until Aug. 29, Creg Stephenson is counting down significant numbers in Alabama football history, both in the lead-up to the 2025 football season and in commemoration of the Crimson Tide’s first national championship 100 years ago. The number could be attached to a year, a uniform number or even a football-specific statistic. We hope you enjoy.

Debut seasons for new coaches aren’t always pretty, but Paul “Bear” Bryant’s first year at Alabama gave a glimpse of what was to come.

The Crimson Tide was coming off a four-year stretch in which it won a total of eight games — including an 0-10 mark in 1955 — when “Mama Called” and Bryant returned to Tuscaloosa from Texas A&M. His 1958 Alabama team went 5-4-1, including close losses to its two arch-rivals after barely being competitive in previous seasons.

To finish with a winning record was something of a Hurculean effort given the lack of competitiveness Alabama had shown in the years leading up to the 1958 season. From 1954-57, Alabama lost to Auburn by a combined score of 148-7, getting shut out three times.

In 1957, the Crimson Tide fell 14-8 in the Iron Bowl. Auburn wouldn’t score again vs. Alabama until 1963.

Alabama was shut out by Tennessee three straight times from 1955-57 — 20-0, 24-0 and 14-0. I 1958 in Knoxville, the Crimson Tide played within the Volunteers within 14-7.

Bryant was hired at Alabama in early December 1957, and quickly began remaking the team in his own image. During that spring and summer, he would engage in a weeding-out process similar to what he’d more famously done at Texas A&M four years earlier.

“Everything from here on out is going to be first-class,” Bryant told the team during his first full-squad meeting, according to the excellent 1996 book Turnaround, by Tom Stoddard, “which includes living quarters, food, equipment, modes of travel.

“And my staff and I are going to see that you play first-class football.”

By all accounts, Bryant’s offseason program that first year at Alabama rivaled anything that Texas A&M’s “Junction Boys” experienced during their infamous 1954 training camp. Two of his assistants on that first Crimson Tide squad were Bobby Drake Keith and Gene Stallings, who experienced Junction as players for the Aggies.

Alabama began offseason workouts with more than 100 players, but that number had been shaved significantly by the time spring practice began. Even fewer stuck around for the start of the season, by which time they had endured an endless series of brutal two-a-day practices.

Bryant’s philosophy was a simple one — he wanted players to quit in workouts or on the practice field, not in a game. It was a lesson he hoped they would carry with them later in life.

“Ten years from now you’re going to be married with a family, your wife will be sick, your kids are sick, you are sick, but you will get your butt up and go to work,” the coach told his team at one point, according to Turnaround. “Because we are going to do that for you. We are going to teach you how to do things you don’t feel like doing.”

Several veteran Alabama players who’d been well over 220 pounds during the Whitworth era — when a very large football player might weight 240 — but were close to 200 pounds by the time of Bryant’s first game. Those who didn’t get the message had Bryant “break their plate” — take away their meal privileges at the team’s training table — or would get sent across the Black Warrior River to live in an unairconditioned shack until their either got in shape or quit the team.

Alabama opened the 1958 season in Mobile against a powerful LSU team that would go on to win the national championship and featured future Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon. The Tigers had beaten the Crimson Tide 28-0 the year before, but managed just a 13-3 victory this time — and led just 3-0 at halftime. (This game is also widely remembered because part of the bleachers at Mobile’s Ladd Stadium collapsed during the second quarter, injuring several dozen spectators).

Alabama lost the game, but the difference from previous seasons was evident.

“Last night’s was the smartest Alabama eleven we have seen in a lot of seasons,” Naylor Stone wrote in the following day’s Birmingham Post-Herald. “It was in excellent condition — not a timeout was taken for any kind of injury. The team had all the earmarks of a well-coached eleven.”

Alabama played Vanderbilt to a scoreless tie the following week, then scored its first victory over Bryant vs. Furman in Week 3. Alabama also beat Mississippi State, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Memphis that first season, with losses to Tennessee, Tulane and Auburn by a total of 17 points.

Alabama wouldn’t lose four games in a season again until Bryant’s final year, 1982. In between they’d win 13 SEC championships and six national titles.

It all began with that 1958 team, including the freshman signing class he’d recruited after returning to Tuscaloosa prior to that season. They were undefeated national champions as seniors in 1961.

Coming Friday: Our countdown continues with No. 57, Alabama’s decades-long run of on-campus success.

Wimbledon continues today, as second-round action is ready to begin this morning. No. 1 Jannik Sinner is scheduled to play against Aleksandar Vukic at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. Fans can watch this second-round 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.

Sinner played at a high level in his first-round match, as he defeated Luca Nardi. Sinner was able to win the match in three sets, and he won the final set 6-0. If he performs similarly in the second round this morning, then Sinner will be difficult to beat in the tournament.

Notably, Sinner reached the Final at the French Open last month. With this in mind, he should be one of the favorites to reach the Wimbledon Final this year.

Vukic won his first-round match in four sets, but he had to win the final set in tiebreakers. Vukic took an early 2-0 set lead, but his opponent continued to compete at a high level. Despite the tough matchup, Vukic was able to secure a spot in the next round.

In order to pull off the upset this morning, Vukic will have to greatly improve his play.

Fans can watch this second-round 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.

DEAR ABBY: I am one of three sisters. Our family is pretty close-knit for birthdays and celebrations. However, it has become increasingly problematic in terms of finances. My siblings and I do well, and it’s often assumed that I am doing very well. I know I am blessed to have my job, but with this income comes sizable expenses such as private school, sports clubs and my own children’s birthdays.

My problem is, my middle sister contacted me about hosting a celebration for our younger sister’s approaching milestone birthday. Over the years, it has frequently fallen on our shoulders to finance her birthday celebrations.

Her husband never lifts a finger or offers to pay for them. I’m tired of having to foot a bill of between $500 to $1,000, but I don’t want to be a grinch, either. I have my own family expenses. Am I being unreasonable? — DRAINED SIS IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR DRAINED SIS: You are not being unreasonable; you are stating facts. Have a frank talk with your middle sister about your feelings. Tell her you think it’s time for the two of you to approach this brother-in-law and suggest he pitch in for his wife’s milestone birthday. And in the future, if you plan to host any more birthday parties for her, make them more modest.

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.

Not sure who needs to hear this, but since the start of the 2006 college football season, the year Tim Tebow entered the scene as a specialty wing-T battering ram backup to Florida starter Chris Leak, 15 different quarterbacks have won a Heisman Trophy. None of them was named Manning.

Come to think of it, none of the quarterbacks that took home the stiff-arm statue before 2006 was named Manning, either, but that’s not the point.

This is the point.

Since 2006, of the 15 quarterbacks who won the Heisman as the best player in college football, only three also led their teams to a national championship in the same season.

Cam Newton did it at Auburn in 2010. Jameis Winston did it at Florida State in 2013. Joe Burrow did it at LSU in 2019. Each set records. Each made everyone around him better. Each was spectacular in his own way as an individual playmaker and as a team leader.

If you were going to offer an honest professional opinion on which college football player has been the best quarterback we’ve seen since Tebow arrived in 2006, you could go in a number of different directions, on or off the Heisman honor roll, but Newton, Winston and Burrow would make a damn strong short list.

My opinion hasn’t changed in the last 15 years. Newton still gets my vote as the GOAT because he did the most with the least, he won games with his arm, his legs and his will and he produced the most memorable victory against the most formidable opponent under the most hostile conditions imaginable in the 2010 Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa.

Newton refused to let that nightmare scenario end that dream season. The Tigers haven’t come close to winning in Bryant-Denny Stadium since.

If you were interested in a good-faith debate on the best quarterback in college football since Tebow, the one player you wouldn’t introduce into the conversation would be a talented Texas junior who’s spent two years as a backup, who’s started only twice and only because QB1 got hurt, who saw spot duty in two conference championship games and two College Football Playoff games without attempting a single pass or scoring a single touchdown.

In other words, you wouldn’t do what ESPN’s Paul Finebaum did when he said this on “Get Up” this week: “Arch Manning is the best college football quarterback we have seen since Tim Tebow entered the scene in 2006.”

Not “may be.” Not “could be.” Not “possibly or probably will be.” “Is.” No discussion. No debate.

Calling Paul. Please make sense of it all.

Over the past two decades, we have seen more from every single full-time Alabama starting quarterback – from John Parker Wilson to Blake Sims to Jalen Milroe – than we’ve seen from the young Manning to date. Where it counts. The only place it counts. On a college football field in big games in the SEC and beyond.

The grandson of Archie and nephew of Peyton and Eli is 2-0 as a starter. The two opponents were Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State. He may or may not have a higher ceiling than Greg McElroy, AJ McCarron, Jake Coker, Jalen Hurts and Mac Jones, but they have something more tangible than potential.

Each of them has a national championship ring as a starting quarterback. McCarron has two. Hurts has a Super Bowl ring as well.

The mere mention of Manning in the same sentence as Tebow is factually incorrect, terribly unfair to the Texas heir apparent and unintentionally insulting to the Florida legend. As a freshman, Manning came off the bench in two games and didn’t throw or run for a touchdown as Texas won the Big 12 and reached the playoff semifinals. In his debut season, Tebow played in every game and accounted for 13 touchdowns as Florida won the national title.

As a sophomore, on a Texas team that again reached the playoff semifinals, Manning played in 10 games, starting two, and accounted for 13 touchdowns but only one after September. In his second season at Florida, Tebow won the Heisman.

Maybe Manning will lift that trophy in December. Maybe he’ll lead the Longhorns to a bigger prize in January. Maybe he’ll do both and join an elite club alongside Newton, Winston and Burrow.

Unless and until he does, it would be wise to ease off the gas and tap the brakes on ranking the latest Manning alongside one legend and above a number of others. What if he’s good but not great? What if he’s great but not all-time great? What if he’s a Heisman finalist but not a Heisman winner, a Heisman winner but not a national champion, a national champion but not a Heisman winner?

Say this for the young man. He seems wise beyond his years and a lot of others’, too. Everyone from Finebaum to Steve Spurrier is talking about him. So far, he’s learned to say less.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a tremor in my hands, worse in my dominant hand, and it affects my table manners. In public, I try to choose foods that are relatively easy for me to handle, but I often have to make unconventional accommodations, such as holding my right hand with my left while eating, or putting my chin right over my bowl.

On occasion, if a food proves too difficult, I ask the restaurant to wrap it up, telling them that I am full. Then I take it home, where I can eat it in whatever manner I choose.

But perhaps I should forgo eating in public altogether?

GENTLE READER: Not on Miss Manners’ account, nor for any rule of etiquette. Accommodations for physical necessity are an essential part of good manners.

Sadly, the greatest proof of this lies in the now-rampant misuse of the rule. Why do you think we are discovering so many new diseases and allergies every time someone decides they do not want to eat their peas?

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com, by email to [email protected], or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Dear Annie: I’ve been at my job for a little over a year now, and overall, I enjoy the work and my team. But I’m struggling with how to handle a co-worker we’ll call “Matt.”

Matt constantly interrupts people during meetings, restates others’ ideas as if they’re his own and has a way of dominating every conversation. It’s not just annoying; it’s starting to affect group morale.

A few of us have tried gently pushing back when he talks over us, but it doesn’t seem to register. He’s also very quick to get defensive, which makes any direct confrontation feel like a risk. I’ve spoken to my supervisor once, who acknowledged it was a pattern but didn’t take any clear action.

I don’t want to be the office complainer, but I also don’t want to keep working in a space where one person dominates everything. How do I address this without making things worse or putting a target on my back? — Tired of Being Talked Over

Dear Tired of Being Talked Over: Since you’ve already tried direct confrontation, subtle social cues and even bringing in the higher-ups, your best bet is to avoid working with him as much as possible. It’s not a perfect solution, but, in the absence of hunting for a new job, it’s one of the only ones you have left.

If that’s simply not an option, then follow up with your supervisor, this time with concrete examples of how Matt’s behavior is impacting the team. Hopefully a thoughtful and respectful reminder will be enough for management to take some action.

Read more Dear Annie and other advice columns.

“How Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner?” is out now! Annie Lane’s second anthology — featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit Creators Publishing for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to [email protected].

Millions of dollars for Alabama school programs, jobs ‘under review’

Alabama school districts are missing $68 million in federal funds, putting programming and some jobs in jeopardy as state officials try to get answers.

The money, which was meant for local after-school, English learner and professional development programs, is typically sent to schools on July 1 every year. But in an email to state officials Monday, the Education Department said it was pausing disbursements for several grants until it completes a review of those programs.

State Superintendent Eric Mackey said, “These are programs already approved and funded by Congress.”

The freeze comes as schools prepare to make hires and finalize budgets for the new school year. Much of the amount is directly tied to salaries for teachers, teacher aides and other employees. Some of the funds also are tied to affordable afterschool programs.

Jodi Grant, who heads the national Afterschool Alliance, said the holdup could impact more than 10,000 after-school programs, especially in high-poverty districts like Alabama’s Gadsden City Schools, which has built up its programming in recent years.

You can’t touch this

As Donald Trump met with House Republicans on the fence over his “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the president reportedly appeared to be unaware that the legislation would cut Medicaid.

Trump told the group Wednesday that the GOP should not touch Medicaid, Social Security or Medicare if they want to win reelections.

To help partly offset the lost tax revenue and new spending, Republicans aim to cut back on Medicaid and food assistance for the poor under the sweeping legislation.

More than 71 million people rely on Medicaid, which expanded under Obama’s Affordable Care Act, and 40 million use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law and 3 million more would not qualify for food stamps.

The bill made its way to the House on Wednesday, where some Republicans have reservations that have stopped the legislation from advancing in the lower chamber Wednesday afternoon.

No more chicken

Chick-fil-A just destroyed one of its busiest Alabama restaurants and bought the Walgreens next door.

The Roebuck location on Parkway East closed on June 19 and since then has been completely demolished.

Plans call for the Chick-fil-A to be rebuilt with a more accommodating drive-through set-up.

The adjacent Walgreens, which shared a parking lot with the Chick-fil-A, closed in March and won’t reopen after the chicken restaurant bought the property.

The former Walgreen’s parking lot will give Chick-fil-A more room to accommodate the long lines that sometimes backed up onto a neighboring street.

A ‘shocking experience’

While it’s usually a good idea to charge your devices before a storm, one Alabama teen recently learned that it may be a better idea to stay off them while you do.

Nineteen-year-old Lisa Henderson of Russellville, said she was scrolling on social media during a Sunday thunderstorm when she suddenly saw a bright light.

Henderson realized a bolt of lightning had traveled through an extension cord and the charger she was using while holding onto her phone.

This was not her first experience, and said she was also struck by lightning as a child.

But after, she began to feel tingling in her hands that spread to her right arm and then her shoulder.

In the ambulance to the hospital, she also struggled to answer basic questions about herself.

Doctors told Henderson laying on her left side had made it harder for the electrical current to reach her heart.

More Alabama news

Listen to the podcast: