Alabama News

In the run-up to the 2025 season, AL.com featured some of the best 6A running backs in Alabama high school football.

Now, we want to hear from you: Which 6A running back will be the best of the best in 2025?

Read the write-ups on every running back here, and then vote in the poll at the bottom of this page.

Best players at each position: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB

The voting will conclude Sunday, August 17, at 11:59 p.m. Central. Later, we will publish the “fans’ all-star team” based on the vote of the readers.

Note: AL.com’s polls are intended to be fun. You can vote as many times as you want, but we discourage the use of script, macro or other automated means. AL.com reserves the right to adjust the voting based on irregularities. Email [email protected] with concerns.

THE CANDIDATES

(Candidates were selected based on information provided by coaches. Some coaches declined to respond to our requests for information about their team. Read more about each of these players here.)

Kendrick Able Jr., jr., Theodore

Will Abrams, jr., St. Paul’s Episcopal

Isaiah Allen, jr., Decatur

Quinteris Anderson, sr., Baldwin County

Stuart Andrews, sr., Mountain Brook

Justin Bonner, sr., Spanish Fort

PJ Brown, sr., Saraland

Leland Brown-Foster, sr., Brookwood

Darius Burwell, sr., Mae Jemison

Xavier Edwards, sr., Athens

Anthony Frasier, sr., St. Paul’s Episcopal

Devin Haley, jr., Decatur

Jordan Henderson, sr., Calera

Jeremiah Jackson, jr., Parker

Kawann Johnson, sr., McAdory

Ja’Michael Jones, sr., Pike Road

Chase Malone, sr., Chelsea

Damarcus Malone, sr., Athens

Ryder McMakin, so., Mountain Brook

Ladarien Miller, jr., McGill-Toolen

Tavarian Moore-Langford, sr., Mae Jemison

Jayden Morris, sr., Hartselle

Kameron Murphy, so., Parker

Micah Pledger, sr., Jasper

Jaheim Pruitt, sr., Hartselle

Kaedin Ray, sr., Gadsden City

Anthony (AJ) Robinson, sr., Hueytown

Quinton Robinson, jr., Pike Road

Tristen Rutledge, sr., Pelham

Dom Santiago, sr., Helena

Izaiah Smith, sr., Pell City

Chancellor Sparks, sr., Parker

Donovan “Dj” Verges, jr., Pell City

Dre Williams, fr., Oxford

Joshua Woods, sr., Clay-Chalkville

Caleb Wynn, sr., Oxford

For complete coverage of Alabama high school football, including schedules, scores, recruiting news and additional player spotlights, visit AL.com’s high school sports section throughout the season.

Today we’re bringing back the Alabama News Quiz, which runs on most Fridays.

Below that you’ll find the podcast player. Today we’ll talk about Alabama’s women’s prison, Trump’s executive order on college sports and a lawsuit stemming from an incident at a Piggly Wiggly in Phenix City.

But first the quiz:

Quoting

“In large part, Richard Shelby was able to stand on the mountaintop as Alabama’s greatest statesman because he was married to Annette Nevin Shelby.”

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, on the passing of the wife of the former Sen. Shelby.

More Alabama News

Born on This Date

In 1925, drummer for the Motown session band Funk Brothers and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Benny Benjamin of Birmingham.

In 2001, former Crimson Tide quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young of Pasadena, California.

The podcast

The 2016 Tennessee football season was supremely disappointing in Knoxville. In what was supposed to be the year Butch Jones led the Volunteers back to glory, UT instead blew its College Football Playoff chances with three consecutive losses in October.

The week of Tennessee’s regular-season finale, Jones got too cute with the catchphrases for most fans’ tastes.

“They’ve won the biggest championship,” Jones said of UT’s seniors. “That’s the Championship of Life.”

Not exactly what the Volunteer faithful were hoping for. Especially when Tennessee lost to Vanderbilt the next week, relinquishing the Life Championship to its cross-state rival.

Jones lasted another season in Knoxville before being shown the door. After a stint in Nick Saban’s Alabama Finishing School for Wayward Coaches, he’s currently leading Arkansas State.

But what became of the Championship of Life? SB Nation tracked it through Jones’ firing, then awarded it to Tennessee forever.

However, it’s the peak of the offseason, and that’s not good enough for this practice. Working off of the idea that the Championship of Life changes hands every time the current holder loses, here’s every team that has ever held it, from 2016 through present day, broken up by calendar year.

2016

Nov. 27– Vanderbilt beats Tennessee

Dec. 26– NC State beats Vanderbilt in Independence Bowl

2017

Sept. 2– South Carolina beats NC State

The Gamecocks became the first team to win while the incumbent Champion of Life. USC beat Missouri the week after taking down NC State.

Sept. 16– Kentucky beats South Carolina

Sept. 23– Florida beats Kentucky.

Oct. 7– LSU beats Florida

Nov. 4– Alabama beats LSU

After the Crimson Tide won 24-10 to take the Championship of Life in Bryant-Denny Stadium, Nick Saban’s group had a chance to become the first to become champion of both Life and the College Football Playoff at the same time. However, Alabama’s biggest rival had other plans, so UA dropped the championship.

At least temporarily.

Nov. 25– Auburn beats Alabama.

Dec. 2– Georgia beats Auburn

The SEC championship game also had the Championship of Life in the balance. The Bulldogs took it, then beat Oklahoma in the CFP semifinals, before running into a familiar face.

2018

Jan 8– Alabama beats Georgia.

Surprise, surprise, Alabama captured the Championship of Life and national title at the same time, the first school ever to do so. Given how good the Crimson Tide was at the time, it would take something special to take both championships away.

2019

Jan. 2– Clemson beats Alabama

There it was. Dabo Swinney pulled off his second championship win over Alabama, blowing out the Crimson Tide 44-16 in Levi’s Stadium. The Tigers earned the Championship of Life and hung on to it for a lengthy streak.

2020

Jan. 13– LSU beats Clemson

Potentially the best college football team ever rolled over Clemson in the national championship game, led by Ed Orgeron, Joe Burrow and company. Unfortunately for the Bayou Bengals, sustaining success is quite difficult.

Sept. 26– Mississippi State beats LSU

Mike Leach became a Champion of Life in his first game as head coach in Starkville.

Oct. 3– Arkansas beats Mississippi State

Oct. 10– Auburn beats Arkansas

After more than two full seasons, Auburn retook the Championship of Life, taking a narrow 30-28 win at Jordan-Stadium.

Oct. 17– South Carolina beats Auburn.

Oct. 24– LSU beats South Carolina

For the second time ever, a school lost and then retook the Championship of Life within the same season. The Tigers blew out the Gamecocks in Baton Rouge, winning 52-24.

Oct. 31– Auburn beats LSU

Nov. 28– Alabama beats Auburn

Like nearly every other team the Crimson Tide played during the COVID-impacted 2020 season, Auburn couldn’t keep up. Alabama won 42-13 and kept rolling to a national championship.

2021

Oct. 9– Texas A&M beats Alabama

Jimbo Fisher might never have filled in the date on that blank national championship plaque that TAMU gave him upon arrival in College Station. However, he did become a Champion of Life, perhaps making that enormous buyout worthwhile.

Nov. 13– Ole Miss beats Texas A&M

Lane Kiffin was already at Florida Atlantic when Alabama took the Life Championship for the first time in 2017. He finally won it for himself, beating the Aggies in Oxford.

2022

Jan. 1– Baylor beats Ole Miss

With the Sugar Bowl win, Baylor became the first non-SEC team to take over as Champions of Life since Clemson lost it in January of 2020.

Sept. 10– BYU beats Baylor

The Cougars took over the title with a thrilling double-overtime victory in Provo.

Sept. 17– Oregon beats BYU

Nov. 12– Washington beats Oregon

Kalen DeBoer, in his first season with the Huskies became a Life Champion. He and UW would keep the title through the end of the season, capped off with an Alamo Bowl win over Steve Sarkisian’s Texas.

2024

Jan. 8– Michigan beats Washington

Washington remained Champions of Life for more than a calendar year, longer than any other consecutive streak. However, the Michigan team that ended Nick Saban’s career in the CFP semifinal beat DeBoer’s Huskies to take both the Life and national titles.

Sept. 14– Texas beats Michigan.

The Longhorns, fresh off joining their new conference, brought the Championship of Life back to the SEC with a win in Ann Arbor.

Oct. 19– Georgia beats Texas

Nov. 9– Ole Miss beats Georgia

Nov. 23– Florida beats Ole Miss

Billy Napier, in the midst of saving his job at Florida for at least one more season, became the fourth consecutive Nick Saban assistant to win the Championship of Life. Napier and the Gators will carry the title into the 2025 season, opening with Long Island on Aug. 30.

Championship of Life key numbers

Longest streak as Champions of Life– Washington, 423 days (Nov. 12, 2022- Jan. 8, 2024)

Most times holding Championship of Life– 3 (Alabama, LSU and Auburn)

Most total days holding Championship of Life– 698 (Alabama)

Times national championship also changed current Champions of Life– 4

Teams that have held Championship of Life– 20

Nick Saban assistants who have held Championship of Life– 9

This is an opinion column.

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order under the title “SAVING COLLEGE SPORTS.”

The White House then released a fact sheet on the EO under the headline “President Donald J. Trump Saves College Sports.”

Does it?

No.

Of course it doesn’t.

Simply not true. An exaggeration at best, but it’s at least continuing the conversation as collegiate sports leaders beg Washington for help solving the mess they’ve made.

In the age of hyperbole, this EO is another item on the growing stack as the search for the college athletics savior continues.

“This,” as Nick Saban once famously said, “is not the end. This is the beginning.”

Vague wording and the lack of any real enforcement mechanism softened the impact of some of the headline-making points. For example, the EO states, “the policy of the executive branch” that third-party pay-for-play payments “are improper and should not be permitted by universities.”

Such activity is already banned, except in legitimate, fair-market-value arrangements governed by the College Sports Commission, established after the recent House vs. NCAA court settlement. It’s still unclear if any of that would withstand imminent legal challenges and the EO doesn’t change that.

There’s still work to be done.

Don’t take it just from me. The statements from collegiate athletics leaders from all levels stopped short of declaring victory.

From NCAA president Charlie Baker’s statement (bolding is mine to emphasize the important part): “The Association appreciates the Trump Administration’s focus on the life-changing opportunities college sports provides millions of young people and we look forward to working with student-athletes, a bipartisan coalition in Congress and the Trump Administration to enhance college sports for years to come.”

He doesn’t sound saved.

Now, a sample from the joint statement issued by commissioners of the five power conferences.

“We appreciate President Trump’s commitment to protecting the future of college athletics,” it reads. “This executive order builds on the momentum created by the bipartisan SCORE Act, which will provide long-term stability to college sports and expand resources to support the overall well-being of student-athletes.”

In our democracy, we still need Congress to pass a law before the president’s signature is truly meaningful here.

Perhaps this EO is a shove to the House and Senate to get something done. They have failed at every previous attempt, not just to pass a bill, but for one to get a meaningful shot.

Senator/Coach/Gubernatorial Candidate Tommy Tuberville’s try went to the pine box.

The aforementioned SCORE Act is the latest attempt to pass national legislation that would supersede the patchwork of state NIL laws, which have contributed to the current state of affairs. It has more momentum than previous efforts, but still faces major hurdles gaining 60 Senate votes if it advances from the House.

This EO isn’t completely toothless, however.

Outside of the NIL components, a section attempting to preserve or expand opportunities for women’s and non-revenue sports could have some juice. It’s hard to oppose the sentiment, too.

The EO calls for schools with more than $125 million in athletics revenue to expand scholarship offerings beyond last year’s totals for women’s and non-revenue sports.

And those who made $50 million should provide at least the same number of scholarships and should not disproportionately cut scholarships/roster spots based on the revenue.

Of course, there’s no direct way of punishing schools that do not meet these benchmarks because an EO is not a law.

There is, however, a sneaky line that could provide some degree of enforcement. The EO calls for several cabinet secretaries, the attorney general, and the chair of the FTC to develop a plan to advance these policies through several mechanisms.

Among them: “Federal funding decisions.”

This administration hasn’t been shy about using federal research funding as a cudgel to force (or attempt to) universities to bend to their will.

Therefore, there may be more eyes from university administrations scrutinizing the workings of their athletics departments.

It’s also worth noting these funding denials have faced predictable court challenges on account of constitutional issues, so who knows, really.

Additionally, competition for the 2025-26 season will begin in a few weeks. So the clock is ticking if anyone isn’t currently compliant.

There are other points about clarifying whether athletes can be considered employees and “protecting the development of the United States Olympic Team.” There’s a request to shield the NCAA from future antitrust lawsuits, but that would likely require an act of Congress.

Mission accomplished? No.

College sports saved? Nope.

But we’re over here talking about this and not that so maybe the executive order wasn’t a total failure.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.

Before the bodyslams and bandanas, and eight years before “WrestleMania III” shook the sports world, Hulk Hogan was just Terry “The Hulk” Boulder, an unknown sweating under the lights of small-town Alabama.

In May 1979, long before he was a household name, Hogan faced off against the legendary Andre the Giant inside the modest Coffee County Farm Center in New Brockton, Alabama — population 900.

“It had to be some kind of DQ,” recalled Charlie Platt, the longtime voice of Southeastern Championship Wrestling. “He was green. But within four weeks, we had him booked… And it drew way over the capacity of the building.”

Their rivalry had already sparked to life earlier on local TV in Dothan — not in the ring, but across an arm-wrestling table. Flip-flops, biceps, and blood. And the rest, as they say, was history in the making.

“Andre says he’s never arm-wrestled anyone before,” said announcer Dick Steinborn during the broadcast of the confrontation, now preserved on YouTube. “This is a first on television.”

The encounter ended when manager Billy Spears – a former Gulf Coast and Mobile city wrestling champion – got into the ring and prompted Andre the Giant to break from the match. Hulk then attacked the Giant with the arm-wrestling table, causing him to bleed. Andre fought back, leading Steinborn to declare, “look at these two supermen in the ring tearing into each other.”

“Andre helped him learn some stuff,” Platt recalled Thursday, the day Hogan died at age 71 from cardiac arrest. “If Andre liked you, you were OK. If Andre didn’t like you, you needed to get in your car and go. He saw something in Hogan knowing that his looks would draw money later.”

The future Hulk Hogan arrived to Dothan with his friend, Ed Leslie, who would later become Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Together, Ed and Terry Boulder were billed as “The Boulder Brothers,” but it was the Hulk who caught the eye of then booker Louie Tillet.

“He saw a lot of potential in Hogan,” Platt said.

‘Rocky’ preview

Terry “The Hulk” Boulder had a few more standout moments while in Alabama, previewing some of the iconic days to come.

He first became a “babyface,” a professional wrestling term for a good guy, while wrestling at the Mobile Civic Center.

On May 24, 1979, 19 days after the arm-wrestling encounter in Dothan, Terry “The Hulk” Boulder rushed to the ring to save Ron Fuller – a popular wrestling fixture on the Gulf Coast – from an attack by the villainous Ox Baker.

Fuller, at the time, had a bounty placed on him by then-NWA Heavyweight Champion Harley Race.

The moment led to Terry “The Hulk” Boulder receiving his first-ever world championship title match, occurring before 8,000 spectators at the Rip Hewes Sports Complex in Dothan.

Platt said before the match occurred, the territory taped footage of Boulder running up and down the football field’s stairs with the “Rocky” music theme blaring in the background. It was an Alabama-based preview to the character Thunderlips, the fictional pro wrestler Hogan portrayed in the 1982 movie, “Rocky III.”

“That’s exactly what it was,” Platt said. He said that footage of the montage that no longer exists to his knowledge.

“We put that ‘Rocky’ music behind Hogan as he trained for his heavyweight championship match against Harley Race,” he said. “He was the face in that match against Harley. It was the first time he was portrayed like that.”

Terry “The Hulk” Boulder almost won his first heavyweight championship when he seemingly defeated Race during their Wiregrass match. But a referee reversed the decision and disqualified Boulder after he tossed Race over the top rope.

Boulder left Alabama for greener heights that included an early stint with the WWF as a villain and battling the popular Andre the Giant at Shea Stadium in New York City in 1980.

Hogan wrestled for Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association (AWA) also in the early 1980s, and quickly became a fan favorite. He left the AWA for the WWF in 1983 and defeated The Iron Sheik to establish Hulkamania in 1984.

Hulkamania was the term given to the popularity and cultural impact Hogan had through professional wrestling.

Wrestling visits

Hogan wrestled a few times in Alabama during his early Hulkamania heyday from 1984-1990, but never on pay-per-view and rarely on television. The only time he wrestled on a pay-per-view card inside an Alabama-based venue was during “Uncensored 1998,” hosted by World Championship Wrestling.

However, Hulk Hogan had plenty of Alabama moments while his popularity was at its zenith.

According online resources, he defeated Hercules Hernandez and manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan in a handicap match on March 6, 1987, at the Boutwell Auditorium. Hogan, at the time, was the WWF champion. The match occurred 23 days before “WrestleMania III.”

He returned to Birmingham a few months later on August 21, 1987, and defeated Killer Kahn in a WWF championship title defense.

A little more than one month later, and twice on the same day (Sept. 27, 1987), Hogan defeated Harley Race – who was then known as “King” Harley Race – during matches at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville and in Montgomery.

On Jan. 5, 1988, Hogan teamed with Randy “Macho Man” Savage as members of the “Mega-Powers” and defeated The Hart Foundation (Bret “Hitman” Hart and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart) and WWF Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man in a handicap match. Hogan scored the pinfall over Honky Tonk Man.

In 1990, during a broadcasting of “WWF Superstars” in Birmingham, Hogan was the guest on “The Brother Love Show” to hype that month’s “Royal Rumble” pay-per-view. He later defeated “Mr. Perfect” Curt Henning during the show held at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center.

A year later, on Jan. 7, 1991, Hogan defeated Earthquake in a stretcher match at the Von Braun Center.

Another memorable performance in Alabama occurred on March 9, 1992, when Hogan teamed with his former archrival “Rowdy” Roddy Piper to defeat then-WWF World Champion Ric Flair and Sid Justice. The match, held at the Mobile Civic Center, was produced as a Coliseum Video exclusive and occurred about one month before “WrestleMania VIII.” The match ended after Hogan pinned Flair.

Hogan wrestled much of the 1990s in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). During this time, he visited Birmingham and scored a victory on April 3, 1996, during a handicap match featuring Arn Anderson and Kevin Sullivan.

However, his biggest Birmingham moment came in a rare defeat when he lost to Mike Awesome during a broadcast of “WCW Monday Nitro” on May 1, 2000.

Hogan’s WCW tenure had more high-profile moments to Huntsville and Mobile.

While dressed in black, Hogan and Savage saved Sting and Lex Luger during an Oct. 23, 1995, episode of “Nitro” at the Von Braun Center. This episode was the final TV show ahead of that year’s “WCW Halloween Havoc” pay-per-view. It is best remembered for the debut of the character, the Yeti, who emerged from a giant block of ice.

In 1998, while wrestling as the villainous “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, he wrestled Savage to a no-contest match inside a steel cage. The match took place at the “Uncensored” pay-per-view at the Mobile Civic Center. It’s the only known pay-per-view wrestling event held in Alabama which featured Hogan wrestling in a main event.

In 2002, after returning to the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Hogan wrestled in Birmingham and pinned Chris Jericho.

About a decade later, while serving as the TNA Majority Owner, Hogan was the “special enforcer” in a match pitting TNA World Champion Kurt Angle against Sting at the Von Braun Center. Hogan’s interference helped Angle pick up a victory.

Trump and beer

1/20

Hogan returned to Alabama last fall to promote his “Real American Beer” during visits to grocery stores and venues throughout the state. He made his first stop in Fairhope, hours after President Donald Trump was declared the winner of the presidential election.

“Thank God, brother,” Hogan told AL.com after asked to provide remarks about the election outcome. Hogan played a prominent role in boosting Trump’s candidacy, and received a prime-time speaking spot during the Republican National Convention.

“I was praying for that,” Hogan said during a stopoff to the Piggly Wiggly store in Fairhope. “It was in God’s hands. It’s all I can tell you, man.”

Hogan, in his next stop at a Rouses Market in Daphne, was asked to reflect on wrestling in Alabama long before his popularity soared.

“Being here in Alabama is like a throwback,” Hogan said during an interview with Fox 10 in Mobile. “I started here wrestling here at the (Houston County) Farm Center, Birmingham, and northern Florida in (Pensacola).”

Platt, who turns 70 soon, has been doing interviews since Hogan’s death was announced.

He said he isn’t surprised over the announcement, given the health difficulties Hogan has faced in recent years following his decades as a wrestler.

“In all honesty, I wasn’t in shock,” Platt said, recognizing that many professional wrestlers of the past do not live long lives. “A lot of those guys don’t live to be 40. That fact that he lived to 71, doing what he did, kind of amazes me.”

Many people know the textbook highlights of our state’s history – agriculture, space exploration, civil rights clashes – but did you know about the Alabamian who created Jackie Kennedy’s iconic wedding dress? Or that the world’s largest cake once built in Fort Payne? Or that the giant sloths that once roamed the land?

Just for funsies, we put together a list of random but intriguing bits of trivia from Alabama. See how many you already knew.

Next time you’re stuck for an interesting topic at a gathering, you’ll be ready. You’re welcome!

Mysterious staircase

The gorgeous spiral staircase inside the Cary Center at Auburn University is an architectural mystery. Built in 1840 as the Halliday-Cary-Pick home at 360 North College Street and now used as offices for Auburn University, the structure features a mahogany spiral staircase built during the home’s construction by an itinerant French carpenter. The staircase has no visible means of support. Click here to read more.

World-record bubble

In 2004, Chad Fell of Haleyville was certified by the Guinness World Records for blowing the World’s Largest Bubblegum Bubble, Unassisted (without use of his hands) at Double Springs High School in Winston County. He used three pieces of Dubble Bubble gum.

8,000-year-old skeleton

The skeleton of a pre-historic human, thought to date back as many as 8,000 years, was found in Russell Cave near Bridgeport. The National Park Service says: “The monument contains a large number of sites related to the aboriginal use and occupation of the cave and preserves one of the oldest burials known to date in Alabama, with well-preserved material including some of the oldest bone tools, fishhooks, domesticated seeds, and weaving impressions in the Southeast.”

Hank William’s Cadillac

The blue Cadillac in which Hank Williams was riding when he died on January 31, 1953, at age 29 is on display at the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery.

Portraits inspired ‘Gone with the Wind’

The paintings of Huntsville’s Maria Howard Weeden (1846-1905) were the inspiration for “Gone with the Wind” costumes. As a renowned artist and writer, she used the name Howard Weeden. She was best known for her paintings of enslaved people. The home where she lived her entire life in downtown Huntsville is now the Weeden House Museum.

Biologically diverse

Alabama rivers are home to 325 freshwater species of fish, and another 100 that are native to the state, making the rivers the most biologically diverse in the world.

Watercress Capital of the World

Alabama was once a major producer of watercress, a leafy green used in salads. According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, watercress was an important commodity in the state until the mid-1900s. “The watercress industry was centered in Madison County … [and Huntsville] was known as the Watercress Capital of the World,” the encyclopedia article said. “From the early twentieth century through the 1960s, more than 2 million bunches of watercress were grown and harvested in the area, more than produced by any other source in the United States. Today, watercress production continues in Madison County, but on a much-reduced scale.”

Mark Twain’s cousin

Mark Twain’s cousin, Jeremiah Clemens (1814-1865), was a writer who was born and died in Huntsville. He served as a U.S. senator and a member of the Alabama Legislature. He was the author of several books including “A Tale of the Times of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton,” and the novel “Tobias Wilson.”

World-record cake

In October of 1989, residents of Fort Payne built a cake to celebrate the city’s centennial. The 12-layer cake was 32 feet wide and 80 feet long and weighed 128,238 pounds, according to a 1989 edition of The Huntsville Times. It was certified by Guinness World Records as the World’s Largest Cake. The record has since been broken.

Famed harmonica player

Burl “Jaybird” Coleman (born 1896 in Gainesville; died 1950 in Tuskegee) was a blues harmonica player who performed with the Birmingham Jug Band in the Rabbit Foot Minstrels Show. Coleman served in World War I and then began travelling with the minstrel show. He first recorded in 1927 on Birmingham’s Gennett, Silvertone and Black Patti Record labels. During the 1930s, he toured throughout Alabama and later recorded for OKeh and Columbia Records.

Alabama’s prairie

Before the 1830s, Alabama’s Black Belt consisted of tallgrass prairies. Early settlers cut the grasses and farmed the lands so that today, less than 1 percent of the prairie remains, meaning the loss of habitat for many forms of wildlife. The prairie is also home to rare plants, like rosinweed, that do not grow anywhere else in the world, according to this marker at Old Cahawba Archaeological Site. first capital city, which is preserved as an outdoor museum.

The man who shot Billy the Kid

Pat Garrett, the man who killed Billy the Kid, was born near Cusseta, Ala., on June 5, 1850. He was sheriff of Lincoln County, N.M., when he shot and killed the notorious outlaw July 14, 1881. Garrett himself was murdered Feb. 29, 1908. He is buried in Las Cruces, N.M.

First city in the nation

Abbeville, Ala., is the first city in the nation alphabetically, both by city and state, in the Rand McNally Road Atlas.

Dred Scott in Alabama

Dred Scott, whose name is associated with the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Dred Scott Decision of 1857, worked in Alabama. Scott was born in Virginia but lived and worked, as a slave, in Madison and Florence between 1818 and 1830. For a time, he was a hostler at the Peter Blow Inn in Florence and a historic marker was erected at the site. Historians believe his first wife was buried in Oakwood Slave Cemetery in Huntsville.

Founder of The Temptations

Edward James Kendrick (1939-1992) was born in Union Springs, Ala. He became a soul singer and songwriter who, using the name Eddie Kendricks, was a lead vocalist and cofounder for the legendary group, The Temptations. He also recorded as a solo artist, and had a No. 1 single with “Keep On Truckin’.”

World-famous Fisk Jubilee singer

A woman born into slavery in Athens, Ala., in the 1850s, went on to become one of the world’s best-known mezzo-soprano singers. Patti Malone was born on Cedars Plantation and, following the Civil War, was able to attend Trinity School, founded to provide education to former slaves. That allowed her to enroll at Nashville’s Fisk University, where she joined a choir established to help raise funds to build a campus. She became one of the Fisk Jubilee Singers and traveled the world, entertaining German Emperor Wilhelm and leaders across Europe, Australia and New Zealand. She died in 1897 and is buried in Athens.

Birmingham’s Wikipedia

Bhamwiki.com was launched in 2006 as part of the Project to Document the Birmingham District. It uses the Wikipedia Model of encyclopedic entries and is operated with MediaWiki software. The entries are created by volunteers. Its mission statement says, “We aim for accuracy, objectivity, and accessibility as we work steadily to expand our coverage.” Bhamwiki currently has more than 13,000 entries so visitors can explore the area’s history by date or by subject or even select articles at random.

Designed Jackie Kennedy’s dress

An Alabama native designed the wedding dress worn by Jacqueline Bouvier when she married future president John F. Kennedy. Ann Lowe, who was living in New York at the time, hailed from Clayton, Ala. She was the daughter of a seamstress and great-granddaughter of a slave woman and plantation owner. Click here to see more than a dozen of Lowe’s creations in the Smithsonian collection. Watch an interview with Lowe above.

Building the Black Pearl

The Black Pearl was built in Alabama. One of the pirate ships featured in Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise was built at Steiner Shipyard in Bayou La Batre. The ship, created from an existing craft, was used in the second and third films in the franchise.

Alabama’s plank roads

Alabama once had wooden roads. In 1849, the first plank road in the country was built by Daniel Pratt for the public and for transportation from his Pratt Cotton Gin to the Alabama River. It was constructed of large pine logs, sawed lengthwise and laid round-side down. These days, visitors can walk along a reproduction plank road in Tannehill State Park near McCalla.

When Giant Sloths roamed

Giant sloths once roamed Alabama. Bones of two types of extinct giant ground sloths – the Megalonyx jeffersonii and Paramylodon harlani – that lived during the Ice Age have been found in Alabama. They could grow up to 9 feet tall and weigh more than two tons.

Questions about whether one of Mobile’s City Council candidates even meets the legal residency requirement surfaced during a tense forum Thursday, with both of her opponents publicly casting doubt about her recent ties to Mobile.

Samantha Ingram, a former school administrator and political newcomer, is facing criticism for being a registered voter in Georgia and not having cast a ballot in a Mobile municipal election in two decades.

“If you lived here, you’d know,” said incumbent William Carroll, taking a pointed jab as he discussed drainage problems in the district. He added later, “If you haven’t been here for 20 years, (you) don’t know how it works. You have to learn the process and how city government works.”

Fellow challenger Reggie Hill didn’t mince words, suggesting her candidacy was irresponsible since she would be voting on a city budget and ordinances in a city she hasn’t lived in for 20 years.

“Look who was there,” Hill said. “Who wasn’t here in the state. Think about that.”

Residency stance

Ingram did not respond directly to the residency challenges during the 90-minute forum inside a school auditorium. She left Mobile in 2007, after serving as the school system’s deputy superintendent.

She mostly focused her criticism on Carroll, accusing the “status quo” for not working in Mobile.

“When you look at aging streets, broken sidewalks and darkened corridors, you realize that represents decades of underinvestment,” she said. “We cannot continue with a future like that.”

Ingram, in statements to the media last week, said that in June 2023, while living in Georgia, she bought a house in her hometown of Mobile. She said she moved into the Mobile house last summer after doing renovations.

She voted in November’s presidential election in Georgia, according to state records, and remains a registered voter in the state.

Ingram has said she is qualified to serve in the seat if elected on Aug. 26. Alabama law requires anyone who runs for Mobile City Council to have lived in their district for the past 90 days, and as a resident of the city for the past year.

Partnerships and plans

Ingram, Hill and Carroll participated in the forum in which they answered seven questions on issues like infrastructure, public safety, blight, transparency, and the city’s preservation of heritage oaks.

Ingram repeatedly called for a comprehensive plan and partnerships to tackle issues such as crime, drainage, and infrastructure. A former educator, Ingram said it is important for the city to partner with the Mobile County Public School System to advocate for public education.

She also urged for the addition of a liaison to serve as a “direct communicator” between city government and the 19 neighborhoods that make up the diverse district.

“If we do not allow citizens into decision making, then truly it’s an individual who makes decisions collectively for all of us,” Ingram said. “It’s time to put the citizens back into the decision-making process.”

Performance contracts

Hill, who says he would be a servant-leader if elected, argued in support of reaching out to non-profits and community colleges to provide services to improve the city’s housing stock.

He also advocated to connecting directly with the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery to help boost the redevelopment of the historic Africatown community. In addition, he said the city’s performance contracts included in the city’s annual budget need to be reexamined.

“We give aways millions of dollars to the same groups,” Hill said. “If you do the same thing expecting different results, that’s insane. Re-evaluate those. With the right leadership, we can do that.”

Demolition by neglect

Carroll, who won the District 2 seat during an unusual runoff election in 2021, said he is proud of the district’s accomplishments during his time in office. Carroll also served in the seat for two terms from 2005-2013.

Carroll argued in support of having Mobile return to a community-policing approach where police officers are walking a beat and interacting with neighbors.

“I understand my role as a city councilman and I know I cannot write or direct anything for the police department,” he said. “But we need to continue to review the budget to give public servants enough money to protect the people.”

Carroll also advocated to ensure the city’s historic preservation department has a boost in funding to ensure that historic districts are preserved.

He also emphasized a need to tighten the city’s ordinances to prevent what he called is “demolition by neglect” to properties throughout Mobile.

“We have to come up with a way to make sure we maintain the fabric and quality of a community without disturbing the quality of life of people,” Carroll said. “We have property that is derelict because of people who are just letting them fall away, a demolition by neglect. We cannot tear them down. We have to change that. It’s causing us irreparable harm in the downtown.”

Revisiting 2021

Next month’s election will be the first time voters in District 2 have had a chance to decide a council race since the Oct. 5, 2021, runoff when Carroll squared off against former Council President Levon Manzie.

The election took place 16 days after Manzie, who nearly avoided the runoff by receiving 47.5% of the vote in the first election, died at age 38 following a lengthy illness from kidney disease. Carroll was a distant second place with 23% of the vote, but just enough to prevent Manzie from receiving more than 50% that would have prevented a runoff.

Concerns were raised in the days leading up to the runoff election that Manzie’s candidacy, despite him being deceased, was influenced by outsider money. That included support from a political action committee that supported Republican candidates including U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville. Manzie had been a well-known supporter of Democratic candidates.

Carroll won the runoff election with 57% support to Manzie’s 43%.

Dear Eric: My wife of 50 years told me that she no longer wants to live with me. I am currently living in our summer home with no friends or social contacts/networks. She has no interest in reconciling.

We didn’t fight or argue, and I am at a loss as to what triggered her declaration. This has taken me totally by surprise. I thought we had a good marriage, with occasional ups and downs. There are no abuse, addiction or infidelity issues. I worked my whole life and am now retired. As soon as we had children, she was able to stay at home and lived comfortably raising our children and taking care of the household. The children have sided with their mom and won’t speak to me. I think she has poisoned them against me, but don’t see the gain in her doing that.

I am miserable. I am 74 with neurological mobility issues. I fear that I will fall, and no one will be around. Senior housing for me is too expensive and will deplete our planned retirement resources. We were counting on eventually selling our summer home to supplement our finances later in life. This is no longer possible as I am living in that house. This is not how I wanted the last chapters of my life to end.

I have had five sessions of therapy with no results. My therapist says I’m not at risk to myself or others and I am perpetually slightly depressed but not debilitated. Without more concrete information, he cannot help me. I am not a bad person, yet here I am.

– Totally Betrayed

Dear Betrayed: First off, I’m concerned about the therapist’s response. Even without major depression, a therapist can help you process the shock of your separation and plan your next steps. So, you should set an appointment with another therapist with those stated goals up front.

I’m not sure whether the lack of “concrete information” indicates a failing of the therapist’s or indicates that you’re holding back. Therapy can help us acknowledge the things that we refuse to admit to ourselves, but you can also start to do some of this work on your own, if there are parts of your story that you haven’t included. It’s concerning, for instance, that your children have stopped speaking to you. Without more information, I can’t say what that’s about, but it suggests that there’s something you need to unpack. It’s useful to ask yourself what that is.

It’s equally important that you find safety and stability. Talk to a divorce lawyer and a financial planner about what has happened and what needs to happen moving forward. They can help you sort out the issues with the house and retirement. Talk to your doctor about the possibility of a home health aide or a connection to a social worker. There are options out there for you.

I’m sorry that you feel blindsided by this. But accepting that this is what is happening right now and taking proactive steps will keep you safe.

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.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I belong to a group of ladies who are currently living in the United States. Their citizenship status varies. One of our ladies comes from a part of the world that is now engaged in armed conflict. She has often spoken of the terrible carnage and loss of life, especially the children. I would like to acknowledge her grief and despair, but I’m not quite sure what is appropriate. I don’t believe she’s lost any family members or people that she personally knows, so a condolence card doesn’t seem appropriate. And I’m certain that her politics and mine differ somewhat, so entering into a political discussion to show sympathy won’t work.

She is in so much pain when she speaks of the loss of innocence. Can you recommend anything that would show her I care? I am friendly with this woman, but have not developed a strong relationship to her yet.

GENTLE READER: You can be sympathetic to this woman’s pain, Miss Manners assures you, without taking a stance on its source. “This is awful. I am so sorry” is all you need say, repeated as many times as necessary — and with increasing emphasis if she tries to engage you in further political discussion.

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.

A small school district in the Black Belt has launched a new effort to help students who may not have a bed to sleep in at night.

The Sumter County school district is trying to raise enough money to buy bed frames, mattresses and sheets for about 70 students. School officials say the initiative highlights how the role of schools has evolved, especially in the years since COVID.

“Traditionally, we focus on academics, but now schools are more of a community hub, places where families can access food, clothing, counseling, health services and more,” said Marcy Burroughs, superintendent of Sumter County schools. “This is especially true in rural and high poverty areas where access to services are limited.”

Sumter County, home to about 12,000 people on the border with Mississippi, has a poverty rate of about 30% according to Census Data. That’s the third highest poverty rate among all counties in Alabama.

The goal is to raise $25,000. So far the district has raised $20,000 thanks to a donation from the Alabama Coalition for Healthy Mothers and Children and an adjunct professor at the University of West Alabama pledging part of his salary toward the effort.

Brandon Renfroe, the adjunct professor, has helped Sumter County Schools secure funding in the past for its program to provide students with meals during the weekend. Earlier this year he secured a $10,000 donation from billionaire Mark Cuban for the Secret Meals program.

While getting his doctorate at West Alabama, Renfroe did research on childhood food insecurity in the Black Belt. He administered the Household Food Security Survey created by the USDA to 742 students in 16 Black Belt high schools in 2021. Nearly a quarter of the students self-reported as experiencing food insecurity.

“Sumter County is a place that is historically poor and the research we did on food insecurity showed kids there were facing it more than 10 times the national average, so we want to focus on programs that help provide them with their basic necessities,” Renfroe told AL.com.

The new bed initiative will help those same 72 students who are enrolled in the Secret Meals program. School counselors will also work to identify other students who may need a bed if there’s still funding.

“We have some students who don’t have beds so the goal of this initiative is simple but powerful: just to ensure that every child in our district has a safe and comfortable place to sleep,” Burroughs said.

Once students are identified, district officials say they plan to order everything on Amazon and have the beds shipped directly to the students at home.

“As school district professionals it should be our duty to be aware and concerned about the total well being of the students that we serve,” said Heather Shambry, the Child Nutrition Program director at Sumter County Schools. “This bed program and our Secret Meals allow us to address those concerns and show the community that we do care outside of these walls of the schools.”

Those interested in donating to either the bed program or Secret Meals can contact Sumter County Schools or send a check to their board of education office at 716 Country Club Rd. Livingston, AL 35470.