Alabama News

An all new episode of the hit survivalist competition series Alone premieres on the History Channel Thursday, July 24 at 9/8c.

Those hoping to catch this week’s new episode of Alone can stream the series through Philo (free trial), DirecTV (free trial) or Sling (50% off first month).

Previous episode recap

For those who missed last week’s episode, a freak storm ended up ravaging the Great Karoo Desert, leaving the remaining survivalists battling it out to keep their shelters out of the intense flooding.

Additionally, Douglas tapped out of the season after thoughts of home and his family plagued him, and the episode ended on a cliffhanger as another survivalist, Dug, suddenly collapsed, leaving viewers to wonder about his fate until this week’s new episode.

What to expect from this week’s new episode

This week, the remaining survivalists are shown recovering from the aftermath of the devastating storm and taking stock of their place in the game.

One participant takes a risk on an ambitious shelter, while another unknowingly finds themselves poised on a knife’s edge.

How to watch Alone season 12

Those interested in seeing the remaining survivalists continue their journey in South Africa can stream new episodes through Philo, DirecTV or Sling.

What is Philo?

Philo is considered one of the most affordable streaming platforms on the market. Known as an entertainment-focused streaming service, Philo offers its subscribers access to over 70 top-rated TV channels such as TLC, MTV, BET, AMC, CMT, Investigation Discovery and more.

New users can enjoy Philo’s 7-day free trial and continue to stream top channels, hit TV shows and movies on-demand for just $28 a month once the free trial expires.

Those looking to customize their flow of content even further on Philo can consider including add-ons such as MGM+, STARZ, and AMC+ in their subscription.

What is DirecTV?

DirecTV is a top streaming service perfect for those looking to access a plethora of live TV channels and enjoy helpful features. The base package starts at just $86.99 a month after its 5-day free trial and includes popular TV channels such as HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, CMT, CNBC, BET, CNN and more.

DirecTV has also recently introduced a lineup of genre packs, which allows subscribers to choose their favorite viewing options based on what genre they watch the most. With genre packs, users can get the channels and content they want without filler channel overload. Packs start at just $34.99 a month.

Those interested in comparing all DirecTV’s channel packages and the new genre packs can check them out here.

What is Sling?

Sling is another streaming service to consider if you want to access top-rated TV channels like the History Channel. Though no free trial is available to new subscribers, those who commit to a paid plan get half off the first month.

Both the Sling Orange plan and the Sling Blue plan are normally $45.99 a month, but with the current promotion, Sling users will pay just $23 a month for the first month.

For those who wish to access channels from both the Sling Blue and Sling Orange plans can do so by signing up for the Orange + Blue plan, which combines the best of both plans for just $60.99 a month ($30.50 for the first month).

Three of the seven suspects charged in the horrific child sex trafficking ring in Alabama will remain held in the Bibb County Jail without bond.

A bond hearing was held Thursday for Rebecca Brewer, 29, Sara Louise Terrell, 41, and Ricky Terrell, 44.

Their defense attorneys agreed to their clients remaining in jail without bond, said Bibb County Assistant District Attorney Bryan Jones.

The trio will have a preliminary hearing on Aug. 21.

The allegations against the latest suspects – one of whom is the mother of some of the victims – include them using an animal shock collar on the children’s genitals, both as a form of punishment and for sexual pleasure, according to court documents.

Brewer, the mother of four of the 10 victims identified so far, is charged with three counts of sexual torture, eight counts of kidnapping and eight counts of human trafficking.

Ricky Terrell is charged with first-degree rape. He is alleged to have raped a 10-year-old girl.

Sara Terrell is charged with sexual torture and abuse. Charging documents state she used an animal training collar with shock capability on a child or children.

Brewer and the Terrells have not yet been indicted by a grand jury.

Their attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Previously arrested and already indicted are Andres Velazquez-Trejo, 29, William Chase McElroy, 21, Dalton Terrell, also 21, and Timothy St. John, 23.

Velazquez-Trejo and Brewer have three children together, and Brewer has at least one child from another previous relationship.

Their children are among the 10 victims between the ages of 3 and 15 that were victimized as far back as 2022.

Authorities have said the abuse took place in an underground bunker, or storm shelter, located on the property of McElroy’s grandmother.

The bunker contained a bed, some chairs, and other small items.

Investigators said Velazquez-Trejo would drug the children and tie them to the bed, chairs, and concrete support poles, and allow them to be abused by men and women who made “appointments” to have sex with the children and paid roughly $200 per appointment.

The operation could make up to $1,000 a night, Bibb County Sheriff Jody Wade has said.

“I’ve been in law enforcement for 33 years and this is absolutely the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen when it comes to the victimization of children,” Sheriff Jody Wade said at a Wednesday press conference.

“I know God’s forgiveness is boundless, but if there is a limit, we’ve reached it,” he said.

The investigation began Feb. 4 of this year “following concerns regarding the sexual abuse of children in an underground bunker located in Brent.” The sheriff’s office, Wade said, was alerted by DHR.

Two of the victims were found to be performing sex acts on each other.

When discovered, they reported that McElroy had done to them, or taught them to do, the things they were doing to each other, Jones said.

The accusations alleged the children were forced to endure vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, and oral sex.

Records state one of the suspects “sold” children “to various clientele for sexual pleasure.”

Wade said the Department of Homeland Security is involved in the probe because of the suspects could have affiliation with the Mexican gang Seranos that uses sex trafficking as a main source of income.

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order making it easier to remove people who are homeless from the streets as part of a set of policies the administration said would make America safer.

The order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to reverse judicial precedent and Justice Department agreements with local governments known as consent decrees that limit those governments’ ability to commit homeless people who are a risk to themselves or others, the White House announced.

Under the order, Bondi would also be required to work with the secretaries of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and Transportation to prioritize grants for states and municipalities that enforce bans on open illicit drug use, “urban camping and loitering,” “urban squatting” and track sex offenders’ locations.

Funding would be available to move homeless people who are “causing public disorder” and suffer from “serious mental illness or addiction” into “treatment centers, assisted outpatient treatment, or other facilities.”

Discretionary grants for substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery programs would not be able to fund drug injection sites or illicit drug use under the order.

Sex offenders who receive homelessness assistance would be banned from being housed with children under the order.

Programs would also be allowed to only house women and children.

The administration justified the order by stating that the number of homeless people living on the streets in the United States during a single night in 2024 — the last year of the Biden administration — hit a record of 274,224.

“The overwhelming majority of these individuals are addicted to drugs, have a mental health disorder, or both,” stated a fact sheet on the order.

Meanwhile, the administration claimed federal and state governments “have spent tens of billions of dollars on failed programs that address homelessness but not its root causes, leaving other citizens vulnerable to public safety threats.”

Moving homeless people who are a danger to themselves or others into institutional settings “is the most proven way to restore public order,” the administration claimed.

Dabo Swinney said Thursday there is always “fuel for the fire” when asked at ACC Kickoff his reaction to Brian Kelly’s “Death Valley Jr.” comment.

On Wednesday, Kelly, the LSU coach, called Clemson’s Memorial Stadium “Death Valley Jr.”

“You want attention to detail on 4th and goal,” Kelly said. “You want great habits when they’re needed, when you’re on the road and you’re playing in Death Valley Jr., not the Death Valley. … That’s what you need. You need those traits on a day to day basis.”

LSU travels to Clemson to open the season.

Swinney, a Pelham, Alabama native, didn’t take the bait.

RELATED: Swinney tells funny story about confusing Brian Kelly with another Brian Kelly

“(It) isn’t going to have anything to do with blocking, tackling, and executing on game day,” Swinney said, per CBS Sports. “So, it makes it fun, but let’s go focus on what we have to do.”

Still, Swinney said, people use all sorts of things to get motivated.

“There’s always fuel for the fire,” Swinney said. “You can take whatever you want, everybody’s different, and they can be motivated by different things along the way.

“You know, Michael Jordan used to make stuff up, right? For those of you following Michael Jordan, he would just make stuff up, whether it was true or not, because that was how he motivated himself on some things. But, everybody’s different in that regard.”

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.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order mandating that federal authorities clarify whether college athletes can be considered employees of the schools they play for — attempting to create clearer national standards for the NCAA’s name image and likeness program.

The move comes amid a dramatic increase in the money flowing into and around college athletics. It also follows key court victories won by current and former athletes angry that they were barred for decades, both from earning income based on their celebrity and from sharing in the billions of revenue they helped generate.

Facing a growing number of state laws undercutting its authority, the NCAA in July 2021 cleared the way for athletes to cash in with name, image and likeness deals with brands and sponsors.

That came mere days after a 9-0 decision from the Supreme Court that found the NCAA cannot impose caps on education-related benefits schools provide to their athletes because such limits violate antitrust law.

Trump’s action directs the secretary of labor and the National Labor Relations Board to clarify the status of collegiate athletes through guidance or rules “that will maximize the educational benefits and opportunities provided by higher education institutions through athletics.”

The NCAA’s embrace of NIL deals set the stage for another massive change that took effect July 1: The ability of schools to begin paying millions of dollars to their own athletes, up to $20.5 million per school over the next year. The $2.8 billion House settlement shifts even more power to college athletes, who have also won the ability to transfer from school to school without waiting to play.

The NCAA has been lobbying for several years for limited antitrust protection to keep some kind of control over this new landscape — and avoid more crippling lawsuits — but a handful of bills have gone nowhere in Congress.

The 1,100 universities that comprise the NCAA have insisted for decades that athletes are students who cannot be considered anything like a school employee.

This stance has long been a part of the amateur model at the heart of college athletics, but that model is rapidly being replaced by a more professional structure fed by money that is coming from donors, brands and now the schools themselves.

Some coaches have even suggested collective bargaining is a potential solution to the chaos they see.

It is a complicated topic: Universities would become responsible for paying wages, benefits, and workers’ compensation and schools and conferences have insisted they will fight any such move in court (some already have).

While private institutions fall under the National Labor Relations Board, public universities must follow labor laws that vary from state to state and it’s worth noting that virtually every state in the South has “right to work” laws that present challenges for unions.

A child was accidentally shot Wednesday evening while mishandling a firearm with another child, according to a release from Huntsville police.

On Wednesday, at approximately 6:30 p.m., officers responded to the 200 block of Binford Drive following reports of a shooting in progress.

Upon arrival, they found a juvenile who had sustained a gunshot wound, according to the release.

The juvenile was transported to the hospital with injuries that were determined to be non-life-threatening.

Officers say their findings indicated that the shooting took place inside a nearby apartment.

Further investigation revealed that two juveniles were in the bedroom of the apartment mishandling a firearm when the weapon was accidentally discharged by one of them, striking the other, the release says.

Based on the evidence collected, the shooting is believed to have been accidental and police said they do not anticipate any criminal charges.

Bill Belichick was nothing but complimentary Thursday of Dabo Swinney during his time at the podium for ACC Kickoff.

“Yeah, we’re all learning from Dabo,” the North Carolina coach said.

Belichick, the former New England Patriots coach was asked about his relationship with the Clemson head coach.

“Dabo has been a friend for a long time,” he said. “We’ve scouted his players from the NFL down. Some of the players that are here today, I actually thought, maybe we’ll be drafting one of these guys, and now here we are going to be playing against them.

“But Dabo has been great. I have so much respect for him and the Clemson program, what he’s done, the way he runs it. It’s high quality. Kids are high quality. He came up to New England, got probably the top player out of New England in the last probably decade, Christian Wilkins out of Springfield, Suffield Academy.”

Swinney’s Tigers are once again picked to compete for a College Football Playoff berth.

“I think that says a lot for the program that he runs and what he’s done for not only college football but all the student-athletes that he’s coached there,” Belichick said. “They’ve gone on to represent him and the school very well.

“Again, I have a ton of respect for Dabo and what he’s done. Great opportunity to spend some time with him at the ACC coaches’ meetings, and he’s always been a really enjoyable guy to be around. I don’t know if that’ll be true on Saturday afternoon. Probably not. But at least in these meetings it is.”

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.

A teen has been charged in the June shooting death of a Hueytown man in Bessemer.

Quincy Edward Peals Jr., 18, is charged with capital murder and attempted murder, police announced Thursday.

Killed was Willie Jame Johnson Jr.

Peals was taken into custody by Bessemer police and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, said Det. Just Burmeister.

He is being held at the Bessemer City Jail awaiting transfer to the Jefferson County Jail where he will be held without bond.

The shooting happened June 25 at an abandoned house in the 1800 block of Clarendon Avenue. Police said people often gather at that location.

Johnson was hanging out with other people when someone fired shots from the street.

Johnson was struck. He was taken to UAB Medical West Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:55 p.m.

A motive has not been disclosed.

Burmeister said the investigation is ongoing and police believe at one more person was involved.

Anyone with information is asked to call Bessemer police at 205-481-4366, the tip line at 205-428-3541 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

The Seattle Mariners play against the Los Angeles Angels in an MLB game tonight. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 8:38 p.m. CT on MLB Network. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV.

The Mariners enter this matchup with a 54-48 record, and they have lost three of their last four games. In their most recent game, the Mariners lost 10-2 against Milwaukee.

In order to bounce back this evening, the Mariners will need a great performance from their star player Cal Raleigh. He leads the Seattle offense with 39 home runs and 84 RBI, so he will try to continue his offensive success tonight.

Notably, Raleigh hit a home run in his last game.

The Angels enter this matchup with a 49-53 record, and they have lost three consecutive games. In their most recent game, the Angels lost 6-3 against the New York Mets.

In order to win tonight’s game, the Angels will need to rely on their star player Taylor Ward. He leads the team with 23 home runs and 76 RBI, which highlights his power at the plate.

Ward also leads the Los Angeles offense with 25 doubles this season.

Fans can watch this MLB game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV.

The Houston Astros play against the Athletics in an MLB game tonight. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m. CT on MLB Network. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV.

The Astros enter this matchup with a 60-42 record, and they have won four consecutive games. In their most recent game, the Astros defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3.

In order to win tonight’s game, the Astros will need to rely on their star player Jeremy Pena. He leads the Houston offense with a .322 batting average this season, so he will look to continue his offensive success this evening.

The Athletics enter this matchup with a 42-62 record, and they have lost four consecutive games. In their most recent game, the Athletics lost 2-1 against the Texas Rangers.

In order to bounce back tonight, the Athletics will need a great performance from their star player Jacob Wilson. He leads the team with a .311 batting average and a .353 on-base percentage, which highlights his offensive prowess.

Fans can watch this MLB game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV.