Alabama News

Nico Iamaleava spoke about his move from Tennessee to UCLA on Thursday during Big Ten Media Days.

It was the talk of college football in the offseason.

On Thursday, Iamaleava’s comments were his first time on the topic, saying that family was his primary motivation for leaving Knoxville.

“I hope Tennessee fans understand that it was really one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make,” he told reporters. “But I had to do what was best for me and my family. And ultimately, I wanted to come back home and be closer to my family.”

Iamaleava, the returning starter at Tennessee, left the team on the eve of the spring game due a reported NIL dispute, and eventually transferred to UCLA. The former five-star recruit’s departure was one of the stories of the offseason in college football.

Iamaleava skipped Tennessee’s practice on Friday, April 11, the day before the team’s Orange and White spring game. Head coach Josh Heupel announced the following day that Tennessee was “moving on from” Iamaleava.

“I’d say that my decision to leave was extremely hard, one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make. But family was the biggest thing to me,” Iamaleava said.

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 freeSound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

Looking for a new furry buddy? Adopting a mixed-breed dog in Alabama may be your best bet.

Stacker shared a list compiled by Ollie of the most common dog breeds available for adoption in Alabama, using data from Petfinder. As of April 2, 2025, there were 1,808 dogs up for adoption on Petfinder, and that number continues to rise.

According to Ollie, dog adoptions overall rose by 4.7% between December 2023 and November 2024. Adoptions from government organizations increased 10.4%. However, organizations across the country have reported longer stays for dogs in shelters, with larger dogs typically staying a median of 20 days compared to 14 days for small dogs.

Organizations such as Best Friends Animal Society and Shelter Animals Count are raising awareness about overcrowding in animal shelters and the benefits of adopting which may help more people consider dog ownership.

Last month, WAFF reported that animal shelters across Alabama are facing overcrowding while seeing an increasing number of dogs and cats brought to facilities in Colbert, Lauderdale, and Lawrence Counties. Shelters in Montgomery and Tuscaloosa are also feeling the pinch, according to local reports.

If you’re considering adopting a dog in Alabama, here are the most common dog breeds available:

1. Mixed Breed

2. Labrador Retriever

3. Pit Bull Terrier

4. Terrier

5. Shepherd

6. Labrador Retriever, Mixed Breed

7. Hound

8. American Staffordshire Terrier

9. Chihuahua

10. American Bulldog

11. German Shepherd Dog

12. Bulldog

13. Australian Cattle Dog / Blue Heeler

14. Husky

15. Great Pyrenees

16. Boxer

17. Black Labrador Retriever

18. Beagle

19. Australian Shepherd

20. Catahoula Leopard Dog

Navigating security at U.S. airports will soon be easier for families.

In the latest procedural change, TSA announced it was expanding its “Families on the Fly” program. First tested in Florida and North Carolina, the program offers lanes for people traveling with children.

“The Families on the Fly campaign, being rolled out at select airports, aims to mitigate the unique challenges families face when traveling and minimize stress while maintaining the highest level of security,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl.

Current participating airports include Orlando International and Charlotte-Douglas International. Later expansions include John Wayne Orange County Airport in California and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii.

READ MORE: TSA announces changes to security checks in 10 major airports across the US

In addition to the special lanes designed to speed up the screening process, the program will also offer discounted TSA PreCheck fees for families. Forbes reports the discount will be $15 off the normal $100 TSA PreCheck registration. Currently, children 12 and younger and use TSA PreCheck when traveling with a program though rules change for those 13-17. You can see more on those rules here.

This is an opinion piece.

When Jere Adcock stepped down after 27 years as head football coach at Decatur High School in November of 2022, he didn’t necessarily plan on coaching again.

He coached the Red Raiders from 1996 to 2022, taking the job after Steve Rivers left to be the Athens High coach. Adcock won 187 games and seven region titles and made the playoffs 21 times.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do,” he said at Huntsville Area High School Media Day earlier this week. “I left Decatur and worked for Pepsi for probably eight months. I was calling on schools and parks and recreation departments. I was giving away stuff and making people happy. I was having a good time. But I would come home at night and my wife would say, ‘You are lost, aren’t you?’ I didn’t really know what to do.”

Then he fielded a phone call from Whitesburg Christian. The Warriors started a football program in 2020. They were looking for their third head coach following Michael Harper and Jimmy Nave.

“When I got the phone call about this opportunity, my wife told me to go look into it,” Adcock said. “She said, ‘You are not done coaching yet.’”

The rest, as they say, is history. Adcock ended his short retirement in December of 2023, leaving the ‘Pepsi Generation’ to return to his love of coaching.

“It’s been different, going from a storied program, very strong history, to a program with no facilities, no history, and just trying to get it going in that direction,” he said this week. “But I’ve enjoyed it.”

Adcock’s first Whitesburg team went 4-6 in 2024, a two-game improvement from the previous season. He is precise with his expectations for another young Warrior team this season.

“We are trying to win seven football games,” he said. “Would I want to win more than that? Absolutely. But we were 4-6 last year. They were 2-8 the year before. For us, we are shooting for seven wins. When we get there, we will be shooting for eight or nine.”

Adcock said he has a good core group of approximately 35 players, 26 of whom are in either the ninth or 10th grade. The Warriors have just four seniors on the roster.

“I think we are going to be a lot better than we were last year,” he said. “I’m excited about this group. They are young, but they work extremely hard, and we return a lot of starters.”

Whitesburg opens the season Aug. 22 at Cleveland. The Warriors lost that game 18-16 a year ago.

In just a few minutes of talking with him, it’s easy to see how much Adcock still loves the game and, especially, the players even without the number of students and the facilities he once had at Decatur.

“This has probably been more of a growing experience for me,” he said. “I’ve probably grown more and stepped back and looked at myself more with this job because there have been some very challenging times when I was like, ‘My hands are tied. What am I going to do?’ Spiritually, it’s been very challenging, which has been a good thing. It’s helped me realize what is really important.”

It is also “really important” that Adcock be involved in Alabama high school football. The experience and love he is pouring into his players at Whitesburg Christian is invaluable.

One of the absolute good guys in coaching is back, and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Coaching your kids

Adcock also talked about working for Steve Rivers when they were both at Decatur. Rivers left after Adcock had been on the staff for two years to take the Athens job where he coached his son, Philip.

“Steve said he wished he would have coached Philip the second year he coached because then he would have been a better football coach the rest of his life,” Adcock said. “He said not until you coach your own son do you really realize how to coach young people.

“You realize who they are. ‘That’s my son, those are his friends. I’ve seen them grow up.’ You just look at it a little differently because they aren’t just football players anymore. Steve was great to work for – hard-nosed, wasn’t going to break any rules. He wanted things to be physical. You better be good in the kicking game, I guarantee you. He was adamant about the punt. You weren’t going to foul that up.”

Rivers won 152 games in 21 years of coaching in Alabama at Pelham, Decatur and Athens. When Philip signed to play quarterback at N.C. State, he moved to North Carolina and coached at Wakefield High for four years before retiring to follow Philip’s NFL career.

The right man at Hoover

Grissom first-year coach Preston Judah was on Chip English’s staff when English was head coach of the Tigers. English is now the man in charge at Hoover.

Judah said he knew when English was named interim coach after Drew Gilmer’s sudden resignation last August that the Bucs had the right man for the job.

“I’ve always said what Chip is best at is organization and culture,” Judah said at Huntsville Area High School Media Day on Monday. “When they gave him that job, I told people they were going to be dang good. I knew if anyone could rally that ship, it was going to be him. He’s got a great staff around him. A lot of those guys were here when we were all at Grissom before. It shows that the process and the method works no matter where you are at. Whether it’s Hoover or Grissom as long as you institute a culture that is an effective and winning culture and you create buy-in, you can win wherever you are at.”

After winning the Class 7A, Region 3 title a year ago and making the state semifinals, English was named Hoover’s full-time head coach in December.

More Media Days

After Huntsville took its turn last week, high school media days continue to ramp up next week.

The Birmingham High School Media Days will be held Monday and Tuesday at Thompson High School. Mobile High School Media Days will be on the same days at the IHeart Radio Studios in Mobile. Those will be followed by Baldwin County Media Day at the United States Sports University in Daphne. All are closed to the public.

Other media days also are ongoing around the state.

It’s almost that time, folks!

Thought for the Week

“Faith must be found before it can be shared. Of course, it also must be shared before it can be found. This is God’s cycle of evangelism.” – Bible Studies for Life.

Ben Thomas is the high school managing producer at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected].

The “big, beautiful bill” passed by Congress three weeks ago will increase Alabama’s costs for the SNAP food assistance program, possibly adding more than $200 million within a couple of years.

The bill, spearheaded by President Trump and Republican lawmakers, shifts costs from the federal government to states for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan, which served a monthly average of 376,000 households, or 752,000 people, in Alabama last year.

Brandon Hardin, food assistance director for the Alabama Department of Human Resources, which runs SNAP, explained the huge implications for the state budget at a meeting of the DHR State Board on Thursday.

Until the “big, beautiful bill,” federal dollars paid the full cost of SNAP benefits and 50% of administrative costs.

Now, starting in 2027, states will have to pay 75% of administrative costs.

That will mean a $39 million increase for Alabama based on current operations.

But the biggest change is that starting in 2028, states will have to pay a portion of the benefits for the first time.

States will not have to bear that new cost if they keep their SNAP payment error rates below 6%.

The payment error rate is an estimate of the percentage of benefits incorrectly paid based on a review of a sample of about 1,000 SNAP cases.

States with an error rate of 6-7.99% will have to pay 5% of SNAP benefits.

Total SNAP benefits paid in Alabama last year were $1.77 billion. So 5% of that would be a new state cost of $88.5 million.

States with an error rate of 8-9.99% will have to pay 10%, which would mean $177 million for Alabama.

States with error rates of 10% or more will pay 15%, or $265.5 million for Alabama.

Alabama’s error rate has been the lowest among eight other states in its region the last three years, but still not low enough to avoid the huge new costs.

Alabama’s error rate was 4.68% in 2022, 7.07% in 2023, and 8.32% last year.

“We’ve hit that (below 6%) mark six out of the last 10 years,” Hardin said. “But we want to make sure we hit it 10 out of the 10. But to do that, we’ll have to make some investments.”

Hardin, who has directed the SNAP program for 12 years, said DHR will need more staff and resources to more closely monitor SNAP cases and eligibility requirements for clients.

For example, he said most clients are reviewed for eligibility every 12 months. He said that may need to be more frequent.

Most payment errors are not the result of fraud or waste, Hardin said.

Instead, they are generally the result of a change in a client’s status, such as moving to a new residence that affects factors like housing and utility allowances that are used to determine eligibility.

“Payment error means that there was something in the client’s case that was awarded in the initial case that got different during the 12-month certification period,” Hardin said.

A key to keeping the error rate down, Hardin said, is catching those changes more quickly, which means more interaction with the clients.

“You’ve got to touch the client more often,” Hardin said.

“If you catch it at month one or month two instead of at month eight, statistically you’ve got a better chance of reducing the error rate.”

Alabama’s error rate last year was based on a review of 1,109 cases.

There were $36,000 in incorrect payments out of $441,000 issued in the reviewed cases.

Alabama’s error rate of 8.32% ranked the 16th lowest nationally.

Hardin said there are already ongoing discussions with the Legislature, which will begin its next regular session in January.

The agency does not yet have a specific proposal for how to adjust to the new landscape, although it has increased training to focus on areas where most of the payment errors occur, which include wages and the costs of housing and utilities.

About 900 people work in the food assistance program for DHR.

“We’re going to continue to work hard on this area,” Hardin said. “We don’t have anything that’s currently ready to be rolled out immediately.

“We are increasing our training initiatives in the state to try to focus on our top error elements.

“There will be some really hard questions and decisions that’s got to be made by the Legislature and the budget chairs on whether or not they’re going to invest in this program to help us try to hit that mark 10 out of 10 times.”

See more: Massive SNAP cuts could kill hundreds of Alabama grocery stores, ‘send hunger soaring’

Alabama lawmaker wants to ban candy, soda SNAP purchases as Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ brings EBT change

Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ threatens the lives of Alabama’s poorest people, advocates warn

Another heat wave is expected across Alabama next week, and it could bring the hottest temperatures of the year to the state, according to forecasters.

Temperatures are expected to start rising again by Sunday, and the heat wave could peak by Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The much-above-average streak of days could continue into Wednesday or Thursday before backing off.

High temperatures could approach or possibly even exceed 100 degrees in some areas, and, combined with humidity, could make it feel well above 100, according to the weather service.

Forecasters don’t expect a ton of relief overnight, with lows only expected to fall barely into the 70s, and there could be several minimum low temperature (the highest low temperature) records broken next week.

The weather service expects a ridge of high pressure to move eastward and park over the state for a period, which will raise temperatures and decrease rain chances for the first part of next week.

Today could have the lowest high temperatures for the next few days, according to weather service forecasts.

Highs today are expected to be in the upper 80s to low 90s statewide. Here is the forecast for Friday:

SATURDAY

Saturday’s highs will be a degree or two warmer in some areas.

SUNDAY

The heat wave may get going on Sunday, with temperatures on the increase and mid-90s returning.

MONDAY

On Monday some spots could hit 100 degrees, according to weather service forecasts. Much of the rest of the state could be in the mid- to upper 90s.

TUESDAY

The heat wave could peak on Tuesday, according to the weather service, with widespread highs in the upper 90s expected. (Tuesday’s forecast is at the top of this post.)

WEDNESDAY

Temperatures will continue to run in the mid- to upper 90s in Alabama on Wednesday, but forecasters expect the ridge of high pressure to start to retreat to the west.

THURSDAY

High temperatures on Thursday, the last day of July, will still be hot but not quite as hot for the majority of the state.

SHORT-TERM OUTLOOK

There is a high probability of above-average temperatures for Alabama through the first few days of August.

The Climate Prediction Center’s six- to 10-day temperature outlook is forecasting a 60-70 percent chance of warmer-than-average weather for Alabama through Aug. 3.

However, there is hope for some relief.

The CPC’s eight- to 14-day outlook shows some less-hot weather making its way toward Alabama.

The outlook shows that north Alabama could even have a shot for some below-average temperatures.

Other parts of the state could be near-average, and south Alabama has slightly raised odds of continued above-average temperatures.

Kelly Osbourne publicly acknowledged Thursday Ozzy Osbourne’s death with a an emotional tribute.

The heavy metal icon, and the face of Black Sabbath, died at 76 “surrounded by love,” it was announced Tuesday.

Two days later, his daughter Kelly Osbourne posted lyrics from the Black Sabbath song “Changes,” which she and Ozzy Osbourne recorded as a duet together in 2003.

“I feel unhappy I am so sad,” Kelly, 40, posted Thursday on Instagram. “I lost the best friend I ever had.”

“Changes,” which Ozzy co-wrote, was first released by Black Sabbath in 1972.

In 2003, he and Kelly Osbourne recorded a version as a duet with revised lyrics.

The song was a No. 1 hit in the U.K., and they became just the second father-daughter pair to top the charts, after Frank and Nancy Sinatra in 1967.

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.

The Huntsville City Council on Thursday approved an agreement to acquire the former federal courthouse on Holmes Avenue.

It will not cost the city any money.

The acquisition is a land swap. The city donated the 4.76 acres for the U.S. Courthouse that opened earlier this year at 660 Gallatin St. SW near the Huntsville Hospital medical district. In exchange for that land, the city will receive ownership of the former courthouse at 101 Holmes Ave. NE.

“The former courthouse is an important asset for our community and the city looks forward to how it can be used in the future,” Mayor Tommy Battle said. “It is important to the city that its future uses respect the historical integrity of the building.”

The city has not determined a use for the former courthouse, which opened in 1936 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Neo-Classical Revival-style building opened as a U.S. post office, as well as a courthouse and federal office building. The agreement includes protections for the historically significant elements of the building, both interior and exterior, the city said.

The historic mural that hung in the main courtroom has been moved to the new courthouse.

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