Alabama News

Three legends of Alabama high school coaching will be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards in January.

The Alabama Football Coaches Association announced this week that Curtis Coleman, Terry Curtis and Danny Powell would be honored at the group’s annual Coach of the Year banquet on Jan. 31 in Montgomery.

All three of this year’s recipients have deep roots in Coastal Alabama.

Coleman played linebacker at Escambia County High in Atmore before playing college football at Livingston. He spent 23 years as a head coach – six at Ensley, 12 at Huffman and five at Shades Valley, winning 129 games in the process. Coleman joined the staff of former player Jerry Hood at Clay-Chalkville and is now working with Hood at Leeds. He also served a tenure on the AHSAA’s Central Board of Control.

Curtis, the current president of the Central Board, announced his retirement as head football coach at UMS-Wright in February. After playing baseball at Auburn University, Curtis spent 26 years in the public school system, including head coaching jobs at Shaw High School and his alma mater Murphy High School. He then spent 26 at UMS-Wright where he led the Bulldogs to eight state titles. He finished his coaching career with 361 total wins, currently second all-time in AHSAA coaching wins.

Powell graduated from Leroy and first made his coaching name with the Bears. He led the team to four Class 2A state titles in five years from 2006-2010. He then won a 4A state title at Jackson in 2011. He spent 21 years overall as a head coach, winning 186 games. He was 43-12 in the playoffs. His other head coaching stops included McIntosh Christian, Lee-Scott, Clarke Prep and Jackson Academy. He retired following the 2023 season.

“I remember Danny Powell, one of the best high school coaches in Alabama,” former Leroy and Auburn star Sammie Coates said earlier this week. “He’s in the Hall of Fame. What he implanted was hard work. He didn’t care who you were. If you didn’t do it the way he wanted it, you weren’t going to play for him. That’s one thing I take away from high school. You’ve got to earn everything. I learned that from Danny Powell. If you didn’t want to be there, you could go on. Also, just the team we had in high school, how close we were. That’s why we won so much. We did everything together. There are no secrets to winning. It’s a family. You have to be on the same page. Coach Powell made sure we were on the same page, not only in football, but baseball as well.”

An immigrant who is a legal permanent resident of the United States was held in an Alabama jail for 27 days on an ICE detainer that had expired, a lawsuit claims.

Ricardo Villalta was arrested on a public intoxication charge at a gas station in Prattville on Jan. 27, 2024.

He was taken to the Autauga County Metro Jail and booked by the sheriff’s office, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.

“Sheriff (Mark) Harrell… unlawfully denied Villalta his freedom and constitutionally guaranteed due process of the law,” the suit, filed in March 2025 alleges.

The sheriff and his attorneys did not respond to a request for comment.

Villalta’s attorney also did not respond.

Villalta is a legal permanent resident of the U.S., according to the suit.

When he was arrested, he was carrying an Alabama driver’s license and other papers showing he was in the country legally.

Once at the jail, officers put Villalta on the phone with a federal immigration agent.

He shared his Social Security number, birthday and phone number and explained he had legal status, according to the suit.

His wife tried to post bond for him but was told by the sheriff’s office that ICE had placed a detainer on him.

An ICE detainer lasts 48 hours and decision-making authority stays with the sheriff, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims that ICE issued a detainer for Villalta without probable cause and then the sheriff held him for nearly a month, telling his family he was acting under the detainer, which was false, according to the suit.

On February 7, Villalta appeared before a municipal court judge in Prattville and pled guilty to public intoxication.

He was sentenced with a fine and credit for time served.

The judge ordered his release from jail, according to the suit, and told him he would get out that evening or the next day.

Still, the sheriff did not release Villalta.

The following morning, his son, Ricardo Villalta Jr., went to speak with the sheriff.

He mentioned the court order and was told, “That only happens in the movies,” according to the complaint.

The sheriff held Villalta for 27 days, releasing him March 5, according to the suit.

“Each day Mr. Villalta asked about his release, but was given no information or explanation,” the complaint states.

The lawsuit alleges that during his month in the jail, his cellmate threatened to kill him and “performed disturbing and grotesque acts in the cell,” the complaint states.

“Mr. Villalta’s cellmate cut a (hole) in his sleeping mattress, filled it with water and white bread saved from the bologna sandwiches served in the jail, and then engaged in sex acts with the mattress,” the suit states.

Villalta’s complaints were ignored. His lawsuit alleges he lost weight due to stress.

When analyzing Auburn football’s defensive tackles, the Tigers return just two starters, Malik Blocton and Quientrail Jamison-Travis.

Auburn welcomed three seniors from the transfer portal and signed three freshmen for that position group.

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze spoke highly of his defensive front during SEC media days and believes in the depth he’s added.

“Our chemistry and carryover in coaching is here for a second consecutive year, and most of our locker room is bought into the standard to which we think it will take for us to win football games,” Freeze said at SEC media days.

Here’s a look at the Tigers’ defensive tackles entering fall camp.

Players

*Malik Blocton– Sophomore

*Quientrail Jamison-Travis — Senior

Dallas Walker IV— Senior, Western Kentucky transfer

James Ash — Senior, Florida A&M

Jay Hardy — Senior, Liberty transfer

Malik Autry — Freshman

Jourdin Crawford — Freshman

Darrion Smith — Freshman

*Indicates projected starter

What to know

Blocton made an immediate impact in his first season, finishing with 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss. In his debut against Alabama A&M, he totaled three tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.

Nose tackle Jamison-Travis enters fall camp with the most experience in Auburn’s defensive scheme. Last season he finished with 14 tackles and two sacks.

Walker, a 6-foot-4, 320-pound nose tackle, was the Tigers first defensive signings from the portal. Spending the past two seasons at WKU, he finished last year with 45 tackles, four for loss and an interception.

Former Liberty defensive lineman Jay Hardy committed to the Tigers next, reuniting with Hugh Freeze and returning to the school where he started his career.

In his career at Liberty, Hardy tallied 54 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks and three pass deflections.

Ash was the third defensive line transfer Auburn added from the portal. In his three seasons at FAMU, Ash tallied 86 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two and a half sacks, three pass deflections and one interception.

Out of the freshman, Jourdin Crawford has turned heads during the spring football period.

“Jourdin Crawford strength and explosives is special, and he’s very difficult to handle. And we’ve got a really good center in Connor Lew, and Jourdin is a handful. And I was telling people earlier; I really like the depth of our interior,” Freeze said at SEC media days.

Autry was the Tigers highest rated recruit in the according to 247sports. He was the first commit in the 2025 recruiting class.

He helped lead Opelika to a 9-3 record during his senior season, tallying 22 tackles, 16 quarterback hurries, six tackles for loss and two sacks, according to MaxPreps.

Smith originally committed to Tennesse before flipping to Auburn on signing day. With the loaded position room heading into fall camp, he will be competing with the other star freshmen in the rotation.

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at [email protected].

A Birmingham area political group critical of President Donald Trump is back with a new billboard and a provocative question:

“What’s the big secret, fellas?”

Birmingham Blue Dot, a group of progressives, is weighing in on the last political controversy surrounding disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein, President Trump and the so-called ‘Epstein Files.’ The issue has divided MAGA faithful to the delight of some Democrats.

The digital sign features an image of President Donald Trump and Epstein. The sign is on a billboard facing northbound traffic on the Red Mountain Expressway just across from the Highland and Arlington Avenue exit.

“In these divisive times this is actually one subject upon which folks on the left and right agree,” said organizer Joellyn Beckham, who also designed most of the images.

“For those on the right, it’s a matter of fairness, the elite class – the deep state – must be treated the same as average citizens. For those on the left, it’s a question of justice. Equal justice under U.S. law. No man or woman is above it.”

The Epstein issue has dominated national headlines and the subject of political chatter from insiders and observers.

Locally, Birmingham Blue Dot has frequently weighed in on national issues, offering their own commentary though the digital billboards featuring illustrations, photos and snarky titles.

There is a bipartisan effort in Washington to release records of Epstein. There’s also criticism and division among Trump loyalists over the trickle of information after promises to release a trove of information surrounding the convicted predator and his high-power associates and friends.

Trump was once a friend and guest of Epstein before he said they had a split and the friendship ended. This list of Epstein associates is broad and bipartisan and included former President Bill Clinton. Neither man said they knew anything about Epstein crimes involving sex trafficking underaged girls.

Phillip Brown, chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party, dismissed innuendo surrounding Epstein’s case or any secret files.

“I am amazed that the Democrats are intrigued as to what is in the files. They had them during the Biden administration and did nothing with them,” he said. “Now their interest has been heightened.”

Brown said any damaging information about Trump would have been released when Democrats controlled the White House.

“I am confident that there is nothing in there about Trump because if there were, the Biden administration would have published it already,” he said.

The group has designed and sponsored about 25 messages between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa since February.

An early poster skewered Sen, Katie Britt and urged her action to prevent planned funding cuts at UAB. The message featured a photo of Britt speaking with a raised hand with the caption, “Lip service over public service? Raise your hand.”

Another poster illustrated both senators Britt and Tommy Tuberville wearing a Soviet-era Russian hat.

Birmingham Blue Dot in April sponsored messages seen by thousands attending the University of Alabama special commencement appearance by Trump.

The posters in Birmingham and in Tuscaloosa featured an image of the back of Trump’s head and referenced his civil case where writer E. Jean Carroll accused him of a 1996 sexual assault.

The signs read “Molester, felon grabs UA by the diploma.”

A jury found him liable and awarded Carroll millions in civil damages. Trump was also convicted on criminal charges in New York of improper use of campaign funds.

Trump carried Alabama overwhelmingly in each of his three runs for president and Republicans hold every statewide elected seat and maintain a supermajority in the state legislature.

Still, Beckham said the sign series is designed to offer another perspective to audiences who might not overwise hear them. Politics is polarized, often with other sides muted to the other, she said.

“Too many of us get our news off of social media. This means our headlines and stories have been cherry picked for us by artificial intelligence, and that we are often completely unaware of important details that matter when we are trying to interpret the news,” Beckham said.

“Are Alabamians really that different from each other? Maybe. But when given the same set of facts, maybe not.”

Westminster Christian head coach Louis LeBlanc is starting his 10th season with the Wildcats, having built a record of 59-41 with six playoff appearances, three region championships and a Class 4A semifinal berth in 2023.

LeBlanc has seen many changes since his first season at Westminster in 2016 (2-8), but his approach to the game has not changed.

“What gets me excited about going to work with these guys is, are we going to be better today than we were yesterday and are we going to work to be better tomorrow than we are today?” LeBlanc said. “Having the championship culture we need means nobody is late, everybody is wearing the right thing and nobody is skipping reps.

“All that is huge, and my focus is to get these guys prepared to do what it takes to win games and give us a chance to make the playoffs.”

The Wildcats’ offense will be led by senior quarterback Houston Scott, who started all 11 games last season; he completed 130 of his 229 passes for 1,338 yards, 20 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and one rushing touchdown.

Scott has worked hard to improve his game, working with an outside trainer and attending the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in June alongside over 1,400 quarterbacks and receivers.

The biggest improvement Scott is hoping to make this season is his confidence in leading the offense and directing his teammates in a path leading to success.

“Last year at times, I would let mistakes like interceptions get to me, but I’m really working to put those kinds of things behind me and look to the next play,” Scott said. ”If you dwell on it, it’s just going to hurt your confidence and the overall confidence of the team. Football is a tough sport and the games get intense, but no matter what happens on the field, you have to represent God because no matter how many games you might win, what matters most is your relationship with God.”

Scott has one scholarship offer from Culver Stockton College, an NAIA school in Missouri, but is hopeful to add more offers this season.

The Wildcat offense will lean heavily on an experienced offensive line that returns four senior starters, including three who have started since ninth grade.

A trio of Bennett LeBlanc (6-foot-2, 285 pounds), David Graham (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) and Easton Stoker (6-foot-1, 235 pounds) will begin their senior season having started every game the last few years.

DJ Baileys (6-foot-0, 250 pounds) started last season and will welcome new starter Caleb McIntosh (5-foot-11, 295 pounds) to a unit that helped the offense gain over 1,700 yards rushing.

Sophomore Saber Kim will be called upon to fill some big shoes left by Evan McClure, who gained 1,222 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024.

The Wildcats will also look to get the ball to Kim in the passing game, along with returning seniors Charlie Billings and RJ Bendolph. Billings caught 32 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns and Bendolph caught 32 passes for 356 yards and three touchdowns.

Westminster’s defense will be led by linebacker Carson Tinsley, who will also handle most of the kicking duties for the Wildcats. Last season, Tinsley recorded 108 total tackles, one sack, 11 tackles for loss and three interceptions, including a pick-six. The Wildcat defense gave up 28.1 points per game last season and Tinsley knows they will have to improve those numbers if they hope to compete for a region championship and make a deep playoff run.

“Coach LeBlanc is always telling us this team needs to be more player-led, and I’ve seen us become more like that over the last few years and we’ll need to rely on each other, especially on defense,” he said. “We know to be successful, we have to all be willing to do those extra things and at times do more than we’re asked to get better.”

Along with seeing the field at tight end, he will also handle kickoffs and punt the ball for the Wildcats.

The Class 4A, Region 8 Wildcats will host a preseason jamboree game with Haleyville on Friday, Aug. 15, before opening the regular season at East Limestone the following Friday.

A new report has ranked Alabama’s top private high schools, providing guidance for parents considering non-public education options for their children.

Niche has published its 2025 rankings of the best private schools in the state, analyzing factors such as academic performance, student-teacher ratio, teacher quality, college readiness, and student feedback. You can read more about the methodology used here.

According to the Learning Policy Institute, there are 367 private schools in Alabama. These schools can vary in quality and offerings. The Niche rankings aim to help families navigate these differences when deciding between private and public education options.

READ MORE: How much does private school cost in Alabama? See tuition for 216 schools

Indian Springs School in Shelby County claims the No. 1 spot with an overall A+ Niche grade, recognized for its long-standing reputation for academic rigor and student creativity. The Altamont School in Jefferson County follows closely behind at No. 2, also earning an A+ grade for its advanced curriculum and college preparation.

These are the top 15 private high schools in Alabama:

1. Indian Springs School (Indian Springs)

2. The Altamont School (Birmingham)

3. Randolph School (Huntsville)

4. Saint James School (Montgomery)

5. The Montgomery Academy (Montgomery)

6. Trinity Presbyterian School (Montgomery)

7. St. John Paul II Catholic High School (Huntsville)

8. UMS-Wright Preparatory School (Mobile)

9. Valley Fellowship Christian Academy (Huntsville)

10. Houston Academy (Dothan)

1. Westminster Christian Academy (Huntsville)
2. St. Paul’s Episcopal School l(Mobile)

13. Springwood School (Lanett)

14. John Carroll Catholic High School (Birmingham)

15. Bayside Academy (Daphne)

This is an opinion column

Politicians mislead. Math reveals truth.

DC Republicans recently passed a host of budget cuts, including trimming spending for National Public Radio and PBS, which includes Alabama Public Television.

As expected, the left moans and wails and cries, “The sky is falling!” in every media outlet they can access.

What is the truth?

Symbolically: The cuts are a big deal.

Substantively: The cuts are miniscule.

Huge Symbolism

DC Republicans already hurt America, and risked their own primary re-elections, by voting to increase America’s debt ceiling by $5 trillion and increase America’s debt by $3.4 trillion via “The Big Beautiful Bill.” They already passed a budget that calls for $7 trillion more debt during President Trump’s term and $19 trillion more debt over the next decade.

Hence, Republican incumbents crave something, anything, to market themselves as less financially irresponsible than they really are.

This brings us to the Recissions Act of 2025, known as HR 4, which will ”rescind $9.4 billion in unobligated funds that were provided to the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), various independent and related agencies, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.”

So Alabama’s GOP Congressional delegation spins HR 4 to project a somewhat deceptive debt-cutting image. They loudly proclaim HR 4 eliminates “bias media handouts”; “cuts waste, fraud and abuse;” stops federal funding of race and sex discrimination; keeps DOGE cut promises, and the like.

All are talking points to help win GOP primaries.

But do these talking points paint an accurate picture?

Paltry Substance

The math pierces the GOP’s debt-cutting mirage and reveals HR 4’s $9.4 billion cut, in the context of America’s overall financial picture, is inconsequential.

America’s debt is $36.7 trillion. The math ($9.4 billion divided by $36.7 trillion) says HR 4 cut roughly 1/40th of 1% of America’s debt! Scoring 1/40th of one point is a failing grade on anyone’s report card.

America’s FY 2024 deficit was $1.8 trillion. America’s 2025 deficit through June is $64 billion worse than FY 2024’s pace. The math ($9.4 billion divided by $1.8 trillion) says HR 4 cuts this year’s deficit by roughly half of 1%! That doesn’t even begin to alter America’s bankruptcy trajectory.

The GOP’s budget (supported by all Alabama DC Republicans) is expected to increase America’s debt by $7 trillion during Trump’s presidential term. The math ($9.4 billion divided by $7 trillion) says HR 4 cuts America’s 4-year deficit by roughly 1/10th of 1%!

The same GOP budget is expected to increase America’s debt by $19 trillion over the next decade. The math ($9.4 billion divided by $19 trillion) says HR 4 cuts America’s 10-year deficit by roughly 1/20th of 1%!

Sigh. HR 4 simply doesn’t come anywhere close to solving America’s debt crisis and should not be portrayed as such.

History is a great teacher

Those who ignore history do so at their own peril. And the history of national bankruptcies is horrific.

The 2016 Greek debt crises ushered in 27% unemployment, worse than America suffered at any time during the Great Depression.

In Cyprus’s 2013 debt crises, the Cyprus government confiscated 30-40% of citizens’ checking and savings accounts to help pay off central government debt. Confiscation. The government forcefully taking citizen savings. Citizens could not stop it. Can Americans handle that?

Venezuela’s debt crises caused 800% hyper-inflation in 2016, an inflation rate that means a gallon of milk that cost $2.50 last year, costs $20 a gallon this year, and costs $160 a gallon next year. Can Americans afford that?

Do Americans want similar disruption and poverty?

Americans better get prepared because that’s where America is headed unless voters demand and get better DC politicians.

Republicans Are Bad; Democrats Are Worse

While this column focuses on Republican financial mismanagement (and rightfully so since Republicans control Congress and the White House), I would be remiss if I did not emphasize that Democrats’ debt junkie record is, sadly, even worse.

As paltry as HR4’s $9.4 billion in spending cuts are compared to America’s overall finances, not a single Democrat, not one, voted for HR 4. Not One!

Alabama Democrat Terri Sewell? Rep. Sewell not only voted against a relatively small $9.4 billion spending cut; she also used HR 4 to attack Republicans.

Alabama freshman Democrat Shomari Figures? While with less fanfare, Rep. Figures also voted against HR 4.

DC’s debt junkie Democrats have repeatedly, for decades, insisted on even more spending, even more debt. It’s as if Democrats want an American national bankruptcy!

Democrats remind me of former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel’s insistence that, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that [is] it’s an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.”

Sadly stated, and as repugnant as it may seem, it appears Democrats want to cause a national bankruptcy because they see it as an opportunity to replace free enterprise with socialism (plus do a lot of other bad things conservatives abhor.) Democrats seem to believe the citizenry will, in a national bankruptcy setting, be so desperate that the public will try anything. Even bad things that make matters worse.

To a conservative, that’s frightening.

Takeaways

As much as I hope more necessary spending cuts will pass Congress, the outlook is not good. Already GOP Senators like Mississippi’s Roger Wicker warn, “Let’s not make a habit of this.”

In any event, ballyhooed cuts are meaningless if they are offset by even higher spending elsewhere.

Do you want to know if your senator or congressman is a debt junkie? The best way to find out is by going to https://www.senate.gov/index.htm or https://clerk.house.gov/. These web sites reveal all recorded floor votes cast by all senators and congressmen. These web sites also reveal the language and financial cost of all bills voted on.

Another way to determine who the DC debt junkies are is by looking at the news releases of your senators and congressmen. If there is a news release boasting about HR 4 spending cuts, yet there are dozens of news releases crying “Look at me! Look at me!” and “I brought home the bacon” or “I spent money” on this, that or the other “wonderful thing”, then chances are you are represented by a debt junkie and should vote to replace him or her in the next election.

In essence, an interesting question to ponder is: “If neither political party will balance budgets, then why elect GOP debt junkie novices when you can elect Democrat debt junkie pros?”

Mo Brooks served on the House Armed Services Committee for 12 years and the Foreign Affairs Committee for 6 years.

For more than 30 years Vern Washington has been one of the most familiar faces on Mobile’s music scene. So it’s no surprise to see that community rally around him following a near-fatal health crisis – but what is surprising is just how epic an upcoming celebration promises to be.

As an online fundraising drive seeks to help with ongoing medical costs during Washington’s recovery, an upcoming benefit concert will feature the long-awaited reunion of one of the city’s most beloved rock bands of the past quarter-century, The Ugli Stick.

“It’s gonna be rowdy,” said Maggie Smith, co-owner of Soul Kitchen Music Hall, where the double reunion show will take place. (The opener will be Triple 40, and it’ll be the first show in a long time for them too.)

“It’s gonna be a bunch of old-school Dauphin Street people,” said Smith. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

The reason for the effort is laid out in a GoFundMe drive organized by Smith:

If you’ve spent time in downtown Mobile, you’ve likely been greeted by the warm smile and steady presence of Vernon Washington. As Soul Kitchen’s long-time box office manager and the trusted security at places like Brickyard, Monsoon’s, Pat’s, and Callaghan’s, Vernon has been the quiet guardian of our good times for years.

Six weeks ago, Vernon was rushed to the ICU with congestive heart failure and placed on a ventilator for over a week. It was a frightening time — we came close to losing him. But through sheer strength and the grace of God, Vernon pulled through.

Now, he faces a long road to recovery. He won’t be able to return to work for months, and the medical bills, medications, and everyday expenses are piling up.

Washington goes way back. Smith said that in the early ‘90s he was working at Southside, a bar that was a precursor to Soul Kitchen at 455 Dauphin St. Similarly, Noell Broughton said he was working at Monsoon’s before Broughton bought that club around 1996.

Calling Washington “the quiet guardian of our good times” sheds some light on what makes him special. Smith also refers to him as “our protector of the riff-raff.”

His principal role was working the door, which means handling money, tickets, ID checks and the occasional problematic patron. It’s a job that can be handled with indifference or antagonism. Washington was known for handling it with grace.

“I mean, he’s one of the nicest, kindest people you’ll ever know,” said Broughton. “He was so perfect at the door because number one, he’s honest and number two, he’s so mild-mannered and even-keeled that he can defuse a situation. There’s just nobody better than him at the door. I mean, he’s just, he’s just a great guy. There’s not enough good things I couldn’t say about Vernon. On top of all that, he’s one of my dear friends, too.”

“Vern has taught me so much about music,” said Smith. “He’s a Prince fanatic like I am, and soul music and Isley Brothers, and he listens to every band we have. He remembers everybody. … Vern is one of my best friends and I don’t think friends really covers it. He’s our family. I can’t think of anybody who’s bigger a part of the downtown scene than Vern Washington.

There was a period after he fell ill when he was not expected to survive, she said. Broughton said Washington’s recovery is progressing well, though it may be a while before he returns to his familiar late-night gig. The online drive is about halfway to a $5,500 goal; proceeds from the benefit – backed by Soul Kitchen, Broughton’s venue the Brickyard, and Callaghan’s Irish Social Club – will bolster that.

On the musical side, participants say that plans for The Ugli Stick’s reunion came together almost instantly.

“When Maggie and I were talking about getting something together … she was like, ‘I’m gonna reach out to The Ugli Stick,’” Broughton said. He knew the members had been kicking the idea of a reunion around for years, but because they lived in different areas and had busy schedules, it hadn’t happened.

“But those guys jumped up quick. I mean, she called me right back and said, ‘They’re in.’” (Smith said the members of Triple 40 were similarly quick to answer the call.)

To understand the excitement generated by the words “They’re in,” it helps to know that from 2000 to about 2012, The Ugli Stick loomed large on Mobile’s sonic landscape. A musically ambitious rock band whose members appreciated the rhythmic complexity of the era’s hip-hop, the group had the talent to cover a crowd-pleasing swath of pop music, from Cameo, Digital Underground and Eminem to En Vogue and Sade.

The Ugli Stick grew from a power trio to a quintet, then settled in as a quartet. It released a series of albums, building a catalog of original material that reflected its members’ eclectic tastes. It built a following on the Southeastern college circuit. It played at BayFest and other regional festivals. It toured U.S. military bases in the Mideast. And for about a decade, it seemed just a break away from making the big time. When members finally called it quits and moved on, they left behind a lot of good songs and a lot of fans with fond memories.

“We’re pretty pumped,” said guitarist-vocalist Eric Erdman. “A reunion was in discussion for the past five years, you know what I mean? But everybody lives in different parts. Quintin and I both live in Mobile, but I’m never there, so we don’t even live in the same place, even though we do. Tim lives in Birmingham, Dale lives in Tennessee. And it was like, well, if we’re gonna get together and do this big reunion, we want to do it properly. We don’t want to get together and just jam, we want to play the songs, and that means two or three rehearsals in a row. So that means we gotta have a week together in one city, wherever that might be. And it was just logistically a nightmare. We all wanted to do it, we just kept putting it off.”

“I’ve known Vern since high school,” said Erdman. “I’ve known him a long time. He was a familiar face when we were first playing downtown, even before The Ugli Stick. And then everyone in The Ugli Stick knows him as well. And he was the door guy, but he was more than that. He’s a friend of all of ours, more than just somebody that worked at the venues. He became a part of the family early on. To the extent that when I wrote the song about Monsoon’s burning down, ‘Old Friend,’ I mentioned Vern in the song.

“When we heard he was in need, it wasn’t really a question. It was more like, ‘Hey, Vern needs us,’” Erdman said. “And everybody said, ‘Yep.’ There wasn’t even a slight second of pause. It was just like, ‘When are we doing it?’”

Erdman said the show will feature most of the players who contributed to The Ugli Stick legacy. It’ll feature the latter-day lineup of himself, founding drummer Tim Stanton, guitarist Dale Drinkard and bassist Quintin Berry. He said that Brian Graves – the band’s founding bassist, who produced the debut album “Beatdown” and who later switched to guitar, also will take part. Erdman said two who can’t make it because of scheduling conflicts are bassists Brandon Whigham and Jimbo Hart, who toured with the band before later joining Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit.

Since the end of The Ugli Stick’s run, Erdman has sustained a career as a singer-songwriter. Revisiting his older band catalog has been interesting, he said.

“There are things I wish I could go back and rewrite lyrically with my 19-year-old self,” he said. “It’s not like I’m ashamed of the songs. I’m proud of them. Some of this stuff is far more elevated than I gave it credit for at the time. Like, it’s even bigger than I remember, basically. … There were choices we made in the songs both lyrically and in the music that were wildly different than I would do now. Some of it I want to fix, but some of them, it’s magic. It’s the youthful exuberance, the youthful rock and roll spirit that only happens when you’re 19 to 25 years old, when you don’t know the rules, so you’re not scared to break them.”

It’s probably safe bet that the show will include beloved songs such as “Leaving Birmingham,” “So High” and “The D.I.P. Song.” But Erdman said it might also include songs that the band never released, back in the day. He said he wasn’t going to give away too much ahead of time.

“Basically, the set list is a mix of things we remember as being crowd favorites and then songs that we were extremely proud of, that we wanted to put in there,” he said. “So it’s a little self-indulgent. But hopefully it’s mostly crowd-indulgent.”

“I haven’t talked to one person yet that’s not going to be there,” said Broughton. “They’re gonna give the city what they want. … I mean, I’m not going to miss one note of that.”

A benefit for Vern Washington featuring reunion performances by Triple 40 and The Ugli Stick will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at Soul Kitchen Music Hall, 219 Dauphin St. in downtown Mobile. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Advance tickets are $35.84 if ordered online through www.soulkitchenmobile.com. The event also will feature silent auctions and/or raffles.

Additionally, an after-party at the Brickyard, 266 Dauphin St., Lamont Landers and local artists will perform. Proceeds from that event also will benefit Washington.

This is an opinion column.

The United Football League smacked a wild bronco in the hindquarters with that leak earlier this week about yanking the Stallions out of Birmingham.

About maybe herding the iconic franchise from the womb that re-birthed spring football four years ago after a protracted and turbulent gestation?

About — how did y’all put it? — being in the “planning stages” for the 2026 season and the “unauthorized speculation” about four of the league’s eight franchises potentially high-tailing it to new horizons.

The very notion, the audacity, unleashed a stampede of reactions, not surprisingly. And justifiably.

Why might the UFL euthanize a franchise that three-peated in the spring football championships, a franchise whose fans regularly generated the highest television ratings of any team in the league?

Well, we don’t exactly know because the UFL hasn’t articulated the criterion it’s using to determine these next moves. At least not publicly — not to city officials and seemingly not even to its own people since the Stallions are out here touting 2026 season ticket sales.

So right now, I’ll just say this: The Stallions deserve to saddle up again right where they are — in the heart of this football-crazed oasis.

They deserve to stay in Birmingham because without Birmingham, there may not have been spring football. The city incubated all eight teams from training camp through the inaugural season of the United States Football League, which merged with the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson-hyped XFL in 2024 to create the UFL.

They deserve to stay in the region whose citizens have invested $4.2 million in the Stallions through the city, Jefferson County and the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau.

They deserve to stay, if for no other reason than the raucous Horsemen, that wonderful band of salivating Stallions faithful who donned maroon and gold, waved flags, and screamed “giddy-up” more than Gene Autry and Roy Rogers combined.

“They out here destroying the only good thing spring football has ever had,” Horsemen leader Chase Newton shared on social media, reacting to the buzz that the franchise might be horse-traded elsewhere. “The Stallions are spring football.”

No shade to the cities reportedly on your moving list, but the Boise Stallions? That bronco will buck all night.

I get this: Herding the Stallions out of town might make sense to the television execs (Fox Sports/ESPN) and private equity types (RedBird Capital Partners) who own the league — if the number of tushes in seats is their key criteria. They’re good folks with all the best intentions. Folks who want the UFL to work. To succeed.

To make a profit. That’s not a bad thing, though it’s a bit of a paradigm shift. In the early USFL seasons, majority owner Fox Sports said the primary aim was to fill the yawning void of spring sports programming with catnip for craving football fans. Those eyeballs would drive advertising revenue. That was the win-win.

Now, game-day ghost stadiums weren’t pretty; they didn’t make for stellar television. But filling brand spankin’ new Protective Stadium — still one of the league’s most pristine venues — was then just a hope, not a priority.

Still, a pack of Stallion faithful trotted to games. Fans were intergenerational — parents who rooted for the Stallions that roamed for three seasons (1983-1985) and their children. Many were local college students seeking to build their own affinity with the franchise. Others hailed from a Birmingham community proud of a pro team they called their own.

Crowds grew a bit sparse this past spring, however. Scheduling (the final two regular-season home games were played at 11 a.m. on Mother’s Day and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend) and spring’s almost-constant (or threat of) rain didn’t help lure fans from their comfy couches and big screens at home.

Still, the franchise was not a box-office bust. It was sixth in announced attendance, even better in ticket revenue.

If everyone’s being honest, maybe the UFL and Stallion faithful began to take each other somewhat for granted.

After the merger, league headquarters moved to Arlington, Texas, leaving a paucity of front-office personnel in the area to maintain relationships with fans or court corporate support. You know us, Birmingham: If you’re not here, you ain’t here.

Moreover, the team wasn’t even in the city. Players were housed in Arlington and flown in for games. It was like after being spring football’s first love, we were ghosted. So, it’s easy to see why some fans’ giddy-up may have waned.

Corey Helvey, former UFL director of ticket sales in Birmingham shared on social media: “Could’ve been a high attendance market if handled differently.”

So, now, UFL, if filling seats at Protective is your key move-or-not-move marker, give Birmingham a chance to saddle up and show up.

Give it a chance by investing in a local sales and marketing team that will re-engage the resident and corporate communities.

Give it a chance by housing the players here, allowing them to engage with our youth and families at local schools and community events, to shake hands with potential partners, and to share their journeys and dreams with my media colleagues.

Stallions wide receiver Davion Davis said on X: “No team to fan interaction. Players aren’t able to build that relationship with fan base.”

Give Birmingham what it deserves — a chance to ride again.

Let’s be better tomorrow than we are today. My column appears on AL.com, and digital editions of The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, and Mobile Press-Register. Tell me what you think at [email protected], and follow me at twitter.com/roysj, Instagram @roysj and BlueSky.

At 6:23 a.m. on Saturday, the National Weather Service released a dense fog advisory in effect until 10 a.m. for Monroe, Conecuh, Butler, Crenshaw, Escambia and Covington counties.

The weather service says to be ready for, “Visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog.”

“Low visibility could make driving conditions hazardous,” comments the weather service. “If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.”

Guidance from the weather service for navigating foggy conditions

If a dense fog advisory is issued for your area, it means that widespread dense fog has developed and visibility often drops to just a quarter-mile or less. These conditions can make driving challenging, so exercise extreme caution on the road, and if possible, consider delaying your trip.

If you must venture out in foggy conditions, keep these safety tips from the weather service in mind:

Reduce speed:

Slow down and allocate extra travel time to reach your destination safely.

Visibility priority:

Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights. If available, employ your fog lights.

Avoid high-beams:

Refrain from using high-beam lights, as they create glare, making it more difficult for you to see what’s ahead of you on the road.

Maintain safe gaps:

Maintain a significant following distance to account for abrupt stops or shifts in traffic patterns.

Stay in your lane:

Use the road’s lane markings as a guide to staying in the correct lane.

Visibility near zero:

In cases of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, initiate your hazard lights and locate a secure spot, such as a nearby business parking area, to pull over and come to a halt.

No parking options:

If there is no parking lot or driveway to pull into, pull your vehicle off to the side of the road as far as possible. Once you come to a stop, turn off all lights except your hazard flashing lights, set the emergency brake, and take your foot off of the brake pedal to be sure the tail lights are not illuminated so that other drivers don’t mistakenly run into you.

By adhering to these precautions from the weather service, you can navigate foggy conditions more safely, reducing the likelihood of accidents and ensuring your personal safety.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.