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AP
A district attorney said Wednesday that an Alabama police officer who fatally shot a teenager in the back was justified in his use of deadly force because the youth grabbed a gun after struggling with the officer. But the teen’s family questioned that conclusion and said they have many unanswered questions about what had happened.
News & Commentaries From APR
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Alabama Public Radio presents local writers reading their own works! The Alabama Writers Wednesday Night Showcase puts a spotlight on emerging voices in Alabama’s literary world. The fifth and final episode features Cam Marston reading Hummingbird, where a middle-aged man is caught between the simplicity and beauty a tropical paradise and his former obligations back home. -
Restaurants & businesses in the Magic City are getting a digital dose of fame! Birmingham native and foodie LaDarrius Hutcherson, a.k.a. LHUT, talks with Quick-Fire Quips host Baillee Majors about the power of social media. Plus, hear about his process for crafting creative content— and the collab with Jake's Soul Food Cafe to release his very own LHUT Meal! -
Previously on StoryCorps, LaShanda Warren-Barnes reflected on her family's role in her choosing a career in criminal justice. Now she's back to share some of the things she's learned while working in the courthouse. -
A spat over congressional redistricting in Texas marks the latest episode in a long national history of gerrymandering. Democratic lawmakers have fled Texas to try to block Republicans from redrawing congressional districts in their favor. The term "gerrymander" originated over 200 years ago to describe political manipulation in legislative districts. A fight before the U.S. Supreme Court that created Alabama’s new U.S. House in District 2 shows how new maps can be challenged. The legal case was featured in Alabama Public Radio’s new interview program “APR Notebook.” -
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A baby boy born last week to an Ohio couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years in what is believed to be the longest storage time before a birth. Further complicating the topic is a 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision that said that frozen embryos have the legal status of children. State leaders have since devised a temporary solution shielding clinics from liability stemming from that ruling, though questions linger about remaining embryos. -
Mississippians have until Tuesday to intervene in a proposal for a natural gas pipeline that would span nearly the full width of the state. The pipeline, called the “Mississippi Crossing Project,” would start in Greenville, cross through Humphreys, Holmes, Attala, Leake, Neshoba, Newton, Lauderdale and Clarke counties and end near Butler, Alabama, stretching nearly 208 miles. -
In ancient China, carp were selectively bred for bright colors, especially the striking golden ones. Today goldfish are enjoyed as popular pets! -
A federal receiver is on the hunt to recover $140 million lost in an alleged Ponzi scheme that benefited some Republicans in the top ranks of their party in Georgia and Alabama. He's looking to claw back funds, including almost 1,000 political donations totaling more than $1 million, that often backed far right insurgents. -
Everybody, it seems, has a favorite story about barbecue. Here's mine. Mrs. Duggins and I took a road trip to Memphis. We were going to see Bonnie Raitt in concert. Now, when it comes to barbecue, Memphis has Elwood’s Shack, Corky’s, Fat Larry's and they all have their fans. But with apologies to all, this story is about Charlie Vergos Rendezvous. And, Robert Moss has me beat. He's author of the book "Barbecue, The history of an American institution." It's in a new and expanded edition from University of Alabama press. He joins me next on APR notebook. -
On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam wonders where he can go where he is wanted but not needed. We all need a few of these places, he says, and we could all probably use a few more. -
Hi I’m Pat Duggins. Say the words Alabama and BBQ, and what comes to mind? If you said the white sauce at Big Bob Gibson in Decatur, it’s okay, I did too. But, my guest tonight on APR notebook says BBQ in Alabama goes beyond that. In fact, the ribs and brisket to may be planning on over the summer beyond has its place in national civil right’s history. My guest tonight is Robert Moss.He wrote the book "Barbecue: The History of an American Institution" from University of Alabama Press. In this preview of APR Notebook, He and I discuss a 1964 case before the Supreme Court involving the Birmingham BBQ restaurant run by Ollie McClung.
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Alabama is known for football and white barbecue sauce. But we’re also making our mark in science, literature and the arts—and we helped put astronauts on the moon! Join APR news director Pat Duggins as he takes up topics like this with interviews on APR Notebook.
Dr. Don Noble, specializing in Southern and American literature, gives his weekly review on the work of Alabama’s finest authors.
Host Cam Marston brings fun weekly commentaries on generational and demographic trends to provide new ways to interpret the changing world around us.
Speaking of Pets with host Mindy Norton is a commentary for people who care about pets and want to celebrate that special relationship between humans and animal companions.
Sports Minded podcast with host Brittany Young features interviews with coaches, athletes and sports personnel. Insight, commentary and analysis on professional, collegiate and high school sports can be heard here.
Quick-Fire Quips is centered around people who stand out in Alabama. Host Baillee Majors presents guests with a questionnaire of playful personal questions and questions about the Yellowhammer State.
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Alabama’s Gulf coast is known as a haven for migratory birds and a favored spot for birdwatchers. But, it’s the west part of the state’s Black Belt region may draw up to two hundred “birders” for an annual event held by the Alabama Audubon Society. The “Black Belt Birding Festival” is expanding to close to six counties this year including Marengo and Lowndes. This part of the state is considered a “hidden gem” for observing the state’s feathered tourists. -
August 1st is the deadline Donald Trump set for hiking tariffs with U.S. trading partners. The current trade deal between the U.S. and South Korea could cost Alabama consumers close to a billion dollars. The website Observatory of Economic Complexity says the state imported close to six billion dollars in goods from South Korea last year. If the fifteen percent tariff is tacked onto that figure on items entering the U.S., and the cost passed to consumers, the total increase would reportedly be close to a billion dollars. -
Today is a historic date for women pilots. It was back in 1991, when the U.S. Senate overturned the Pentagon’s ban on combat missions for female aviators. In the spirit of that decision, dozens of women pilots took to the skies recently in a race that’s part adventure, part flight school. -
Georgia's Ethics Commission says a political action committee linked to what federal investigators have called a Ponzi scheme illegally sought to influence elections. The complaint says the spending came from the now-dissolved Georgia Republican Assembly PAC between 2021 and 2024. Investigators say the Frost family also spent money on campaigns in Alabama. -
Alabama Public Radio presents local writers reading their own works! The Alabama Writers Wednesday Night Showcase puts a spotlight on emerging voices in Alabama’s literary world. The fourth episode features Lynn Oldshue reading Steel and Memory: Saying Goodbye to the SS United States. The story follows the fastest ship to ever cross the Atlantic. Now destined for the ocean floor, she's drawing visitors one last time before she becomes the world’s largest artificial reef.
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Federal judges on Tuesday sharply questioned lawyers on a request to make Alabama subject again to the preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act after courts ruled the state intentionally diluted the voting strength of Black residents. -
Senate Democrats reintroduced a bill Tuesday to restore and expand protections enshrined in the Voting Rights act of 1965, their latest long-shot attempt to revive the landmark law just days before its 60th anniversary and at a time of renewed debate over the future administration of American elections. The bill is named for the late John Lewis, who was injured during the 1965 attack on voting rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. -
In this edition of StoryCorps, LaShanda Warren-Barnes talks about her family and how her upbringing helped influence her life's work.
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Six more employees at an Alabama jail have been indicted in connection with the death of a mentally ill man who died of hypothermia after being held for two weeks in a concrete cell, while several of them have also been accused in the assaults of other inmates. -
This week, Don reviews Don't Be Lonely, Lone Ranger by Joe Taylor. -
Tom Lehrer, the popular song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97. Among his compositions was one that mused about Alabama getting the atomic bomb, during its days of segregation. -
U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have announced a sweeping trade deal. It raises tariffs on most European goods to 15%, warding off Trump’s threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by August 1st. One question was the cost of of European cars like Mercedes Benz built in Alabama.
After the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, hundreds of children from the affected areas dealt with multiple health issues caused by radiation from the nuclear meltdown. A few years later, families from all across Alabama housed many of those same children for a summer to give them access to better healthcare and a reprieve from the radiation.