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Budget cuts in Washington are raising concerns for beach safety along the Alabama Gulf coast. The Associated Press is reported staff vacancies as bad as twenty percent at some National Weather Service offices. These are the people who provide forecasts, including beach safety information for both Alabama beach goers and lifeguards. -
The Blount County Extension is holding an educational session focusing a specific audience in agriculture. The 2025 Women in AG workshop will include speakers on handling cattle, estate planning, and driving a tractor aimed at female farmers working in the state. -
Fifteen years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster off the Gulf Coast, the effects of the largest oil spill in U.S. history are still being felt. Oil company BP has paid billions of dollars in damages, propelling ambitious coastal restoration projects. APR news was recognized with a national Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists for our documentary on the tenth anniversary of the Gulf oil spill. -
Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation that would allow local law enforcement to enforce immigration law, as conservative legislators push for increased alignment with the federal government's crackdown on immigration. The bill was dubbed "Laken Riley Act," named after the 22-year-old Augusta University student who was killed last year in Georgia by an undocumented immigrant. -
School material could look very different if two bills before the Alabama legislature become law. One measure would mandate the displaying of the Ten Commandments in an expansion of Christian texts in public schools, while deleting references to drag shows and the displaying of pride flags. Another bill would require schools to change their maps and materials to say “Gulf of America.” -
Alabamians may find themselves quoting Longfellow today. Governor Key Ivey says the state will join the nation in a commemoration known as “two lights for the future.” The day remembers the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride during the Revolutionary War. -
The Alabama legislature is working to make Hollywood feel more at home in our state. A bill is making its way through the Senate in Montgomery to add incentives for people who make movies or commercials here in Alabama. APR student reporter Barry Carmichael spoke to one Mobile resident whose movie making experience including meeting the actor who played Luke Skywalker. -
A growing number of conservative leaders are pushing states to upend the long-standing U.S. constitutional right to free public education for children, regardless of immigration status. Alabama tried to enforce a state law to keep undocumented migrant children from public schooling, but agreed to a legal settlement on the matter and the law was blocked. -
The Trump administration is expected to reverse a controversial 2023 decision on the permanent location of U.S. Space Command, perhap as soon as month’s end. Alabama is watching what happens since Huntsville is one possible landing spot. -
The Trump administration has granted nearly seventy coal-fired power plants a two-year exemption from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene. The list includes the Tennessee Valley Authority, which serves seven southern states including Alabama. -
Alabama did better than some states and worse than others when it comes to identity theft. The financial website Wallethub looked at data from the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission on issues like identity fraud complaints and state policies on data dumping and stopping spyware. Alabama was ranked midway at number twenty six nationally. -
Today is April fifteenth. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean a panicked trip to your accountant. The Internal Revenue Service says Alabama is among a group of states who are getting an extension to file their taxes. The new deadline is May first. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina are getting a break because of damage from Hurricane Helene last September.
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William Ray Lucas , the man who led a NASA facility that shouldered much of the blame for the 1986 Challenger explosion, has died. Laughlin Service Funeral Home director Bryan Peek said Saturday that Lucas died Monday at his home in Huntsville, Alabama. Lucas was director of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville when the Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, just 73 seconds after liftoff. He resigned months later after a presidential commission blamed a design fault in the shuttle's booster rockets for the disaster. -
Mutiple weather events in Alabama are being reported across the state, with residents being reminded to stay "weather aware." This ranges from tornado damage to incoming colder temperature and icy conditions. -
The City of Huntsville has partnered with local organizations to open warming centers for the community. This comes after National Weather Service forecasted that temperatures would dip into the teens overnight on Wednesday and Thursday. There are four warming centers that will be open during the freezing weather. -
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has moved to dismiss six of its own cases on behalf of workers alleging gender identity discrimination, arguing that the cases now conflict with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order. This includes a case in Alabama. -
The Alabama legislature is considering two bills that could change control of local libraries and possibly expand obscenity laws which could mean more book banning. The University of Alabama Bateman Team is a group of public relations students. They just released a survey that shows opposition to both measures. Ninety percent of those in the survey believe government should not have the power to ban books -
Alabama legislation to expand Medicaid coverage and regulate firearms outlaw are just two state bills being watched by children’s advocates. Lawmakers may try to prevent the use of devices to turn weapons into machine guns. Another measure may try to make Medicaid more available to pregnant women to reduce infant mortality. -
The City of Montgomery is announcing a digital project to commemorate the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March of 1965. This is being done through a “metaverse” experience, defined as virtual space where users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users. -
It wasn’t a good day for Alabama’s mens basketball team as number one ranked Auburn edged the number two Crimson Tide. Fans of both teams are already eyeing a rematch scheduled for early March. The Tigers beat the Tide ninety four to eighty five in this highly anticipated match up of top teams in the nation. -
Mobile’s 2025 Mardi Gras ship is being announced! The Mobile Council of the Navy League of the United States, the City of Mobile and the Alabama Port Authority are choosing the USS McFAUL (DDG 74) for the honor. -
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws, wants to dismiss a discrimination suit involving an Alabama hotel. The legal action has moved to dismiss its own lawsuit on behalf of a worker allegedly fired for his sexual orientation and gender identity, arguing that the case now conflicts with President Donald Trump's recent executive order. The White House action defines sexes in the United States as male or female. -
Mobile leaders are working to better serve the community with technology and gamming at the helm. The city's Family Intervention Team (FIT) is working to build relationships with at-risk youth and their families— through a smartphone app. -
The Alabama Department of Public Health's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program is celebrating 20 years of their Alabama Tobacco Quitline. Since its start in 2005, the Quitline has received over 360,000 phone calls, and over 93,000 Alabamians have enrolled in the program.
