Two networks announce GOP presidential debates just days apart at same New Hampshire school
Two television networks have said they will hold separate Republican presidential debates at the same location in New Hampshire just ahead of that stateโs GOP primary next month, but officials at Saint Anselm College said they were only aware of one of the events.
Heisman finalists: LSU QB Daniels, Oregon QB Nix, Washington QB Penix Jr., Ohio St WR Harrison Jr.
LSUโs Jayden Daniels, Oregonโs Bo Nix and Washingtonโs Michael Penix Jr., transfer quarterbacks who have all played at least five college seasons, and Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. are the finalists for the Heisman Trophy.
Video shows high school band director shocked with stun gun, arrested after refusing to stop music
Police body camera video shows an Alabama high school band director being shocked with a stun gun and arrested by officers in front of screaming students, in a chaotic scuffle that broke out after he refused to immediately stop the band as it played in the bleachers following a football game.
Alabama extends time for executions, ends automatic review
Alabama has changed death penalty procedures to give the prison system longer to carry out executions โ a move that comes after a string of troubled lethal injections in the state โ and also eliminated an automatic review for trial errors.
Coach: Alabama 'grieving' after teammate charged with murder
Alabama menโs basketball coach Nate Oats says the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide is going through โkind of a grieving processโ after player Darius Miles and another man were charged with capital murder following a fatal shooting near campus.
Researchers worry about Census' gap in 2020 survey data
Researchers are worried about coronavirus-related disruptions to one of the U.S. Census Bureauโs most important surveys about how Americans live, saying a gap in the 2020 data will make it more difficult to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and measure year-to-year changes.
AP: Trooper charged in child rape hid checkered FBI past
An Alabama state trooper arrested last week on charges he raped an 11-year-old girl had been kicked out of the FBI amid a string of sexual misconduct allegations but was hired anyway with the apparent help of a forged bureau letter that scrubbed his record clean.
Palin confirms COVID-19 diagnosis, urges steps like masks
FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2017, file photo, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin speaks at a rally in Montgomery, Ala. Palin says she tested positive for COVID-19 and is urging people to take steps to guard against the coronavirus, including wearing masks in public. Sarah Palin says she tested positive for COVID-19 and is urging people to take steps to guard against the coronavirus, such as wearing masks in public. โAnd history will show we Masked Singer visitors were masked before being masked was cool,โ she said in her statement, referring to the TV show on which she once appeared. It was not clear when Palin, 57, tested positive. She told the magazine that other members of her family tested positive as well.
Trans teenagers fear Alabama push to outlaw gender treatment
But his medical care could soon become illegal in Alabama as Republican lawmakers seek to criminalize gender transition treatments for people under 19. Opponents, including parents and trans youth, say such measures interfere with medical decisions and target trans individuals for the sake of politics. He said he was unaware such treatments were already happening in Alabama when he first introduced the bill last year. AdโThe whole point is to protect kids,โ said Shelnutt, who acknowledged after the Senate vote that he never spoke with a trans youth while preparing the bill. You are asking me to arrest the folks I know saved my kidโs life,โ Fuller told a legislative committee.
Did COVID-19 stress, uncertainty stall anti-smoking push?
Anti-smoking advocates are warning that the stress and disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic may have slowed efforts to get more Americans to quit in 2020. But services to help smokers quit -- delivered via phone and online -- would seem well-positioned to withstand the disruptions of the pandemic. In a recent report, the coalition of anti-smoking counselors cited the pandemic and the drop in public awareness messaging. Smokers who called Minnesotaโs hotline reported smoking more, but also said they were more motivated to quit because of COVID-19. AdExperts seeking to explain last year's trends also point to a drop in anti-smoking advertising campaigns from public health departments.
Alabama, Georgia pick up the pieces after deadly tornadoes
Officials found โheavy, heavy damageโ in parts of the cityโs historic district, Newnan Fire Chief Stephen Brown told a news conference. One of the victims in the hard-hit town of Ohatchee, a small community of about 1,170 people in eastern Alabama, was Dwight Jennings' neighbor. AdBad weather wasn't limited to Georgia and Alabama. ___Chandler reported from Shelby County, Alabama. Associated Press journalists Kevin McGill in New Orleans; Desiree Mathurin in Atlanta; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Butch Dill in Ohatchee, Alabama; and Rebecca Santana in New Orleans, contributed to this report.
Bloody Sunday memorial honors late civil rights giants
The Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee marks the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday โ the day on March 7, 1965, that civil rights marchers were brutally beaten by law enforcement officers on Selmaโs Edmund Pettus Bridge. Vivian, and attorney Bruce Boynton were the late civil rights leaders honored on Sunday. Footage of the beatings helped galvanize support for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Let the people vote.โLowery, a charismatic and fiery preacher, is often considered the dean of the civil rights veterans and led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Organizers acknowledged the fallen civil rights leaders and planned to lay wreaths at the bridge in their honor.
Shackelford's 27 helps No. 8 Alabama hold off Vandy, 82-78
The result was familiar, if not the methodology: another Crimson Tide win. 8 Alabama came from behind to beat Vanderbilt 82-78 Saturday and move a step closer to a Southeastern Conference championship. Quinerly scored 15 points for the Tide, who made just 10 of 39 3-point attempts (25.6%). Alex Reese scored 10 points while Keon Ellis had eight points and nine rebounds, including a pair of free throws with 28 seconds left. Alabama overcame low scoring from Petty (six points) and Herb Jones (eight before fouling out).
AP Top 25 Podcast: Takeaways from 2020 coaching changes
(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)A pandemic could not stop some college football programs from spending millions to change football coaches. On the latest AP Top 25 College Football Podcast, ESPNโs Adam Rittenberg joins Ralph Russo to talk about the lessons learned from the 2020โฒs coaching turnover. It is becoming harder than ever to lure well-established head coaches from stable situations. Meanwhile, minorities are still woefully underrepresented among major college head coaches. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
FBI launches probe after Alabama inmate activist injured
(AP Photo/Jay Reeves, File)MONTGOMERY, Ala. โ Three Alabama correctional officers are on leave as the FBI helps to investigate a prison altercation that hospitalized two officers and two inmates, including a well-known prison rights activist, the state prison system said Monday. The Alabama Department of Corrections said the incident occurred between staff and inmates at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer on Jan. 30. โWe can, however, confirm that three correctional officers have been placed on mandatory leave pending the results of the investigation. The prison system said Council was taken to a hospital but is now back in prison custody. The prison system said it is investigating the death of an inmate found unresponsive in his cell.
Coronavirus cases drop at US homes for elderly and infirm
The overall trend for long-term care residents is improving, though, with fewer new cases recorded and fewer facilities reporting outbreaks. Nursing homes have been a priority since vaccinations began in mid-December, and the federal government says 1.5 million long-term care residents have already received at least an initial dose. Some 2,000 nursing homes are now virus-free, or about 13% nationally, according to an industry group, and many are dealing with far fewer cases than before. Pennsylvania-based Genesis HealthCare, which operates more than 325 nursing homes, assisted-living facilities or senior living communities in 24 states, has seen similar improvements, said spokeswoman Lori Mayer. Cases among residents fell by 48% at homes where immunizations had occurred, compared to a 21% decline at non-vaccinated facilities nearby.
Alabama governor leases CoreCivic prisons in $3 billion plan
The governor signed two 30-year lease agreements with separate entities of CoreCivic, one of the nationโs largest private prison companies. While President Joe Biden has ordered the federal system to eliminate the use of private prisons, these facilities will only be built and owned by private companies. AdIvey called the new prisons โthe cornerstoneโ of improving the stateโs troubled system, replacing aging prisons that are costly to maintain. โAlabama is about to spend 3 billion dollars over 30 years on building new prisons that wonโt fix the problems within our prison system,โ tweeted Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa. โIt is astounding that Governor Ivey is prioritizing fiscally irresponsible and devastating contracts for prisons that do not address our most urgent needs as Alabamians,โ the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, Alabama Students Against Prisons, the Ordinary Peoples Society and others wrote in a letter to lawmakers.
Franks-to-Yeboah TD seals National's 27-24 Senior Bowl win
American Team quarterback Kellen Mond of Texas A&M (12) has his throw tipped by National Team offensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa of UCLA (92) during the first half of the NCAA Senior Bowl college football game in Mobile, Ala., Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)MOBILE, Ala. โ Texas A&M's Kellen Mond was the Senior Bowl Most Valuable Player but two fellow Southeastern Conference Western Division products made the decisive big play. Fitzpatrick had six catches for 90 yards in the showcase game for senior and graduate NFL prospects, earning offensive player of the game honors. Obviously, kind of shaky at the beginning but it definitely shows a lot of poise to be able to bounce back.โNorth Carolina running back Michael Carter also had a big game. Jamie Newman completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Trevon Grimes with 49 seconds left for the American team after Franks and Yeboah made it a two-score game.
Alabama QB Mac Jones heads into Senior Bowl on gimpy ankle
The next game he plays is for his NFL draft stock, provided the Alabama quarterback's gimpy left ankle is good to go. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said the plan is for Jones to dress out and see how his ankle feels. โJust being in that room, I already learned so much about NFL football,โ he said. Mond started 44 games for the Aggies, Ehlinger logged 43 starts for the Longhorns,Mond led the Aggies into College Football Playoffs contention in his final season. I just wanted to come and kind of learn more about NFL football and learn a new playbook, which I thought I did a good job with.
Governor offers help to Alabama towns hit by killer tornado
(AP Photo/Jay Reeves)FULTONDALE, Ala. โ James Scott has never lived anywhere other than a two-story house on hilly Darlene Drive north of Birmingham. Home will never be the same after a tornado smashed the structure into pieces, killed another teen and left the community devastated in the middle of the night. The National Weather Service said the twister was an EF- 3 with 150 mph (241 kph) winds, capable of severely damaging well-constructed buildings. Last year, Alabama had 78 tornadoes, which was more than Kansas and Oklahoma combined. โAs soon as we got in there it hit, and it all came down on top of us,โ Williams said.
Tornado leaves path of destruction in Alabama, killing 1
Patti Herring sobs as she sorts through the remains of her home in Fultondale, Ala., on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, after it was destroyed by a tornado. At least 30 people were injured as the tornado carved a 10-mile (16-kilometer) path through Birmingham's northern suburbs, an area severely damaged by a much larger tornado a decade ago. Sobbing, Patti Herring was shaken and as she picked through the debris looking for a missing cat and her late mother's cherished belongings. Fultondale Fire Chief Justin McKenzie said 18 of the 30 people injured had to go to hospital. โThe people of Fultondale took a hard hit last night โ Iโm grieved over the loss of life, injuries, homes & damaged businesses," Alabama Gov.
'Like a bathtub filling up': Alabama is slammed by the virus
Ten beds normally used for less severe cases were transformed into intensive care rooms, with extra IV machines brought in. โWeโre kind of like a bathtub thatโs filling up with water and the drain is blocked,โ the hospitalโs chief medical officer, Dr. William Smith, said last week. The variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation southeast of Denver and has no travel history, state health officials said Tuesday. As of last week, 15 Alabama hospitals had intensive care units that were at or above capacity, and the ICUs at six more hospitals were at least 96% full. On Tuesday, 2,804 people were in Alabama hospitals with COVID-19, the highest total since the pandemic began.
Christmas in the ICU: Decorations, lights and many tears
(AP Photo/Julie Bennett)OPELIKA, Ala. โ A Christmas tree stands outside the intensive care room where a man stricken by COVID-19 lies unconscious, a machine breathing for him. The medical center about 60 miles northeast of Montgomery faces a new influx of COVID-19 patients as the pandemic intensifies. That means staff members can hang decorations on patients' doors in the ICU but cannot attend after-work Christmas parties. A huge Christmas tree stands near downtown boutiques, salons and restaurants where hundreds of residents crowded together for a holiday program last weekend. The veteran nurse oversees COVID-19 patients on a floor that has been decorated for Christmas with strings of white lights and stockings.