Posts by Will Blakely

Residents of Alabama now have an extra two years to obtain their STAR ID driver’s licenses, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) secured a settlement on Tuesday with Alabama Medicaid to reverse its requirement for Medicaid recipients with Hepatitis C (HCV) to abstain from alcohol or illegal drugs to receive coverage for HCV medication.

A law enforcement officer turned himself into Jefferson County Jail on Sunday following a domestic assault investigation.

The father of the Selma High School sophomore who passed away in the school lunchroom accused the school on Thursday of not responding until it was too late and failing to notify him of the incident. However, the school denied these claims were true.

A Montgomery man was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Friday for forcing five individuals into prostitution, including one minor.

Deputies with the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) seized 108 machines and over $13,000 from five gambling halls in the area on Thursday.

U.S. Rep Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) has signed onto an amicus brief in a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control over COVID-19 mask mandates.

The Birmingham Water Works Board (BWWB) voted on Wednesday to raise rates for customers, despite a year of turmoil and public controversy surrounding the utility.

Last Friday was Black Friday, perhaps the most important day of the year for retailers when holiday shoppers kick off their Christmas-shopping season by flocking early to local retail centers to partake in special sales and deals.

On the afternoon of November 30, 1954, Ann Hodges laid down on her couch in Sylacauga to take a nap. She woke up that afternoon to a loud noise and a sharp pain in her upper thigh.

At least two lives were lost early Wednesday morning due to a tornado that hit the Flatwood area near Montgomery.

The Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend announced Monday afternoon that its event weekend planned for February 2023 will be its last. 

Residents of Tuscaloosa County will be voting in a referendum on Valentine’s Day 2023 to determine whether or not they will increase property taxes for the county school system.

Over a month after news broke of a potential deal that would move Pelham's Oak Mountain Amphitheatre to North Birmingham, most Shelby County officials remain silent.

Herbie Newell was recently in Kansas, meeting with a real estate agent about a piece of property. When the man asked him what he did for a living, Newell told him.

Every Alabamian knows about the Iron Bowl, but football isn’t the only way Auburn and Alabama face off in November.

Former teacher Thomas Blake Tucker was arrested in September and charged with engaging in a sex act with a student. According to reports, Tucker is now married to that student and asking the court to lift any restrictions on their contact.

Former Alabama state Rep. Perry Hooper was indicted on sex abuse charges Friday, according to reports.

"Stop Judging; Start Healing," a summit seeking to reduce the stigma surrounding substance use disorder, will make eight stops in 2023.

An inmate was found dead Monday night after walking off of a job site in Morgan County. Police say the preliminary investigation indicates the cause of death was suicide.

An Auburn University professor was awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages after being removed as chair of his department for speaking out about the school’s athletic programs’ involvement in academics. 

Alabama ranked 29 among all U.S. states and territories for average state employee salary in 2021. Nevertheless, its highest-paid employee makes almost double what the highest-paid federal employee makes.

Birmingham MAX Transit buses have been experiencing delays and cancellations, which officials are blaming on worker shortages due to COVID-19 and the flu despite receiving millions in federal funding to help with those issues.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state of Alabama and local farmers have reached an agreement to provide fresh produce to schools where the majority of students receive free and reduced-cost lunches.

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) confirmed Thursday that he will continue to support Donald Trump in the former president’s recently-announced bid for president in 2024.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was re-elected to his leadership position Wednesday, defeating U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla). 

Birmingham Water Works is planning to repay certain customers who were overcharged for water, but some might get back less than expected.