Eighteen months after a fatal explosion, Alabama rolls back its commitment to monitor explosive gases above coal mines

In a letter to federal regulators, the director of the Alabama Surface Mining Commission wrote she has “indefinitely suspended” methane monitoring requirements her agency agreed to in 2024. Experts say the “astonishing and reckless” move leaves residents at risk.


Alabama governor vows action after Montgomery shooting leaves 2 dead, 12 injured

The deadly shooting unfolded Saturday night in a crowded section of the city's downtown filled with bars, hotels and restaurants. The location is less than a mile from the Alabama Capitol and near sites that pay tribute to Rosa Parks and other key figures in the city’s history.

Drug checking services save lives in the Netherlands. The Gulf South doesn’t have any

Both the U.S. and the Netherlands wrestle with the politics of drug use, but their approaches diverge in key ways that reflect deeper ideological divides.

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New billboard draws attention to Anthony Boyd, Alabama’s next nitrogen gas execution

Supporters of Boyd, the chairman of an in-prison anti-death penalty group, put the billboard message up in hopes of garnering more public awareness.

Space Command is moving jobs to Huntsville. Will workers move with it?

An Inspector General’s report last year revealed Space Command leadership worried civilian workers would not relocate to Alabama.

Coalition raises concerns surrounding manufacturer’s environmental, labor practices in small Alabama town

The report from the Good Neighbors Alabama coalition concerns the Neptune Technology Group plant in Tallassee.


Birmingham’s Furnace Fest celebrates big milestone and new beginnings

Twenty-five years ago, Furnace Fest roared from the belly of Birmingham’s historic Sloss Furnaces for the very first time. It's revival returns this weekend.

Lawsuit filed against immigration authorities after U.S. citizen’s arrests in raids

An Alabama construction worker and U.S. citizen who says he was detained twice by immigration agents within just a few weeks has filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding an end to Trump administration workplace raids targeting industries with large immigrant workforces.

Birmingham’s Bengali community breaks barriers with annual Durga Puja

Durga Puja is a Bengali celebration during the 9-day long Hindu festival of Navratri, which celebrates divine feminine energy in all forms. Across India, celebrations vary in scale, focus and tradition. 

From painting to producing: Birmingham DJ Andrea Really releases first album

Birmingham DJ Andrea Really wasn't always a music producer. She used to be a prolific painter. But when her art studio burned down in 2017, she pivoted careers. Really spoke with WBHM about that journey upon the release of her first album this summer, called Zeitgeist.

Gulf South pharmacies make their own rules amid confusing COVID guidance: ‘It’s clear as mud’

Unclear rules and inconsistent interpretations of federal and state COVID-19 vaccination rules leave families confused and vulnerable patients unprotected.

Alabama executes Geoffrey Todd West for the murder of Margaret Parrish Berry

The execution took place despite Berry's son's opposition to it and was marked by less movement than other nitrogen gas executions.