Latest Alabama Headlines
All the headlines from our Alabama Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Alabama Targets Underage Drinking
Nov 18 2013 // The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has launched an initiative to stop underage and binge drinking in the state. ABC Board members and law enforcement officials addressed students at Prattville High School...
Florida, Alabama Officials Back Mississippi’s Suit Over Flood Insurance
Nov 15 2013 // Florida and Alabama government officials have filed an amicus brief this week supporting the Mississippi insurance department’s lawsuit against the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program’s...
Alabama Oil Train Derailment Raises New Crude-by-Rail Safety Questions
Nov 11 2013 // The second explosive oil-train derailment this year, which has finally burned out in rural Alabama, may raise new questions about the safety of the crude-by-rail boom, pointing to problems beyond those that surfaced...
Oil Tank Train Derails in Alabama; Cars Erupt in Flames
Nov 10 2013 // Several oil tank cars that burst into flames after a train derailed in rural Alabama were expected to keep burning into Saturday, potentially reigniting the push for tougher regulation of the boom in moving oil by...
Alabama Targets Underage Drinking
Nov 8 2013 // The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has launched an initiative to stop underage and binge drinking in the state. ABC Board members and law enforcement officials addressed students at Prattville High School this...
Judge Weighs Alabama City’s Case Over Police Officer’s Facebook Posts
Oct 31 2013 // A Dothan, Alabama judge is considering whether city officials acted appropriately in upholding disciplinary action against a police officer for Facebook posts she made. Circuit Judge Butch Binford heard arguments in the...
Alabama Couple Sues Kentucky Motel Owners for $5M Over Illness
Oct 28 2013 // An Alabama woman has filed suit seeking $5 million from the owners of a Kentucky motel where she says she was infected with Legionnaire’s disease. Vera Ann Johnson and husband John Allen Johnson of Wedowee filed suit...
Study Suggests Topography Can Strengthen Tornadoes
Oct 25 2013 // The Georgia town of Trenton seems to fit the model. Two people died there about a block from each other. Ringgold, Ga., does, too. Death toll there: 8. In both cases, National Weather Service maps that tracked the April...
Alabama Creates Research Center to Study Home Insurance
Oct 25 2013 // Gov. Robert Bentley is creating a research center at the University of Alabama to try to improve the availability and affordability of homeowners insurance following hurricanes and tornadoes that demolished homes from the...
University of Alabama Studies Impact of 2011 Tornado on Foreclosures
Oct 21 2013 // A University of Alabama study has found that the April 2011 tornado didn’t severely impact home foreclosures in the Tuscaloosa area. Sociologist Bronwen Lichtenstein says researchers noted a slight decrease in...
Alabama Coastal Counties Get FEMA Home Mitigation Grants
Oct 21 2013 // Alabama has received a federal grant of nearly $636,000 to help homeowners in the state’s two coastal counties retrofit their homes against wind damage. State officials and officials from Mobile and Baldwin County...
Gulf Coast Braces for Flooding from Tropical Storm Karen
Oct 3 2013 // Tropical Storm Karen may bring more than 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain, isolated tornadoes and power outages to the U.S. Gulf Coast, where it is expected to go ashore over the weekend, forecasters said. Karen, with top...
In Majority of Alabama Traffic Deats, Victims Did Not Wear Seat Belts
Oct 3 2013 // More than half of the people killed so far this year in traffic accidents on Alabama highways were not wearing seat belts when they were available. The state Department of Public Safety reports 367 traffic deaths through...
Painter’s Alabama Football Scenes with Uniforms Do Not Infringe Trademark: Judge
Oct 2 2013 // A federal judge has dismissed a trademark infringement lawsuit the University of Alabama filed against an artist for painting scenes from school football games and transferring his work to other mediums. AL.com reported...
Alabama Widow Awarded $850,000 in Husband’s Death from Medication Error
Sep 30 2013 // A jury in eastern Alabama has awarded a widow $850,000 after her husband was given three times his normal dosage of medication and died Christmas Day. AL.com reported that a jury spent hours deliberating before delivering...
Federal Flood, States’ Wind Plans Need Further Reforms
Sep 9 2013 // A recent report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, a watchdog group, calls for further reforms to flood and wind insurance programs to discourage risky development and help reduce risk and taxpayer costs. The report,...
Court Upholds $1M Sexual Harassment Claim Against Alabama State
Sep 5 2013 // Federal judges have rejected Alabama State University’s appeal of a $1 million court judgment for sexual harassment. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the...
Report: More Reforms Needed for Flood, Wind Insurance Programs
Aug 15 2013 // A new report this week from the Union of Concerned Scientists, a watchdog group, warns that sea level rise and worsening storm surge are increasing both the risks of flooding in coastal communities and the potential for...
Alabama Sets Up State-Run School Teachers’ Liability Insurance Program
Aug 5 2013 // Gov. Robert Bentley’s administration has set up a new liability insurance plan for Alabama’s school workers who previously relied on the Alabama Education Association and other groups for coverage. How it will...
$900K in Hazard Mitigation Funds Available in Alabama
Aug 2 2013 // Residents in eight Alabama counties will have an opportunity to safeguard their homes from severe weather. Gov. Robert Bentley said Wednesday that more than $900,000 in hazard mitigation funds is available in Baldwin,...