Alabama
Mardi Gras horse, Nat King Cole: Down in Alabama
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A horse’s tale
We’ve all seen so many westerns that we could easily see horses as motorcycles that never broke down. You hop on, steer them toward where you want to go, hit the gas and take off.
In real life, they’re not always that predictable.
When the Conde Cavaliers opened the Mardi Gras season for downtown Mobile Friday night, a horse carrying a Marshal reportedly fell to the ground during the procession. Video shared on Facebook shows a handler getting the horse back up with the rider aboard to continue the ride.
As you can expect, social media lit up. Much of the criticism was aimed at the size of the rider.
AL.com’s Greg Garrison reports that the Conde Cavaliers issued a statement to address the concerns, saying that the issue was not that there was a hoss on the horse.
“Though his costume makes him appear large, the Marshal involved in the incident was below the size limits established by the stable. Measurements for all Marshals were submitted prior to the parade and horses were assigned by their staff.”
The statement also said the horses are leased from a stable that provided trainers for the parade, and that the organization isn’t aware of any medical conditions regarding the animals.
It continued: “As explained by the trainer, the horse is healthy but became anxious due to the crowd noise and it laid down.”
Regardless, Mardi Gras 2024 is now underway in its birthplace. Laissez les bons temps rouler, Alabama.
Your bid?
Gabrella Manor, a wedding venue in Birmingham’s Roebuck Springs neighborhood.(Courtesy of Steve Johnson Fine Art Photography)
If you’ve ever wanted to buy an iconic wedding venue in Birmingham, now’s your chance.
Gabrella Manor, on the edge of the Roebuck Springs neighborhood right off I-59, will be up for auction in February, reports AL.com’s Mary Colurso.
The 5-acre property includes an 8,591-square-foot, Spanish Colonial Revival-style house with five bedrooms, six bathrooms and murals and stained-glass windows all around.
The current owners are Brenda Jones and Steve Johnson. They bought the property and got married there in 1997, then opened it the next year as a venue for weddings and other occasions. If you’ve never been to a wedding there, you might’ve seen it during a tour of Roebuck Springs historic homes.
The bidding starts at $625,000.
Biopic in the works
Jazz legend Nat King Cole’s life is expected to be made into a movie, reports AL.com’s Shauna Stuart.
Cole was a native of Montgomery and it was in Birmingham, at what’s now Boutwell Auditorium, where he was assaulted by Klansmen in an event that is believed to have kick-started his civil-rights activism.
Colman Domingo talked to Variety about his plans to direct and star in the Nat King Cole movie. He’ll be making his debut directing a feature film. He’s currently up for an Oscar for his leading role in “Rustin.”
Quoting
“A man was gassed to death for 22 minutes Thursday with your permission but yes, tell us more about ‘never again seeing such evil carried out.’”
The Alabama Democratic Party, on its X account, referencing the nitrogen hypoxia execution of convicted murderer Kenneth Eugene Smith after Gov. Kay Ivey posted on the social-media platform for Holocaust Remembrance Day.
More Alabama news
On the calendar
Sunday was the 10th anniversary — 10th already! — of an event that here in Alabama we call “Snowpocalypse” or “Snowmaggedon.” It wasn’t as much snow as those words make it sound, but ice and weather circumstances wreaked havoc on roadways for days.
The podcast
Alabama
‘I want to see lower rates in Alabama’: Britt presses Energy Secretary on lowering power bills
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) pressed Energy Secretary Chris Wright on lowering energy costs for Alabama families during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing reviewing the Department of Energy’s fiscal year 2027 budget request.
Britt opened her questioning by focusing on data center development and its impact on residential ratepayers.
“We have to keep that compute power advantage. That is critically important,” Britt said. “But in the larger conversation, we want to make sure that that advantage and the cost of that doesn’t actually fall on family’s power bills. Between 2021 and 2025, we saw residential power bills go up in this nation over 40%. It’s totally unacceptable.”
She noted that wholesale electricity prices in data center heavy regions surged over 250% during the same period, and credited the Trump Administration’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge and Energy Dominance Financing announcement with freezing rates in Alabama and Georgia.
“But ultimately, we’ve got to figure out how do we drill down and how do we actually lower rates, not just freeze them?” Britt said. “I want to see lower rates in Alabama.”
Wright outlined steps the department is taking to bring costs down.
“We worked with you and the Senate and the House to finally end the 34 years of wind subsidies and solar subsidies,” Wright said. “We’re focusing on, in the short term, how can we get more out of our existing grid? We’re upgrading hydro facilities. We’re upgrading natural gas facilities. We’ve restarted a nuclear power plant, which will have a ribbon cutting on very soon.”
Britt also raised grid cybersecurity and workforce development, citing work underway at Auburn University through SERC-3, and asked Wright to dedicate budget resources to grid security workforce needs. Wright confirmed the department’s commitment.
Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
Watch adopted daughter share moving first conversation with birth mom
Adopted at just 6 months old, Sarah Elizabeth Segrest finally found her birth mom in Vietnam and they were reunited on a video call.
Balancing a career and raising a family is no small task, and where you live can make a big difference in how manageable that balance feels.
For working mothers in Alabama, achieving this balance may be especially challenging. In a recent analysis by WalletHub, Alabama ranked 50th out of 51 (including Washington, D.C.) for working moms.
From childcare costs to workplace advancement, working mothers across Alabama face challenges that contribute to the state’s low national ranking.
Here’s how Alabama ranks in WalletHub’s analysis.
Working moms in Alabama are struggling
Alabama ranked 50th out of 51 states, with an overall score of 27.29 out of 100, based on assessments across several key categories affecting working mothers.
- Childcare systems: 47th nationally.
- Professional opportunities: 49th.
- Female executive representation: 49th.
- Work-life balance: 43rd.
The state also performed poorly in the quality and availability of the daycare system, according to the report.
These rankings mirror the daily realities for many working mothers in Alabama, who weigh affordability, career growth and family care.
Limited access to high-quality childcare can make full-time employment more difficult, while fewer women in leadership roles may signal narrower career advancement paths. These challenges are especially significant for households balancing rising living costs with child-rearing responsibilities.
WalletHub expert insight
WalletHub noted that women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, and about 74% of mothers with children under 18 are employed, underscoring the importance of supportive workplace and childcare systems.
“The U.S. still has a lot of work to do when it comes to improving conditions for working moms, given the wage gap and the lack of representation women have in certain leadership positions,” said Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst.
Top states for mothers:
In contrast to Alabama’s low ranking, several states excel in support for working mothers. Here are the top 10:
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- New Jersey
- Vermont
- Maine
- Minnesota
- District of Columbia
- New York
- North Dakota
The worst states for mothers:
Notably, Alabama joins other states struggling across key measures. Here are the bottom 10:
- Louisiana
- Alabama
- New Mexico
- Mississippi
- Nevada
- Arizona
- South Carolina
- West Virginia
- Texas
- Idaho
WalletHub’s methodology
WalletHub’s analysis compares all 50 states and Washington, D.C., across 17 metrics in three categories—childcare, professional opportunities, and work-life balance—including childcare quality and costs, gender pay gaps, women’s leadership, parental leave policies and access to health care.
Each state was scored on a 100-point scale and ranked by overall performance across these measures.
Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter in Alabama for USA TODAY’s Deep South Connect Team. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@usatodayco.com.
Prosecutors say Luther Davis wore wigs and makeup to disguise himself as NFL players in a sham loan scheme.
Alabama’s Luther Davis reacts after its 32-13 win over Florida in the SEC championship NCAA college football game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Dec. 5, 2009. Davis pleaded guilty Monday to fraud in a $20 million federal case accusing him of impersonating NFL players to secure loans. (Dave Martin/AP)
A former defensive tackle at the University of Alabama pleaded guilty Monday to felony charges in a federal case accusing him of wearing wigs and makeup to impersonate NFL players and fraudulently secure almost $20 million in loans.
Luther Davis, 37, pleaded guilty to single counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a deal with prosecutors.
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Journalist Rosie Manins is a legal affairs reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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