HANCEVILLE, Ala. –  Miss Wallace State representative Savannah Lynn is headed to Birmingham June 26-29, to compete in the statewide pageant and Miss America qualifier, Miss Alabama.

It was an unexpected turn of events for Lynn, a seasoned pageant contestant. On Sept 10, 2023, she was not named Miss Wallace State, nor the first runner-up. Instead, she was selected as the pageant’s second runner-up, leaving her third in line to make it to the statewide circuit. However, due to scheduling conflicts for the winner and first runner-up, Lynn was next in line and bravely stepped up to the challenge.

Said Lynn, “I remember right after that phone call, the first thing I did was pray. I was so nervous and excited at the same time and all I wanted to do, was thank God for this amazing opportunity.”

For Lynn, preparing for the pageant was more than just a routine; it was a part of her family’s legacy. Her two great-aunts, Sonya and Regina White, own the local pageant wear staple, Avenue Bridals. Lynn’s connection to the pageant world was established long before she could even walk, thanks to her glamorous great-aunts and their stunning outfits that always stole the show.

“I have participated in pageants since before I could walk, Lynn smiled. “ Growing up with a family who owned a pageant dress store was such a cool thing to me. I mean, how could I not participate in pageants? I have so much love for the pageant industry and it will forever hold a special place in my heart.”

While moving through the ranks of the pageant sphere and advancing her skills and on-stage performance, Lynn held those familial ties close to her heart. She said her mother, Heather Lynn, has been her biggest supporter through the hours of practice, rehearsing and countless tears, instilling a strong faith and sense of self in the young woman, no matter how tough the criticism or circumstances.

“I wouldn’t even be competing if it wasn’t for her. She has always been my biggest supporter in everything that I do and I’ll forever be thankful for her,” Lynn said emotionally.

Her mother’s and aunts’ support are what led Lynn to find her philanthropic platform, Back to Business. The platform hopes to bring awareness to and incorporate business skills in STEM courses in public education. Lynn is now next in line to run Avenue Bridals, keeping the storefront in the family. Her passion for business skills in STEM education blossoms from those familial ties and the needs she said she has seen for upcoming owners of small, local and family owned businesses that have lasted decades.

“We are the next generation to take over these small businesses one day,” she said. “I want students to feel prepared and excited about becoming business owners and working in the business industry.”

Lynn will compete in the Miss Alabama Pageant beginning at 7 p.m. on June 26 in the Samford University Wright Center. The pageant will not be broadcast publicly; however, tickets can be purchased online at Missalabama.com.

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Alabama inmate Alan Eugene Miller on Friday requested the US District Court for the Middle District of Alabama block his scheduled nitrogen gas execution, which would be the second of its kind in US history.

In 2000, Miller was sentenced to death for the murder of three people. Alabama law lets death row inmates choose the method of death either by lethal injection or by nitrogen gas. In September 2022, Miller requested the nitrogen gas, but Alabama stated they never got the request and therefore determined he would receive lethal injection as the default. Miller lost his suit against the state of Alabama to be executed by nitrogen gas, and he then had his execution rescheduled after his lethal injection did not work.

The first nitrogen gas execution occurred less than six months ago on Kenneth Smith. The procedure did not go as planned, according to Miller’s lawyers. The team called the execution a “disaster” in Friday’s motion, stating, “Multiple eyewitnesses reported a horrific scene, where Mr. Smith writhed on the gurney and foamed at the mouth.” Based on Smith’s reaction to the nitrogen gas execution, Miller’s team argued that his “right to be free from cruel and unusual punishments” under the Eighth Amendment would be violated if Alabama does not execute under the following conditions:

(1) [U]sing a mask that fits Mr. Miller’s larger-than-average face and head, and creates an airtight seal; (2) using a qualified medical or scientific professional, rather than correctional officers, to place the mask on Mr. Miller’s face, and hold it in place if it becomes dislodged in any way; (3) using a qualified medical or scientific professional … to supervise the nitrogen flow rate during the execution; (4) having a medical professional present in the execution chamber during the execution attempt, who can respond if the execution goes awry as Mr. Smith’s did; (5) using medical grade nitrogen; and (6) using a sedative or tranquilizing medication in pill form before administering the nitrogen gas …

The motion therefore sought to block Miller’s execution until the state decides to follow those conditions by preliminary injunction.

Miller’s preliminary injunction can be granted only if Miller will “suffer irreparable harm” without it and if it will not “substantially harm” Alabama or harm the “public interest.” His team argued that the pain suffered from the execution would be irreparable and the “minimal delay” caused by the injunction would be an unsubstantial harm for Alabama. The motion also added that the public has an interest in ensuring that constitutional rights are not violated.

The nitrogen gas method of execution has been widely criticized by the UN and Amnesty International for being experimental and inherently cruel.

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Alabama dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 2,210 in the week ending June 15, down from 2,501 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 238,000 last week, down 5,000 claims from 243,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Delaware saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 131.2%. Virgin Islands, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 54.7%.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.