Undermined:Fourteenth in a series about the impacts of longwall mining in Alabama.
JASPER, Ala.—Verby Burton said she wasn’t expecting much from Thursday’s meeting of the Alabama Surface Mining Commission, the agency tasked with regulating the surface impacts of underground coal mining in the state.
“And that’s exactly what I got,” Burton said after the meeting. “Not much.”
Burton is a resident of Oak Grove, a rural community in western Jefferson County, about 45 miles southwest of Birmingham, that sits above an expanding longwall coal mine. The impacts of the aggressive form of mining—cracking roads, damaging foundations, causing land subsidence and triggering the escape of potentially explosive methane gas—have plagued the community for years. That culminated in a home explosion atop the mine in March 2024 that that killed grandfather W.M. Griffice and seriously injured his grandson.
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Verby Burton said she left Thursday’s meeting unsatisfied by officials’ responses to the concerns of Oak Grove residents. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News
In December, after a series of investigations by Inside Climate News into the explosion and Alabama’s lax regulatory response, federal mining officials forced the state’s hand, issuing a so-called ten-day notice requiring the Alabama Surface Mining Commission to demand methane monitoring plans from coal companies in the state.
In a letter sent in January, the agency’s director, Kathy Love, did just that, requiring that the companies submit new “subsidence control plans” that include measures related to monitoring levels of potentially explosive methane gas in and around homes located above their operations.
At Thursday’s meeting, however, Love announced that she had unilaterally delayed the March 31 deadline she’d previously imposed for submitting such methane monitoring plans by six months, giving coal companies until Sept. 30 to submit the updated documents.
“I was under pressure to get an answer out for that ten-day notice, and, unbeknownst to me—I should’ve thought about it—March 31 is not enough time,” she said.
Love did not mention during Thursday’s meeting how she’d determined that the initial 90-day period was insufficient, but a draft letter from her agency to coal companies across the state obtained by Inside Climate News notes that her decision came after a request from the Alabama Mining Association, a lobbying group that bills itself as the “collective voice of Alabama’s mining industry.”
The draft letter says “mine operators sought assistance from the Alabama Mining Association (AMA) to obtain a deadline extension to allow adequate time for the completion of the comprehensive plans.”
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AMA then formally requested a 180-day extension of the deadline in a letter to the state agency dated March 18, the letter states, and “upon review of the facts and circumstances,” the Alabama regulator granted the request.
Meanwhile, residents who reside atop the expanding Oak Grove mine live in fear of a methane explosion in their home.
Resident Phyllis Wright said in an interview that during a recent thunderstorm, her home methane monitor alerted her to an unsafe level of the gas, advising her to “ventilate and evacuate” her home. Wright didn’t know what to do, she said, and still hasn’t received guidance from mine operators or state or federal regulators as to what should be done in such situations.
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W.M. Griffice’s home was completely destroyed in the March 2024 blast that would lead to his death. Credit: Courtesy of the Alabama Fire Marshal’s Office
At Thursday’s meeting, Love, citing that incident, initially appeared somewhat dismissive of home methane monitors.
“I don’t know what caused that, but it was just an incident that may have been a false alarm or caused by the lightning,” she told residents and commissioners gathered for the meeting. “I don’t know. I can’t even verify anything like that.”
Asked later by an Inside Climate News reporter whether she would have such a monitor in her home were she to live above an expanding longwall mine, however, Love didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Yes, I would,” she said. “Just like I have a fire alarm.”
Love emphasized in the meeting that she believes that coal operators in Alabama are going beyond what’s required by law to monitor methane and ensure the safety of those living above mines. Residents like Lisa Lindsay, W.M. Griffice’s closest neighbor, are skeptical of that claim.
Commissioners prepare for the Thursday meeting of the Alabama Surface Mining Commission. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News
Crimson Oak Grove Resources, the mining company that owns and operates the mine below her home, placed methane monitors under her property following the fatal explosion in 2024.
Since then, Lindsay told Love and commissioners, she’s requested information on the observed methane levels. Only occasionally has she gotten a response, she said. And when she has heard back from company representatives, their answers aren’t specific, simply telling her that elevated levels of methane were detected beneath her home “fewer than five times.”
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“They’ve refused to tell me what’s happening under my house,” Lindsay said.
“I don’t know what the justification is for not giving you those readings,” Love responded. “I will make the phone call and see what I can do.”
Oak Grove Resources did not respond to a request for comment. The company hasn’t answered any of Inside Climate News’ questions since the explosion.
“Y’all need to get on it, then,” Lindsay told Love and agency commissioners. “Y’all are the last line of defense for us residents versus the mining industry. Your job is to regulate and help protect us, right? So that’s something that really, really has got to be followed up on. We need to know what’s going on underneath our houses.”
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Lee Hedgepeth
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Reporter, Alabama
Lee Hedgepeth is Inside Climate News’ Alabama reporter. Raised in Grand Bay, Alabama, a small town on the Gulf Coast, Lee holds master’s degrees in community journalism and political development from the University of Alabama and Tulane University. Lee is the founder of Tread, a newsletter of Southern journalism, and has also worked for news outlets across Alabama, including CBS 42, Alabama Political Reporter and the Anniston Star. His reporting has focused on issues impacting members of marginalized groups, including homelessness, poverty, and the death penalty. His award-winning journalism has appeared in publications across the country and has been cited by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, among others.
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. with the 22nd overall pick of the 2026 NBA draft Tuesday night.
Philon is the first pick of the Mike Gansey era after he replaced Daryl Morey as the team’s president of basketball operations.
Who is Labaron Philon Jr.?
Philon, 20, led the Crimson Tide in scoring last season, averaging 22.0 points on nearly 40% shooting on 3-pointers. He was the focal point of one of the nation’s most potent offenses, as Alabama led the country in points per game in the 2025-26 season. The Crimson Tide (No. 16) finished the season with a 25-10 record and went 13-5 against conference opponents.
Philon, who helped lead Alabama to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, earned Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors in his sophomore season.
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In 33 games last season for Alabama, Philon scored 725 total points, which is ranked third-most by a player in a single season in program history.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with Labaron Philon Jr. after he is drafted twenty-second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
Arturo Holmes / Getty Images
Philon was the 34th-ranked basketball recruit in the country entering his freshman season at Alabama, according to 247sports. The four-star guard initially committed to playing at Auburn, but decommitted. He then signed a letter of intent to play at Kansas, but didn’t play there, either. He then committed to the Crimson Tide in April 2024.
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Philon impressed as a freshman at Alabama and averaged 10.6 points in 37 games. He declared for the 2025 NBA draft but then withdrew and returned for his sophomore season, where he saw his scoring average jump more than 10 points.
Philon is a Mobile, Alabama, native and played at Baker High School in Mobile County, where he scored 2,334 points in three seasons. He was named the Class 7A Player of the Year twice.
As a junior, he averaged 35 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists and was named Alabama Mr. Basketball, which is given to the best high school boys’ basketball player in the state. Philon transferred to Link Academy, a boarding school in Missouri, for his senior year of high school.
Philon now joins a backcourt headlined by Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe heading into the 2026-27 season. Quentin Grimes could return to Philadelphia next season and add even more depth, but he’s an unrestricted free agent.
The pick the Sixers used to pick Philon was acquired in the deal that sent Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline.
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Labaron Philon Jr. scouting report
CBS Sports had Philon ranked as the 14th-best prospect in the 2026 NBA draft.
Here are his strengths and weaknesses, according to CBS Sports:
Strengths
On-ball creator who made an extreme leap as a sophomore, ranking in the 99th percentile in isolations (was 24th percentile as a freshman) and 94th as a pick-and-roll handler (was 32nd percentile as a freshman). Combines smooth attack with sudden change of speed and direction, dexterity, and finishing craft in the lane.
Shot-maker who can make tough shots off both the catch (36% on contested catch-and-shoot 3-pointers), dribble (38% from deep), and has extreme gravity when he’s spacing the floor (46% on unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-pointers).
Shown pliability to thrive in different roles over the years and is a similarly versatile creator, because he’s a scoring threat at multiple levels and also an accurate, and somewhat creative, passer with both hands off the dribble.
Weaknesses
Inconsistent defensive approach. Showed more engagement and potential as a freshman, but couldn’t maintain that as a sophomore when taking on a bigger offensive role.
Lacks overwhelming physicality or highest level explosiveness, and didn’t add any notable muscle mass between his freshman and sophomore seasons (175 pounds at 2025 combine and 176 at 2026 combine).
Unclear how well his creation scales to the NBA level when he will have less usage and volume coupled by more physicality in opposing defenders.
Alabama football hosted a hometown kid for an official visit last weekend when it got Jeremiah Beverley on campus for an official visit.
Beverley attends Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and ESPN currently has him rated as a four-star recruit. He is considering Alabama, Cincinnati, Wake Forest and others.
The Crimson Tide offered Beverley earlier this month and got him on campus for an official visit last weekend. The Alabama target told Touchdown Alabama he used the visit to learn what the Tide has planned for him if he commits.
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“I’m truly happy that I went on that official visit,” Beverley said. “Blessed for that. All I was talking about was the next step, what I got to do? So, just knowing what they have planned for me, knowing what they have set for me.”
At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Beverley makes plays for Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa as a defensive end. Alabama has plans to use him similarly at the next level.
“They’re going to have me at wolf mostly,” Beverley said. “I know coach (Kane) Wommack and coach (Christian) Robinson, I think they see me at other positions, but I know it is guaranteed they’re going to see me at Wolf and me working my way up on special teams, and they expect that out of me.”
Beverley is expected to announce a commitment decision on Friday.
Watch Jeremiah Beverley’s Highlights Below:
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
Alabama football is hiring Noah Fisher to be its assistant tight ends coach, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Fisher spent two seasons as a graduate assistant working with the offensive line and tight ends at Louisville before joining the Tide’s staff. He played three years on the offensive line at South Alabama and spent one season with Tulane. The Jaguars started Fisher along its offensive line when he was a player for multiple games.
The Crimson Tide appear to want to use their tight ends in multiple ways in the future including as extra blockers along the line of scrimmage. Fisher looks as if he can assist the Tide with this mission.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
