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Alabama schedules second execution by nitrogen gas

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Alabama schedules second execution by nitrogen gas


MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama has scheduled a second execution with nitrogen gas, months after the state became the first to put a person to death with the previously untested method.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey set a Sept. 26 execution date for Alan Eugene Miller, who was convicted of killing three men during a 1999 workplace shooting. The execution will be carried out by nitrogen gas, the governor’s office said. Miller survived a 2022 lethal injection attempt.

The governor’s action comes a week after the Alabama Supreme Court authorized the execution.

In January, Alabama used nitrogen gas to execute Kenneth Smith. Smith shook and convulsed in seizure-like movements for several minutes on a gurney as he was put to death Jan. 25.

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A nitrogen hypoxia execution causes death by forcing the inmate to breathe pure nitrogen, depriving him or her of the oxygen needed to maintain bodily functions. Alabama and some other states have looked for new ways to execute inmates because the drugs used in lethal injections, the most common execution method in the United States, are increasingly difficult to find.

Miller has an ongoing federal lawsuit challenging the execution method as a violation of the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, citing witness descriptions of Smith’s death.

“Rather than address these failures, the State of Alabama has attempted to maintain secrecy and avoid public scrutiny, in part by misrepresenting what happened in this botched execution,” the lawyers wrote in the lawsuit. It is anticipated that his attorneys will ask a federal judge to block the execution from going forward.

Attorney General Steve Marshall maintained that Smith’s execution was “textbook” and said the state will seek to carry out more death sentences using nitrogen gas.

State attorneys added that Miller has been on death row since 2000 and that it is time to carry out his sentence.

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Miller, a delivery truck driver, was convicted of killing Terry Jarvis, Lee Holdbrooks and Scott Yancy in the workplace shootings.



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Vote: Who is the Alabama High School Softball Player of the Week? – Feb. 23, 2026

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Vote: Who is the Alabama High School Softball Player of the Week? – Feb. 23, 2026


With the completion of week one of the high school softball season in the state of Alabama, it is time to look at some of the outstanding performances from a week ago.

Krimson Calhoun of Thompson headlines our list of nominees after she batted .867 in five games. Along, with Calhoun headlining the list of nominees, Baker High School and Helena High School each lead the way with two nominees for this week.

Meanwhile, the rest of our nominations include some outstanding offensive offensive and pitching performances from the first week of the season.

As always, we ask you, the fans, to vote for who you think is the High School on SI Alabama high school softball player of the week.

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Send future player of the week nominations to reed_green1582@hotmail.com or reach out to him on X at @reed_green7.

Voting will close on March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Here are this week’s nominations:

In the first five games of the season, Calhoun went 13/15 from the plate with an on-base percentage of .875. She drove in six runs, stole six bases, scored seven runs, and she also hit a bases clearing, game-winning triple in one of the Warriors victory.

In the 16-6 win over Valley, Norred finished with three hits, one home run, one double, five RBIs and two runs scored.

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In the first three games of the season, which includes two wins over Huntsville and Hamilton, Thornton finished with four hits, three home runs, one triple, 10 RBIs, one stolen base and five runs scored.

In the first four games of the season, Havard tallied eight hits, two home runs, four doubles, 10 RBIs, one stolen base and four runs scored.

Keith is another player who enjoyed immense offensive success in week one. In four games, she went 8/11 with two home runs, four doubles, nine RBIs, one stolen base and five runs scored.

In the 21-9 win over McAdory, Traywick was 3/5 with two home runs, six RBIs and three runs scored.

Smith pitched 13 combined innings over the course of two games last week, and she picked up the win versus Long Beach. Her ERA was 0.54 with one earned run allowed, five total hits allowed and struck out 21 batters. Offensively, she tallied five hits combined in the wins over Long Beach and Petal.

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Brewer got the season started off with two wins from the circle over Helena and Huntsville last week. Her ERA is currently at 2.55, and she allowed four earned runs and struck out 13 batters. Offensively, she tallied three hits, one RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored.

Schiefer appeared in four games from the circle last week, and she went 2-1 on the week. She pitched 14.2 innings, allowed eight earned runs, seven walks and struck out 17 batters. Offensively, she tallied six hits, two doubles, three RBIs and scored one run.

In four games, Henderson finished with four hits, one home run, two doubles, nine RBIs and scored four runs.

In the 10-0 win over Foley and the 4-3 win over Tate, Bolden tallied five combined hits, one home run, one triple, one double, five RBIs, two stolen bases and scored three runs.

In three games last week, Simmons tallied four hits, one double, five RBIs, one stolen base and four runs scored. She also went 1-0 in two appearances with 3.2 innings pitched. She allowed three hits, one earned run and struck out four batters.

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In the 9-1 win over Handley, Dunagan finished with three hits, one home run, one double, two RBIs, three stolen bases and scored three runs.

Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll.



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Alabama football 2026 draft projections before NFL combine

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Alabama football 2026 draft projections before NFL combine


Former Alabama football players are officially on their path to the NFL.

Twelve Crimson Tide players will take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium Feb. 23 through March 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Alabama’s 12 participants are the second-most from a single school in the combine class behind Texas A&M’s 13.

The 2026 NFL draft will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.

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As Crimson Tide players prepare to workout for NFL scouts, coaches, general managers and personnel, here’s where a handful of Alabama players are expected to be selected in the 2026 NFL draft.

CBS Sports

  • Alabama QB Ty Simpson: No. 13 Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons)
  • Alabama OL Kadyn Proctor: No. 21 Pittsburgh Steelers

NFL.com

  • Alabama OL Kadyn Proctor: No. 23 Philadelphia Eagles

Pro Football Focus

  • Alabama OL Kadyn Proctor: No. 24 Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars)
  • Alabama QB Ty Simpson: No. 34 Arizona Cardinals — Round 2
  • Alabama DL LT Overton: No. 60 Buffalo Bills — Round 2
  • Alabama LB Deontae Lawson: No. 62 Denver Broncos — Round 2
  • Alabama WR Germie Bernard: No. 64 Seattle Seahawks — Round 2
  • Alabama DL Tim Keenan III: No. 95 New England Patriots — Round 3

Yahoo Sports

  • Alabama QB Ty Simpson: No. 24 Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars)
  • Alabama OL Kadyn Proctor: No. 28 Houston Texans

Alabama football NFL combine invitees

  • QB Ty Simpson
  • RB Jam Miller
  • WR Germie Bernard
  • TE Josh Cuevas
  • C Parker Brailsford
  • OT Kadyn Proctor
  • OG Jaeden Roberts
  • DL Tim Keenan III
  • DL LT Overton
  • LB Justin Jefferson
  • LB Deontae Lawson
  • CB Domani Jackson

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. 



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Community reacts to Alabama abstinence-only education bill

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Community reacts to Alabama abstinence-only education bill


MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – The Alabama Senate last week passed Senate Bill 209, legislation that would require public schools to teach “sexual risk avoidance” to students.

The bill prohibits classes from providing information about contraceptive materials or teaching students how to access contraception.

Under the proposed curriculum, students would be taught to avoid all types of sexual content. Supporters argue the measure would help prevent teens from participating in sexual activity and enable them to make informed decisions about their health.

“It really helps to educate students on the risks of promiscuous or early sexual behavior and what those outcomes can be, and helps them make good decisions,” said Becky Gerritson, executive director of Eagle Forum of Alabama. “It’s just a very broad scope curriculum, and we’re very happy that it is moving forward.”

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Opponents of the bill say the abstinence-only approach will cause more harm than good. They argue that comprehensive sex education, which includes information about contraception and safe sex practices, better serves students by providing them with all available options.

“You can tell teenagers all you want to not have sex, but they’re not necessarily going to listen to that, and I feel like the better approach to that is giving them a comprehensive sex education where they really understand the risks of whatever behavior they choose to do and they can understand how to engage in that safely,” said Srushti Sai Talluri, a University of Alabama at Birmingham public health graduate student.

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, sexually transmitted infections rank as the sixth greatest current health concern in Alabama, with STI rates increasing every year, particularly among those aged 15 to 24.

Talluri emphasized that comprehensive education aims to give students the tools to make responsible choices rather than simply telling them what to do.

“The point of this education is not to tell students what to do or what not to do, but to provide them with all of the options so they can make an informed, responsible decision for themselves,” Talluri said.

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Supporters of SB 209 counter that the curriculum they advocate teaches students about the risks of sexual activity to help them make good decisions that will benefit them into adulthood.

“We are trying to show them how risky behaviors can have great, detrimental effects all into adulthood,” Gerritson said.

Under current Alabama law and the proposed SB 209, parents would be able to opt their children out of sexual education if they choose. Sexual education is not currently mandated in Alabama, though students in grades 5-12 are required to learn about HIV and AIDS through their health classes.

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