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Alabama to execute a long-serving death row inmate for the 1988 beating death of a woman he dated

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Alabama to execute a long-serving death row inmate for the 1988 beating death of a woman he dated


ATMORE, Ala. — A man convicted of beating a woman to death nearly 37 years ago is scheduled to be executed Tuesday in Alabama in what will be the nation’s sixth execution with nitrogen gas.

Gregory Hunt is scheduled to be put to death Tuesday night at a south Alabama prison. Hunt was convicted of killing Karen Lane, a woman he had been dating for about a month, according to court records.

The Alabama execution is one of four that had been scheduled this week in the United States. Executions are also scheduled in Florida and South Carolina. A judge in Oklahoma on Monday issued a temporary stay for an execution in that state, but the state attorney general is seeking to get it lifted.

Lane was 32 when she was murdered Aug. 2, 1988, in the Cordova apartment she shared with a woman who was Hunt’s cousin.

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Gregory Hunt.Alabama Department of Corrections via AP

Prosecutors said Hunt broke into her apartment and killed her after sexually abusing her. A physician who performed an autopsy testified that she died from blunt force trauma and that Lane had sustained some 60 injuries, including 20 to the head.

A jury on June 19, 1990, found Hunt guilty of capital murder during sexual abuse and burglary. Jurors recommended by a vote of 11-1 that he receive a death sentence, which a judge imposed.

Hunt’s final request for a stay of execution, which he filed himself, focused on claims that prosecutors made false statements to jurors about evidence of sexual abuse. The element of sexual abuse is what elevated the crime to a death penalty offense.

In a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court, Hunt, acting as his own attorney, wrote that a prosecutor told jurors that cervical mucus was on a broomstick near Hunt’s body. However, the victim did not have a cervix because of an earlier hysterectomy. The Alabama attorney general’s office called the claim meritless and said even if the prosecutor erred in that statement, it did not throw the conviction into doubt.

Hunt, speaking by telephone last month from prison, did not dispute killing Lane but maintained he did not sexually assault her. He also described himself as someone who was changed by prison.

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“Karen didn’t deserve what happened to her,” Hunt said.

Hunt said he had been drinking and doing drugs on the night of the crime and became jealous when he saw Lane in a car with another man.

“You have your come-to-Jesus moment. Of course, after the fact, you can’t believe what has happened. You can’t believe you were part of it and did it,” Hunt said.

Hunt, who was born in 1960 and came to death row in 1990, is now among the longest-serving inmates on Alabama’s death row. He said prison became his “hospital” to heal his broken mind. He said since 1988, he has been leading a Bible class attended by two dozen or more inmates.

“Just trying to be a light in a dark place, trying to tell people if I can change, they can too. … become people of love instead of hate,” he said.

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Lane’s sister declined to comment when reached by telephone. The family is expected to give a written statement Tuesday night.

“The way she was killed is just devastating,” Denise Gurganus, Lane’s sister, told TV station WBRC at a 2014 vigil for crime victims. “It’s hard enough to lose a family member to death, but when it’s this gruesome.”

The Alabama attorney general’s office, in asking justices to reject Hunt’s request for a stay of execution, wrote that Hunt has now been on death row longer than Lane was alive.

Alabama last year became the first state to carry out an execution with nitrogen gas. Nitrogen has now been used in five executions — four in Alabama and one in Louisiana. The method involves using a gas mask to force an inmate to breathe pure nitrogen gas, depriving them of the oxygen needed to stay alive.

Hunt had named nitrogen as his preferred execution method. He made the selection before Alabama had developed procedures for using gas. Alabama also allows inmates to choose lethal injection or the electric chair.

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Explosive Kentucky wide receiver earns Alabama offer, locks in official visit

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Explosive Kentucky wide receiver earns Alabama offer, locks in official visit




Cam Wade earned an Alabama football offer earlier this week and locked in a return visit date for an official.

Wade is a 2027 recruit, and he attends Paducah Tilghman High School in Paducah, Kentucky. Alabama is the latest program to offer the junior, but he holds previous offers from Florida, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Maryland and others.

The Kentucky product said earning an Alabama offer means a lot to him.

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“As a kid growing up watching college football, you always dreamed about Alabama,” Wade said. “Just a wonderful experience, and I’m grateful.”

Wade was on campus for a visit when he earned his offer from the Tide, and the visit was a success.

“You can feel the intensity as soon as you walk in the door,” Wade told Touchdown Alabama. “I loved that, also how close the coaching staff was with each other was also great.”

Alabama will get Wade on campus on the weekend of May 29-31 for his official visit.

Wade is an explosive wide receiver with proven speed. He holds a PR of 10.6 in the 100-meter dash and a 21.6 in the 200-meter dash. This speed translates over to the field, and it makes him dangerous in different aspects of the game.

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Watch Cam Wade’s Highlights Below:







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Where to Shop Last-Minute Alabama Shakes Tickets Online

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Where to Shop Last-Minute Alabama Shakes Tickets Online


All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Alabama Shakes have lined up a string of North American and European tour dates for 2026. After releasing a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart last year with “Another Life,” Brittany Howard and the band are headed back to the live stage for a spring and summer run of concerts. Starting on April 16, the band will hit major cities around the US, including Atlanta, Denver and multiple stops in Florida before setting off for a stint in Europe this July.

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How to Buy Alabama Shakes’ Concert Tickets, At a Glance

After their incredible 2015 album Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes took a hiatus from 2018 to 2024, so that frontwoman/guitarist, Howard, could focus on her solo career. They would later reunite for a show in Tuscaloosa, Ala in December of that year, which led to a large tour in 2025 from July through September. Luckily for fans, the group decided to extend the tour and festival run in 2026. With their last single coming out in 2025, can we expect more music from the group while on tour?

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With their tour kicking off soon and tickets selling fast, we’ve compiled all the best ways to shop Alabama Shakes’ tickets online. Ticketmaster does have some general tickets available, but shifting your focus to several resell sites is a great way sho cheap, last-minute concert tickets as well. See below.

Where to Shop Last-Minute Alabama Shakes’ Tickets Online

With resell sites like StubHub, SeatGeek and Gametime, Alabama Shakes’ fans can shop available concert tickets online and securely. Below, ShopBillboard put together a list of affordable ticket options, including exclusive promo and discount codes. Learn about how you can save on concert tickets for each site below.

How to get tickets to Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet Tour with StubHub.

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With StubHub, fans can affordable Alabama Shakes’ tickets for as low as $71 in some cities. Shoppers can also take advantage of the site’s filters to find the best tickets and venue seating available. Choose from the number of tickets needed, price and even have estimated fees included in the cost, so there are no hidden surprises. Plus, each purchase is protected by StubHub’s FanProtect, which you can learn more about here.

Alabama Shakes Tour: Shop Cheap Tickets Online, Promo Codes, Discounts

Another great option for shopping last-minute concert tickets is on Vivid Seats. The resell site has Alabama Shakes’ tickets for as low as $61. The site will also help you determine the best offers available by labeling what dates have deals and displaying the cheapest prices available. If you want to save even more, use the code BB2024 at checkout, to save $20 off orders of $200+.

Your purchase will also be covered by the Vivid Seats Buyer Guarantee, which can you read more about here.

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Alabama Shakes Tour: Shop Cheap Tickets Online, Promo Codes, Discounts

Seat Geek is another affordable option to find cheap Alabama Shakes’ tickets with options as low as $64. The resale ticketing site uses a ranking system with a scale of 1-10 to show which options are the best deal. Tickets marked a one are considered the worst deal whereas options rated a 10 are considered the best deals. Bonus offer: First purchases are eligible to receive $10 off orders of $250+ when you use the code BILLBOARD10 at checkout.

Alabama Shakes Tour: Shop Cheap Tickets Online, Promo Codes, Discounts

Courtesy of Gametime

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Gametime is offering Alabama Shakes’ tickets online for as cheap as $65 right now. To save on concert tickets, shoppers can score an extra $20 off purchases of $150+ when you enter the code SAVE20 at checkout. If you find other sites offering a cheaper price, Gametime’s Price Guarantee Program will give you 110% of the difference back when you show proof to the resale site.

Alabama Shakes Tour: Shop Cheap Tickets Online, Promo Codes, Discounts

Lastly, Alabama Shakes fans can find cheap tickets on Ticketnetwork starting at $69. To save on concert tickets, shoppers can take advantage of our promo codes that will take $150 off purchases of $500+ when you use the code BILLBOARD150 at checkout or $300 off orders of $1,000+ when you use the promo code BILLBOARD300.

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Alabama Shakes 2026 Tour Dates

Take a look at Alabama Shakes upcoming tour dates below, alongside additional musical guest at each venue.

04/16 – Richmond, VA – Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront ~
04/17 – Asheville, NC – ExploreAsheville.com Arena ~
04/18 – Charleston, SC – High Water Fest
04/22 – Memphis, TN – Grind City Amphitheater +
04/24 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park +
04/25 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater +
04/26 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre %
04/28 – Tallahassee, FL – Adderley Amphitheater %
04/29 – Boca Raton, FL – Sunset Cove Amphitheater %
04/30 – Clearwater, FL – The BayCare Sound %
05/02 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
05/24 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
05/25 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
06/13 – Manchester, Tennessee – Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
07/01 – Leeds, England – Millennium Square
07/02 – Wasing, England – On the Mount at Wasing
07/03 – London, England – Alexandra Palace *
07/05 – Ghent, Belgium – Gent Jazz Festival
07/07 – Lucca, Italy – Summer Festival
07/09 – Lisbon, Portugal – NOS Alive Festival
07/10 – Bilbao, Spain – BBK Live
07/11 – Madrid, Spain – Noches del Botanico
07/25 – Eugene, OR – Autzen Stadium ^
09/19 – Dover, DE – The Woodlands ^

  • ~ with Joy Oladokun
  • with Mon Rovîa
  • % with Lamont Landers
  • with JJ Grey & Mofro
  • with Tyler Ballgame
  • ^ supporting Zach Bryan



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Alabama House passes overtime tax cut, grocery tax holiday in major relief push

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Alabama House passes overtime tax cut, grocery tax holiday in major relief push


The Alabama House of Representatives passed HB527 on Tuesday, delivering an Alabama overtime tax cut of up to $1,000 on qualified overtime pay and adding a 60-day grocery tax holiday, combining for a total fiscal impact of $83.4 million.

HB527, sponsored by State Rep. James Lomax (R-Huntsville), would allow taxpayers to deduct up to $1,000 in overtime pay from their state taxable income each year beginning in 2026. The deduction expires after 2028 unless extended.

The bill’s initial fiscal note was $37.4 million. State Rep. Mike Shaw (R-Hoover) offered an amendment on the floor to attach the 60-day grocery tax holiday, bringing the total fiscal note to $83.4 million.

The bill mirrors President Trump’s “no tax on overtime” policy included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, applying similar relief at the state level.

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“The men and women working overtime shifts to provide for their families are also providing a significant boost to our state’s economy,” Lomax said. “I am proud to carry this legislation in an effort to support and thank them.”

The grocery tax holiday builds on existing legislative action on food costs. In 2023, the Legislature reduced the state grocery tax from 4 percent to 3 percent. During the 2025 session, the House accelerated that effort by cutting it further to 2 percent.

Alabama families are already saving roughly $236 a year from that existing cut, and the temporary two-month suspension of the remaining 2 percent would deliver roughly $40 in additional immediate relief for a typical family of four.

House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) said the measure reflects a broader legislative push on affordability.

“With fuel prices surging and the price of beef and other essential items at the grocery store nearing all-time highs, it is imperative that state leaders double down on our efforts to lend a helping hand to Alabamians,” Ledbetter said. “Over the course of the last few weeks, I have worked with Governor Ivey and Senate leadership to determine the most expedient and impactful way to provide targeted relief, and we have determined that a 60-day grocery tax holiday presents the best opportunity to lift up every single Alabama family.”

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Since 2022, the Alabama Legislature has delivered more than $1.4 billion in tax cuts to working families and retirees statewide. HB527 now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Tuesday was the 25th legislative day. There are five days remaining in the session.

Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].



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