Alabama
Alabama’s summertime torture of Black men | STEPHEN COOPER
What is it about the swaggering, sweltering heat of summer that stirs up so much bloodlust? By now it’s a platitude that murder and other violent crime rates rise when the weather gets hotter. And while there’s no time of year Alabama’s criminal justice and correctional systems don’t discriminate against Black people, recent years have demonstrated summertime is when Alabama especially seems to torture Black men with its racist capital punishment regime.
I wrote as much in my column “Alabama’s summer 2024 legal lynching” when I posited “it’s not officially summer in Alabama until a Black man’s been lynched — legally or illegally[.]” At the time I observed: “Alabama still has a despicable penchant for using a vestige of slavery — the death penalty — in the 21st century to subjugate and to disproportionately dehumanize its poor Black and brown condemned citizens, most of whom grew up in impoverished and hellacious homes very far from the kind of safe, stable, and suitably nurturing and loving environments many Alabama families take for granted.”
The name of that 2024 column was taken from an earlier essay I titled “Alabama’s summer 2022 legal lynching” concerning the execution of Joe Nathan James Jr.; in that 2022 piece I invoked “legendary Alabama lawyer [and Equal Justice Initiative Executive Director] Bryan Stevenson” who insists “[t]he death penalty’s roots are clearly linked to the legacy of lynching” and that “[w]e need to own up to the way racial bias and legalized racial subordination have compromised our ability to implement criminal justice.”
In that vein but perhaps more depressingly, more drearily, I expounded in the summer of 2023 in “Stopping Alabama’s addiction to torture” on how “Alabama’s addiction to torturing poor people — disproportionately Black and brown people — and more often than not, people who are severely mentally ill with inhumane correctional institutions, a dysfunctional parole system, and, in some cases, a secretive and sadistic lethal injection protocol, has been going on for so long, overwhelmingly, Alabamians and Americans are desensitized to it.”
After James was tortured, in the piece “Fascism, racism, sexism and torture: Alabama’s last execution had it all,” I implored: “Investigations should be launched immediately, and not just into the sexist jackasses ogling the outfits of female reporters, but, also, into why Alabama keeps torturing to death poor, disproportionately Black men, most of whom were condemned — as famed death penalty attorney Stephen Bright long ago observed — because they had the worst lawyer, not because they committed the worst crime.”
Fast-forward to this summer with the looming execution of another poor Black man, Jeffrey Lee. Despite lingering questions about the inequity, immorality, and inhumanity of it, Alabama is poised to execute Lee by nitrogen-gassing or “nitrogen hypoxia” sometime during a 30-hour window starting June 11 and ending June 12.
Ominously, Alabama’s last nitrogen-gassing was the October 23rd torture of yet another Black man named Anthony Boyd. Following Boyd’s execution, the New York Times reported “Witnesses described seeing Mr. Boyd convulse and heave for about 15 minutes before being pronounced dead about 15 minutes later.” The Times recounted that “Lee Hedgepeth, a journalist in Alabama who witnessed the execution, said he counted Mr. Boyd gasp for air for more than 225 times before he was pronounced dead.” Reverend Jeff Hood, a spiritual advisor to Mr. Boyd who was in the execution chamber, was also reported saying Boyd was “suffocating, trying to breathe for 19 minutes.”
Alabama has savagely used nitrogen to kill seven men so far; 5 of these men were white and two were Black. Since this column is about Alabama’s torture of Black men, I want to conclude by focusing on Alabama’s first experimental nitrogen-gassing of a Black man, the February 2025 torture-execution of Demetrius Frazier. Reporter Ivana Hrynkiw who witnessed Frazier’s last minutes alive described how “About 6:11 p.m., Frazier started waiving his hands in circles toward his body. About a minute later his hands stopped moving. At approximately 6:12 p.m. Frazier clenched his face, and his nostrils flared, while his hands quivered. He appeared to say something, which was inaudible to the three witness rooms. His legs slightly lifted up off the gurney and he gasped. Then, his head rolled to the right side. Frazier exhibited sporadic gasping and shallow breathing until about 6:20 p.m. The curtains closed at 6:29 p.m., and his time of death declared seven minutes later[.]”
Adding to its extensive history of racial violence during and after slavery, the gas-torturing of Demetrius Frazier and Anthony Boyd are part of the modern-day record of Black men Alabama’s tortured to death the state will be building on if it goes forward with the nitrogen-gassing of Jeffrey Lee.
This essay was first published by The Times of Israel. It is being published here with the permission of the author.
Stephen Cooper is a former D.C. public. defender who worked as an assistant federal public defender in Alabama between 2012 and 2015. He has contributed to numerous magazines and newspapers in the United States and overseas. He writes full-time and lives in Woodland Hills, California. Read more of his writing at http://www.stephenacooper.net.
Some Alabama downtowns just feel made for a slow walk and a good coffee, and a new ranking says there’s plenty of them.
World Atlas recently highlighted 10 small towns with the best downtowns in Alabama in a recent travel roundup, pointing to walkable streets, historic storefronts and locally owned shops that give each destination its own sense of place.
The list reflects a growing interest in small-town travel, where downtown districts serve as hubs for dining, shopping and community life.
Standout Alabama downtowns highlighted by World Atlas
A few of the towns on the list stand out for especially distinctive downtown experiences. Here’s what World Atlas had to say.
In Fairhope, a waterfront downtown meets a historic shopping district, where Fairhope Avenue leads to Mobile Bay and the city’s iconic pier stretches into wide coastal views. Independent bookstores, antique shops and cafes anchor a walkable core that feels both coastal and classic.
Opelika has transformed its railroad heritage into a lively downtown scene. Brick storefronts line North Railroad Avenue, now home to breweries and distilleries like John Emerald Distilling Company, along with a growing cluster of locally owned restaurants and tasting rooms.
In Eufaula, antebellum architecture defines the downtown experience. Grand historic homes, courthouse squares and the Yoholo Micco Creek Trail combine history and nature in a setting that feels deeply preserved and unusually expansive for a small city.
And in Monroeville, literary history shapes nearly every corner of downtown. The courthouse square and surrounding district reflect the legacy of To Kill a Mockingbird, with museums, sculptures and shaded public spaces that reinforce its identity as Alabama’s Literary Capital.
Some of the most unique features on the list
Several towns also stand out for their one-of-a-kind attractions:
- Montevallo features more than 50 intricate tree carvings hidden throughout Orr Park
- Abbeville is home to Huggin’ Molly’s, a 1950s-style diner inspired by a local ghost legend
- Fairhope’s pier and coastal park system offer one of the most scenic downtown waterfronts in the state
World Atlas’s 10 best downtowns in Alabama
- Fairhope: waterfront pier, bookstores and bayside views.
- Opelika: railroad district and craft distilleries.
- Eufaula: 700+ historic structures and scenic trail.
- Cullman: German heritage and Oktoberfest events.
- Wetumpka: Coosa River views and historic district.
- Abbeville: 1950s neon and Huggin’ Molly’s diner.
- Tuscumbia: Helen Keller birthplace and Spring Park.
- Montevallo: arts scene and tree carving park.
- Monroeville: “To Kill a Mockingbird” courthouse.
- Sheffield: Tennessee River views and arts venues.
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.
OZARK, Ala. (WTVY) – Dale County Schools Superintendent Ben Baker has been named Alabama’s Superintendent of the Year.
The honor was announced at the State School Superintendent Association Conference, which celebrates leaders who champion public education and academic progress.
Under Baker’s leadership, Dale County Schools scored a 95 on the state report card, the highest score recorded by a county school in state history.
Baker was recognized by State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey. He said the award reflects the work of his staff.
“I recognize that it has a lot to do with the good people that work for Dale County Schools, that work hard every day to try to create opportunities for our students,” Baker said. “Superintendents across our state really work hard to provide the best opportunities for our students, and I’m excited to have this platform because I’m going to use this platform to share the great things going on in Dale County, and also the great things going on in the state of Alabama.”
Baker was one of nine finalists up for the award.
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Copyright 2026 WTVY. All rights reserved.
Alabama
Millions in SNAP Overpayments: Alabama and Florida Required to Submit Corrective Action Plans
(WALA) – Alabama is performing better than most states when it comes to managing food assistance dollars – but the problem is getting worse.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its fiscal year 2025 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment error rates today, measuring how accurately states determine who qualifies for SNAP and how much they should receive. The national payment error rate for fiscal year 2025 is 10.62 percent.
Alabama’s error rate came in at 9.52 percent—up from 8.32 percent in 2024. That breaks down to 8.82 percent in overpayments and 0.70 percent in underpayments.
Florida’s situation is more dire. The state sits at 12.97 percent, more than double the federal threshold of six percent that Congress set as acceptable. Florida’s errors include 11.54 percent in overpayments and 1.43 percent in underpayments.
Nationally, these 2025 errors add up to 10.1 billion dollars in improper payments. That includes both overpayments to ineligible recipients and underpayments to those who qualify.
The Trump administration is now enforcing real consequences for states that exceed the six percent threshold. States with error rates at or above that benchmark will be forced to cover portions of their own SNAP benefits, with penalties kicking in for most states starting October 1, 2027.
Both Alabama and Florida are now required to submit corrective action plans to the USDA detailing exactly how they’ll fix the problem. We have reached out to the Alabama and Florida agencies responsible for distributing SNAP benefits for comment but have not yet heard back.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement: “These payment error rates are further proof that state accountability is severely lacking in SNAP. USDA has taken historic action to help interested states curb SNAP waste, and I hope other states, regardless of political leadership, prioritize needy families and the American taxpayer over politics.”
The FY 2025 payment error rate is the first year that could be used to calculate those state penalties-making this the baseline for what’s coming next fiscal year.
Copyright 2026 WALA. All rights reserved.
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