Alabama
Gov. Kay Ivey salutes new Miss America from Alabama: 'Incredibly deserving of this honor'
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey offered her congratulations to the new Miss America, Abbie Stockard, in social media posts this week. Stockard, who competed for the national title as Miss Alabama, won the national crown on Sunday, Jan. 5, in Orlando, Florida.
“Our very own Miss Alabama, Abbie Stockard, has won the title of Miss America!” Ivey said in a Sunday night post on X (formerly Twitter). “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Abbie, and I know firsthand what an outstanding young woman she is. She is incredibly deserving of this honor. Congratulations, Abbie!”
Ivey also trumpeted Stockard’s win with the same message in an Instagram reel and Facebook story.
Stockard, who grew up in Vestavia Hills, is the fourth Miss Alabama to become Miss America and the first Miss America from Alabama in 20 years. She’s following in the footsteps of previous winners Deidre Downs, Miss America 2005; Heather Whitestone, Miss America 1995; and Yolande Betbeze, Miss America 1951.
READ: Who is Abbie Stockard? Miss America 2025 is the fourth winner from Alabama
Ivey and Stockard share a kinship as sorority sisters, through Auburn University and Alpha Gamma Delta. Stockard, 22, is a nursing student at Auburn University and a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. Ivey, 80, an Auburn alum, pledged the sorority in the 1960s.
Stockard traveled to Montgomery to meet Alabama’s governor in October 2024, about four months after her win as Miss Alabama. “What an honor it was to meet with Alabama’s Governor, Kay Ivey!” Stockard said in an Instagram post. “We had a wonderful time discussing my work for Cystic Fibrosis advocacy across the state and giving a glimpse into the next few months as I prepare for Miss America!”
Stockard’s philanthropic platform as Miss Alabama, and now as Miss America, is Be the Change: Find a Cure — Cystic Fibrosis Awareness.
Another Miss Alabama winner with Auburn ties, Lauren Bradford, met Ivey in Montgomery after her win in the state pageant. Bradford, Miss Alabama 2021, is an Auburn University alum and a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. She was named first runner-up at Miss America 2022.
“I had a great visit with Miss Alabama 2021 Lauren Bradford today discussing her historic win as the 100th Miss Alabama, our @auburnalphagam sisterhood, our beloved @auburnu & most importantly #COVID19 vaccinations,” Ivey said in an Instagram post on Aug. 5, 2021. She and Bradford can be seen in a video clip saying, “Get vaccinated, Alabama!”
The Miss Alabama organization posted about Bradford’s meeting with Ivey on Facebook, saying “Thank you, Governor Ivey, for your hospitality.”
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The SEC opponents for Alabama women’s basketball during the 2026-27 campaign has been officially revealed.
The Tide will face some of the top teams in all of women’s college basketball throughout SEC play this upcoming season. Alabama will face Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Texas A&M at home, with Ole Miss being the Tide’s only SEC opponent that they will face twice this year, both home and away. Alabama will be on the road for matchups against Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas as well.
The dates, start times, and television network for each will be revealed at a later date.
Alabama held a 7-9 record throughout SEC play last season. The Tide were widely regarded as one of the top teams in the nation despite struggling at times during conference play, and Alabama was able to make a run during the SEC Tournament with a shocking upset to the Tennessee Lady Vols in Nashville.
Alabama went 24-11 last season as a whole, but the Tide will undoubtedly need to play better during SEC play this year nonetheless.
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Enjoy two nights of free dance at Stars on the Riverfront
Alabama Dance Theatre will present Stars on the Riverfront on June 20 and 21, at 7:30 p.m. each night at Riverwalk Amphitheater in Montgomery.
In Alabama’s coastal landscape, two Alabama bridges quietly stand among the longest in the United States.
A new World Atlas ranking of the 11 longest bridges in the United States is a reminder that not all crossings are so forgettable. These are the spans that stretch the idea of a “quick drive” into something else entirely.
As World Atlas notes, the country’s roughly 617,000 bridges are mostly routine. The ones on this list “swallow the horizon,” turning open water into a roadway that can take ten or fifteen minutes to cross.
Louisiana dominates the ranking, but Alabama also makes its presence known with two entries: the Jubilee Parkway and the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge.
Jubilee Parkway: Alabama’s 7.5-mile bridge ranks No. 7 among longest in US
Ranked at No. 7 on World Atlas’ list, the Jubilee Parkway carries Interstate 10 across Mobile Bay as a pair of parallel viaduct bridges stretching 7.5 miles between Mobile and Spanish Fort/Daphne. Opened in 1978, the four-lane crossing is often called the “Bayway.”
The World Atlas says the bridge takes its name from Mobile Bay’s “jubilee” phenomenon, when marine life is pushed into shallow water, making it unusually easy to catch.
General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge: 6.08-mile span ranks No. 10 in U.S.
The General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge ranks No. 10 on the World Atlas list, stretching 6.08 miles across the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta northeast of Mobile as part of Interstate 65.
World Atlas says the bridge is better known locally as the “Dolly Parton Bridge,” a nickname inspired by the paired arch design that, locals say, resembles a distinctive silhouette when viewed from certain angles.
Completed in 1980, it features twin parallel weathering-steel arches and concrete viaducts carrying four lanes over the wide, marshy delta.
Longest bridges in the U.S. Full World Atlas ranking
World Atlas ranks these as the longest bridges in the U.S.:
- Lake Pontchartrain Causeway: 23.83 miles
- Manchac Swamp Bridge: 22.8 miles
- Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge: 18.2 miles
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel: 17.6 miles
- Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge: 11 miles
- Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge: 8.26 miles
- Jubilee Parkway: 7.5 miles
- San Mateo-Hayward Bridge: 7 miles
- Seven Mile Bridge: 6.79 miles
- General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge: 6.08 miles
- Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge: 5.8 miles
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.
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