Connect with us

Alabama

Hartselle hires South Alabama assistant as baseball coach

Published

on

Hartselle hires South Alabama assistant as baseball coach


The Hartselle City Schools Board of Education approved the hiring of University of South Alabama pitching coach Brad Phillips as the new head baseball coach at a special meeting Tuesday night.

Phillips takes the job to replace the late William Booth, who died on May 15 – the day before his team started the Class 6A state championship finals series. The Tigers finished runner-up to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa for the title, falling 2-1 in the three-game series.

Hartselle athletic director and assistant baseball coach Jake Miles led the team, along with assistants John Hall, Keith Wright and Jacob Cole, in Booth’s absence this season. Booth, who compiled a 1,217-520 record in 36 years and led the team to nine state championships, was able to attend only two games as Hartselle finished the regular season ranked No. 1 and compiled a 33-11 record.

“We are excited to announce coach Phillips as the next head baseball coach at Hartselle High School, and we are excited about the future of our baseball program under his leadership,” Miles said in a news release. “It became pretty evident as our search began that the best fit for our future and school was coach Phillips.

Advertisement

“Coach William Booth built this program here at Hartselle and his legacy will live on for many years to come. Coach Booth instilled a tradition of hard work along with high expectations for our players, both on the field and in the classroom, and we feel coach Phillips can continue moving us in that same direction.

“The thing that makes Brad the perfect fit for us is not that he simply understands baseball, but after talking with him and others about him as a person, he understands the tradition of Hartselle baseball and the importance of growing our kids and our culture in the right way.”

Hartselle principal Brad Cooper echoed Miles on the importance of carrying on Hartselle’s strong tradition.

“I am excited about the future of Hartselle baseball under the direction of Brad Phillips,” he said in the release. “Coach Phillips is a great leader of men, and will continue to build on the unmatched tradition of our baseball program here in Hartselle. The standard for Hartselle baseball was certainly set high by coach Booth. I believe that coach Phillips understands that standard and will work tirelessly to ensure young men leave our baseball program as not only great baseball players, but also as great young men.”

Phillips is a native of Hazel Green who played college baseball at Gadsden State Community College and the University of Montevallo. He earned his degree in 2004 at Troy University, where he served as a volunteer assistant coach in 2003-04.

Advertisement

He coached Charles Henderson High School to the state playoffs four straight seasons, including a Class 5A state championship appearance in 2008. Phillips then coached at Niceville (Fla.) High, where he led the Eagles to two straight playoff appearances.

Phillips has coached at USA for six years and was also pitching coach at Troy University for nine seasons.

In 2019 at South Alabama, Phillips coached the Jaguars’ staff to a Sun Belt-best in fewest earned runs allowed (264) and USA was second in the league in saves (17), fewest runs allowed (304), fewest hits allowed (485).

Phillips joined the Troy University staff in 2010 and his 2013 Trojans pitchers ranked fifth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings with 8.6 and posted a staff earned run average of 3.82 – second-best in the Sun Belt. In 2016, Troy was third in the conference with a 3.79 ERA, earning him the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award.

In 2018, Troy led the Sun Belt in ERA (3.90), runs allowed (280), earned runs allowed (241) and innings pitched. The Trojans were second in the league in strikeouts (524), saves (15), opposing batting average (.248) and wins (42).

Advertisement

Hartselle’s 2024 roster featured 10 seniors, three juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen. The Tigers started seven seniors in the final game of the state championship series.

Phillips is married to the former Peyton Marsh of Madison. The couple has one daughter, Piper Belle, and one son, Scout.



Source link

Alabama

Gov. Kay Ivey sets execution date for Jeremy Williams

Published

on

Gov. Kay Ivey sets execution date for Jeremy Williams


Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday set an execution date for death row inmate Jeremy Williams, who was convicted in the 2021 kidnapping, rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland in Phenix City.

Williams is scheduled to be executed by the state’s three-drug lethal injection during a 30-hour window beginning at 12 a.m. August 13 and ending at 6 a.m. August 14. The execution date comes after the Alabama Supreme Court granted a request from Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office on June 16, authorizing the state to carry out the sentence.

In a letter to Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Greg Lovelace, Ivey said the Supreme Court’s June 16 order serves as the official death warrant for Williams.

“By law, I am required to specify the time frame for carrying out the sentence of death,” Ivey said. “Accordingly, I hereby order that Jeremy Lee Williams’s sentence of death be carried out within a time frame beginning on August 13, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. and ending on August 14, 2026, at 6:00 a.m.”

Advertisement

Ivey noted that she retains the authority to commute the sentence before the execution takes place.

Williams, 34, was convicted in April 2024 on four counts of capital murder stemming from Holland’s death. Prosecutors charged him with capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a rape, capital murder during first-degree sodomy and capital murder of a child younger than 14.

Authorities said Holland disappeared from her family’s home in Phenix City on December 13, 2021. Her body was discovered two days later inside an abandoned house less than a mile away. An autopsy determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

In addition to the death sentence, Williams received several other prison terms. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for human trafficking and for knowingly producing recordings depicting the sexual abuse of a child. He also received another life sentence for a separate sexual abuse conviction, along with a 20-year sentence for conspiracy to commit human trafficking and a 10-year sentence for abuse of a corpse.

Unlike most death row inmates, Williams sought to speed up the execution process. During a hearing, he told the court that he accepted responsibility for his actions and wanted the sentence carried out.

Advertisement

In 2025, Williams dismissed his attorneys and informed the court that he wished to waive any remaining appeals and proceed with his execution. Russell County Circuit Court Judge David Johnson determined that Williams was competent to make that decision and allowed him to forgo further legal challenges.

Under Alabama law, capital convictions automatically receive appellate review. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals subsequently affirmed Williams’ conviction and death sentence in March.

After that review concluded, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office petitioned the Alabama Supreme Court in May to authorize an execution date. The court granted the request earlier this week, clearing the way for Ivey to schedule the execution.

If carried out as scheduled, Williams’ execution would occur nearly five years after Holland’s death and a little more than two years after he was sentenced to death.

Williams’ execution would be Alabama’s first by lethal injection since April 2025. The state’s three most recent executions were carried out using nitrogen hypoxia, which Alabama began using in 2024.

Advertisement
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.



Source link

Continue Reading

Alabama

Kids take center stage at Alabama Shakespeare Festival summer camp

Published

on

Kids take center stage at Alabama Shakespeare Festival summer camp


MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – You don’t find too many camps where you learn how to slap someone. But this summer, you will in Montgomery. It’s one of many kids camps put on by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

“We have our Camp Shakespeare Junior which is our half day for the littles, kindergarten through 3rd grade,” said Cameron Williams, the ASF director of education. “We have Big Kid Shakespeare camp and everyone is learning all about ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.”

They learn about on stage combat, different acting techniques, and also how to be creative and think on their feet.

Kids take center stage at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s kids camp and their learning more than just theater here.(WSFA)

“I think theater skills are life skills. So, what makes this camp special is we’re doing more than just boosting literacy and doing theater things. We’re doing life skills, learning what it means to be team players, about discipline, and working with people who may have different personalities than you.”

Advertisement

Different kids have different talents. And even if your child isn’t up for a lead role in the next play, this place can leave a lasting impact.

Kids take center stage at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's kids camp and their learning more...
Kids take center stage at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s kids camp and their learning more than just theater here.(WSFA)

“If you’re looking for a place where your kid can come out of their shell, to learn how to speak in front of a group, and develop some confidence, this is the place to be.”

It’s a place that’s a real treasure in Montgomery, and its mining some young gems, who one day, could be on the big stage themselves. There are still more ASF camps going on this summer for pre-teens and even adults.

Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!

Copyright 2026 WSFA. All rights reserved.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Alabama

Alabama Defense Contractor Agrees to $507K Settlement Over Cybersecurity Allegations

Published

on

Alabama Defense Contractor Agrees to 7K Settlement Over Cybersecurity Allegations


Huntsville-based defense contractor LOGZONE Inc. has agreed to pay $507,144 to resolve allegations that it failed to comply with cybersecurity requirements in contracts with the U.S. Department of the Navy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The settlement resolves claims brought under the False Claims Act alleging that LOGZONE knowingly submitted claims for payment while not meeting certain cybersecurity standards required under two Navy contracts.

Federal officials alleged that between May 2021 and March 2025, LOGZONE did not implement specific cybersecurity controls outlined in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171. The standards are designed to protect sensitive defense information handled by government contractors.

According to the Justice Department, the deficiencies were identified during an assessment conducted by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). The evaluation resulted in LOGZONE receiving a score of -170 on a scale ranging from -203 to 110, indicating significant gaps in compliance with required security controls.

Advertisement

The government alleged that the missing cybersecurity measures could have increased the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information or the exploitation of company systems.

The settlement does not include a determination of liability. As part of the agreement, LOGZONE will pay $507,144 to resolve the allegations.

Federal officials said the enforcement action reflects ongoing efforts to ensure government contractors comply with cybersecurity obligations tied to federal contracts, particularly those involving sensitive defense information.

The investigation and settlement involved the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, the Department of the Navy, the Defense Contract Management Agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.

Comment with Bubbles
Advertisement

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

Additional details regarding corrective actions taken by the company were not immediately available.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending