MOBILE, Ala. (WSFA) – Four of the six Republican candidates seeking to be the GOP’s nominee for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat are set to take part in a forum Monday evening.

WSFA 12 News will carry the forum live at 6 p.m. on our website, as well as our news and smart TV apps, and on our Facebook and Youtube channels.

The forum is being hosted by the Azalea City Republican Women of Mobile.

The participants include Seth Burton, Dale Shelton Deas Jr., Steve Marshall, and Rodney Walker.

Rep. Barry Moore and Jared Hudson are not participating.

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• The 2025-26 Alabama men’s basketball season was marked by numerous player injuries.
• The article details the salaries of the team’s athletic training and conditioning staff.

Alabama basketball’s 2025-26 season was one of the most injury-filled years that Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats has experienced in Tuscaloosa.

The health of last year’s Alabama team was a storyline before exhibition play even began. Veteran Latrell Wrightsell Jr. was returning amid recovery for a ruptured Achilles tendon. Transfer guard Jalil Bethea joined the bench after a left foot injury. Collins Onyejiaka and Davion Hannah both spent the majority of their freshman seasons sidelined with medical conditions. Down the stretch, Taylor Bol Bowen played with a fractured hand. Amari Allen, Aden Holloway, London Jemison and Aiden Sherrell all dealt with tweaks and dings.

As the Crimson Tide’s Sweet 16 run came to a close, even Labaron Philon revealed that his injury wasn’t limited to December or January. He played hurt for the entire year.

With the only Alabama player to appear in each game being Houston Mallette, who redshirted his first year with the program, the training room was busy for athletic training and conditioning staffers Clarke Holter, Henry Barrera and Amanda Branson.

Here’s a breakdown of the salaries for the trio who worked behind the scenes to make another NCAA Tournament possible, per information acquired by The Tuscaloosa News from an open records request to the University of Alabama.

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What are salaries of Alabama men’s basketball training staff?

Holter has served as athletic trainer for the men’s basketball team for 11 seasons. Barrera has been the program’s strength and conditioning coach since 2022.

Holter received a salary increase in July 2025, making his new annual salary $139,050.

Barrera also received a pay increase in July 2025. He is the highest-paid of the three at $257,500.20 annually.

The exact date of Branson’s hire is unknown. However, public UA payroll data for Branson dates back to 2019.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – The Alabama Wildlife Federation and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing of Alabama are building a new interactive Gopher Tortoise Habitat Display to give Alabamians a chance to immerse themselves in the state’s longleaf pine ecosystem.

The exhibit, which is being funded by a $50,000 HMMA investment, will be located in the NaturePlex at the Alabama Nature Center.

The exhibit spotlights the gopher tortoise as a keystone species in Alabama, showing how its burrows shelter other wildlife.

It will feature interactive, age-appropriate elements to teach habitat conservation and responsible stewardship of Alabama’s natural resources.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

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