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Huge development, Hootie Ingram, abortion travel: Down in Alabama

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Huge development, Hootie Ingram, abortion travel: Down in Alabama


Listen to the podcast below for a weather chat with reporter Leigh Morgan. The newsletter follows.

A long-long-term housing development

Some housing developments are more involved than others. The one that’s coming to Interstates 65 and 565 is an ambitious one.

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AL.com’s William Thornton reports that a planned development between Huntsville and Decatur near Mooresville covers 411 acres, will cost $2.2 billion, result in 3,500 homes and could take three decades to complete. (Think the market might go up and down during that time?)

1818 Farms Co-owner Laurence McCrary and his sister, Margaret Anne Crumlish, are selling the property to the developers in a land-partnership model that will make the project a slow build. McCrary said it’s not something they went after, but since growth is coming anyway, “We think a well thought out, predominantly residential development is the best way to do it. Not something quick, fast and cheap, and the key was finding like-minded developers.”

The developers are Rochford Realty & Construction of Nashville and Land Innovations of Brentwood, Tenn.

If you’re interested in seeing what the concept might look like, it was modeled on the Stephens Valley planned community near Nashville. Swing by on your next trip to the Opry.

RIP Hootie Ingram

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Former college football player, coach and athletics director Hootie Ingram has passed away, reports AL.com’s Creg Stephenson.

Cecil “Hootie” Ingram was born in Tuscaloosa, he was living there when he died, and he’ll be buried there Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church.

He played football and baseball at the University of Alabama in the 1950s and was an ALL-SEC defensive back as a sophomore. He played a year in the NFL and then coached high school and college ball, culminating in three seasons as Clemson’s head coach from 1970-72.

According to Clemson University, it was Ingram who pushed for a logo design that resulted in that Tiger Paw print.

After that he was an associate commissioner for the SEC, then was athletics director at Florida State as the Seminoles rose to national prominence in the 80s and at Alabama in time to hire Gene Stallings as head football coach.

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He resigned from Alabama when it was placed on NCAA probation in 1995.

Hootie Ingram was 90 years old.

Court setback for the AG

A federal judge denied Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit claiming he can’t prosecute people who facilitate Alabamians seeking abortions in other states, reports AL.com’s Howard Koplowitz.

The lawsuit was filed by abortion-rights groups and alleges that Marshall violated free-speech rights when he made a statement claiming anyone who helps women travel to and obtain abortions in states where it’s legal can be charged with conspiracy.

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U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson would not throw out the case. He wrote that Marshall’s claims on the right to travel defy “history, precedent and common sense.”

“Such a constrained conception of the right to travel would erode the privileges of national citizenship and is inconsistent with the Constitution.”

By the Numbers

That’s how long it took for the MLB at Rickwood Field game (Cardinals-Giants, June 20) to sell out on Monday. More than 5,000 available tickets went on sale for Alabama residents who had pre-registered and were selected in a lottery. They could buy one or two tickets with prices starting at $275 per ticket. Secondary markets had tickets priced from around $600 to more than $1,500.

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Quiz results

Here are the answers and how we did, cumulatively, on this week’s Down in Alabama news quiz:

Demonstrators at the University of Alabama, calling for the school to cut ties to a defensive contractor because of the Israel-Hamas war, and counter-protestors at times both voiced disapproval of this person:

  • Joe Biden (CORRECT) 64.3%
  • Benjamin Netanyahu 30.4%
  • Donald Trump 4.1%
  • Sean “Diddy” Combs 1.2%

According to the most recent CDC data, this city has the highest STD rate in the state:

  • Montgomery (CORRECT) 59.6%
  • Mobile 20.8%
  • Birmingham 18.4%
  • Smuteye 1.2%

Which of these cities has NOT had its police chief be suspended, resign or get fired this year?

  • Madison (CORRECT) 74.9%
  • Selma 12.0%
  • Montgomery 7.6%
  • Mobile 5.6%

Birmingham Police’s effort to curb street racing and illegal exhibition driving has been dubbed what?

  • Operation Knight Rider (CORRECT) 61.4%
  • Operation Fast and Furious 28.9%
  • Operation Hazzard 9.1%
  • Operation Leave it to Beaver 0.6%

What grabbed attention when it landed next to the track at the Children’s of Alabama IndyCar Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park?

  • A mannequin (CORRECT) 72.2%
  • A sandhill crane 15.5%
  • An Alexander Shunnarah billboard 7.6%
  • A spy balloon 4.7%

The podcast

Weather reporter Leigh Morgan joins us to talk about storms, heat and the coming hurricane season.

You can find “Down in Alabama” wherever you get your podcasts, including these places:

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Gov. Kay Ivey sets execution date for Jeremy Williams

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Kids take center stage at Alabama Shakespeare Festival summer camp

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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.”

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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.

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Copyright 2026 WSFA. All rights reserved.



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

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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.

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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.

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



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