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Iconic Tuscaloosa Restaurant Under Fire Over Owner's Alleged Use of Racial Slur

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Iconic Tuscaloosa Restaurant Under Fire Over Owner's Alleged Use of Racial Slur


An institutional Tuscaloosa restaurant is under social media siege Saturday as a video reportedly showing the aftermath of the owner making a racist comment spreads like wildfire.

The viral video shows a white customer who has asked not to be identified at this time confronting the owners of Nick’s Original Filet House, better known as Nick’s in the Sticks, although it does not show the inciting interaction.

AL.com reports Nick’s opened around 1939 in Knoxville, Alabama, and relocated to its longtime home “in the sticks” on Culver Road outside Tuscaloosa after alcohol sales were allowed in this county. The down-to-earth steakhouse is legendary for its filets and the Nicodemus, a signature drink featuring fruit punch and enough liquor to make one enough for most folks.

In the 80s, its original owner Nick Delgado sold the place to Lloyd Hegenbarth, who died in 2014. His widow Carla has owned it for the last decade and now runs Nick’s with her husband and co-manager Jack Moltz.

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The customer in the video told the Thread he was at Nick’s with a friend when he saw an Black acquaintance celebrating a young man’s 22nd birthday with a group.

The customer said he sat down next to his friend, caught up for a while, then stepped outside the restaurant, where he said one of its white owners, Jack Moltz, asked him a question that shocked him.

“When I walked out, he jumped all over me and said, ‘so you condone sitting at the table with the n*****s?’” the customer said in the video.

The fast-spreading video shows the customer exchanging words with Jack Moltz, who he accused of using the slur, while owner Carla Moltz brushes by, threatening to call the police.

A TPD spokesperson confirmed they responded to Nick’s Friday night over reports that a group was about about to fight two people.

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“You messed up because this is their first time experiencing here, they’re friends of mine, and you want to make me feel bad because I sat down at the table,” the customer was filed saying. “You asked me if I’m gonna consult with these n*****s!”

Moltz didn’t get very many words in edgewise, except to once call the accusations “b******t.”

As the offended parties prepared to leave, they said they were calm and not going to cause trouble on their way out, except to stop long enough to make their feelings clear to the man who reportedly used the slur.

“You asked me, you said, ‘You condone the Blacks?’ Ain’t no condone about it. They’re my friends, they’re just like us, you just didn’t want ’em in there and I’m not for that,” the customer said. “And you know what, as far as I’m concerned, everybody that eats in here that I know will probably never be back.”

There has been sharp backlash Saturday, with hundreds of negative reviews about Nick’s pouring in across Facebook and other platforms.

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Ownership at the restaurant could not be reached for comment Saturday afternoon.

Editor’s note: Nick’s Original Filet House is not affiliated with Jim N’ Nicks BBQ, a Birmingham restaurant with a location in downtown Tuscaloosa.

For updates on the controversy if any become available, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.

Top Stories from the Tuscaloosa Thread (7/15 – 7/22)

9 of the Top Stories published by the Tuscaloosa Thread during the hot, rainy 29th week of 2024.

Gallery Credit: (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread)

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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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