Alabama
In vitro bills, Britt’s gig, AU perfection: Down in Alabama
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Temporary IVF fix?
Both chambers of the Alabama Legislature Thursday passed bills that would shield in vitro fertilization clinics from legal actions, reports AL.com’s Mike Cason.
The bills are nearly identical, so it’s possible that early next week they’ll be able to give final passage to one for the governor to sign. The House of Representatives passed its bill 94-6, with four Democrats and two Republicans voting against it. The Senate passed its bill 34-0.
This almost certainly isn’t a permenent fix as lawmakers try to get IVF clinics reopened and operating after the state Supreme Court ruled that human embryos had the same rights as children according to the state Constitution. As a matter of fact, an early version of the bill on Thursday would have automatically repealed itself in June 2025.
That part was removed, but we can consider this a band-aid fix to keep and reopen the clinics.
One of the House sponsors, Decatur Republican Terri Collins, said she expects something more permanent to be carved out in the next year.
The debate we might expect includes the personhood issue (what point a fertilized egg becomes a person), whether the next step will be a state Constitutional amendment (the state high court ruling cited constitutional law), and how narrow or broad the clinics’ immunity should be.
That is, will the immunity take away legal recourse from patients who suffer legitimate medical problems caused by IVF services?
Then again, maybe it wouldn’t be a government law without unintended negative consequences.
But can she rebut all that SOTU applause?
If, in this presidential election year, the Republicans were looking for a contrast to President Biden to give the GOP response to the State of the Union address, they sure found it in U.S. Sen. Katie Britt.
Obviously Biden’s a man and Britt’s a woman. Biden’s from Pennsylvania and later Delaware; Britt’s from Enterprise.
And while Britt’s a freshman senator, Biden won a Senate seat during the same election that Nixon beat McGovern. Now 81, Biden had already been in Washington nine years when Britt was born.
AL.com’s Howard Koplowitz reports that House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday that Britt would handle the GOP response that’ll be aired immediately after Biden’s speech on March 7.
Whether any of those differences I mentioned means a hill of beans will be up to the viewer. But one advantage Britt has is that she can say what she wants to say without being interrupted by insincere applause every 12 words — a staple of modern SOTU speeches.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey pointed out in a statement that Britt will be the first Alabamian to give the rebuttal.
“Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman,” the governor said.
Perfecto
Right-handed pitcher Maddie Penta recorded the third perfect game in Auburn University softball history Thursday night at Jane B. Moore Field.
Now, for those not highly versed in softball or baseball, pitching a perfect game means nobody on the other team reached base at all. You don’t have to strike them all out, but you can’t allow any baserunners, even by a fielder’s error. So during in the last inning of a perfect game, behind the pitcher are seven fielders, all thinking “please don’t hit it to me.”
So on Thursday the Tigers beat Georgia State 8-0 in six innings. Penta, who threw a no-hitter just Sunday, topped that with her first perfect game. She struck out 13 of the 18 batters she faced.
Seen on Jeopardy!
- Clue: Auburn QB Bo Nix made an NIL deal with Milo’s, maker of this 2-word sugary drink – then transferred out of the South to Oregon.
- Correct response: Sweet tea.
- Clue: It’s the nickname of Alabama CB Ga’Quincy McKinstry, whose smile resembled this pitch “Man;” Now he has an NIL deal with the drink, oh yeah.
- Correct response: Kool-Aid.
(These were easier than even our weekly Monday quiz.)
Quoting
“I never liked being punched in the face when I was younger. I was quickly reminded again of why I was never too fond of it.”
Florence Police Chief Ron Tyler, who was punched in the face while trying to arrest a man wanted in connection with a stolen vehicle.
By the Numbers
700
Only six high school baseball coach in Alabama have reached 700 career wins. The latest? Hewitt-Trussville’s Jeff Mauldin this week.
More Alabama News
On This Date
In 2007, A tornado outbreak across the South included one twister that killed nine people in Enterprise, eight of them students at Enterprise High School.
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Alabama
South Alabama basketball outlasts New Mexico State 77-75, improves to 8-1
South Alabama scored the final seven points in a 77-75 victory over New Mexico State on Tuesday night in Katy, Texas.
The Jaguars (8-1) scored all seven of those points at the free-throw line — four from Adam Olsen, two from Chaze Harris and one from Randy Brady — in the final 2:02 of clock time. Elijah Elliott missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Aggies (6-1) suffered their first loss of the year.
Olsen scored 21 points to lead the way for South Alabama, which is off to its best 9-game start in program history. Peyton Law added 18 points and three blocks, while Harris had 17 points — going 11-for-11 from the line.
South Alabama made 32 of 39 free throws in the game, with Law and Olsen each going 6-for-7 and Brady — who had eight points and a team-best seven rebounds — going 5-for-7.
Jaylen Randall scored 21 points for New Mexico State, while Elliott had 18 — all on 3-pointers. Jamel Jones added 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
South Alabama stays on the road Friday, traveling to East Tennessee State for a 6 p.m. Central game that will stream live via ESPN+.
Alabama
Bonnaroo 2026 lineup includes Athens standouts Jessie Murph, Alabama Shakes
Two of Alabama’s greatest musical exports are set to perform at the 2026 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival: Rising young pop star Jessie Murph and legacy band Alabama Shakes, both from Athens.
Bonnaroo ’26 is scheduled for June 11-14 in Manchester, Tenn., about a 90-minute drive from Huntsville, Alabama. The festival’s headliners will include the deejays Skrillex and Griz, rock bands The Stokes, Turnstile and The Neighborhood, dance group Rufus Du Sol, country rapper Teddy Swims, singer/songwriters Noah Kahan and Role Model, and classic pop act Kesha.
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. central Friday via bonnaroo.com. Prices start at $389 for four-day general admission and go up to $899 for VIP and $3,995 for “platinum.”
Four-day “Roo Insider” tickets — with perks like front-of-stage viewing, private golf cart transport, artist lounge access, air-conditioned tent accommodations plus all platinum, VIP and GA amenities — start at a princely $27,500.
Born in Huntsville and raised in Athens, Jessie Murph is known for songs like “Blue Stripes,” “Touch Me Like a Gangster” and “1965.” The 21-year-old singer mixes Lana Del Rey’s sultry charisma and cinematic sound, young Priscilla Presley’s look, and a country drawl filtered through Amy Winehouse’s rap-swagger.
Alabama Shakes were founded in Athens about five years after Murph was born. Led by dynamic 37-year-old singer Brittany Howard, the Shakes are known for 2010s rock-and-soul songs like “Hold On,” “Always Alright” and Grammy winner “Don’t Wanna Fight.”
This summer, Howard (who went solo in 2019) and Shakes bassist Zac Cockrell (who’d been part of Howard’s solo band) reconnected with Shakes guitarist Heath Fogg for a lucrative amphitheater tour.
But it’s been a “three-union,” not a true reunion. The Shakes’ original drummer Steve Johnson was left out of the tour, telling AL.com he’d been ousted from the band due to legal issues he had during the band’s hiatus. In late August, Alabama Shakes 2.0 released “Another Life,” the band’s first new song in eight years.
In addition to Murph and Alabama Shakes, notable Bonnaroo ’26 undercard acts include Rock’s Latest Great Hope, the British singer known as Yungblood. There’s also hot indie/punk groups like Geese, Wet Leg and Amy & The Sniffers and classic rockers Wolfmother, Modest Mouse and Blues Traveler.
Rap’s represented by stars like Vince Staples and Lil Jon, and electronic music by the likes of Major Lazer. Meanwhile, Tedeschi Trucks Band harkens back to Bonnaroo’s jam-band origins.
Weather truncated Bonnaroo’s 2025 edition. The festival was also canceled in 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic.
Creole slang for “the good stuff,” Bonnaroo debuted in 2002 and is held on a 700-acre farm. Attendance at the festival has ranged from around 70,000 for the 2012 debut to around 100,000 in 2012 and down to an estimated 45,000 or so in 2016. The last full Bonnaroo, held in 2024, drew around 70,000, according to the Nashville Tennessean.
Past headliners have included Beastie Boys, White Stripes, Jay-Z, Phish, Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Dave Matthews Band, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West, The Police, Radiohead, Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder and Metallica.
C3 Presents is the production company for Bonnaroo. Their other festival productions have included Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Atlanta’s Shaky Knees and New Orleans’ Voodoo Music + Arts Experience.
C3 also helmed South Star, a Huntsville festival, which debuted in 2024 with acts like Gwen Stefani, Tom Morello and TLC. South Star was cut short due to weather and didn’t return to Huntsville for 2025.
Alabama
NFL Monday night: Former Alabama prep star becomes league career leader
Marcus Jones returned a punt 94 yards for a touchdown to send the New England Patriots on their way to a 33-15 victory over the New York Giants on Monday night.
With its 10th consecutive victory, New England became the first NFL team to reach 11 wins in the 2025 season.
Jones’ touchdown return came off a 54-yard punt by New York’s Jamie Gillan and put the Patriots ahead 10-0 with 5:17 left in the first quarter as they raced to a 30-7 halftime lead.
The punt return was the 75th of Jones’ career, qualifying the former Enterprise High School and Troy standout for the NFL’s career record book, and his 14.63-yards-per-return average went to No. 1 in league history.
Jones replaced George McAfee, who averaged 12.78 yards on 112 punt returns for the Chicago Bears from 1940 through 1950, with three years missed for military service in World War II.
Later in the game, Jones had punt returns of 17 and 13 yards, bringing his all-time best average to 14.64 yards.
Only twice in NFL history has a player from an Alabama high school or college had a longer punt-return touchdown than Jones did on Monday night.
On Nov. 24, 1968, San Diego Chargers cornerback Speedy Duncan from Druid High School in Tuscaloosa returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in a 37-15 loss to the New York Jets in an AFL game.
On Jan. 1, 2017, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill from West Alabama returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in a 37-27 victory over the Chargers.
The third punt-return touchdown of Jones’ career was his second of 2025. Jones returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown during a 42-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 28.
Jones’ Monday-night effort tied the franchise record for the longest punt-return touchdown, equaling Julian Edelman’s 94-yarder in a 38-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 2, 2011.
New England quarterback Drake Maye completed 24-of-31 passes for 282 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions on Monday night.
In addition to Jones, who started at cornerback for the Patriots, seven other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the New York-New England game:
- Christian Barmore (Alabama) started at defensive tackle for the Patriots. Barmore made five tackles.
- Carlton Davis (Auburn) started at cornerback for the Patriots. Davis made five tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and broke up two passes.
- Patriots tight end CJ Dippre (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.
- Cor’Dale Flott (Saraland) started at cornerback for the Giants. Flott made five tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
- Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville, Alabama) made two tackles on defense, recorded one tackle for loss and had one tackle on special teams.
- Giants offensive linebacker Evan Neal (Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
- Giants defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) made one tackle.
- Patriots safety Dell Pettus (Sparkman, Troy) did not record any stats.
- Darius Slayton (Auburn) started at wide receiver for the Giants. Slayton had two receptions for 41 yards and one touchdown. Slayton’s first touchdown of the 2025 season came on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Jaxson Dart as New York reduced New England’s lead to 17-7 with 12:46 left in the first half. Slayton also caught a 2-point conversion pass after New York’s second touchdown.
- Patriots wide receiver Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
- Giants quarterback Jameis Winston (Hueytown) dressed for the game but did not play. Winston had started the previous two games and thrown for 567 yards in a 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 16 and a 34-27 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions on Nov. 23. Winston returned to the sideline with the return of rookie QB Jaxson Dart from a concussion.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
New England (11-2) does not play against until Dec. 14 as the Patriots enter their bye week. New England will return against the Buffalo Bills at noon CST Dec. 14 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
New York (2-11) also is set for its open date in Week 14 of the NFL season. The Giants return against the Washington Commanders at noon Dec. 14 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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