Alabama
Judge blocks upcoming lethal injection in Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A federal choose on Monday blocked Alabama from executing an inmate who says the state misplaced his paperwork requesting an alternative choice to deadly injection.
U.S. District Choose R. Austin Huffaker, Jr. issued a preliminary injunction to dam the state from executing Alan Miller on Thursday by any technique aside from nitrogen hypoxia, an untested technique Miller says he requested however Alabama isn’t prepared to make use of. Miller was sentenced to die after being convicted of killing three individuals in a 1999 office capturing.
“Miller will doubtless endure irreparable damage if an injunction doesn’t situation as a result of he shall be disadvantaged of the power to die by the strategy he selected and as a substitute shall be compelled to die by a technique he sought to keep away from and which he asserts shall be painful,” Huffaker wrote. The damage shall be, “the lack of his ‘closing dignity’—to decide on how he’ll die,” the choose added.
The ruling blocks Alabama from finishing up the deadly injection that had been set for Thursday. Nevertheless, the Alabama Lawyer Basic Steve Marshall will attraction the choice, Mike Lewis, a spokesman for Marshall, wrote in an electronic mail.
Nitrogen hypoxia is a proposed execution technique by which loss of life can be brought on by forcing the inmate to breathe solely nitrogen, thereby depriving her or him of the oxygen wanted to take care of bodily features. Nitrogen hypoxia has been licensed by Alabama and two different states for executions however no state has tried to place an inmate to loss of life by the untested technique.
When Alabama accredited nitrogen hypoxia instead execution technique in 2018, state legislation gave inmates a short window to designate it as their execution technique.
Miller testified final week that he returned a state kind deciding on nitrogen on the identical day it was distributed to inmates by a jail employee. He mentioned he left it within the slot of his cell door for a jail employee to gather, however didn’t see who picked it up. Miller described how he disliked needles due to painful makes an attempt at drawing blood. He mentioned the nitrogen technique reminded him of the nitrous oxide gasoline used at dentist workplaces, and that appeared higher than deadly injection.
“I didn’t need to be stabbed with a needle,” Miller mentioned.
Alabama jail officers say they don’t have any file of Miller returning the shape, and argued that Miller is simply making an attempt to delay his execution.
Huffaker wrote that he cannot rule out the likelihood that Miller is mendacity about deciding on nitrogen as a way to delay his looming execution, however mentioned his testimony was credible. “It’s considerably doubtless that Miller well timed elected nitrogen hypoxia,” the choose wrote.
The choose famous the likelihood that Alabama may quickly be capable of use nitrogen. “From all that seems, the State intends to announce its readiness to conduct executions by nitrogen hypoxia within the upcoming weeks,” the choose wrote.
The Alabama Division of Corrections instructed the choose final week that Alabama “has accomplished lots of the preparations vital for conducting executions by nitrogen hypoxia” however isn’t able to implement it.
Miller, a supply truck driver, was convicted within the 1999 office shootings that killed Lee Holdbrooks, Scott Yancy and Terry Jarvis in suburban Birmingham. Miller shot Holdbrooks and Yancy at one enterprise after which drove to a different location to shoot Jarvis, proof confirmed.
A protection psychiatrist mentioned Miller was delusional and suffered from extreme psychological sickness however his situation wasn’t dangerous sufficient to make use of as a foundation for an madness protection below state legislation.

Alabama
Milwaukee Bucks set to sign Alabama guard Mark Sears to two-way contract

What’s different about Giannis Antetokounmpo situation this offseason?
What’s different about the Giannis Antetokounmpo situation this offseason? Jim Owczarski discusses next moves for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Milwaukee Bucks had one open two-way contract available to use on a prospect and ESPN reported they plan to sign undrafted guard Mark Sears following the conclusion of the NBA Draft on June 26. Sears acknowledged that report on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, with the praying hands emoticon. Bucks assistant general manager Milt Newton would not confirm that transaction, but said Sears worked out for the Bucks in the pre-draft process.
“He’s a hell of a guard,” Newton said. “Really strong. Can defend. There has been a lot of guys that weren’t drafted that were definitely draftable, he happens to be one of them. So now, the chore for us is to try to find that player that we can get on those two-ways and those other avenues that allows us to have those players in our program. It’s up to us now to try to identify those guys.”
The 23-year-old was measured at 5 feet, 10 inches tall without shoes at the combine and was listed at 6-1 on his college rosters. He played two years at Ohio University before transferring to the University of Alabama and playing three seasons for the Crimson Tide from 2022-25. He shot 37.5% from behind the three-point line over his college career, but did make 40% of his threes in 2021-22 with Ohio and 43% with Alabama in 2023-24.
He was one of the best shooters in the NBA combine drills, making 25 of 27 “3-point side” shots and 26 of 30 off the dribble.
When asked if a smaller guard can find a place in the NBA if he has an elite shooting touch, Newton said, “Oh, definitely. If you can shoot the ball, I mean shooting is always in high demand.
“But I would say for smaller guards you have to do what you have to do to stand out. So for a smaller guard, like if you defend 94 feet and make it tough for the opposing point guard, or the opposing guard, the opposing team to run their offense, that’s something that’s in high demand as well. To me, whatever your size is, you have to utilize that to the best of your ability and when you do that teams will notice.”
Sears played point guard but is primarily a scorer, as he averaged 21.5 points per game two seasons ago and 18.6 points per game last year when he was named an All-American. He did average a career-high 5.1 assists per game last year as well, 3.9 for his college career.
NBA teams are allowed to sign 3 two-way players (contracts that allow players to split their time between the NBA club and their G League team). The Bucks currently have guard Jamaree Bouyea and forward Pete Nance on two-way contracts for next season.
Bucks guards Ryan Rollins and AJ Green are recent examples of players originally signed two-way contracts that earned fully guaranteed deals.
Alabama
How Many 2025 NBA First-Round Draft Picks Did Alabama Face?

Alabama men’s basketball head coach Nate Oats loves a challenge.
The Crimson Tide has had the toughest strength of schedule in the country for back-to-back years. It’s resulted in some losses, but Alabama’s ability to build off the failure has led to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances.
“I think [tough schedules have] worked for us,” Oats said on May 14. “You look at the success we’ve had––we’ve had the No. 1 strength schedule in the country the last two years…But two years ago, when it was really tough, we lost three straight non-conference games. We still ended up going to the Final Four. So I believe we’re the only team in the country that’s played in the last two Elite Eights. So I think it works.
The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft was on Wednesday night in Brooklyn, N.Y, and the strength of Alabama’s schedule (including the NCAA Tournament) became crystal clear as the names were announced. Here is every 2025 first-round pick that the Crimson Tide faced this past season.
Pick Number, Player, College
No. 1 Cooper Flagg, Duke (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight)
No. 2 Dylan Harper, Rutgers (Players Era Festival semifinals)
No. 4 Kon Knueppel, Duke (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight)
No. 5 Ace Bailey, Rutgers (Players Era Festival semifinals)
No. 6 Tre Johnson, Texas (SEC regular season)
No. 7 Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma (SEC regular season)
No. 8 Egor Demin, BYU (NCAA Tournament Sweet 16)
No. 9 Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina (SEC regular season)
No. 10 Khaman Maluach, Duke (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight)
No. 18 Walter Clayton Jr. Florida (SEC regular season, SEC Tournament)
No. 20 Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois (C.M. Newton Classic)
No. 21 Will Riley, Illinois (C.M. Newton Classic)
No. 22 Drake Powell, North Carolina (SEC/ACC Challenge)
No. 23 Asa Newell, Georgia (SEC regular season)
Alabama men’s basketball closed last season with a 28-9 (13-5 SEC) record, and following a loss to Duke in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, the Crimson Tide finished 2024-25 as the No. 6 team in the AP Top 25 and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll.
Not a bad overall record with these first-round draft picks in mind.
Round 2 of the 2025 NBA Draft continues at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. Alabama guards Mark Sears and Chris Youngblood, forward Grant Nelson and center Clifford Omoruyi each hope to hear their name called, but the mock drafts are giving the Crimson Tide slim chances.
Alabama
Alabama’s most famous cryptids: Legends told around the campfire that haunt the backwoods
Dog makes hilarious grand kitchen entrance through a window
Ranger the dog from Fairhope, Alabama, jumps through a window to get back inside after being put outside.
- Alabama folklore includes cryptids such as the White Thang, a large creature sighted in the northern part of the state.
- The Wolf-Woman, a creature with a woman’s head and a wolf’s body, was reportedly seen in Mobile in 1971.
- Other Alabama cryptids include Hugging Molly, the Witch in the Woods, the Sipsey Creature and the Coosa River Monster.
Something is lurking in Alabama’s woods, or so the stories go.
Tales of strange sightings and eerie encounters have been passed around campfires for generations. Whether it’s backcountry whispers or blurry photos, the legends endure and they’re as much a part of Alabama as the pine trees and red clay.
There are Alabama’s creepiest cryptids, perfect for your next campfire story.
Tales of the White Thang haunt Alabama
The White Thang is Alabama’s most legendary cryptid, and no one can quite agree on what it is. Some say it looks like a white Bigfoot, while others swear it’s more like a giant cat or wolf. Standing nearly eight feet tall with glowing red eyes, the creature is fast, elusive and known for an eerie screech.
Most sightings of the White Thang occur in north Alabama between Morgan, Etowah and Jefferson counties. However, it has also been spotted in Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, Walnut Grove and Happy Hallow. The creature’s reach isn’t limited to one corner of the state; reports have popped up in other areas of Alabama and even in neighboring states.
The last major sighting was reported in the early 2000s, but some say White Thang is still out there. Reports surfaced as recently as last year, and a Facebook group dedicated to the creature has locals swapping stories and asking, “Have you seen it, too?”
Have you seen Mobile’s Wolf-Woman?
The Wolf-Woman of Mobile is one of Alabama’s most mysterious legends.
In 1971, people in Mobile reported seeing a creature with a woman’s head and a wolf’s body. Witnesses described glowing eyes and eerie howls.
Though dozens claimed to see her, no proof had turned up, and then she seemed to disappear. But stories keep popping up, with locals and students saying they’ve heard strange sounds deep in the swamps.
Whether real or just a spooky tale, the Wolf-Woman remains a haunting part of Alabama folklore.
The lores don’t stop there
Alabama’s cryptid stories don’t stop with the White Thang and Wolf-Woman. There’s Hugging Molly, the Witch in the Woods, the Sipsey Creature, the Coosa River Monster and plenty more strange legends lurking in the state’s backwoods.
Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@gannett.com.
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