Alabama
Republican comments, Birmingham violence: Down in Alabama
Delegates from Alabama
Even before the attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump, delegates from Alabama had started arriving in Milwaukee for this week’s Republican National Convention, reports AL.com’s Greg Garrison.
The plans for one, however, were up in the air after she was struck by a car while in a crosswalk.
Alabama State Sen. April Weaver, a Brierfield Republican, said in a statement that she sustained minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
She wasn’t sure yet whether she’d make the trip. Weaver is a delegate for Trump.
Sounding off on the Trump-rally shooting
Regarding the shooting, which killed an attendee at a Pennsylvania Trump campaign rally, grazed and bloodied the former president, and injured others, Alabama Republicans poured out comments that ranged from calls for unity to calling out language used by some Democrats.
State party chair John Wahl said the media is partly responsible for “relentless demonization and vilification of Donald Trump.”
Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth blasted Democrats on several fronts, including a reference to a recent comment from President Joe Biden to “put Trump in a bulls-eye,” something the president maintains that he meant politically.
Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt and Gov. Kay Ivey were among many others sending prayers and best wishes to Trump and those affected by the shooting.
A unique convention
The GOP Convention will go forward, surely affected in some ways by the deadly incident.
Tobias Vogt served 28 years in the U.S. Army and is a delegate from Madison County. “It brings a somber tone, not just about President Trump and the near miss. We had someone killed and (two) wounded. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected.”
More Birmingham violence
Closer to home, gun violence continued Saturday evening in Birmingham, with shootings killing 7 and wounding 10 others, reports AL.com’s Carol Robinson.
Three people, a 28-year-old woman, a 28-year-old man and a 5-year old boy, were shot dead in a car on Birmingham’s east side. A few hours later a drive-by shooting took place at a private party, killing four and injuring 10.
Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond called the seven killings the most tragedy in a day he’s seen during his time with BPD. He said the shootings were targeted, not random.
Police are asking anyone with information to call the Birmingham Police Department or Crime Stoppers. Said Thurmond: “We know 100% there are people who know who is responsible, and what happened. We need that information.”
Saturday night’s homicides put the city at 89 for the year. That’s 15 killings ahead of last year’s homicides through the same date.
On the Calendar
The 91st Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo will be 5 a.m. Friday through 5 p.m. Sunday.
More Alabama News
Quiz Answers
Here are the answers and results to Friday’s Alabama news review quiz:
A bill is making its way through Congress to give protections to an ancient fossilized underwater forest off the Alabama Gulf Coast. What type of trees are associated with the forest?
- Cypress (CORRECT) 94.2%
- Oak 3.2%
- Redwood 1.9%
- Crepe myrtle 0.6%
UAB plans to offer a Master’s degree in the use of artificial intelligence in what field?
- Medicine (CORRECT) 77.9%
- Criminal justice 16.2%
- Banking 3.9%
- Massage therapy 1.9%
Vending machines recently were placed in a couple of Alabama establishments — with more planned — that dispense this product.
- Ammunition (CORRECT) 97.4%
- Gun-cleaning kits 1.9%
- Candy cigarettes 0.6%
- Air pistols 0.0%
Who did Sen. Tommy Tuberville predict will actually be the Democratic nominee to face challenger Donald Trump in the presidential election?
- Kamala Harris (CORRECT) 88.3%
- Hillary Clinton 5.8%
- Robert Kennedy Jr. 4.5%
- Ross Perot Jr. 1.3%
Which Alabama employer had the most open online job ads posted in May?
- UAB Medicine 44.2%
- Walmart (CORRECT) 40.9%
- Huntsville Hospital 11.7%
- Family Dollar 3.2%
Born on This Date
In 1924, former U.S. Sen. Jeremiah Denton of Mobile. He served in the Senate from 1981-86 and passed away in 2014.
In 1957, musician, singer and songwriter Mac MacAnally of Red Bay.
The podcast
Alabama basketball’s Nate Oats weighs in on 2026 NBA Draft exits | VIDEO
Alabama basketball’s Amari Allen and Labaron Philon are off to the 2026 NBA Draft. Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats weighed in on their decisions.
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.
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.
Branson’s increase letter ahead of the 2025-26 season said that she would be paid $128,750.16.
In a season defined by injuries, their work became as critical as anything that happened on the court.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com.
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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Copyright 2026 WSFA. All rights reserved.
With students and families on campus this weekend for spring 2026 graduation, here’s a rundown of University of Alabama campus history that originally published Nov. 14, 2025.
1820
● The Alabama General Assembly officially established the first public university and named it the University of the State of Alabama. By the 1860s, the school was called the University of Alabama.
1831
● Harvard graduate and Vermont native Alva Woods became the first president of the University of Alabama. First day of classes was held on April 18 with four professors and 52 students. By the end of the term there were nearly 100 students.
1841
● The President’s Mansion was built.
1860
● The Round House was built for the use of the student sentinels.
1865
● All but a few buildings — the President’s Mansion, the observatory, the Round House, the Gorgas House and a few faculty residences — were burned by Union troops.
1892
● Student William G. Little introduced his fellow UA students to the sport of football.
1893
● Anna B. Adams and Bessie Parker became the first women to enroll at the university.
1914
● The first Tutwiler Hall was built on the site of today’s Rose Administration Building. It was the first building exclusively for women.
1915
● The University of Alabama Student Government Association was founded.
1926
● The Alabama Crimson Tide football team won the Rose Bowl, becoming national champions for the first time.
1929
● Denny Chimes, funded in part by student donations, was dedicated in honor of beloved UA President George H. Denny. UA also opens Denny Stadium.
1939
● Construction on the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library was completed.
1956
● The first Black student enrolled. Autherine Lucy attended classes for three days before being removed from campus and then expelled.
1963
● The university was officially desegregated when Vivian Malone and James Hood enrolled. Gov. George Wallace made good on a threat to “stand in the schoolhouse door” to stop them, but his actions were symbolic and did not stop their enrollment.
1975
● The on-campus football stadium is renamed Bryant-Denny Stadium to honor legendary football coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant.
1980
● UA’s 1979 squad wins the Sugar Bowl, giving Bryant back-to-back national championships. The 1979 championship was also the sixth and final title of Bryant’s career.
2011
● On April 27, 2011, a tornado destroyed much of Tuscaloosa, and six students lost their lives.
2013
● Judy Bonner becomes the university’s first female president.
2016
● The university’s strategic plan, Advancing the Flagship, was unveiled.
2019
● The university achieved R1: Very High Research Activity status, according to the Carnegie Classification.
2020
● The COVID-19 pandemic caused spring classes to be moved online. In-person classes resumed by the fall semester.
● UA wins its 18th national championship in football.
2022
Julia Tutwiler Hall, the 13-story dorm near Bryant-Denny Stadium, was demolished just after 7 a.m. on July 4. UA built a new Tutwiler Hall, just a few yards to the west of the old Tut.
2024
● The Catherine and Pettus Randall Welcome Center, an immersive and engaging visitor center named in honor of longtime University supporters, opened in the restored and reimagined historic Bryce Main.
● The football arena is renamed Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium to honor retired coach Nick Saban. Saban earned six national championships during his 17-year career at the Capstone.
2025
● Peter Mohler is hired to become UA’s 30th president.
● UA sets a new enrollment record by welcoming 42,360 students in the fall.
Sources: The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa News files
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