Alabama
The SPLC Action Fund is looking to support candidates in eight Alabama cities
In a first for the SPLC Action Fund, the political arm of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the organization is looking at supporting candidates for municipal office in Alabama in 2025.
While the Action Fund has endorsed Alabama candidates for judge and district attorney before, the 2025 elections will be the first set of municipal races in Alabama since the Action Fund began endorsing local candidates.
In a press release, the SPLC Action Fund stated it is considering supporting candidates in eight cities where “Black residents have been historically underrepresented” in local government.
The eight cities are Adamsville, Anniston, Atmore, Greenville, Livingston, Oak Hill, Pleasant Grove, and Thomasville. All of the cities are relatively small, with an average of around 6,400 voting age residents, and Oak Hill has only 119.
The Action Fund specifically highlighted in its press release that despite having a 69 percent non-white population, Livingston has never elected a Black mayor.
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s director of political campaigns, Brandon Jones, told APR that the SPLC is “a civil rights organization and so we believe that people seeing themselves in their representation and making sure that those local officials are responsive to Black voices is crucial in how policy outcomes play out.”
Representation for Black citizens is especially important in states in the Southeast, Jones said, “because of the checkered civil rights history of these places.”
Jones stated that just how the Action Fund gets involved in each city will “really depend on the community.” However, “making sure that [voters are] aware of what the stakes are in these local races, what these jobs do, what municipal governments are responsible for, will be a big part of what we do.”
Candidates seeking endorsements will need to fill out a questionnaire to receive the Action Fund’s support, with Jones explaining that “before we endorse, we look for some ideological alignment.” If no candidates are great matches for the fund’s platform, Jones says the fund may decide to not endorse any candidates.
The SPLC Action Fund’s 2024 policy platform was released in April. The platform’s four focus areas are: “Strengthen Democracy,” “Eliminate the Reliance on Criminalization and Incarceration as a Public Safety and Immigration Solution,” “Eradicate Poverty,” and “Combat Hate and Extremism and White Supremacy.”
Specific policies listed in the platform include opposing racial gerrymandering, supporting alternatives to the criminal legal system, establishing guaranteed income programs, and enforcing hate crime laws.
Jones told APR that the Action Fund will likely begin holding community forums over the coming months, and possibly running polls, in order to better understand the eight cities it has selected.
SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WALA) – The YMCA of South Alabama held a Healthy Kids Day at Spanish Fort Town Center Park.
Saturday’s event featured games and demonstrations, along with interactive activities featuring police and fire vehicles.
“I think just seeing so many organizations come together that serve kids, and just seeing kids have fun,” said Gwen Summer, CEO of the YMCA of South Alabama.
Marissa Rennaker, director of development for the YMCA of South Alabama, said the event exposed children to new activities.
“I think it’s been seeing all the kids laugh and try different things that they probably haven’t tried before,” Rennaker said. “There was a big group doing pickleball and yoga. We had ballet earlier, so just getting them out and exposed to things, I think it’s been great.”
The event was designed to kick off a healthy, active summer.
The YMCA of South Alabama is located at 27080 Pollard Road in Daphne.
Copyright 2026 WALA. All rights reserved.
Former Alabama star Will Anderson Jr. has reportedly signed a three-year, $150 million extension with the Houston Texans, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Anderson instantly solidified himself as one of the top defensive players in football throughout his rookie campaign in 2023. The star defensive end was named as the Rookie of the Year in 2023, as Anderson’s extension will officially keep him in Houston long-term, as well as make him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Anderson recorded an impressive 12 sacks on the Texans’ defensive line in 2025, as the former Alabama star has made history following his head turning extension with Houston.
Anderson was nothing short of a superstar throughout his time at Alabama. Houston drafted the talented lineman with the third overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, as Anderson was widely regarded as one of the top overall selections from his class.
The former Crimson Tide superstar has officially inked a massive extension with the Texans, as Anderson will undoubtedly continue playing a critical role on Houston’s defensive line over the coming seasons.
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Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said that No. 4 Texas would be “hungry” against the No. 11Crimson Tide coming off its first series loss of the season to Texas A&M.
The Longhorns certainly were, as they pounced all over Vaughn’s team, striking out 17 Alabama batters en route to a 10-2 win.
“The story of the game was they just kind of kicked our tail in every phase tonight,” Vaughn said.
Alabama starter Tyler Fay had been elite over his past four starts, dating back to his complete-game no-hitter against Florida, allowing just six earned runs over the 26.0 innings pitched in those games. That changed instantly on Friday evening, as leadoff batter Aiden Robbins opened the game with a double and catcher Carson Tinney took him deep for a two-run blast moments later.
Texas added a third run in the first off an Ethan Mendoza RBI double, setting the tone for a dominant day. Alabama did not record a hit until the fourth inning as Longhorn ace Dylan Volantis tore through batters, striking out 12 over six innings.
Fay ended up going 5.1 innings, just the second time he did not make it through the sixth. The other, against Auburn, was only due to Vaughn wanting to keep his pitch count down in the wake of the no-hitter. He allowed season-highs of seven earned runs and 12 hits in the loss.
The Longhorns added a run each in the third and the fifth, before Alabama put the slightest amount of pressure on Texas in the top of the sixth. Bryce Fowler and Justin Lebron scored on the basepaths off an error and a wild pitch, respectively, to cut the Texas lead to three runs.
“You’ve got to find ways to score,” Vaughn said. “Those two guys just created two runs for us, and did a great job creating those runs and we crawl back in at 5-2, and it’s like, ‘Let’s go back to work…’ So thought we had that chance in those middle innings.”
The Longhorns effectively put the game to bed in the next frame, responding with three runs as Fay was relieved by Connor Lehman. Texas would add two more runs on the day, with the only silver lining coming in the fact that Alabama avoided a run-rule.
The Crimson Tide has now lost four straight SEC games after winning three consecutive series. Zane Adams takes the mound with the series on the line on Saturday, in a game that has been moved up to 12 p.m. CT due to anticipated rain in Austin.
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