HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — North Alabama could become home to a new fleet of small modular nuclear reactors under a multibillion-dollar agreement between the United States and Japan that supporters say will boost manufacturing and keep the state an energy exporter. The plan, announced this month by President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi,…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For months, many Alabamians thought the state had effectively shut down “hemp stores” that sold delta‑8 and other THC products — and in some places, it looked that way. Now, as new rules kicked in on Jan. 1 and local governments scramble to respond, some of those same shops are getting a…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is leading a coalition of 24 state attorneys general urging federal health officials to permanently block Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP dollars from funding gender-affirming medical treatments for minors, a move critics say threatens access to essential care for transgender youth. The letter, filed as public comments on…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — House Bill 403, part of a broader push to rein in data center incentives and protect ratepayers, would require the Alabama Public Service Commission to ensure that retail power contracts with “large load” data centers recover all additional grid and fuel costs directly from those facilities. The measure targets data centers with…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Central Alabama Water, the state’s largest water utility serving the Birmingham area, will soon stop adding fluoride to its drinking water as part of broader budget reductions and employee safety measures. The utility announced the change this week, citing the need to eliminate handling of hazardous chemicals, retire aging equipment and save…

MACON COUNTY, Ala. — A Macon County jury on March 18 convicted Ibraheem Yazeed of murder and felony murder in the 2019 kidnapping and slaying of 19-year-old Auburn University student Aniah Blanchard, sparing him a possible death penalty sentence but facing life behind bars. Prosecutors said Yazeed abducted the Homewood native from a convenience store…