UPDATE: Spanish authorities say the body of University of Alabama student James “Jimmy” Gracey was recovered from the waters off Barcelona’s Port Olímpic, near where he was last seen earlier this week. Catalan police have identified the remains as the 20-year-old Elmhurst, Illinois, native, and said the investigation into his death remains ongoing. TUSCALOOSA, Ala…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Avondale is in line for more than $3 million in public improvements as Birmingham continues to invest in one of its most popular entertainment districts and neighborhood parks. City officials in recent years have paired a roughly $3 million overhaul of historic Avondale Park with new streetscape and drainage work on 41st…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An Alabama Senate proposal to halt most new large-scale solar projects for a year is drawing fresh fire from environmental advocates, who say the move continues a long pattern of climate denial and hostility to renewable energy in one of the nation’s most fossil-fuel-friendly states. Senate Bill 354, sponsored by Sen. Greg…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers are weighing a proposal that would, for the first time, set uniform statewide standards for how dogs kept outdoors must be treated, including rules for shelter, food and water, and a ban on heavy chains and certain collars. Senate Bill 361, known as Beau’s Law, has passed the Alabama Senate…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — What was supposed to be a feel-good mascot reveal in Huntsville has turned into Alabama’s latest viral punchline, with critics from Rocket City to Birmingham calling the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s new characters everything from “nightmare fuel” to the stuff of kids’ screams. On March 1, the Huntsville museum introduced two…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Central Alabama Water’s decision to cut 135 jobs in a sweeping reorganization has triggered protests from laid-off workers and sharp criticism from a Birmingham state lawmaker who is calling the move a modern-day form of Jim Crow. The utility, formerly known as Birmingham Water Works, announced Friday that it was eliminating 135…