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…

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…