BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama courts are navigating a delicate boundary in United Methodist Church property disputes fueled by the denomination’s embrace of LGBTQ+ inclusion, applying state law to deeds and titles while steering clear of church doctrine — even as the state constitution bars foreign religious law. The Alabama Supreme Court has split its rulings.…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court has once again cleared the way for executions on death row, tightening the state’s grip on capital punishment even as critics say Alabama is cementing its reputation as the most execution‑obsessed state in the country. In a recent ruling and series of orders, the court authorized the state…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A federal jury has awarded Birmingham-based Drummond Co. $256 million in a long-running defamation and racketeering case over allegations that the coal company backed violent paramilitary groups in Colombia and was tied to killings and human rights abuses there, claims the company has repeatedly denied. Jurors in the U.S. District Court for…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An Alabama senator has filed a bill to create a state minimum wage of $10 an hour for many workers, marking one of the most aggressive pushes in years to lift pay in a state that has long defaulted to the federal wage floor. Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma, introduced Senate Bill 171…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Former Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jude Washington has filed a lawsuit accusing Sheriff Mark Pettway and other top officials of retaliation, wrongful termination and civil rights violations after he reported alleged misconduct inside the department. Washington, a longtime narcotics investigator whose career with the sheriff’s office spans more than two decades,…

BESSEMER, Ala. — A barrage of gunfire erupted outside Amazon’s massive BHM1 fulfillment center in Bessemer late Sunday, leaving one person dead in the latest high-profile shooting linked to the retail giant’s warehouses nationwide. The victim’s identity, the exact number of rounds fired and whether any arrests have been made had not been publicly released…