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Editorial: Tuberville’s Candidacy Promises More Stagnation, Not Change
by the Birmingham Free Press Editorial Staff Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s announcement that he will run for governor of Alabama brings little surprise and even less promise. With Donald Trump now restored to the presidency, Tuberville’s candidacy reads more like a pledge of deeper allegiance to Washington’s politics of loyalty than a vision for Alabama’s future.…
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Teen Charged in Birmingham’s First Homicide of 2026
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A 15-year-old boy is charged with capital murder in Birmingham’s first homicide of 2026 after a 33-year-old father was found shot to death in a car in the East Lake community, a killing that comes even as the city celebrates its steepest drop in homicides in a decade. Police said officers were…
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Fort Payne’s Sock Legacy Shredded as Renfro Plant Cuts 455 Workers Loose
FORT PAYNE, Ala. — Renfro Brands’ sock plant closure in Fort Payne eliminated 455 jobs on Dec. 27, 2025, dealing a heavy blow to one of northeast Alabama’s last remaining hosiery hubs. The apparel maker notified the state on Oct. 28 in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, filing that the layoffs would…
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Religious Encampment in Walker County Tests Alabama’s Tolerance for Fringe Faiths
EMPIRE, Ala. — A small, itinerant religious group that calls its leader the reincarnation of Jesus Christ has been ordered off a wooded campsite in Walker County after a multi-agency raid that has reignited questions about how Alabama treats nontraditional faiths and people living on the margins. Deputies and federal agents served a search warrant…
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Britt’s Big Tech Crackdown on Kids: Protection or Partisan Pivot?
WASHINGTON — Sen. Katie Britt is emerging as a leading Republican voice for new federal rules on artificial intelligence and social media, telling national audiences that Congress must “put up guardrails” to protect children from exploitative technology even as her party resists regulation in most other areas of business. The Alabama freshman is backing sweeping…
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Birmingham Man Charged With Capital Murder in Death of Woman Found in Burned Garage
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A 39-year-old Birmingham man is charged with capital murder in the death of Mekayla Rembert, a 32-year-old mother whose body was found in a burned detached garage in southwest Birmingham days before Christmas, authorities said. Birmingham police said Justin Seals was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Jefferson County Jail with no…
