86-year-old French woman who was taken by ICE agents in Alabama returns home to France ANNISTON, Ala. (WIAT) — Weeks after she was taken from her home in Anniston while in her nightgown, an 86-year-old widow has now returned to France. Marie-Therese Helene Claire Ross-Mahé, who moved…

Weeks after she was taken from her home in Anniston, Alabama by ICE agents while still in her nightgown, 86-year-old widow Marie-Therese Ross has now returned to France.

86-year-old French woman taken from her home in Alabama by ICE agents amid heated estate case involving her late husband’s sons ANNISTON, Ala. (WIAT) — An 86-year-old woman who left her home in France to marry her former sweetheart in Alabama is now sitting in an ICE facility in Louisiana, just months after her husband died…

Marie-Therese Ross, an 86-year-old woman who left her home in France to marry her former sweetheart and start a new life in Alabama, was taken from her home in Anniston earlier this month by ICE agents.

Father who fought to have prayer removed from Alabama schools honored with posthumous obituary 2 years after death BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — In his initial obituary published on AL.com back in August 2024, Ishmael Jaffree was described as a man who practiced law for 45 years, defending “thousands of indig…

Ishmael Jaffree, a lawyer best known for his part in a Supreme Court case to remove prayer from Alabama schools, has been honored with a posthumous obituary in The New York Times nearly two years after his death.

Family of Wayne Perkins raising money for memorial honoring celebrated guitarist from Alabama Wayne Perkins, a guitarist who played with everyone from Bob Marley to the Rolling Stones and many more, died March 16 after suffering a stroke earlier that month, as well as dealing with other hea…

The family of Wayne Perkins, arguably one of the best unsung guitar players to come out of Alabama, is raising money to both honor his life and celebrate his musical legacy.

On this day 70 years ago, Nat King Cole beaten during a performance in Birmingham in 1956

On this day 70 years ago, singer Nat King Cole was brutally attacked while performing onstage at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham. (Reshare from 2024)

Longtime Alabama TV sports anchor Mike Raita pleads not guilty in International Motorsports Hall of Fame case Mike Raita, a sportscaster who was a regular presence on the airwaves across central Alabama for decades, is maintaining his innocence after being charged with using his role as the head of a local…

Mike Raita, a TV broadcaster who was well-known for his sports coverage across central Alabama over the years, is maintaining his innocence after being charged with allegedly using his role as the head of a local motorsports group for personal gain.

Boxing chronicler Thomas Hauser weighs in on Deontay Wilder fight and why he is not optimistic for the future of the sport For Thomas Hauser, however, one of the most prolific chroniclers of “The Sweet Science” working today, neither of these men should be fighting anymore.

Prior to the Deontay Wilder/Chisora fight over the weekend, I spoke with Thomas Hauser, one of the most highly-regarded writers in boxing, to talk about the Alabama-born fighter and why he is not optimistic for the future of "the sweet science."

Former Alabama sports anchor Mike Raita arrested following investigation into International Motorsports Hall of Fame TALLADEGA, Ala. (WIAT) — A longtime sports anchor who was a regular presence in Alabama sports for decades has been arrested and charged with using his position on a local board for personal gain. …

Mike Raita, who was one of the most visible sports anchors in Alabama for nearly 20 years, was arrested and charged with using his position as the former executive director of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame for personal gain.

How much money does Carlee Russell still owe Alabama over her kidnapping hoax? Nearly three years after her story of being abducted along I-459 resulted in a days-long search and nationwide media coverage, only for it to be revealed as a lie, Carlee Russell is still trying to…

Carlee Russell, the nursing student who famously lied about being abducted in Hoover, has a court hearing next month to go over what she still owes to the state for her hoax. So I decided to see how much she has paid nearly three years later.

From Alabama to the finish line, Jessie Holmes makes history with 2nd Iditarod sled dog race win in a row NOME, Alaska (WIAT) — A couple of weeks ago, there had only been five people to have won the Iditarod sled dog race twice in a row. Now, Jessie Holmes is the sixth. At 9:32 p.m. AKST Tuesday, the P…

Jessie Holmes, who grew up in different parts of Alabama before making his way to Alaska, has become the sixth person in the history of the Iditarod to win back-to-back titles in the storied sled dog race.

Wayne Perkins, guitarist who went from Alabama to backing some of music’s greatest artists, dies Wayne Perkins, guitarist who went from Alabama to backing some of music’s greatest artists, dies

Wayne Perkins, whose work backing some of the biggest artists in music cemented his place as one of Alabama’s finest guitarists, died Monday night. He was 74.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey makes rare move in commuting death sentence for Charles ‘Sonny’ Burton BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has commuted the execution of a man on death row. On Tuesday, Ivey announced that Charles L. Burton, 75, would instead serve life in prison without t…

Charles "Sonny" Burton is only the third person in Alabama history to have his sentence commuted from death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Alabama native Jessie Holmes hopes for repeat victory as Iditarod sled dog race begins in Alaska BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Last year, Jessie Holmes reached the peak of his chosen sport: winner of the Iditarod. Now, the Sylacauga native is seeking to hold onto his crown as reigning champion of …

I'm back on the Iditarod beat again, where Alabama-born Jessie Holmes is hoping to retain his title as reigning champion of the storied sled dog race in Alaska.

Followed by a biopic of perpetual Beatles hanger-on Mal Evans.

Jury selection begins for case against man accused of kidnapping, killing Aniah Blanchard in east Alabama TUSKEGEE, Ala. (WIAT) — In 2012, Safiyah Yazeed wrote a letter to Montgomery District Court Judge Sharon Yates about her son, Ibraheem. At the time, the then-22-year-old man had been charged with t…

Years before Ibraheem Yazeed was charged with kidnapping and murdering 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard from a gas station parking lot in Auburn, his mother tried to tell a judge about how he “needed help” for his psychological issues.

Brookwood Village shopping mall to be torn down in Birmingham BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — At its peak, the slogan for the Brookwood Village shopping mall was “It’s Everything You Want It To Be.” Now, the once-thriving shopping mall that has sa…

Brookwood Village being torn down closes the book on over 50 years of Birmingham culture.

Cafebreria El Pendulo in Polanco (there are several all around CDMX) from the vantage point of the second floor, so look at all the books

Bookstores in Mexico City rock

‘Sun Ra: Do the Impossible’ serves as a powerful achievement celebrating the Alabama jazz visionary BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Early on in “Sun Ra: Do the Impossible,” the man once known as Herman Poole Blount had a rare moment where he pulled back the cosmic curtain, letting people in…

Tonight, a new documentary on his life, "Sun Ra: Do the Impossible," will premiere on PBS' "American Masters." It's a powerful film that has something for everyone.

My piece on the Alabama icon and how his influence continues to touch generations.

some of you are looksmaxxing when you need to be booksmaxxing

I work really hard and take my work seriously, so to see four different news outlets all take credit for work on Jeffrey Epstein I beat them to by days is a little frustrating, to say the least.

Tony Kornheiser discusses his decades working in the Washington Post’s sports department, now gone through layoffs BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Over the last week, Tony Kornheiser has gotten many emails from people offering him condolences over the shuttering of the Washington Post’s sports section. The fame…

Last week, Tony Kornheiser of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" was generous enough to talk with me about what's been going on at the Washington Post, his old stomping grounds, and the shuttering of its storied sports department. Was a fun talk.

Wild Tchoupitoulas YouTube video by Steven Sacrob

Happy Mardi Gras, peeps!

The Man Who Broke Physics Even before competing in his first Olympics, 21-year-old Ilia Malinin has transformed the sport of figure skating.

Ilia Malinin skates his short program today at the #Olympics. A reminder of just how unprecedented he is: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

Your byline has been missed, sir. Excellent piece.

How Vietnam Inflamed the Civil Rights Movement

Was very happy to see a new Brent Staples (@bstaples.bsky.social) piece in NYT, reviewing Wil Haygood's "The War Within a War
The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home." Staples' byline has been disappointingly absent from "The Old Gray Lady" over the past year, so it's a treat to read him again.

The time Jeffrey Epstein was invited to graduation at the University of Alabama Note: The name of one man mentioned in Jeffrey Epstein’s correspondence has been left off due to him being a teenager at the time, being a private citizen and not being criminally charged or …

Jeffrey Epstein's wealth and influence stretched around the world, from politicians, billionaires, public intellectuals, and even the University of Alabama.

World's Gone Wrong - YouTube

Lucinda Williams’ “World’s Gone Wrong” came out yesterday and, boy, is the sentiment more true than ever now. It’s an amazing album and she’s never lost a step all these years.

Who was the first to serve pizza in Alabama? This is CBS 42’s attempt at trying to establish a definitive history of pizza in Alabama, chronicling the first establishments to serve the the popular food in some of the biggest cities in t…

This is part of a project I've had in the back of my mind for a while, but am finally getting around to doing. It was fun looking up the history of pizza and which restaurants across Alabama were the first to serve it.

Bruce Hornsby coming to Birmingham April 23 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Bruce Hornsby, a songwriter and pianist whose work covers millions of albums sold, three Grammy awards and a body of work with everyone from the Grateful Dead to Ricky Ska…

Bruce Hornsby will be coming to Birmingham this spring to promote his forthcoming album, "Indigo Park." This marks the second album that the eclectic pianist has used Edward Hopper's work for cover art.

Claudette Colvin, whose defiant act on a segregated Alabama bus played an unsung role in the early civil rights movement, dies BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Claudette Colvin, a “bespectacled, studious looking high school student” who refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman long before anyone had ever heard…

At 95, attorney Fred Gray said that without Claudette Colvin, he and others may not have had the courage to get the wheels in motion to start the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 if it hadn't been for her.