A three-month-old baby in Chelsea, Alabama was tragically killed in an animal attack believed to have been caused by a wolf-hybrid kept as a pet by the family. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office is currently investigating the incident and urging people to be aware of the potential dangers of owning wild animals. Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer expressed his condolences for the family and all those affected.
Posts tagged as “Alabama”
Christopher Lee McWhorter was executed Thursday in Alabama for his role in the 1993 robbery and shooting death of Edward Lee Williams. His execution was the first in the state since 2019 and the ninth since then, despite his attorneys' efforts to have it stayed due to his mental competency. McWhorter's execution is the latest in a series of executions of inmates convicted of capital murder in Alabama, making it the state with the most executions since 2019.
Dameion Pickett, co-captain of the Harriott II Riverboat in Montgomery, Alabama, was attacked by a group of white boaters on August 5th after he asked them to move their pontoon from the riverboat's usual docking spot. Pickett has now been charged with assault in the third degree and is due in court on November 21st. The incident was caught on video and has sparked outrage and calls for justice, with the Montgomery Police Department continuing to investigate and asking anyone with information to come forward.
Smiths Station, Alabama is in mourning after the death of their mayor, F.L. "Bubba" Copeland, who died by suicide two days after the conservative news blog 1819 News published a story with photos of him allegedly wearing women's clothing and makeup. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office reported that Copeland died in front of police officers who were performing a welfare check, and the community is now coming together to remember Copeland and to support his family.
Alabama Supreme Court has granted the state attorney general's request for an execution warrant for Kenneth Eugene Smith, paving the way for the state to become the first to use nitrogen gas as an execution method. The decision has sparked debate, with many questioning the use of nitrogen gas as unconstitutional, and further litigation is likely. Other states may follow suit, but Alabama is the first to move forward with the plan.
Joran van der Sloot, the chief suspect in the Natalee Holloway case, has pleaded guilty to extortion and wire fraud charges in a U.S. federal court and admitted to bludgeoning Holloway to death on an Aruban beach. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was extradited from Peru to the U.S. in June of 2023. The plea deal brings closure to the Holloway family, who have been searching for answers since Natalee's disappearance in 2005.
The case challenges South Carolina's congressional district map adopted in 2022, which was brought by Black South Carolinians alleging that the state is diluting Black voters’ power. A three-judge federal district court panel found that the map had “bleached … African American voters out of the district”. The Supreme Court will decide whether the process was illegal racial discrimination or simply partisan politics.
Alabama has been ordered to conduct its 2024 congressional elections under a new map crafted by a special master, following a Supreme Court decision in June that found the state had violated the Voting Rights Act. The new map creates a second Black-plurality district in southern Alabama, which is expected to heavily favor Democrats. The new district was created by moving the heavily white coastal region into the 1st congressional district and extending the 2nd district across the Black Belt. The new map is set to be used for the 2024 congressional elections, and it will likely have a significant impact on the state’s political landscape.