Pat Duggins

Fans of University of Alabama football are mourning the loss of former star player Hootie Ingram. It's what he did off the field that may be his greatest accomplishment. As Athletic Director, Ingram hired coach Gene Stallings who led Alabama to the 1992 national championship. It was the Crimson Tide's first college football title since the departure of legendary coach Bear Bryant. During his days as an Alabama player, Ingram was a defensive back who led the nation with ten interceptions when he was a sophomore in 1952. He later spent three years as head coach at Clemson before coming back to the Crimson Tide as Athletic Director.

Two NASA astronauts may have to wait ten days before blasting off aboard a rocket built in Decatur. NASA and Boeing say they're are rolling the Atlas five carrying the new Starliner space capsule off the launch pad for repairs. A faulty valve prompted launch managers to cancel Monday night's liftoff. The part will need to be replaced. Steve Stitch heads up NASA's commercial launch effort. He spoke with reporters before the launch scrub. Stitch says NASA hired Boeing to build another way to get crew members to and from the International Space Station.

Gambling legislation and proposed changes to the state ethics law failed to win final approval at the end of Alabama's lawmaking session in Montgomery. Lawmakers faced a public backlash over IVF access. Clinics paused services following a state court ruling equating frozen embryos to children. Lawmakers approved lawsuit protections to get services restarted, but sidestepped the broader issue of whether frozen embryos should be considered people. Alabama lawmakers did end the 2024 legislative session which saw the Republican majority win approval for a number of their top priorities. Legislators approved a school choice bill, restrictions on absentee ballot applications and limits on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public schools, universities and state agencies.

An unusually strong solar storm headed toward Earth could produce northern lights in the U.S. this weekend and potentially disrupt power and communications. The latest storm could produce northern lights as far south in the U.S. as Alabama and Northern California, according to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A research team from the University of South Alabama got more than they bargained for when they spotted a great white shark. It's the reportedly the first time such a ocean predator has been recorded in Alabama waters.

Workers at The Mercedes Benz factory near Tuscaloosa begin voting this week on possibly joining the United Auto Workers Union. Not everyone is rolling the red carpet for the UAW. There's opposition on the web. A group calling itself The Mercedes Benz U.S. International Workers Information Committee is spreading the word against going union. Their social media includes quotes from workers talking about losing jobs and benefits. Featured Mercedes Benz staffers making statements like…

NASA, Boeing, and Alabama rocket builder United Launch Alliance are still shooting for this Friday (at the earliest,) for the blastoff of an Atlas-V. The rocket is supposed to carry a new space capsule called Starliner. That flight has been delayed since early last week because of a value issue on the rocket built at the ULA factory in Decatur. The cancellation, known as a “scrub,” meant NASA and the space agency's supporters will have to wait to see the first test launch of the gumdrop shaped spacecraft called Starliner, with astronauts on board.

Rank and file workers at Mercedes Benz North American plant near Tuscaloosa began voting today on whether to join the United Auto Workers at Mercedes factories near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to vote in May on United Auto Workers union. The National Labor Relations Board said that the vote will take place from now until Friday. The Mercedes Benz plant and a nearby factory that makes batteries for the European company's vehicles are both participating in the ballot.

Red Lobster says it is closing nearly 50 of its restaurants in the U.S. The chain says that includes two in Alabama. The locations span across more than 20 states — cutting back on Red Lobster's presence in cities like Denver, San Antonio, Indianapolis and Sacramento. Red Lobster has been struggling for some time. With lease and labor costs piling up in recent years, the chain is now reportedly considering filing for bankruptcy. The Associated Press is keeping track of which stores are being closed with a website that handles restaurant equipment auctions. Tagexbrand.com is selling off Red Lobster assets between now and this Thursday.

NASA, Boeing, and a rocket builder in Alabama are facing another delay in the liftoff of a new kind of spacecraft. Engineers found a helium leak on part of the Starliner spacecraft. Mission managers are now targeting no earlier than this coming Tuesday for the launch of an Alabama built Atlas Five rocket carrying the new Starliner. That also means more time on the ground for the two astronauts assigned to fly the Boeing capsule. Veteran astronaut Barry Wilmore flew once on the space shuttle and once on the Russian Soyuz capsule. Prior to the first launch attempt, he talked about being on the ground floor in the development of the new Starliner.