Apr. 15, 2025

Happy tax day!

If you're scrambling today to file ... know that you are seen. (Also, we're glad you put it off a few minutes more to read our little newsletter.)

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Ike

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Alabama education officials say they'll comply with the Trump Administration's request to prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools, reports AL.com's Rebecca Griesbach.

And it sounds like that has more to do with legal due diligence than big changes to what's already going on in Alabama.

The Department of Education has asked states to sign assurances that they have ended any DEI practices such as race preferences. Here in Alabama we already have a state anti-DEI law that followed a Board of Education policy to end critical race theory in K-12 schools.

Currently the deadline for compliance with the Trump letter is April 24.

Said Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey: “We’ve read it every way you can read it, backwards and forwards, and we don’t think it affects any of our schools at all, because we don’t use race-based decisions for admissions.”

And for anyone out there who may be concerned that there are lawyers in the state going hungry, Mackey added: “We want all of our legal team to agree. We want the attorney general’s legal team to agree, and the governor’s legal team to agree, and all of those lawyers are looking at all of these things.”

The superintendent did vow that the board will protect the civil rights of all Alabama schoolchildren.

Northrop Grumman has opened its new Huntsville facility to build a key part of future air-defense systems, reports AL.com's John R. Roby.

The building is large -- around 4 acres -- and will be used to manufacture the Army's Integrated Battle Command System for the U.S. and its allies. This next-generation defense system is replacing current platforms, including the Patriot system.

A college football coach who had an impact on some big moments in the state's football history has passed away, reports AL.com's Creg Stephenson.

"Brother" Bill Oliver held assistant coaching jobs for Alabama and Auburn and was the head coach at Chattanooga for four seasons.

He played for Bear Bryant at Alabama from '59 to '61.

His first college coaching job was as a DBs coach at Auburn under Shug Jordan.

He later coached two stints at Alabama -- for the Bear during the 70s and for Gene Stallings from 1990-95. He was the mastermind behind that incredible 1992 defense that helped win the Tide a national championship and stuffed Miami's high-flying offense in the Sugar Bowl.

He left the Tide to become defensive coordinator at Auburn, assuming the interim head coach role after Terry Bowden's firing during the 1998 season. Oliver's coaching career ended with a loss to Alabama in that season's Iron Bowl, the last one at Birmingham's Legion Field.

As a player and coach, the native of Epes was part of five national championships and is in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Bill Oliver was 85 years old.

If you live in Birmingham or drive I-59/20 through downtown Birmingham at night, you might notice the Regions Building's lights are in the design of a golfer swinging a club.

Learned behavior tells me to anticipate he's hitting a slice toward Shuttlesworth, but let's try to be more optimistic than that.

AL.com's William Thornton reports that the giant golfer is up there to highlight the coming Regions Tradition golf tournament at Greystone Golf and Country Club.

That's a major on the senior tour. It'll be held May 14-18, and the giant golfer is expected to stay lit through that final round.

You can see him each night from 8-midnight and each morning from 5-6.

Of course, the Regions Building is famous for its Christmas display of two trees, a wreath and a stocking on its four sides.

Remember to drive safely. If you see the giant golfer from the interstate, don't stop, stare or duck.

In 1918, dramatic actor John Baragrey of Haleyville.

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