Jun. 12, 2025

Fort Novosel -- or at least its name -- didn't last long.

Over on the podcast today we have Haley Laurence of This is Alabama on the show to talk about a series of stories they're doing on unsung places, people and things around the state.

Thanks for reading,

Ike

Looking for the podcast? Click here or check other options below.

The Trump Administration is continuing to re-rename military bases that President Biden renamed, reports AL.com's Howard Koplowitz.

Biden renamed bases throughout the South that had been named for Confederate veterans. Trump is reverting to the old installation names but without the Confederate connections. In the place of the original Confederate namesakes, the administration found veterans who had the same names.

For example, Fort Barfoot in Virginia is reverting to the name Fort Pickett, but rather than honoring Confederate Gen. George Pickett, it's named for 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, a Distinguished Service Cross recipient during World War II.

Similarly, Fort Lee is coming back but instead of being named for Robert E. Lee, it's named for Medal of Honor winner Pvt. Fitz Lee of the Spanish-American War.

Among the seven bases that are being re-renamed this week is Alabama's Fort Novosel, located near Enterprise.

Fort Rucker is back. But this time it's not named for Confederate Colonel Edmund Rucker but for World War I Capt. Edward W. Rucker, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross.

Rucker doesn't have any apparent connection to Alabama.

Caught up in the middle of this are families of those who have been quickly unseated as namesakes. Fort Novosel had been named for Michael Novosel Sr., who was a military aviator for more than 40 years and Medal of Honor recipient for his heroism in Vietnam.

Novosel was born in Pennsylvania but became a resident of Enterprise.

Back in March, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced he was restoring the name Fort Benning to the Army installation right over the Georgia state line in Columbus. That had previously been renamed Fort Moore after Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife, Julia Compton Moore, who lived for years in Auburn.

Hal Moore was a Korea and Vietnam veteran best known as a hero of the Battle of Ia Drang, which was made into the movie "We Were Soldiers" starring Mel Gibson as Moore.

Julia Compton Moore was a hero on the home front. She changed how the Army notifies military spouses of service members killed in action.

Becca and Lavareis Bryant's quadruplets are now a year old, and the couple has learned that their births at UAB broke a world record, reports AL.com's Heather Gann.

The couple's four youngest children -- Lainey, Kali, Lennon and Koen -- are the most premature quadruplets to survive, according to Guinness World Records.

They entered the world around 23 weeks into Becca's pregnancy. One of the physicians at UAB put their odds at around one in 7 million.

During the pregnancy, three eggs were fertilized and one split, meaning that two of the kids are identical twins.

The fired commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Kay Ivey, reports AL.com's Mike Cason.

Kent Davis is accusing the governor of wrongful termination, violation of due process, invasion of privacy and defamation, and he's seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

When Davis led the Department of Veterans Affairs, he and Ivey were at odds over federal funds for mental health care for veterans and an ethics complaint Davis filed against one of Ivey’s cabinet members.

Ivey asked the State Board of Veterans Affairs to fire him. It didn't, so she removed him by executive order.

Meanwhile, political enthusiasts in the state have been watching to see whether Davis will run for office next year. A possible target would be the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Tommy Tuberville, who's running for governor.

Davis said he'll make a decision on that later.

“The last question I was asked to ask you was, when do we hit the debt ceiling?”

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Selma, asking questions she said came from constituents about the "Big Beautiful Bill" to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a House Ways and Means committee hearing

“Congresswoman, I want to congratulate you. You have a very sophisticated constituency to ask questions like this.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

“With all due respect, just because you're poor doesn't mean you're ignorant.”

Sewell

(Bessent claimed it was a genuine compliment.)

101.5 mph

That's how fast Grant Taylor threw his first pitch during his major-league debut Tuesday night with the Chicago White Sox. Taylor played high school ball at Florence High School.

In 1930, comedic actor, singer and TV Marine Jim Nabors of Sylacauga.

In 1969, former NFL fullback Kevin Turner of Prattville.

In 1973, former NBA forward Jason Caffey of Mobile.

If you miss that feeling of sitting down with in-depth, local reporting, consider subscribing to the Huntsville Times, Birmingham News, or Mobile Press-Register. 

By subscribing, you’ll get a new daily digital edition in an email link, or you can use an app to download the new edition every day on your smartphone or tablet. You also get exclusive access to stories written for our subscribers. 

“Down in Alabama” listeners get your first month free by going to al.com/digitalsubscription/exclusive and enter the promo code DIAPOD. 

Haley Laurence of "This is Alabama" joins us to talk about their story series "Unsung Alabama."

You can find “Down in Alabama” wherever you get your podcasts, including these places:

We appreciate you for taking the time to read today. Hope you're able to check back soon. Meantime, reply to this email with any suggestions you might have.

If you're so inclined, we'd love it if you'd forward to friends who might be interested in reading. (And if you're someone who's been forwarded this newsletter, we encourage you to subscribe and get this in your inbox every day.)