What's going on in Alabama

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Jul. 17, 2025

Thank y'all for continuing to read and tune in to Down in Alabama. Enjoy your Thursday.

Caroline Vincent

 

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Homewood Police Shooting

Gov. Kay Ivey says body camera footage of 18-year-old Jabari Peoples’ fatal shooting will be released to his family after ALEA completes its investigation.

The Homewood officer claims Peoples resisted arrest and reached for a gun during a marijuana-related stop, while the family disputes this narrative.

An independent autopsy shows Peoples was shot in the lower back, reports Mike Cason.

Read more about this story here
 

Auburn Football Trouble

Auburn wide receiver Malcolm Simmons was arrested Wednesday on a domestic assault charge involving strangulation or suffocation.

The freshman standout, who caught 40 passes for 451 yards last season, is being held on $20,000 bond.

He’s the second Tiger arrested in two weeks, reports AL.com.

Read more about this story here
 

Auburn Coach Pearl Sidesteps Senate Run Question

Bruce Pearl continues his political dance, neither confirming nor denying rumors about running for Alabama’s Senate seat vacated by former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville.

In a recent radio appearance, Pearl questioned Washington’s “dysfunction” while noting he can make an impact as a coach: “I’m graduating kids, I’m teaching, I’m ministering.” 

Peter Rauterkus reports that Auburn’s athletic director expects Pearl to remain as head coach in 2025, though he admitted “things can change.”

Read more about this story here
 

Swamp Standoff: Tribe vs. ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

The Miccosukee Tribe is fighting to join a federal lawsuit against Florida’s controversial immigration detention facility nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” built in their ancestral Everglades homeland.

With tribal villages just 1,000 feet from the compound, the Miccosukee argue the facility threatens their sacred sites and traditional hunting grounds protected by federal law.

Meanwhile, Governor DeSantis’s administration is selling branded merchandise of the detention center, which they tout as a harsh deterrent for immigrants. 

Kate Payne reports that environmental groups have already sued, claiming the rapidly-built facility bypassed required reviews and has transformed a designated “dark sky” park into a glowing compound visible from 15 miles away.

Read more about this story here
 

More Alabama News

  • Raided Alabama BBQ restaurant linked to vast scheme to smuggle undocumented workers called ‘Pedro’s people,’ feds allege
  • 140 drivers caught speeding on I-565 in 6-hour Monday crackdown
  • Emotional ESPYs Lee Corso tribute includes Herbstreit, McAfee, Howard: ‘I’m honored’
 

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