Latest Alabama Headlines

All the headlines from our Alabama Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Two Charged in East Alabama Church Fires

Jan 8 2008 // Two Smiths, Ala., men have been charged on arson and burglary charges in connection with three church fires that occurred since Jan 1, State Fire Marshal Ed Paulk announced Monday. Geoffrey Parquette, 21, was charged with...

3rd Alabama Church Arson in 2 Days Prompts Command Post

Jan 7 2008 // Investigators are trying to determine what started separate fires that gutted a church and two houses in rural Lee County, Ala. Authorities said a man was seriously injured in a house fire reported about 1 a.m. on Jan. 3,...

Ala. Insurance Agent Loses Runoff for House Distict 12 in Light Voting

Dec 21 2007 // Cullman County, Ala., Commissioner Wayne Willingham won the Republican nomination for Alabama House District 12 and advances to the general election Jan. 29 against Democrat James C. Fields. In light voting in the...

National Weather Service says Alabama at High Risk for Wildfires

Dec 19 2007 // National Weather Service forecasters and officials with the Alabama Forestry Commission say Alabama is at an unusually high risk for wildfires, despite a cold snap. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag...

Farmers Insurance Offers One-Year Auto Policy in Alabama

Dec 11 2007 // Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, including Farmers Insurance Exchange will offer an annual auto insurance policy in Alabama that will allow auto insurance policyholders and new customers to choose a full-year auto...

Ala.: Nabers Rejoins ProAssurance Board of Directors

Dec 7 2007 // The Board of Directors of Birmingham, Ala.-based ProAssurance Corp., elected Drayton Nabers Jr. to serve on its Board. Nabers previously served on the Board until he resigned to enter state government. Since leaving his...

Alabama Senator: English Only Driver Test Will Improve Highway Safety

Dec 5 2007 // An Alabama state senator who is vice chairman of a panel studying immigration issues in Alabama said Monday he will introduce legislation to require the state driver’s license exam be given in English only. The...

16 Alabama Federal Judges Step Aside from Scruggs Contempt Case

Nov 19 2007 // Every eligible federal judge in north Alabama has stepped aside from presiding in the criminal contempt case of Mississippi trial lawyer Richard Scruggs, who is accused of disobeying an order by failing to turn over...

Ala. Gov. Grants Pilot Program on School Bus Seat Belts

Nov 13 2007 // Some Alabama children who take the bus to school will be buckled-up during the trip for the first time next year thanks to a grant awarded by a special panel Gov. Bob Riley appointed. Riley convened the Governor’s...

Alabama Outdoorsman Must Pay $1 Million for Bogus Katrina Claim

Nov 12 2007 // A federal judge has ordered jailed Ala. outdoorsman Edmond H. “Eddie” Smith IV to pay more than $1 million to an insurance firm that accused him of filing a bogus post-Hurricane Katrina damage claim for a...

Alabama-Based Alfa Mutual to Buy Rest of Alfa Corp. for $840 Million

Nov 8 2007 // Life insurance company Alfa Corp. has agreed to be acquired by its majority owners, Alfa Mutual Insurance Co. and Alfa Mutual Fire Insurance Co., for about $840 million. Alfa Mutual will pay $22 per share for shares of...

Fla. Couple Arrested for Allegedly Burning Residence

Nov 2 2007 // A Crestview, Fla., couple is facing felony charges stemming from the suspicion that they intentionally set their home on fire. Zachary Lee Dalton and his wife Kellie Elizabeth Hahn, both 24, were arrested Oct. 31 by the...

Head of Ala. Teachers Group Concerned About Coastal Insurance Bill

Oct 22 2007 // The head of Alabama’s teachers’ organization is concerned that legislation designed to improve the availability of insurance along the Alabama coast could have another effect – eliminating tax dollars for...

No Consensus for Alabama Special Session on Coastal Insurance

Oct 2 2007 // Alabama legislators unveiled a law designed to help the Gulf Coast real estate industry and coastal homeowners hit by high insurance rates but Gov. Bob Riley said there is no current consensus to address it in a special...

Scruggs Asks Alabama Judge to Throw Out Katrina-Related Charge

Sep 30 2007 // Mississippi trial lawyer Richard Scruggs has asked a federal judge to throw out a charge accusing him of criminal contempt in a dispute related to insurance claims after Hurricane Katrina. In court papers made public last...

Alabama Hearing Highlights Catastrophe Plan Options

Sep 26 2007 // Whether the nation needs a federal or other governmental program to deal with insurance costs and availability for natural catastrophes in U.S. coastal states was the central question at a public hearing in Mobile, Ala.,...

Alabama Residents Back in Homes After Train Leaves Tracks

Sep 26 2007 // A train derailment in Flomaton, Ala., over the weekend caused some anxiety and evacuations after authorities learned that the 66-car train was carrying anhydrous ammonia. The derailment that occurred after 9 p.m. on Sept....

Alabama realtors call for coastal insurance relief

Sep 24 2007 // Owners of thousands of condominiums that line the Alabama Gulf Coast say they’re getting burned by soaring insurance premiums and insurance legislation to make coverage available and affordable on the coast...

Alabama realtors call for coastal insurance relief

Sep 24 2007 // Owners of thousands of condominiums that line the Alabama Gulf Coast say they’re getting burned by soaring insurance premiums and insurance legislation to make coverage available and affordable on the coast...

Fire Alert Lifted for Remaining 17 Alabama Counties

Sep 24 2007 // Alabama State Forester Linda Casey lifted a fire alert for 17 counties in the northwest part of the state last week. The affected counties are: Lauderdale, Limestone, Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence, Morgan, Marion, Winston,...