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COURTLAND, Ala. (WHNT) — A major American defense contractor is expanding its operations in North Alabama by bringing another large facility to a small town in Lawrence County. Lockheed Martin told News 19 that a new 88,000 square-foot Missile Assembly Building is currently under construction in Courtland. The new building is expected to open early 2026, the company said. Lockheed Martin said the spacious building will help advance defense systems in Courtland. The building is being built for the Next Generation Interceptor program. Lockheed Martin’s website says with the NGI program, the mission is to “develop, produce and deliver a...

Giovanna Hernandez-Martinez, a 24-year-old immigration advocate and mental health counselor, is facing deportation after being taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a traffic stop in Leeds, Alabama. She was transported to a facility in Louisiana for deportation hearings. Leeds Police Chief Paul Irwin stated that detectives observed Hernandez-Martinez driving over 80 miles per hour on Interstate 20 and claimed her vehicle "came within feet of striking other vehicles and erratically changes lanes." She reportedly presented a Mexico-issued identification card during the stop. ... Chief Irwin commented on the situation, stating, "It is unfortunate that the driver...

The family and friends of a Birmingham woman are pleading with the community to help them keep her in Alabama after she was detained this week during a traffic stop. “On the morning of Tuesday August 5th, Giovanna [Martinez] was driving to work when a Leeds officer pulled her over for going 1 mile over the speed limit,” reads a GoFundMe set up by her brother Dilan Hernandez to cover Martinez’s legal expenses. “What should have been a regular traffic stop, turned into something much worse as an ICE agent arrived closely thereafter. In less than an hour she was...

The boy was left for hours while a contract worker for the state ran "personal errands," the family's attorney says =============================================================== A 3-year-old boy died in a hot car in Birmingham, Ala., this week while with the state's Department of Human Resources — something the child's parents have called their "worst nightmare." Ke'Torrius Starkes Jr., who went by "KJ," was found unresponsive in the vehicle outside a home on Pine Tree Drive on Tuesday, June 22, a Birmingham police spokesperson said in a statement. He was "accidentally left inside ... while in the care of a third-party contracted worker through...

New hire will assist with Office of Diversity Samford University in Alabama is advertising a job for a “diversity” staffer after removing “diversity, equity, and inclusion” references from its website following media inquiries. “The Program Coordinator for the Office of Student Success and Diversity will … work collaboratively to create an inclusive campus environment where all students feel welcomed, valued, and supported,” the job description states. The coordinator will plan and implement “diversity-focused programs and events that promote cultural awareness, engagement, and belonging among students, faculty, and staff,” it states. The description also states that the new hire will assist...

Three Alabama men have been arrested for allegedly operating what local authorities described as an “abhorrent” and “horrific” child sex abuse ring out of an underground bunker near their homes in Brent, Ala. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office announced this past weekend that William Chase McElroy, Dalton Terrell, and Andres Velazquez-Trejo have all been arrested and charged in connection with the child sex abuse case. Local authorities began investigating the case back in February, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post announcing the men’s arrest on Saturday.

We rarely get to see the effects of immigration raids on friends and family, but we did Tuesday in Robertsdale when federal agents raided the El Patron restaurant. Law enforcement swarms Foley restaurant during investigation “Paw, it’s going to be okay!” Francheska Campos screamed out to her father as he was led away in handcuffs during an immigration raid at El Patron restaurant in Robertsdale. “My dad has been at work all my life trying to provide for us, trying to make a better life, and people still think he is a criminal,” said Campos.

Col. Michael Dixon holds the flag of the Provisional Unmanned Aerial Systems Training Battalion, as Lt. Col. Ronald Myers, left, and Command Sgt. Maj. Raleigh Matthews unfurl the banner at Wednesday's activation ceremony on Fort Huachuca's Rugge-Hamilton Airfield. In the background, one of the company commanders and a first sergeant of the new battalion unfurl their units guidon. (By Bill Hess-Herald/Review) Herald/Review FORT HUACHUCA — As of Wednesday, the Army’s intelligence-gathering unmanned aerial systems are now part of the Aviation Warfighting Center at Fort Rucker, Ala. But the initial operation and maintenance of the pilotless planes will not be...

Those in the capital city with an observant eye may have noticed this past "Juneteenth" that the "temporary" Black Lives Matter mural around Montgomery's historic Court Square Fountain still remains for the fifth year in a row. In June 2020, then-newly-elected Mayor Steven Reed announced that a local artist would decorate the historic landmark with a painted mural encircling the fountain. The Court Square Fountain was once the location of a slave market in the antebellum period, and the mural was touted as a way to celebrate Juneteenth that year.

ational average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.20 on Friday.. Gas prices are sitting at a four-year low ... The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.20 on Friday .... Phil Flynn, energy market analyst and FOX Business contributor, credited the neutralization of Iran’s nuclear program for removing a significant amount of geopolitical risk from oil prices, noting that this "has shown up in the gas prices." Flynn also stated that the administration has created a more production-friendly environment, with Trump signaling to the market a shift toward more favorable regulations. He pointed...

Rabren General Contractors is overseeing the construction of the new Gulf Shores High School on the Foley Beach Express. On Tuesday, federal agents raided the site and arrested 37 workers suspected of being in the US illegally. According to RGC’s website, it’s one of the largest privately held general contractors in the state of Alabama. The website also shows RGC is building the new State House in Montgomery, student housing at Auburn University and the Margaritaville Resort in Orange Beach. RGC also built the Saraland Sportsplex.

Eleven Iranian nationals have been arrested in the last 48 hours by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents across eight different states and nine cities, according to CBS News. This development comes in the wake of a nationwide security alert issued after the U.S. carried out a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities this past weekend. ... One of the individuals arrested is Mehran Makari Saheli, who is a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). ICE arrested Saheli at his home in Minnesota where he "admitted connections to Hezbollah," an Iranian-funded terrorist organization. ... On Sunday, authorities also...

"No Kings" rallies will be held in cities across the country to protest President Donald Trump and his policies on his birthday, June 14. Why It Matters The 50501 Movement (50 protests, 50 states, one movement) and other groups are protesting a military parade scheduled to take place in the nation's capital on June 14, coinciding with Trump's 79th birthday, the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, and Flag Day. 'No Kings' Anti-Trump Protest Locations on June 14 Multiple protests are being held in various cities in each state, but no events are being planned for Washington, D.C. Organizers say that a...

A former state organizer for the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus has launched a new political organization called the Voluntaryist Party of Alabama. According to its founder, the group will focus on education, bold messaging, and grassroots activism rather than electoral politics. Mike Shaner, who previously organized for the Alabama Mises Caucus, announced the party’s launch on social media Tuesday. In his statement, he described Alabama as an “authoritarian nightmare” and said the Libertarian Party was no longer capable of challenging the state’s political establishment, calling it “impotent” and unwilling to “take the easily accessed medicine that could fix it.” Shaner...

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) on Tuesday announced he was running for governor with the launch of his campaign website, creating an open GOP primary for his Senate seat in the process. The Alabama senator made the decision official during an interview with Fox News after months of mulling over the gubernatorial bid. His campaign website also went live earlier in the day. “I will announce that I will be the future governor of the great state of Alabama,” Tuberville told host Will Cain. “I’ve still got 18 months to go with President Trump to make America great again. We’ve got...

A federal judge said Wednesday she would consider sanctions on attorneys who filed a motion that used artificial intelligence and cited legal authorities that do not exist. U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco told attorneys representing the state in the lawsuit — claiming corrections officers failed to protect an inmate — that lawyers continue to use artificial intelligence even after other courts have imposed corrective measures throughout the country. “Generally, this has occurred in other cases where the courts have imposed sanctions and standing orders,” Manasco said during the hearing. “This incident is proof-positive that those sanctions were insufficient....

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) was swift to applaud President Donald Trump's ongoing tariff strategy as markets show improvements in inflation, as well as food and car prices. While Trump himself has admitted potential supply shortages and higher prices due to his tariff policy, he and his supporters continue to downplay the market hits as inevitable growing pains for reorienting the nation's domestic production. Trump has paused some tariffs and issued executive orders exempting certain car parts for automakers, while many continue to criticize the policies as harmful to the economy. Earlier this month, the Commerce Department announced that the...

President Donald Trump signed four bills on Friday to roll back Biden-era regulations on appliances like water heaters, refrigerators, walk-in coolers, and household appliances. The first bill Trump signed, H.J.R. 20, rolled back regulations on consumer gas-powered water heaters, White House staff secretary Will Scharf noted. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) introduced the legislation, which was also backed by Rep. Brian Jack (R-GA). Jack noted that the new law “saves a factory” in his district.

Mercedes-Benz will shift production of one of its vehicles to Tuscaloosa, Alabama by 2027. The German luxury carmaker's move is the latest response from an industry caught in the expensive crosshairs of President Donald Trump's 25 percent tariffs. The decision marks a potential win for Trump’s protectionist trade agenda, which aims to boost US manufacturing by slapping steep tariffs on foreign-made goods. But there are many complicating factors. The company didn't say which model would move to America. Instead, it said the production of a 'core segment vehicle' will move stateside. Many experts predict the move will impact the production...

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — President Donald Trump offered some encouraging words and advice for graduating students at the University of Alabama on Thursday in a speech interspersed with impressions of transgender weightlifters, accusations that judges were interfering with his agenda and attacks on his predecessor, Joe Biden. The Republican’s jolting speech was standard fare for Trump and well received by the crowd in deep-red Alabama, which backed him in all three of his presidential runs. “You’re the first graduating class of the golden age of America,” the president told the graduates.