Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Montgomery Police arrested a fifth suspect Thursday in connection with an October mass shooting that killed two and injured 12.

Via Anna Barrett: Alabamians could see major surges in the cost of Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans without enhanced tax credits for ACA premiums, which lie at the center of the federal government shutdown. https://ow.ly/IzP850XnvyG

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: The state is applying for grants meant to offset Medicaid cuts made by Congress in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The proposal includes funding for providers, IT and maternal health.

Via Anna Barrett: Auburn University apologized for accidentally sending three emergency alerts to students and employees about an active shooter, a tornado and a hazardous waste spill within the space of minutes early Thursday afternoon.

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey will send $2 million in state emergency funds to eight state food banks amid federal suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Via Anna Barrett: Before the federal government suspended SNAP benefits, the Heart of Alabama Food Bank (HAFB) had about 500 emergency boxes on hand. Now, volunteers are working to get 6,000 boxes ready to address immediate needs in the state and 1,000 boxes in reserve. https://ow.ly/C5jn50XmJ4n

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Alabama Democrats Monday said that Gov. Kay Ivey Monday should call a special session of the Alabama Legislature to help feed more than 726,000 Alabamians who lost food assistance Saturday.

Via Anna Barrett and Andrea Tinker: Alabama food banks Friday were bracing for an influx of people amid the likely suspension of SNAP benefits for food on Saturday. Meanwhile, Alabama Democrats called for a special session of the Legislature to provide aid to the 726,000 Alabamians on the program.

Via Anna Barrett: SB 21, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, would require candidates for most political offices in Alabama to be “natural born citizens.” The proposal could run afoul of the Fourteenth Amendment, guaranteeing due process to all citizens.  https://ow.ly/sFR750XkC6Z

Via Anna Barrett: An Alabama senator is reviving a bill for the 2026 legislative session that would require health insurance companies to cover prostate cancer screenings for all high-risk patients. https://ow.ly/nPW050XjWBP

Via Andrea Tinker: The director of Alabama Public Television (APT) said Tuesday that the outlet could drop PBS programming in the future. https://ow.ly/vEyw50XjsgZ

Via Anna Barrett: Republican nominee Cindy Myrex defeated Democratic nominee Matt Glover Tuesday in a special election for Alabama House District 12 in Cullman County.

Via Anna Barrett: Alabama SNAP Director Brandon Hardin Tuesday urged recipients to contact food banks and local DHR offices for help, but said Tuesday that it is not possible for food banks and other similar organizations to completely cover the federal cuts. https://ow.ly/VLPS50XjokT

Via Anna Barrett: A court-appointed special master Friday submitted two proposed maps redrawing an Alabama Senate district in the Montgomery area as part of an ongoing lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in state legislative districts. https://ow.ly/HCJw50XiYO9

Via Anna Barrett: Voters in House District 12 in Cullman County go to the polls Tuesday to choose Republican nominee Cindy Myrex or Democratic nominee Matt Glover as their new state representative. Here's a voter's guide to the race. https://ow.ly/GSue50XiJlO

Updated with an interview with Feeding Alabama CEO Laura Lester, who notes SNAP recipients get about $6/day, which allows most to get three weeks worth of food before they go to food banks.

Via Anna Barrett: The Alabama Department of Human Resources said Monday it would suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Saturday amid the federal government shutdown. More than 750,000 Alabamians could lose access to critical food assistance. https://ow.ly/pE4M50XiuYC

Via Anna Barrett: Voters in Cullman County will go to the polls Tuesday to choose between Republican nominee Cindy Myrex or Democratic nominee Matt Glover in a special election for House District 12. https://ow.ly/NN3850Xh2xZ

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Republicans Kristin Nelson and Garrett Dixon appeared headed to a November runoff after a primary Tuesday for the GOP nomination in Alabama House District 38 in Chambers and Lee counties.

Via Anna Barrett: A man charged with attempted murder in the Oct. 4 mass shooting in Montgomery bonded out on Monday, leading to sharp criticism from Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys. https://ow.ly/U8Vf50XfbMo

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Montgomery Police Friday made a fourth arrest in connection with an Oct. 4 mass shooting that left two dead and 12 injured.

ICYMI: Our staff covered four of the No Kings protests Saturday, in Birmingham, Montgomery, Oxford and Selma. Here are their dispatches.

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Republican voters in Chambers and Lee counties in east Alabama go to the polls Tuesday to select a GOP nominee for their state House district. Here’s a guide.

Thousands of people attended 'No Kings' demonstrations on Saturday in protest of the policies of President Donald Trump. Participants criticized everything from Trump's consolidation of power to his immigration policies to congressional apathy toward him. Here are reports from four protests.

Why did I laugh at this photo, and why did I also find it incredibly touching

Here you’ll find reports from protests in Birmingham, Montgomery, Oxford and Selma. Our staff — @annabjournalist.bsky.social, @rchapoco.bsky.social, @andreadotweb.bsky.social — and freelancers Olivia McMurrey and Andi Rice really did a phenomenal job, and I’m grateful for their work today.

“It started with them, it ends with me,” Azali Fortier, 18, leads the Selma crowd in a chant. #nokings2

Dr. Justin Cavanaugh (left) and Jasie Shepard (right) pose with longtime Selma activist Faya Ora Rose Touré near the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during a “No Kings” protest on Oct. 18, 2025. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)

Cavanaugh and Shepard drove to Selma after attending a "No Kings" protest in Tuscaloosa, about 90 minutes away.

Annie Pearl Avery, a long time civil rights activist, with her head in her hand after speaking at a “No Kings” protest at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on Oct. 18, 2025. Avery told the small crowd that people have the power. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)

“What does democracy look like?” “This is what democracy looks like!” Protestors chant in Selma. #nokings2

The Selma No Kings protest is getting started with “This Little Light of Mine.” Follow along with coverage from @statesnewsroom.com here. www.newsfromthestates.com/live-feed/no...

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Montgomery Police Thursday arrested a third suspect in connection with a mass shooting that left two people dead and 12 injured.

Via Anna Barrett: Alabama’s top public health official said Thursday he is worried about funding for a food assistance program for pregnant women and babies amid the federal government shutdown. https://ow.ly/cpt850XcHV2

Via Anna Barrett: Republican voters in Chambers and Lee counties will go to the polls Tuesday to choose a GOP candidate for a special election in House District 38. Here's a guide. https://alabamareflector.com/2025/10/16/chambers-lee-county-voters-to-choose-gop-nominee-in-special-house-election/

Via Anna Barrett: A group that lobbies for laws addressing poverty is continuing its “beating drum” strategy for its 2026 agenda in the Alabama Legislature, which includes seven main priorities, where only one is new. https://ow.ly/UarO50XbnrA

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: A second arrest was made Monday evening in connection with a Montgomery mass shooting that left two dead and 12 injured.

Via Anna Barrett: Former U.S. Attorney and U.S. Sen. Doug Jones and former Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley on Friday discussed the prosecutions of the men responsible for the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. https://ow.ly/BJgq50Xab5t

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: The Montgomery Police Department said Friday that they arrested a suspect in connection with the Saturday shooting that left two dead and 12 people injured.

Via Anna Barrett: The Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission (ACVCC) has received one application from a victim of the Montgomery mass shooting on Saturday. https://ow.ly/6YMt50X9jua

Via Anna Barrett: Montgomery police said Tuesday they have not yet made arrests in connection with a Saturday shooting that left two dead and 12 injured. https://ow.ly/zz0g50X83BY

Via Anna Barrett: Alabama GOP officials attacked Montgomery leaders over crime in the wake of a mass shooting. City leaders pushed back on Monday, noting police spending is up over 26% and that state leaders had thwarted local efforts to prevent gun violence https://ow.ly/OHbX50X7GoU

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Experts say health care worker shortages and actual or potential federal policy changes, including higher tariffs and the possible loss of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, are driving costs up.

Via Anna Barrett: A shooting in downtown Montgomery late Saturday night left at least two people dead and 12 injured, according to police.

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: A federal judge Wednesday refused to stay a decision requiring the Alabama State Senate map to be redrawn and appointed a special master to redraw the districts.

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Alabama continues to lead the nation in prosecutions of women in relation to pregnancy, pregnancy loss and birth, according to a report released Tuesday.

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: According to a 2023 study, about 1% of all suicides in the United States from 2015 to 2017 were first responders. Most of them were law enforcement officers, followed by firefighters.

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Walker County voters chose Greg Barnes, 67, over pharmacist and business owner Dustin Beaty, 52. As of 8:50 p.m., Barnes had 2,500 votes (69.19%), while Beaty got 1,113 votes (30.81%), according to unofficial results.

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Voters in Jasper in Walker County are going to the polls today to select a new state representative. Here's a guide.

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: About 80 people gathered on the front steps of the Alabama State Capitol Monday to protest the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and to call on Alabama U.S. Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville to restore funding cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.