BW Recommends is a rundown of stories you might have missed this week. It offers insight into issues important to our area and sometimes tickles your curiosity.

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Alabama Inmate Activists From an Oscar-Nominated Film Moved to Solitary, Attorneys Say (Associated Press)

The Alabama prison system has moved three well-known inmate activists who supported a 2022 prison strike and were featured in an Oscar-nominated documentary about the troubled system to isolated cells with little contact with others, family members and attorneys said. Family members of the three men said they fear for their loved ones’ safety and are concerned the moves to solitary confinement are a form of retaliation for speaking out about problems in the prison system.

Alabama Says School Choice Helps Low-Income Students. Here’s What The Numbers Say (AL.com)

In its first year, Alabama’s Choose Act, which provides vouchers of $7,000 toward private school or home school expenses, helped white higher-income families more than any other group, AL.com found in an analysis. The program was open this school year to households with incomes of up to 300% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that’s about $96,450 – which includes about 75% of families in the state.

Get Ready for Black History Month in Bham With These 13 Upcoming Events (BhamNow)

February in a city steeped in civil rights history is a month to celebrate Black history, learn more about the civil rights movement and honor those who took part in it.

HHS Threats to Freeze Low-Income Child Care Assistance Cause Confusion, Concern in Alabama (Alabama Reflector)

Federal officials have announced there will be cuts to a program that helps pay for child care for working parents but has not informed state officials of the details, leaving parents and officials alike scrambling for information.

AHSAA Private Schools Form a Unified Voice, Not Splitting From AHSAA (Montgomery Advertiser)

Alabama private schools met Friday to discuss the AHSAA’s decision to split them from public schools for postseason play. Officials decided to remain in the AHSAA and form a unified voice to address challenges from the new structure. Their concerns include increased travel costs and difficulties in creating competitive schedules for geographically isolated schools, and they plan to advocate for changes to the reclassification.

What Passed in the Alabama Legislature: Jan. 27-29, 2026 (Alabama Reflector)

Action in the Legislature last week.