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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Birmingham Squadron Leaving the Magic City After “Incredible Partnership” (ABC 33/40)

The Birmingham Squadron announced it is moving its operations to be closer to its NBA parent club, the New Orleans Pelicans, marking the end of the basketball team’s run in Birmingham.

The G.O.P. Senator Who Can’t Stop Thinking About the Boy ICE Detained

(New York Times)

Alabama’s U.S. Sen. Katie Britt has emerged as a Republican uniquely positioned to reason with the Trump administration. While other establishment conservatives have typically selected one of two paths through the Trump years — go full MAGA or leave politics altogether — Ms. Britt has attempted to chart an alternate course. She stands fully behind Mr. Trump in public but at times seeks to wield influence behind the scenes, guided by her personal values as a mother and a Christian. With her “you can get a lot more with sugar” style, she has helped soften the Trump administration approach, including restoring training materials on the Black airmen from Alabama, funding body-worn cameras for ICE agents and restoring billions of dollars for research to the National Institutes of Health.

In her role overseeing congressional funding for the Department of Homeland Security, she is helping lead negotiations over whether to impose new guardrails on federal immigration agents. How she chooses to proceed will help illuminate whether Republicans troubled by recent violence in American cities will use their power to push for changes — or remain in lock step with the president.

Dr. Mark Sullivan, Birmingham City Schools Chief, Named Alabama’s Superintendent of the Year (The Birmingham Times)

Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Mark Sullivan has been selected as the 2025–26 Alabama Education Association Outstanding Superintendent of the Year. Sullivan has served as superintendent since 2020. The award, which is decided on a vote of education leaders, recognizes professional achievement, innovation, efforts to promote public education and leadership that enhances the image of educators.

Alabama Senate Passes Bill Banning Stricter State Environmental Rules Than Federal Government (Alabama Reflector)

The Alabama Senate has approved a bill that would prohibit the state from having stricter environmental regulations than the federal government. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, drew sharp criticism from Democrats in the upper chamber, marking some of the first significant debate of the 2026 Legislative Session.

Alabama Among GOP-Led States Seeking to Bring Back Death Penalty for Child Rape Convictions (Associated Press)

The Alabama Senate has given final approval to a bill that would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for those convicted of sexual assault of a child under the age of 12, setting up a possible court battle over its constitutionality.

New Analysis Warns Trump Offshore Drilling Plan Could Trigger Thousands of Oil Spills (Inside Climate News)

A sweeping proposal by the Trump administration to expand offshore oil and gas drilling could result in more than 4,000 oil spills in U.S. waters, according to a new analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity. Trump’s draft proposal, announced last November, would authorize up to 34 offshore oil and gas lease sales over the next five years. That would open as much as 1.27 billion acres of federal waters to drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, off California and along Alaska’s coast.

What Passed in the Alabama Legislature: Feb. 3-5, 2026

Action in the Legislature last week. (Alabama Reflector)