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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On 61st Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Worries About the Future of Voting Rights and Calls to Action (Associated Press)

Sixty-one years after state troopers attacked Civil Rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, thousands gathered in the Alabama city this weekend amid new concerns about the future of the Voting Rights Act. The March 7, 1965, violence that became known as Bloody Sunday shocked the nation and helped spur passage of the landmark legislation that dismantled barriers to voting for Black Americans in the Jim Crow South.

The anniversary was celebrated in this city that served as crucible for the voting rights movement, with events through the weekend ending with a commemorative march across the bridge Sunday. But the commemoration came as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case that could limit a provision of the Voting Rights Act that has helped ensure some congressional and local districts are drawn so minority voters have a chance to elect their candidate of choice.

Alabama Man Facing Execution for Deadly Robbery Asks for Clemency as He Didn’t Kill Victim (Associated Press)

Charles “Sonny” Burton said no one was supposed to get hurt during the 1991 AutoZone robbery that landed him on death row, and he only learned later that another man in the group of robbers had shot and killed a store customer. Burton, 75, is scheduled to be put to death March 12 for the killing of Doug Battle, a 34-year-old Army veteran and father of four. Burton’s supporters, including several jurors from his 1992 trial, have urged Gov. Kay Ivey to consider clemency for him.

Cobb Lane Demolition Nearing Completion (Photos) (BhamNow)

A little over four months since it was devastated by an early-morning fire, the remains of three historic residential buildings dating back to the early 1900s are nearly gone.

Infighting Aside, Alabama Republicans Elect ‘Fresh Voice’ as New Chairman (AL.com)

The Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee elected State Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, as its new chairman after two rounds of voting during its winter meeting Saturday in Hoover. Stadthagen won after a runoff against former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, 62% to 38%.

‘What’s your plan for this pregnancy?’ Comfort, shame and a missed diagnosis (Alabama Reflector)

For nearly 60 years, crisis pregnancy centers have been a pillar of the anti-abortion movement. Largely staffed by volunteers or part-time workers, these centers — sometimes referred to as pregnancy resource centers — offer limited services related to pregnancy and are guided by a religious mission to stop people from considering abortion.

States Newsroom conducted a 50-state investigation examining state and federal funding for these centers. Between 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal protections for abortion rights, and the end of fiscal year 2025, 21 states have funneled nearly a half-billion dollars to crisis pregnancy centers. Physicians and researchers told reporters they’re concerned about the magnitude of public money crisis pregnancy centers are receiving while Planned Parenthood clinics and other community clinics offering reproductive health care are defunded.

What passed in the Alabama Legislature: March 3-5, 2026 (Alabama Reflector)

Action last week as the regular session of the Legislature nears its end.