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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“We Knew They Were Paying Informants”: SPLC Donors Reject Trump DOJ Fraud Claims (The Intercept)

More than a dozen donors to the Southern Poverty Law Center feel that a recent Department of Justice indictment accusing the group of defrauding contributors by paying informants is farcical, the donors told The Intercept. “It’s simultaneously infuriating and laughable that they’re charging the SPLC with funding hate groups,” said Mary Wynne Kling, an Alabama native and longtime supporter of the group. Pointing to the SPLC’s long-standing work battling extremist groups, which included bankrupting the United Klans of America, she added, “We knew they were paying informants.”

The 85-Year-Old Widow Snagged by Trump’s Immigration Crackdown (New York Times)

Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé was in bed at home in Anniston, Alabama, when she was startled awake by banging. Men had surrounded the bungalow where Ms. Ross-Mahé, a French citizen, had lived with her American husband until he died in January. They were knocking loudly on the windows and doors. When Ms. Ross-Mahé, 85, opened the door, they pushed inside, saying they were the immigration police, she said this week in an interview in France, her first since being deported after a 16-day incarceration during which she said she was chained to other inmates and loaded onto buses and a plane “like a potato sack.”

Her story gives a glimpse into the opaque labyrinth of immigrant-detention sites where many like her see no lawyer, have no sense of where they are and understand little of why they are held. It also raises questions about how that system may be weaponized: A judge said in a ruling that she believed that Ms. Ross-Mahé’s stepson, who had been fighting with her over her late husband’s estate, instigated her arrest.

Birmingham Restaurant Empire That Helped Define Magic City Food Scene Faces Its Hardest Days (AL.com)

One of Birmingham’s most well-known restauranteurs is at the center of a series of sudden closings and liens filed against properties in two counties this month. Nick Pihakis, 69, lent his name to one half of Jim ‘N Nick’s and slowly built a series of companies to bring food to Alabama and the Southeast, becoming recognized as a force behind food in the South. To outside observers, it was shocking news earlier this month when Pihakis Restaurant Group closed three of its restaurants.

3rd Generation Stephens Named New CEO of EBSCO Industries (Bham Now)

A longtime EBSCO board member has been named the permanent CEO of the Birmingham company after serving in an interim position. Bryson Stephens is the grandson of EBSCO founder Elton B. Stephens Sr. and son of J.T. Stephens, chairman emeritus. Bryson is the third generation of Stephens in leadership at EBSCO, which was founded in 1944.

Alabama First Class Pre-K Keeps Perfect Quality Mark for 20th Straight Year (Alabama Daily News)

Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program again ranked among the nation’s top for quality, marking its 20th consecutive year of meeting all 10 of the National Institute for Early Education Research’s benchmarks. The annual NIEER preschool report, released Wednesday, gives Alabama officials a familiar point of pride: the state continues to lead the nation in pre-K quality. However, it pointed out that only about 40% of the state’s 4-year-olds were served by the pre-K program, placing Alabama 18th nationally in access for that age group.

Federal Budget Changes to SNAP Could Cost Alabama Up to $261 Million (Alabama Reflector)

Federal changes to the supplemental nutrition assistance program will cost Alabama between $174 million and $261 million, state officials said Thursday. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduced a penalty for states that have a high error rate in the SNAP program. Currently, Alabama’s error rate is about 10%, SNAP Director Brandon Hardin said, but officials won’t learn until June what the official annual rate is.

Appeals Court Overturns $8.2 million Defamation Win for Roy Moore (Associated Press)

An appeals court on Friday reversed an $8.2 million defamation verdict awarded to Alabama politician Roy Moore, who sued a super PAC over a 2017 political ad detailing misconduct accusations against him. The panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Moore failed to prove the organization acted with malice, one of the legal standards for cases involving public figures.

Woman Who Fled Alabama to Join ISIS ‘Very Desperate’ to Return to America (AL.com)

A woman who in 2014 ran away from home in Hoover at the age of 20, joined ISIS and now has a 9-year-old son, says she still longs to return to the United States. Hoda Muthana now resides in the Roj detention camp in Syria. In two recent interviews, she talked about her desire to return to the U.S. even if that means standing trial and facing prison.

6 Birmingham-Area School Districts Win Best Music Education in U.S. Award (Bham Now)

Six Birmingham-area school districts are recipients of the National Association of Music Merchants 2026 Best Communities for Music Education Award.

Alabama Active Voter Numbers Down Ahead of May Primaries (Alabama Reflector)

With fewer than 30 days until primary elections, new statistics show that the number of active voters in Alabama has decreased since 2022. Voter statistics for March given to the Voting Registration Advisory Board show Alabama has 3.29 million active voters, a 17,000-person decrease from four years ago. The state also saw an increase in inactive voters, going from 392,000 in 2022 to more than 500,000 last month. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said in a statement that “Alabama boasts one of the cleanest and most accurate voter files in the country.”

Birmingham Launches New Job Training Initiative (Bham Now)

The city of Birmingham launched Reinvest Birmingham at a City Hall press conference Thursday. Led by Birmingham’s Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, Reinvest Birmingham, a comprehensive workforce training program, is designed to remove barriers to employment, strengthen career pathways and connect residents to quality jobs. Read BirminghamWatch’s earlier story on the program.