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Judge Hits Pause on Hearings in Lawsuit Challenging Oxmoor Valley Data Center (WBHM)
It will be almost seven months before one of three lawsuits challenging a hyperscale data center under construction in Birmingham’s Oxmoor Valley neighborhood proceeds. A Jefferson County Circuit Court judge on Wednesday granted a request to skip a decision about temporarily halting the project and to instead move on to the question of whether the project should end permanently.
New data center plans to move quickly in Fairfield. Residents have questions (WBHM)
The old Walmart in Fairfield has been empty for about a decade. Now, a Missouri technology company wants to turn the boarded-up building into a 20-megawatt artificial intelligence data center — and it is moving quickly. Patmos Hosting held a community town hall Wednesday night at the Fairfield Civic Center, where residents and others packed the room to hear from the company’s leadership and ask questions about the project. The meeting was billed as an opportunity for residents to learn more and voice concerns. But the company made clear the project is well underway. Patmos officials say it is under contract to purchase the former Walmart property, expects to submit the application by the end of August and it hopes to receive approval in September, and it would start work on the project then.
Doug Jones Addresses Data Centers, Healthcare in Central Alabama Swing (Alabama Reflector)
Campaigning in central Alabama Wednesday, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones reiterated his commitment to a moratorium on data centers and attacked Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville over comments about Social Security. Jones spoke to 50 people at a press conference in Lowndes County, Jones was joined by U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, Figures, who is seeking reelection to Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, and Phillip Ensler, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. Asked how he could overcome the Republican lean of the state, Jones said he plans to speak with Republican voters about “kitchen table issues,” a theme of his successful 2017 campaign for U.S. Senate.
‘We have to help the taxpayers’: Tuberville Shares Plan With BCA To Make Government Efficiency Pay Alabama Families Back (Yellowhammer)
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville told Alabama’s business and political leadership last week that cutting the state’s income and property taxes now are unrealistic goals, but he laid out a plan that pairs economic growth with an aggressive attack on waste, fraud and abuse to potentially pay for cuts in the future. Tuberville, speaking during the Business Council of Alabama’s Governmental Affairs Conference at the Grand Hotel, also addressed several of the most salient issues emerging in the race, including data centers, utility rates and artificial intelligence, the Alabama Daily News reported.
BCS Goes Back to School: The Data-Driven Progress of Hayes K-8 School (The Birmingham Times)
By the time students walk through the doors at Hayes K-8 School each morning, much of the day’s work has already begun. Teachers have reviewed assessment data. Instruction has been tailored to meet students where they are academically. Plans are in place for students who need additional intervention, as well as those ready to move beyond grade-level expectations. For former Hayes K-8 Principal Jerry Davenport, now principal of Wenonah High School, that level of preparation has been one of the driving forces behind the school’s academic gains. The focus on data is a districtwide priority for Birmingham City Schools as the system seeks its first-ever “B” on the Alabama State Department of Education’s report card.
Alabama Man Put to Death for the Murder of a 5-Year-Old Girl in Last of Three US Executions in a Day (Associated Press)
Tennessee and Oklahoma put inmates to death within 30 minutes of each other Thursday and Alabama followed suit hours later as U.S. states executed three men by lethal injection in one day for the first time since 2010. Having three executions in one day was a coincidence in scheduling but reflected a trend of increased executions in the U.S. Eleven states executed a total of 47 people in 2025, the highest number since 2009. With Thursday’s injections, 22 executions have been carried out this year in the U.S. with nearly a dozen more scheduled. Alabama executed Jeremy Williams for the 2021 rape and murder of a 5-year-old Georgia girl whose mother sold her for an hour of sex.
UFL Owner Eyes 3 Birmingham-Area Sites for Possible New Stallions Stadium (Birmingham Times)
The Birmingham Stallions may be leaving the city, but United Football League co-owner Mike Repole is already proposing a path to bring the team back to the Birmingham metro, and none of the locations he’s suggesting are within Birmingham city limits. In a new social media post, Repole called for developing a 100-acre sports and entertainment district centered around a new 8,000- to 12,000-seat outdoor stadium. Repole said he envisions the stadium serving as the future home of the Birmingham Stallions, Birmingham Legion FC and the Legion’s women’s team. He also put a date on his vision: 2029.
The Dangerous Gap in Alabama Healthcare: Living in a Maternal Care Desert (WSFA)
One in three counties in Alabama is considered a maternal health care desert, according to a new report by the March of Dimes. The deserts are areas with no hospital maternity wards, no birthing centers, and no local obstetricians, gynecologists, or certified nurse-midwives. The lack of nearby care leaves thousands of expectant mothers facing long, potentially dangerous journeys to receive essential medical attention.