Martin Mejia/AP
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AP
Joran van der Sloot, the chief suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges that he attempted to extort money from the missing teen's mother.
News & Commentaries From APR
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On this week’s Keepin’ It Real, Cam Marston was at Bama Bound in Tuscaloosa for his son’s college orientation this week, and here is his review. -
The city of Anniston is proud of their city that’s dubbed “Tree City USA”. The community northeast of Birmingham recently had to remove two trees that were one hundred and fifty years old. City officials say the trees were at the end of their life cycle. Anniston hopes to use dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a preventative measure to maintain its trees so this does not happen again.
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The 33rd annual Alexander City Jazz Fest is this Friday and Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday night’s festival is in the city’s historic district at Strand Park. Residents and visitors of Alexander City will gather for two nights of music this weekend.
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The main suspect in the 2005 disappearance of U.S. student Natalee Holloway has been handed over to U.S. custody and has departed Peru on a flight to the United States. Joran van der Sloot's departure comes roughly a month after both countries agreed on his extradition. He is wanted in the U.S. on one count each of extortion and wire fraud — the only charges to have ever linked the Dutch citizen to Holloway's disappearance on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Van der Sloot has been serving a 28-year sentence in Peru for the murder of a Peruvian woman.
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The Supreme Court has issued a surprising ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case, ordering the creation of a second district with a large Black population.
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It’s been about two weeks since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced he’s running for President. The event was hosted on the social media site Twitter Spaces. Here in Alabama, it appears DeSantis’ host Elon Musk is generating more buzz than the candidate.
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The SummerNight Art Walk is a festival that transforms downtown Auburn into an arts district, featuring the work of local and regional artists, live musicians, food vendors and children's activities.
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The city of Mobile is sponsoring its third annual, Pride-themed ArtWalk. It comes as several residents publicly criticize the event, calling for the removal of its drag performers.
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Now a retired English professor at The University of Alabama, Dr. Noble's specialties are Southern and American literature.
Speaking of Pets with host Mindy Norton is a commentary (opinion piece) for people who care about pets and humane treatment for animals in general, and who want to celebrate that special relationship between us and our animal companions.
Crunk Culture is a commentary (opinion piece) about creative and sometimes cursory perspectives and responses to popular culture and representations of identity. Dr. Robin Boylorn defines "crunk" as resisting conformity and confronting injustice out loud.
Host Cam Marston brings us fun weekly commentaries (opinion pieces) on generational and demographic trends to provide new ways to interpret the changing world around us.
After the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, hundreds of children from the affected areas dealt with multiple health issues caused by radiation from the nuclear meltdown. A few years later, families from all across Alabama housed many of those same children for a summer to give them access to better healthcare and a reprieve from the radiation.
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Alabamians or visitors of the state with little or no fishing experience have the chance to learn a new skillset this Saturday at Gateway Park. Admission is free.
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The Alabama Department of Public Health created a legal agreement with the U.S. to take immediate action on raw sewage exposure issues in Lowndes County last month. ADPH recently announced the details of its moratorium in a press release.
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The honor reflects record results for Alabama’s economic development team, with companies announcing new facilities and expansion projects involving $10.1 billion in capital investment last year.
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Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday concluded the 2023 legislative session that was marked by tax cut measures and ended with the shelving of some controversial measures, including a bill that would make it a crime to help a non-family member fill out an absentee ballot.
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To continue gathering public input on the design of the future Africatown Welcome Center, the City of Mobile and its design partners have launched an online survey and feedback form for residents in the Africatown community and other Mobilians.
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The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American pilots to participate in the U.S. military. The flyers were involved in an important air battle on June 9, 1943.
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The second annual Huntsvegas Tattoo Expo is this weekend. Thousands of visitors are expected to attend, and 200 artists from around the world will be featured at this year’s event.
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Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday concluded the 2023 legislative session. Major legislation that won approval this year included removing a portion of the state sales tax on food. Lawmakers also approved a spending plan for pandemic relief funds and an extension of the a tax credit program used to lure industries to the state.
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A Peruvian judge affirmed this week's planned extradition to the U.S. of the main suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway. The judge's ruling came less than 24 hours after the attorney for Dutchman Joran van der Sloot filed a writ of habeas corpus in an attempt to stop the custody transfer. Magistrate Elmer Morales informed the suspect of his decision in writing.
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Alabama defensive back Tony Mitchell said he feared his football career was over after his arrest on a drug charge.The Crimson Tide freshman said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he knew "something much bigger could have happened."
