Victoria Rodriguez

If you’ve traveled to different cities in Alabama lately, you may have noticed a surge in street art. The city of Monroeville features a mural depicting a mob scene from the book “To Kill a Mockingbird.” That may seem like a nod to the late writer Harper Lee who lived in that Monroe County town. But for many municipalities, art is being used as a strategic tool to attract visitors and businesses.

Summer in Alabama means the sun’s blazing. The pavement is scorching. Everyone seems to be feeling the heat, including Alabamians on four feet as well as two. Veterinarians say family pets are equally prone to overheating during the hot summer months. APR looks into immediate signs your furry friends are too hot and what pet owners should do.

Today is Alabama’s first ever annual observance of Juneteenth. That’s the date back in 1865 when enslaved blacks in Texas learned that the Civil War was over and slavery had ended. Baseball fans in Birmingham will also mark the day with an annual negro league legends game. Here’s how both of these subjects come together.