Alabama wages

APR News reported last week on how philanthropist Melinda French Gates invested $5 million dollars in a Tuscaloosa women’s health center that features mental health treatment. A new study by CNBC ranks Alabama as one of the worst places to live in the U.S., and a lack of mental health treatment is one reason. The network said Alabama ranks dead last for mental health providers per capita, even though nearly a quarter of residents have been told by a health professional that they have a depressive disorder.

After cooling slowly in 2024 and 2025, inflation is rising again, squeezing most Americans' budgets and making it harder to afford gas, groceries, and other necessities. Inflation reached 3.8% in April from a year earlier, the highest in three years. And, an Associated Press analysis shows it's hitting red states like Alabama as well as blue states.

The Associated Press is releasing a roll call report of some noteworthy figures who died in 2024. This includes people who passed away this year and had rippling, long-lasting effects in Alabama.

Widespread strikes at AT&T are being predicted to expand to both coasts. The Communications Workers of America announced Sept. 13 that its ongoing strike at AT&T Southeast, already the largest in the United States, may spread even further. Workers in Alabama first walked off the job in an alleged unfair labor practice strike nearly four weeks ago.

While gas, groceries and the cost of living are on the rise, many people in Alabama and beyond are struggling to make ends meet due to their wages staying the same. A new report by Oxfam, an organization working to fight inequality, finds that over 26% of the workforce in Alabama is earning low wages.

ATLANTA (AP) — The state of Alabama is asking a federal appeals court to toss a lawsuit accusing lawmakers of racial discrimination for blocking a…