Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce

Memorial Day is next week and that means the start of Alabama’s summer tourism season. Budget cuts from the new Trump administration and beach safety may seem miles apart. But concerns are being raised about how safe Alabama’s beaches may be when visitors flock to the state’s Gulf coast. The Washington Post reports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is scrambling to fill forecasting job ahead of the June first start of the Hurricane season. APR explains these forecasts are also for Alabama beach goers and the lifeguards that look after them

The retired luxury liner the SS United States may be the rustiest ship in the Port of Mobile. But she’s also having a moment as the belle of the ball – generating lots of attention from both locals and visitors. The iconic ship is in port so crews can ready it for its final resting place off the Florida panhandle where the United States will be sunk as an artificial reef. APR joined a Mobile River cruise to find out why so many are suddenly drawn to the United States’ last hoorah.

Alabama Public Radio newsroom student intern Barry Carmichael recently reported on a bill before the state legislature that would widen the incentives to bring entertainment projects to Alabama. That list of films also feature “The Life of Chuck,” based on a novel by Stephen King, which was shot along the Alabama Gulf coast. That includes a tie-in to “Star Wars” and the observance of Sunday's “May the 4th Be With You” Day, which is followed by Monday's "Revenge of the 5th." Both are a play on words related to the Sci Fi film classic series.

A Mobile, Alabama woman and toddler whose remains were discovered scattered along an oceanfront highway not far from the victims of Long Island's infamous Gilgo Beach killings. The two were identified Wednesday as a U.S. Army veteran from Alabama and her daughter.

We’ve all heard of dogs sniffing for bombs or drugs. But what about sniffing for bacteria? APR headed to south Alabama where an environmental group is training man’s best friend to find untreated wastewater in local rivers and streams.

African American church leaders are speaking out over budget cuts being proposed by the Trump White House. The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture features artifacts from, and has sponsored research into, the slave ship Clotilda. The double masted schooner carried the last kidnapped Africans to be held as slaves at the time of the U.S. Civil War.

This week marks two hundred years since a 1825 tour of the United States by the Marquis de Lafayette. The French general served under George Washington during the Revolutionary War. LaFayette later became a key figure in the French Revolution in 1789. He also holds the distinction of being the only foreign leader ever invited to be a guest of the nation by order of Congress. President James Monroe asked LaFayette to tour the U.S., and that included Alabama.

Mardi Gras means parties and parades along the Alabama Gulf coast. That means it’s also prime time for people who like to catch the colorful beads and doubloons that are thrown from the parade floats. This may sound like all fun and games, but environmentalists say there’s a darker side to this Mardi Gras tradition.

The snow is still falling along the Gulf coast, but it’s already considered to be a record breaker. Early reports put the snowfall at Mobile Regional Airport at over six inches and five more in Pensacola. If so, that would break the five inch record in Alabama’s Port City set back in 1881. There was also three inches that fell in 1973 and a dusting in late 2017 and 2018.

Drivers in Mobile County are being urged to temporarily avoid bridges and roads as the Gulf coast shivers its way through what’s being called its first ever blizzard alert. Schools in Mobile, Baldwin, Washington, and Escambia Counties are reported closed through Wednesday. Parents should check with their child’s school for updates. The current snow warning for the Mobile area extends until 6 am Wednesday.