Jul. 16, 2025

Thank y'all for continuing to read and tune in to Down in Alabama. Enjoy your Wednesday.

Caroline Vincent

Looking for the podcast? Click here or check other options below.

Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies executed search warrants at 14 locations across six Alabama counties Tuesday, targeting alleged drug trafficking, human smuggling, document fraud, and financial crimes.

Authorities are searching for Cesar Campos Reyes, a restaurant owner accused of $225,000 in fraudulent federal loans, while more than 40 suspected undocumented workers were detained pending deportation,reports AL.com.

Hal Nash, the new head of Alabama’s parole board, observed his first day of hearings without voting, stating “this board’s going to strive to be very fair.”

Sarah Whites-Koditschek reports that Nash, appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey to replace controversial chairperson Leigh Gwathney, brings a law enforcement background to a board that granted parole to just 8% of eligible inmates in 2023 but has increased to about 20% this year.

An independent autopsy shows 18-year-old Jabari Peoples was shot in the lower back during a fatal encounter with Homewood police, but attorneys say key questions remain unanswered without body camera footage.

The bullet wasn’t found in Peoples’ body, raising questions about the trajectory and cause of death.

 Attorney Eric Hertz said at Tuesday’s press conference, “We need the bullet,” reports Carol Robinson.

Samantha Ingram, running for Mobile City Council, hasn’t voted in Alabama since 2006 and cast her last ballot in Georgia, raising questions about her eligibility.

While Ingram claims she’s lived in Mobile since 2023, records show she remains registered in Georgia.

The controversy highlights residency requirements for local elections, reports John Sharp, as the August 26 election approaches.

If you miss that feeling of sitting down with in-depth, local reporting, consider subscribing to the Huntsville Times, Birmingham News, or Mobile Press-Register. 

By subscribing, you’ll get a new daily digital edition in an email link, or you can use an app to download the new edition every day on your smartphone or tablet. You also get exclusive access to stories written for our subscribers. 

“Down in Alabama” listeners get your first month free by going to al.com/digitalsubscription/exclusive and enter the promo code DIAPOD. 

Hear us talk about the coming podcast "American Shrapnel."

You can find “Down in Alabama” wherever you get your podcasts, including these places:

We appreciate you for taking the time to read today. Hope you're able to check back soon. Meantime, reply to this email with any suggestions you might have.

If you're so inclined, we'd love it if you'd forward to friends who might be interested in reading. (And if you're someone who's been forwarded this newsletter, we encourage you to subscribe and get this in your inbox every day.)