Pregnant women in 43 of 67 counties have little or no access to maternity care. According to a new report from the ACLU, pregnant Alabamians travel an average of over 17 miles and 23 minutes to a birthing hospital. The group says that care gap is compounded by the state's near-total abortion ban, which has no exception for rape or incest. The analysis also shows Alabama's maternal mortality rate is nearly twice the national average rate and even higher among Black women. The ACLU points to 2023 closures of obstetric programs at Shelby Baptist in Alabaster and Princeton Baptist in Birmingham as part of the access problem.
LGBTQ advocates are pushing back after student journalists uncovered a quiet policy change at the University of Alabama System. The University of Alabama, UAB, and UAH removed references to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression from key non-discrimination policies. University spokesperson Alex House says the wording changed to match current federal law. While every other public university in Alabama continues to explicitly protect LGBTQ-plus students, advocates fear national political trends could push more schools to quietly strip those safeguards.
Montgomery police are investigating a single vehicle crash that left a 58-year-old man dead. Reports show MPD responded on Wednesday, July 29th around 8:30 p.m. to a single-vehicle collision on Woodmere Boulevard. There officers found 58-year-old James Bell Cudworth, Jr. with life threatening injures. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died. The investigation is ongoing.
School districts in the Wiregrass continue to deal with a school bus shortage. Dothan City Schools Transportation Director Dr. Erica Hall says every school system in the country is feeling the pain. The Economic Policy Institute reports there are 21-thousand fewer drivers on the road than before the COVID-19 pandemic. She says Dothan is addressing the shortage by offering ride-alongs, welcoming retirees, and focusing on retention.