Jul 24, 2023

It's Monday, so don't forget the quiz below. Also, there are multiple items on saltwater animals for you seafaring and beach-bumming types.

Ike Morgan

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In the biggest surprise since humidity in July, a political party was tasked with making changes that might benefit its opponent in the next election, and it didn't create widespread harmony.

Now that the Alabama legislature has drafted and approved a measure creating a brand-new Congressional district map, per court order, and Gov. Kay Ivey has signed that measure into law, the next question is whether the courts will weigh back in on what Alabama's Republican majority did.

AL.com's Mike Cason reports that state Democrats are less than pleased with the outcome.

A federal court had found that Alabama's Congressional district map may have been defying the Voting Rights Act, that the state's Black population is high enough and dense enough geographically to support two highly minority districts, and that the Legislature should adjust the Congressional districts so that a second one was majority Black or something close to it.

So the Republican-dominated State House came up with a plan that would maintain a Black majority in District 7, and would increase District 2 from 30-percent Black to 40-percent Black.

That's clearly a change. But it's clearly not a Black majority. And it's clearly not suddenly a slam-dunk for the Democrats to take District 2.

What's not clear is how the court will feel about it.

It didn't take long for the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo to produce a hoss of a fish.

WKRG-TV reported that on Friday, an angler off Dauphin Island hauled in a 1,019-pound tiger shark. It was 13 feet long and fought for about 45 minutes until they got him to the boat. Brett Rutlege reeled him in.

For more on the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo check out al.com/life.

As north Gulf Coast folks know, we're well into manatee-spotting season, and they'll be around until this fall when it starts cooling off.

(They like to split before most of the snowbirds get here.)

But for now, researchers are wanting help keeping eyes peeled for the threatened species around Dauphine Island, reports AL.com's Mary Helene Hall.

Of course, they want boaters to keep their eyes peeled to they don't run them over. But they're also asking people to report sightings by calling 1-866-493-5803, emailing manatee@disl.edu or register it on the website at manatee.disl.edu.

Back by popular demand. Includes items on the state's cities and critters.

$10,000

That's the reward offered by the Rock the South music festival to help authorities investigate a reported assault that happened during the event.

In 1900, Zelda Sayre of Montgomery, later Zelda Fitzgerald, socialite, wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, and an author and artist herself.

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