Jun 21, 2023

Good morning, everybody. Today's newsletter is dedicated to Hollywood's great history-based epic movies (see the "Quoting" section below for more on that).

Ike Morgan

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Alabama's state lawmakers have until July 21 to draw and approve a new map of the state's congressional districts, reports AL.com's Mike Cason.

That's the order from a federal district court. If the Legislature can't get it done, the court will use its own experts to work up a map.

Don't expect that to happen. State House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said to expect a special session in July.

Re-drawing the Congressional map is necessary after the U.S. Supreme Court found that the current districts, as drawn, likely violate the Voting Rights Act. So the expectation is that lawmakers come up with a map that has two majority or near-majority Black districts.

On the line politically is the balance of Alabama's Congressional delegation. One out of the state's seven U.S. representatives is a Democrat. Will two near-majority Black districts mean there will be two Democratic representatives? Or will it split Democratic voters just enough that we'll have two more competitive districts?

As I'm writing this, the search is still underway for the submersible watercraft Titan, which has been missing in the Atlantic Ocean since the weekend after it went down to search the wreckage of the Titanic.

The U.S. Coast Guard told media outlets Tuesday night that a Canadian aircraft had been able to detect noises from beneath the surface, but given the Titan's limited volume of oxygen, the search was racing against time.

Meanwhile, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville has detailed its role as OceanGate developed the Titan submersible craft, reports AL.com's Lee Roop.

Marshall said the center and its employees did not test or build the Titan but that it consulted with OceanGate on materials and manufacturing processes.

It looks like Hank Aaron's childhood home could be headed back to its old neighborhood, reports AL.com's John Sharp.

Aaron, who's still baseball's real home run king to many of us, grew up in the house in the Toulminville neighborhood. If it clears a vote by the City Council, probably next week, it'll be relocated to that community on city property near the Mobile Police Department's third precinct.

Original Ben’s Jr. Bar-B-Que is returning to Fairhope -- likely this summer -- its management recently told Lawrence Specker for The Lede.

“I thought it was a movie. But then they’re like: No, it was based on a true story. Not like a fake true story. It was a real true story."

Marlon Humphrey on "Titanic"

The current Baltimore Ravens and former Hoover High and University of Alabama cornerback was talking to radio host Rich Eisen on his Twitter admission to .

1,200

The additional spots for children created by this fall's expansion of Alabama's First Class Pre-K program.

1967: Derrick Coleman of Mobile, former NBA All-Star

1972: Allison Moorer, a singer who grew up in Frankville and other locations in southwestern Alabama

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