Jun 05, 2023

There's one day left in the 2023 Alabama state legislative session. That day will be Tuesday.

Late last week we saw Gov. Kay Ivey signing the education and general-fund budgets as well as a measure that gives motorist who owe fines a little more breathing room.

And we saw the state legislature give final passage to a bill increasing prison sentences for crimes related to a "criminal enterprise" (they moved away from the word "gang" in that one).

They also sent to the governor a capped version of the bill to exempt overtime pay from the state income tax, and the bill that would gradually cut the state's tax on groceries in half to 2 percent. (Note that your local taxes on food will still apply.)

So what's left?

AL.com's Mike Cason reports that you might look for some movement on HB209, which would make it a crime to request, obtain, deliver or prefile an absentee ballot application for somebody else.

There are exceptions in the bill, including for family members helping fill out the applications.

Republicans say it'll help prevent voter fraud, and Democrats say there are voters who need and count on such assistance.

It took until almost 1 a.m. this morning, but the University of Alabama baseball team is back in the Super Regionals for the first time since 2010, reports AL.com's Michael Casagrande.

The Tide beat Boston College 8-0 in a final that had a rain delay for over an hour and a half.

Alabama scored four runs in the first inning, and that was already enough behind Tide starter Jacob McNairy, who gave up three hits and struck out 11 over 7 2/3 innings.

In the Super Regionals, Alabama will face No. 1 overall seed Wake Forest in Winston Salem. That'll be a best-of-3 beginning Friday.

Boston College, incidentally, got to the Regional finals in Tuscaloosa by beating Troy 4-1 earlier Sunday.

Elsewhere, Auburn was eliminated in two games in the regional it hosted, and the Alabama softball team went two-and-out in the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.

“Being shot and in a hospital bed is a great place to talk about change.”

Carmone Owens of the Offender Alumni Association, which is trying to reach gunshot victims in Birmingham as they're recovering.

Born in 1850, wild west lawman Pat Garrett.

That's right: The man who killed Billy the Kid was born in Chambers County, Alabama.

You probably recall Patrick Wayne playing him in the original "Young Guns" movie. Or, if you have a little more gray over your ears, you might land on James Coburn in "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid."

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