BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Baldwin County commissioners plan to fight a state court's order to pay 4 percent of their BP settlement to a fund set aside for the plaintiffs' steering committee legal fees, according to a draft letter in county records.... More

BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Test results on soil at Magnolia Landfill indicate arsenic found in a test well in recent years is likely from naturally occurring chemicals at the Summerdale site, according to county records.... More

With four insurance proposals sponsored by south Alabama lawmakers on the governor's desk and a fifth on the verge of final passage in the Senate, do we still need the special session dedicated to insurance that Bentley pledged some two years ago? Two of the top insurance overhaul advocates in the Legislature disagree.... More

Editor's Note: "The Political Skinny" is an inside look at Alabama politics prepared by the staff of the Press-Register. For more information, email skinny@press-register.com or call 251-219-5623.... More

The new law requires that school not start before Aug. 20 this summer, nearly two weeks after most school districts in the Huntsville area planned to begin. The school year must end before Memorial Day.... More

For nearly all civil cases in circuit and district courts, fees would increase $45. For criminal cases, docket fees would rise $40. The additional fees would generate $36 million annually, according to the state's legislative fiscal office.... More

Paul DeMarco: Are you a traitor?... More

Mayor Sam Jones spent nearly $33,000 in campaign cash in 2011, more than half of the money he had on hand at the beginning of the year, according to his annual campaign-finance report.... More

"What the Senate sent us was totally unacceptable, unworkable and meaningless," House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, told reporters. He added that he was "disappointed we weren't able to tackle that in this session, but I am confident that we will continue to work on that and get something done."... More

What do you call that place where politicians go to be buried? Common ground.... More