ROME — Pope Leo XIV has appointed Maria Montserrat Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, to lead the Vatican’s communications office, placing a top executive from the Alabama-born Catholic media giant in one of the Holy See’s most important media posts. Alvarado will become prefect of the Dicastery for Communication on Nov.…

BESSEMER, Ala. — A masked intruder cut through a wall to enter the Bessemer insurance office of Ken McFeeters, a former Republican candidate for Alabama governor, leaving the business ransacked but apparently taking nothing, according to local reporting and police. Authorities said there is no indication so far that the break-in was politically motivated. McFeeters,…

HOOVER, Ala. — The Riverchase Galleria, long one of Alabama’s best-known shopping destinations, is on the market as mall owners and local leaders confront a retail landscape that has changed dramatically around it, with shoppers increasingly favoring online purchases and more mixed-use destinations over traditional enclosed malls. The 39-year-old mall, Alabama’s largest enclosed shopping center,…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Kay Ivey has declared June as “Strong Families Month” in Alabama, putting the state’s weight behind a proclamation that emphasizes traditional family structures as Pride Month gets underway. The governor’s office said Ivey signed the proclamation Friday and that it is intended to recognize the role of parents in child development.…

PINSON, Ala. — Two children died Saturday after a drowning incident at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve, according to authorities and local television reports. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the deaths after the children were taken to Children’s of Alabama, WBRC reported. ABC 33/40 reported that a preliminary investigation indicated the children were with their…