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Infant mortality

Officials from the Alabama Department of Public Health say that the infant death rate spiked last year to its highest level in years, reports AL.com's Savannah Tryens-Fernandes .

Of the 58,000 babies that were born in 2023, 449 did not live to age 1. That death rate - 7.8 per 1,000 - was a big jump from 2022, when Alabama saw a rate of 6.7 per 1,000, the lowest ever recorded in the state.

Nationally, the rate was 5.6 in 2022.

We continue to see the usual high-risk factors, including poverty, education, access to healthcare and race. The infant mortality rate for Black babies is more than twice that of white babies, although the increase last year largely reflected an increase in the deaths of white infants.

Last year a March of Dimes report came out that found a third of Alabama's counties were considered "maternity care deserts" because of a lack of birthing centers and maternity care providers.

State health officer Dr. Scott Harris believes that's a factor in these bad numbers.

On the other hand, ADPH numbers show that the rate of teenagers giving birth in Alabama was at its lowest number ever.

Social-studies changes

The first changes since 2010 to Alabama's social-studies standards could be coming soon, reports AL.com's Rebecca Griesbach .

One of the major adjustments being considered is having history classes spread across more grade levels so students can spend more time on some topics.

For example, Alabama state history would be taught in third through fifth grade, and world history and geography would be taught in seventh through nine grade.

In between, in sixth grade, students would look at early U.S. history with a civics perspective.

I should note here that there's a lot more history to cover than when you and I were in school. Officials are carving out more time to spend on things that happened during the 1970s and later.

New electives being considered include local history and the Holocaust.

Remembering good dogs

It's been quite a tough stretch for fans of celebrity dogs.

About a week ago, ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit's dog Ben died . Ben had actually become part of Herbstreit's brand, appearing alongside announcers at ballgames and showing up on football fields during pregame.

And now we've found out that a dog with a literary legacy has passed on.

If you read Alabama journalist and author Rick Bragg, you might know his 2021 book "The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and His People." That book told the story of Bragg's relationship with his dog, Speck.

Bragg told AL.com's Greg Garrison this week that Speck had died of cancer, like Ben.

Trying not the choke up, Bragg said he buried him out in his pasture underneath a big oak. "He wasn't some regular dog. I hadn't had a dog of my own since I was a young man, and I won't ever have another one."

Bobby Allison funeral procession

Fans can pay their respects to the NASCAR legend along Brooklane Drive and Davey Allison Boulevard at 2 p.m. Saturday in Hueytown, reports AL.com's Mark Inabinett .

Hueytown Police say the procession will leave Peoples Chapel Funeral Home at around 2 p.m. and travel south on Brooklane Drive to Davey Allison Boulevard on its way to Highland Memorial Gardens.

More Alabama news

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Huntsville Hospital reaches in-network status agreement with insurance giant

Lawmaker to lift hold on state contracts after liquor board makes rule change

Wes Allen: 'Absolutely opposed' to Alabama Voting Rights Act bill

Could snow fall on Alabama in November?

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