Challen Stephens

Pulitzer club of Alabama keeps growing!! 4 wins & one finalist at AL.com in last 5 years. Lots of love for these talented folks #Bham

Important new story out from @njdotcom and partners about how little nursing homes spend on feeding residents. The Hunger Games: Many nursing homes feed residents on less than $10 a day: ‘That’s appallingly low.’ nj.com/news/2025/04/m… @TedShermanSL @SusanKLivio

Alabama frequently denies parole to people who are in minimum-security lockup, working regular jobs & walking around in regular clothes or fast-food uniforms each day, arguing that they’re safe enough to work, but not to sleep at home. (By @IvanaSuzette) al.com/news/2024/12/a…

“I don’t know of anyone else who wouldn’t be anxious in that position. And especially when they sent me to jail at three in the morning after all of that." youtu.be/SNawfCJxVSk

What she didn't know was DRE officers -- more than 8,000 across 50 states -- say they can tell who is too high to drive and on what by systematically staring into eyes, pinching muscles, taking blood pressure & pulse, studying speech & balance. Critics call it junk science.

Haley Butler-Moore was pulled over for speeding. Police said she seemed high. Having taken nothing, she thought meeting the Drug Recognition Expert would clear her. “I agreed to it, but I didn’t understand that at that point it was already over." al.com/news/2024/10/p…

Alabama finally lost it with the broken parole board, Dem & GOP lawmakers grilling the chair over why hardly anyone gets out -- despite rules saying most should be paroled. “Either the process is broken or her decision-making process is terrible." al.com/news/2024/10/a…

"It is puzzling that in this case, the State downplays the significance of the new DNA evidence when the State otherwise relies on similar DNA evidence to secure convictions and clear cold cases," wrote a federal judge. Great reporting on injustice in an AL #deathpenalty case.

A man (another one) who is clearly innocent sits on Alabama's death row. 30 years after his conviction, DNA evidence points to someone else. Alabama wants to execute him, anyway. al.com/news/2024/10/w…

This was a pretty tough one to write about my hometown. But it is in an existential moment. al.com/news/2024/10/a…

Alabama still plans to execute this guy, but DNA from '92 now matches someone else in prison. State says OK, she maybe slept with that other guy first...then invited in some homeless guys who raped her and left no DNA. Judge: “the theory defies logic, common sense, and science.”

This is an amazing honor and I'm still pinching myself. Looking so forward to being a part of this board.

Gas stations sell hemp products that look like marijuana, smell like marijuana, can provide the same high as marijuana, and can cause a failed drug test just like marijuana. In Alabama, the consequences can be devastating. (via @AmyKingsley4) al.com/news/2024/08/s…

Now for a 🧵 about 🍃 + an @examinationnews 🔍 Without much notice or scrutiny, it is now possible to buy THC products in most US states - including in places like Alabama, where marijuana remains illegal and can lead to jail time.

Off the Oregon coast, nearly two thirds of the kelp canopy vanished in the last decade. “Fast forward to now, the ocean without kelp doesn’t feel vibrant anymore, it doesn’t have much activity, much life.” oregonlive.com/environment/20…

Already threatened by invasive species, whitefish are struggling as NOAA reports record low ice cover for the Great Lakes. “With no ice coverage, they’re hatching like a month early — like premature babies." mlive.com/environment/20…

Fishermen and scientists are seeing surprising changes over last 15 years. Ecosystem off Oregon is vanishing. Gulf is turning tropical. Great Lakes are losing ice cover. Jersey shore is heating up fast. Reporting from across four newsrooms al.com/news/2024/07/w…

@AliceWatch Also NOAA research.noaa.gov/2024/02/13/gre…

Trememdous honor for @MarshallProj to be a runner-up for this year's Molly Prize, with our amazing reporting partners @aldotcom @readfrontier @postandcourier @MSTODAYnews & @guardian