7. A federal grand jury indicted nine people – Eusebio Cruz-Zurita of Mexico and Edgar Esmain Rivas-Martinez of Honduras, and seven others – for illegally reentering the United States after previous deportations, signaling a crackdown on immigration violations. Karim Arguello-Barraza, 22, of Mexico was separately charged with possessing a firearm as an alien, adding to the bevy of federal offenses. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Alabama’s Northern District are prosecuting the cases while also equipping federal agents and local law enforcement with regular training to tackle immigration-related crimes effectively.

6. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen and 20 other state election officials have called on the Department of Homeland Security to overhaul the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, citing its inadequacies in detecting noncitizens attempting to vote, a priority echoed by President Trump. In a letter to DHS chief Kristi Noem, the officials emphasized that improving the program would strengthen election integrity, a cause Allen has championed despite previous roadblocks from the Biden administration during his 2024 Senate testimony. For Allen, who views noncitizen voting as a direct threat to Alabama’s electoral process, these updates represent a vital tool to enforce his strict policy and ensure only citizens participate in the state’s elections.

5. Under President Donald Trump’s directive to streamline federal agencies, NASA is closing several offices, including its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility branch, the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy, and the Office of the Chief Scientist. Acting Administrator Janet Petro informed employees via memo that this “phased reduction in force” is a strategic move to reshape NASA’s workforce ahead of a government deadline. The closures, part of the “Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative,” aim to ensure the agency remains effective while meeting its legal mandates and focusing on the actual work of the agency, not the political machinations of bureaucrats.

4. Alabama’s State Board of Education will decide Thursday whether to intervene in Dallas County Schools, a struggling rural system where enrollment has fallen to just over 2,200 students and financial audits revealed unreconciled payments and unbid $4.8 million contracts. State Superintendent Eric Mackey, after issuing a show cause letter on Feb. 21, signaled the takeover due to unspecified governance and financial woes, despite the district’s slight academic improvement from a 75 to a 79 on the state report card. Dallas County’s school board voted to accept state assistance, mirroring the paths of Sumter County and Bessemer City, where intervention has addressed similar declines but left ongoing staffing and consolidation challenges.

3. Auburn’s reign as college basketball’s No. 1 ended with a slide to No. 3 in the final AP Poll after losses to Texas A&M and Alabama, the top spots now belong to Duke and Houston while the SEC retained three of the top five. Alabama settled in at No. 5, the first time the Crimson Tide held a top 10 ranking from opening tip to final buzzer, bolstered by the conference’s strength with Florida at No. 4, Tennessee at No. 8, and Texas A&M and Kentucky rounding out six top-15 teams. As the SEC Tournament looms, the conference, potentially sending double-digit teams to the NCAA Tournament, promises an explosive postseason with Mississippi State dropping out but Missouri hanging on at No. 21.

2. The Magic City Acceptance Academy is once again in the spotlight for being a public school pushing an obvious LGBTQ+ and DEI agenda through events like drag queen talks and donations of books on sexuality from the Interfaith Alliance. State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) has already predicted legislative action in 2025. State Rep. Ed Oliver (R-Dadeville) and State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) have called out the school’s shift from hiding its radical focus to flaunting it, clashing with Alabama’s divisive concepts law, originally sponsored by Oliver and strengthened by State Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road). Meanwhile, State Rep. Mack Butler (R-Rainbow City) pushes HB 244 to reinforce classroom bans on ideology, arguing that MCAA prioritizes radicalism over reading, writing, and arithmetic.

1. State Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) has proposed four tax cut bills that are projected to save Alabama families $314.6 million yearly by lowering grocery taxes to 2%, doubling the retirement income exemption to $12,000, and easing income tax burdens through expanded deductions. The package also gives local governments the flexibility to further cut food taxes with other measures to target middle- and lower-income residents with a $23.8 million tax break, building on Alabama’s push to become tax-friendly. Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) lauded the measures, noting that since 2022, the Legislature has balanced such cuts with paying off state debt and issuing $393 million in rebates, ensuring robust finances while delivering relief to citizens.

Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and from 10-11 a.m. on Talk 99.5 and News Radio 1440, with a rebroadcast on WVNN at 10 p.m.