Off the Record: The latest rumors and rumblings in Alabama
New acronyms. Same Arsenal.
The Pentagon dropped 162 new UFO files on their website this morning ranging from Apollo-era photographs, unresolved FBI cases, and reports of military encounters all over the world. Much of the country woke up curious. In Huntsville, some woke up and chuckled that the masses were pacified again. Because they signed off on that declassification decades ago. Today’s drop is a reminder it’s fun to think about Area 51. But according to years worth of some of the furthest off-record we’ve ever gone, that’s just where they hid the technology we didn’t know what to do with. Huntsville is where we actually learned how to use it.
WAFF vs WAAY?
After last Friday’s FCC approval, Huntsville’s WAAY 31 and WAFF 48 are now under the same ownership. Now the question is: what happens next? Insiders say significant transitions are already underway, with leadership roles being consolidated across two of the Rocket City’s leading stations. But beyond that, clarity is reportedly scarce for staffers and viewers alike. Employees are wondering what it means for anchors, reporters and the all-important weather teams and their chief meteorologists. Meanwhile, don’t forget about the other big media play in town: Nexstar Media Group, owner of WHNT 19, is purchasing TEGNA, parent company of WZDX FOX54. The FCC approved that $6.2 billion deal in March 2026. Around town, plenty of familiar television faces are likely wondering where they fit once the music stops.
Floods, fire alarms and floor votes … oh my!
Wicked weather swept through Montgomery Wednesday, flooding the first floor of the State House and throwing the building into mild chaos. One legislator told OTR, “Just a good reminder that Mother Nature could give a sh** about our special session.” Nevertheless, lawmakers carried on, passing both chambers’ redistricting special-election bills while alarms blared and water crept through the halls. Silver lining? Rumor has it the flooding took out several hidden recording devices. Nothing says “new State House” like a clean slate.
Viral — but not like that
Hantavirus is having a moment … online, anyway. The rodent-borne illness has gone viral (so to speak), with doomsday headlines and whispers of “pandemic” ricocheting around social media. Health officials, however, aren’t biting. Despite mortality rates for Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) reaching nearly 40%, the WHO puts public risk at “very low,” due to infection rates being rather rare. So much so, when OTR went looking for local concern, we couldn’t find any. Apparently the only thing spreading faster than hantavirus is the panic about it.
