ORANGE BEACH – One of the first things you notice about Basch Jernigan is the happy light in his eyes.

The second is the song in his heart. This budding musician, scholar and community volunteer has worked to spread that happiness and the song by being involved in Pleasure Island in a variety of ways.

Click here to view more... Gulf Shores teen wins Island Spirit award – GulfCoastNewsToday.com: The (Gulf Shores And Orange Beach) Islander.

PERDIDO KEY, Alabama — Tom Vogel is not only an artist but he gives of his time helping other artists. He travels to Orange Beach weekly to volunteer at the Coastal Arts Center of Orange Beach (formerly the Orange Beach Art Gallery).

“I really enjoy my time at the art center; I help with whatever needs doing,” he said.

Click here to view more... Get to Know Tom Vogel | al.com.

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — The Baldwin Rural Area Transportation System held an open house on Thursday, May 17 to celebrate the expansion of its facility, located on County Road 54 in Robertsdale.

Officials from the Baldwin County Commission, local municipalities, Alabama Department of Transportation and Thompson Engineering, which oversaw the construction, attended the celebration.

Click here to view more... BRATS expands facility in Robertsdale – GulfCoastNewsToday.com: News.

MOBILE, Alabama — Daphne-raised jihadist Omar Hammami has released a 127-page autobiography declaring that he is “alive and well” in Somalia.

Hammami, who in 2006 joined the al-Qaida-linked Somali group al-Shabaab, released a video earlier this year describing fears that his life was in danger. Last month, there was an unconfirmed report that he’d been killed by his jihadist comrades.

Click here to view more... Daphne-raised jihadist Omar Hammami declares he’s alive in memoir | al.com.

GULF SHORES, Alabama — They are here for the music but from the moment festival goers go through the gate where they are searched and scanned.

“The safety issue is the only concern that I have,” according to Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft. It’s a priority at this years music fest.

via Hangout Music Festival: Safety and Security | WKRG.

GULF SHORES, Alabama — The massive crowds in front of the stages for performances by Alabama Shakes and Yelawolf this afternoon made one thing quite clear: Alabama is on the map for hot music.  And nowhere is the music hotter this weekend than at the Hangout Music Festival.

Click here to view more... Hangout Fest: Music fans soak up local Alabama flavor | al.com.

GULF SHORES, Alabama — S’mores, campfires, live music and the beach — what could be better?

That’s what officials in Gulf Shores are saying as they get ready for the first S’mores on the Shore of the season at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the west end of the Gulf Shores Public Beach.

Click here to view more... S’mores on the Shore heats up Thursday in Gulf Shores | al.com.

GULF SHORES, Alabama — SummerTide Theatre, the professional summer theater of the University of Alabama, will return to Gulf Shores for the ninth season with the Tony Award-nominated musical revue “Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller.”

Click here to view more... SummerTide Theatre set to open musical revue ‘Smokey Joe’s Cafe’ June 1 in Gulf Shores | al.com.

GULF SHORES, Alabama — I last saw the Alabama Shakes 49 days ago as they played to an intimate crowd of family, friends and hometown fans.

Waiting for their set to begin at the Hangout Music Fest on Friday afternoon, I realized the setting could not be more different than that March show at Crossroads Cafe in Huntsville: Outdoors, on the beach at one of the first major music festivals of the season, in front of a crowd full of people likely seeing them for the first time.

Click here to view more... Alabama Shakes seize their moment in Gulf Shores sun at Hangout Fest | al.com.

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama – The Robertsdale City Council will receive an additional settlement from BP Exploration & Production Inc. for lost revenues following the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

At its regular meeting Friday morning, city attorney Ken Raines presented the settlement to members of the Robertsdale City Council, stating that it had come to his attention that government entities, who had received a settlement from BP, would be able to file an additional claim for lost revenues.

Click here to view more... Robertsdale to get additional settlement from BP – GulfCoastNewsToday.com: Local News.

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) – A 28-year-old Gulfport man has been sentenced to prison for 37 months and ordered to make restitution of $27,000 for fraud involving an oil-spill recovery claim.

The Sun Herald reports Moses W. Keys was sentenced Wednesday.

Click here to view more... Man gets prison for oil-spill fraud | Fox10tv.com.

GULF SHORES, Alabama — A half-hour before the gates were scheduled to open at the 2012 Hangout Music Fest, was founder Shaul Zislin chilling in the VIP area, or hobnobbing with the stars? Nope.

He was riding a bicycle up Beach Boulevard, patiently guiding a bus to its parking spot through a melee of forklifts, utility vehicles and foot traffic, all part of the last-minute preparations.

Click here to view more... Hangout Fest founder: ‘Whatever it takes’ to get the party under way | al.com.

BAY MINETTE, Alabama — Facing a manslaughter charge in the death of little Teela Murphy, Christopher Smith said nothing during his preliminary hearing. Defense attorney Jim Byrd maintains last month’s shooting that killed murphy and critically wounded her half-brother Jayden was an accident.

“Chris talked to them and told them from the get-go that he didn’t pull the trigger the gun went off.”

via Fairhope Shooting Update; “That was a stupid thing to do” | WKRG.

BAY MINETTE, Alabama — Voters in Baldwin County have a tough decision to make when they head to the polls in November- help fund public education or deal with possible layoffs and cuts.

The county’s temporary, one-percent school sales tax expires next year. Voters will be asked to extend the tax for another five years.

via A Vote To Save Public Education In Baldwin County? | WKRG.

GULF SHORES, Alabama — The Hangout Fest Kick-Off Party has begun, and fans are trickling in to enjoy an early taste of music this afternoon and evening from 10 bands on two stages. Tauk finished playing a few minutes ago on the BP Shaka Island Kids Stage, and Nobody Beats the Drum just started dropping some bass-heavy beats at the Xbox Stage.  The Kick-Off Party will continue until 11 p.m., culminating with performances by Big Gigantic and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Click here to view more... Hangout Fest Kick-Off Party gets the music started in Gulf Shores (gallery) | al.com.

FAIRHOPE, Alabama — A Baldwin County grand jury will determine if a Fairhope teen will face charges that he shot and killed his 5-year-old stepsister and wounded his 3-year-old stepbrother with the same shot, a judge ruled today.

Christopher Tyler Smith, 17, was arrested on a manslaughter charge after Teela Anne Murphy died and her brother, Jayden L. Smith, was wounded, according to previously published reports.

Click here to view more... Baldwin County teen shooting case sent to grand jury | al.com.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) – Dolphins in the Mississippi Sound from western Horn Island to eastern Petit Bois Island have been photographed since the summer of 2010 as part of the assessment of damages from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

On Wednesday, representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality demonstrated how the on-the-water portion of the bottlenose dolphins study has been conducted.

Click here to view more... Dolphins photographed in damage assessment | Mobile AL, Pensacola FL News, Weather, Sports | WPMI-TV | Local15TV.com.

GULF SHORES, Alabama — On Thursday, Hangout Fest creator Shaul Zislin offered select members of the media a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life for the festival's VIP ticket holders and its artists, and the view was amazing.

Sitting just to the north of the main Hangout Stage, a three-tiered Cabana World glistens in a combination of water and shade.

Click here to view more... Hangout’s Zislin offers sneak peak of festival VIP areas (photos, video) | al.com.

GULF SHORES, Alabama — A 37-year-old Silverhill man pleaded guilty this week in federal court to charges involving a credit card skimming operation, according to Gulf Shores police.

Bruce Jason Klein will be sentenced in August in U.S. District Court in Mobile. He was arrested in Gulf Shores last December after the credit card scheme was uncovered during a surveillance operation conducted by local police. He was charged with identity theft and offense against computer equipment and supplies.

Click here to view more... Credit card skimmer pleads guilty | al.com.

BALDWIN COUNTY, Alabama — Spring football contests kickoff this weekend with four Baldwin teams participating in games.

On Friday, Gulf Shores High will entertain Saraland High at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium, while Daphne High will travel to Thomasville High.

Click here to view more... Four Baldwin teams playing spring football games this weekend – al.com.