SUMMARY: The 41st Annual Bernard Bloomin Festival will take place in Coleman, Alabama, on April 5-6 at the Saint Bernard Abbey and Prep School. The event features arts, crafts, food, and family-friendly activities, including blacksmith demonstrations, handmade goods, and a variety of food options. Visitors can enjoy unique items like pottery, hummingbird feeders, and cypress lawn furniture, and even take home bread baked by the monks. A $5 donation gives attendees a chance to win a 2025 Buick Encore GX, with additional prizes like drones and iPods. The festival runs rain or shine, with tickets available for a $10 donation at the door.

The 41st Annual Bloomin’ Festival Arts and Craft Fair will be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 5-6, 2025. St. Bernard has been recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society for many years as a “Top Twenty Event in the Southeast.”

Bloomin’ Festival is a two-day juried arts festival attracting more than 25,000 visitors to the beautiful campus of St. Bernard Abbey and Preparatory School. Located adjacent to the school is the world-famous Ave Maria Grotto. The picturesque landscape of stone cut buildings on the grounds of Alabama’s only abbey provides a backdrop for the outdoor show. More than 150 booths are filled with artists demonstrating and exhibiting their unique handcrafted work. The festival is the largest fundraiser annually for the operation and maintenance of the school.

Special reduced admission rates are offered to festival attendees all weekend to visit Ave Maria Grotto. Completing the weekend is the give-away of a new automobile & other valuable prizes!

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SUMMARY: A new PTSD Awareness license plate in Alabama aims to support counseling services for people with PTSD, including veterans, first responders, and sexual assault victims. Created by Sojourn Counseling in Vestavia Hills, the initiative needs 1,000 commitments by the end of May to move forward. The plates would raise funds to help Sojourn expand its services, which provided over $300,000 in free or reduced-cost care in 2024. The plates would also serve as a symbol of hope for healing. However, the project is at risk without additional support, as only 500 commitments have been secured so far.

PTSD car tags could bring hope and healing to Alabama, but support is urgently needed

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by Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
March 28, 2025

Federal immigration officials have moved an an University of Alabama graduate student to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Jena, Louisiana.

An attorney for Alireza Doroudi confirmed Friday afternoon after the ICE detainee locator listed where he was detained. For several days, the detainee locator only stated he was “in ICE custody” but did not list any location. The facility in Jena is holding several international students targeted by federal authorities.

David Rozas, Doroudi’s attorney, disputed claims by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that his client posed a national security concern.

Doroudi, an Iranian national pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering, was taken into custody by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit on Tuesday around 3 a.m., Rozas said in a statement sent on Friday. Immigration authorities cited the U.S. State Department’s revocation of Doroudi’s student visa as the reason for his arrest.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Doroudi “posed significant national security concerns.” The spokesperson declined to provide further details about what the concerns were, saying “That is all we are able to share at this time.”

Rozas challenged that characterization, saying he was unaware “of any allegations concerning significant national security issues.”

“He has not been arrested for any crime, nor has he participated in any anti-government protests,” the statement from Rozas said. “He is legally present in the U.S., pursuing his American dream by working towards his doctorate in mechanical engineering.”

Rozas added that Doroudi’s student visa was still active and that he was in the early stages of applying for permanent residency as a researcher.

Student organizers from the Students for Justice in Palestine, a student organization at UA, said Thursday that Doroudi had no involvement in recent pro-Palestine protests at the university or with the organization.

Doroudi’s fiancé, Sama Ebrahimi Bajgani, started a GoFundMe to help cover his legal expenses, garnering over $21,000 in about a day. She said in a LinkedIn post that Doroudi’s is set to defend his dissertation next academic year and has been “fully engaged” in academic work and research projects in the department.

“His dedication and achievements have earned him recognition in his field and led to his selection to apply for permanent residency,” she wrote in a post.

The University of Alabama has not provided further details about the situation. Spokesperson Alex House did not respond to messages Friday after initially stating that the university was cooperating with immigration authorities. House did not address whether the university was offering Doroudi any assistance.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

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