Ruth Serven Smith - Profile and Journalist Details

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Total articles 961

• Trump announces major student loan update for borrowers, Department of Education

  By Ruth Serven Smith Verified| AL.com Verified President Donald Trump said Friday that he wants to move control and oversight of the federal student loan portfolio. The brief announcement came a day after Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education -- and a day after his spokeswoman said she did not expect changes to student loans and special education services.

  By Ruth Serven Smith Verified · AL.com

  Mar. 21, 2025

• Department of Education shutdown: Will you still have to pay your student loan? What about FAFSA?

  By Ruth Serven Smith Verified| AL.com Verified President Donald Trump signed an executive order March 20 to “begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all.”But the department can’t actually be shut down without an act of Congress -- and neither can your student loan debt. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Thursday that she expected some key functions of the Education Department, including federal student loans and special education funding, to remain at the reduced agency.

  By Ruth Serven Smith Verified · AL.com

  Mar. 20, 2025

• At least 33 dead in massive US storm, new deaths reported in Kansas, Mississippi

  By Ruth Serven Smith Verified| AL.com Verified Violent tornadoes and high winds decimated homes, wiped out schools and toppled semitractor-trailers as a monster storm that also produced dust storms and icy conditions killed at least 33 people across the central and southern U.S.Missouri resident Dakota Henderson said he and others rescuing trapped neighbors found five bodies scattered in the debris Friday night outside what remained of his aunt’s house in hard-hit Wayne County.

  By Ruth Serven Smith Verified · AL.com

  Mar. 16, 2025

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Company Info

AL.com

AL.com is a prominent digital news platform operated by Alabama Media Group, which is part of Advance Local Media. Alabama Media Group is recognized as one of the most innovative local media companies in the U.S. and is owned by Advance Publications. The group manages several digital brands, including AL.com, the AL Education Lab, and This is Alabama, along with electronic editions of major newspapers in Alabama. AL.com serves as the primary source for local news, sports, and entertainment in Alabama, attracting an average of 11 million monthly users. In addition to news coverage, Alabama Media Group offers digital marketing services, operates a film production group called Advance Originals, and manages national brands like It’s a Southern Thing. The company also produces a variety of newsletters and podcasts, enhancing its engagement with the community. AL.com has received significant accolades, including four Pulitzer Prizes, highlighting the quality of its journalism.