© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Suspects Sought in Alabama Church Burnings

Hazel White, 73, is a lifetime member of Galilee Baptist Church. The small church in Panola, Ala., burned to the ground in a suspected arson fire. All that's left is the twisted iron railing and front steps.
Kathy Lohr, NPR
Hazel White, 73, is a lifetime member of Galilee Baptist Church. The small church in Panola, Ala., burned to the ground in a suspected arson fire. All that's left is the twisted iron railing and front steps.
Galilee Baptist Church Pastor Bob Little says whoever burned the church down had to know where to find it. Generations of the faithful are buried in the church's graveyard.
Kathy Lohr, NPR /
Galilee Baptist Church Pastor Bob Little says whoever burned the church down had to know where to find it. Generations of the faithful are buried in the church's graveyard.

Federal and state investigators in Alabama are looking for suspects in a series of fires that have burned Baptist churches in rural areas of the state in the past two weeks. Many congregations are planning to rebuild, and vow not to be intimidated.

At least 10 rural churches have been struck by fire. This past week, the Galilee Baptist Church in Panloa, Ala., burned to the ground. The area is so remote that investigators believe the perpetrators must have known the church's location and targeted it.

In Gainesville, Ala., a fire started inside the front pews of Spring Valley Baptist Church but the building remains standing. The ceiling is blackened and the air reeks.

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) surveyed the damage at Spring Valley Baptist Church and found many congregants determined to rebuild.

"If you think you've intimidated somebody, you hadn't intimidated anybody," he says. "If you think you've got a lot of folks scared in west Alabama, you've also got a lot of folks praying in west Alabama."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Whether covering the manhunt and eventual capture of Eric Robert Rudolph in the mountains of North Carolina, the remnants of the Oklahoma City federal building with its twisted metal frame and shattered glass, flood-ravaged Midwestern communities, or the terrorist bombings across the country, including the blast that exploded in Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta, correspondent Kathy Lohr has been at the heart of stories all across the nation.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content