Pat Duggins
@dugginsnews
News Director, Alabama Public Radio, 1st radio newsroom to win the “John Seigenthaler Prize for Courage in Journalism” from RFK Human Rights. Award winning journalist, author, & former NPR NASA correspondent. Member, U.S. State Department Speaker Program.
To keep the conversation going… “What Ukraine has done with drone technology is mind blowing,” said Alex Drueke of Alabama. He volunteered to fight for the Ukrainian army. That includes ground based battle drones. He’s my guest on “APR Notebook.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2MB...
Melinda French Gates is sending money to Alabama. And, a Tuscaloosa health center gets an int’l spotlight. WAWC Healthcare was one of the state’s largest providers of abortions @pivotalventures.bsky.social @melindafrenchgates.bsky.social @ppfa.org #abortion #health www.apr.org/news/2026-07...
To keep the conversation going… “What Ukraine has done with drone technology is mind blowing,” said Alex Drueke of Alabama. He volunteered to fight for the Ukrainian army. Drueke saw Ukraine’s ground drone technology first hand. He’s my guest on “APR Notebook.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2MB...
Speaking of July 4th…What’s better than having Francis Scott Key (Star Spangled Banner) on your family tree? How about also being a descendant of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Great Gatsby)? Click below for my “APR Notebook” interview with Mobile novelist Watt Key. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSe4...
Speaking of America 250, Denmark celebrates U.S. independence with its annual “Rebild Festival” on July 4th. James Niiler reports… www.apr.org/news/2026-07... @america250.bsky.social @uaccis.bsky.social @au.dk @maddow.bsky.social @lawrenceodonnell.bsky.social @rtdna.bsky.social #4thofjuly
No cooking in the Duggins’ home this Fourth of July. Made a pilgrimage to Archibald’s in Tuscaloosa.
On the earthquakes in Venezuela…Mariangel Rincon was one of the many delegates I spoke to for the US State Department. She’s from Caracas. Mariangel and I exchanged messages on Instagram on how things are going. www.apr.org/news/2026-06...
I got to cover World Cup 1994, the last time the international soccer championship came to the United States. Also, Lucia and I snagged nice seats for Morocco versus Belgium – – hence the ball cap!
To keep the conversation going…Yaryna Zhurba, co-founder of Ukrainian Puzzles, explains how more Ukrainians died fighting in World War II than Americans, French, and British combined. On “APR Notebook” on Alabama Public Radio. www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7XE...
For Juneteenth—Super proud of two Alabama Public Radio newsroom interns, who helped APR win two Public Media Journalists Association nat’l First Place Awards for our civil rights series “…a death, a bridge, and a seat on the bus.” www.apr.org/news/2025-12...
It’s nice to be mentioned in Smithsonian Magazine! It’s a report on America’s 250th anniversary. It’s about endangered historic sites from the civil rights movement. That’s where the author kindly dropped my name. @smithsonian @npr #news #radio #journalism www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/t...
Lucia and I saw Morocco play Belgium in Orlando during World Cup USA 1994.
To keep a conversation going… Alex Drueke of Alabama volunteered to fight for the Ukrainian army, and spent 105 days as a POW in the hands of Russian forces. He saw Ukraine’s drone technology first hand. www.apr.org/podcast/apr-...
To keep the conversation going…Yaryna Zhurba, co-founder of Ukrainian Puzzles, explains how more Ukrainians died fighting in World War II than Americans, French, and British combined. On “APR Notebook” on Alabama Public Radio. www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7XE...
Remembering the late #Cosmonaut Georgi Grechko on his birthday. I asked why the #Soviet Union built their own #space #shuttle called #BURAN? Grechko responded … “You know the old American saying about ‘keeping up with the Joneses?’” @esa.int @canadianspace.bsky.social @kscartist.bsky.social
NPR asked for a national story on today’s voting rights marches in Selma and Montgomery. Alabama Public Radio won national awards for its eight month investigation into the creation of the African-American US House District two seat. www.apr.org/news/2024-10...
To keep the conversation going…Former Alabama Public Radio intern James Niiler reports from Denmark on how that European nation wants to improve on Alabama’s plan to protect children from social media. www.apr.org/news/2026-05...
To keep the conversation going…Alabama Governor Kay Ivey calls a special session to change the state’s Congressional voting map. Alabama Public Radio’s national award-winning investigation called “…a US house seat, if you can keep it” focuses on the issues. www.apr.org/news/2024-10...
To keep the conversation going… We live in “The Downs” in Tuscaloosa, Alabama —and we don’t mean “Churchill!”
To keep the conversation going…Alabama Public Radio intern J.D. Kizziah’s story focuses on National Autism Awareness Month. Until recently, Tuscaloosa families with autistic children had no alternatives for preschool —now they do. J.D. takes us to the Archway Academy. www.apr.org/news/2026-04...
To keep this conversation going about the 40th anniversary of Chernobyl, click for this special from the Alabama Public Radio news team… www.apr.org/post/its-me-...