A year ago, State Senator James “Jabo” Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills) and his bipartisan allies in the Jefferson County Legislative Delegation began a determined effort to find emergency financing that would allow Birmingham Southern College (BSC) to stay open. Now it appears those efforts have likely failed. “I’m hearing from a lot of people,” Sen. Waggoner—one […]

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission anticipates that Alabamians with a demonstrated medical need will be able to obtain lawful Alabama-grown medical cannabis by spring. This expectation follows the commission’s recent passage of a timeline for issuing medical cannabis licenses at its meeting on Thursday in Montgomery. Commission Chairman Rex Vaughn informed reporters that the cannabis […]

State House candidate Sylvia Swayne released an ad to television and online attacking, not her opponent, but Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. Swayne, 26, is running for the open Alabama House of Representatives District 55 seat in a special Democratic primary election tomorrow. While showing a picture of Marshall, Swayne says in her ad that […]

On Sunday, Alabama Congressman Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) announced he’s running for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. “Because of reckless government policies, Americans across the country are struggling to make ends meet, to afford groceries, gas, and other everyday necessities,” Palmer said in a statement. “Families are worried about the safety of their children […]

Alabama’s economy is supercharged by global partners. One of the state’s strongest relationships globally is Japan. Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield was in Tokyo recently for the 45th meeting of SEUS-Japan. “It is a tremendous honor to address the distinguished delegates gathered here for the 45th joint meeting of SEUS-Japan,” Canfield said. “It is also a […]

Roughly a hundred protestors showed up to a rally in support of the Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, as Israel had just began to respond to attacks by the terrorist group Hamas.  The protestors called for independence for Gaza and the West Bank. They also urged an end to the Israeli offensive against Gaza, an […]

Drivers of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids have a new charging option in Birmingham’s Avondale business district, the Birmingham Parking Authority announced Wednesday. The BPA held a ribbon-cutting for a Level 2 EV charging station at its Avondale Village parking lot. The charging station is through a partnership between the BPA and the Alabama Clean […]

Electric cars have been talked about for more than a decade and they are growing more popular. President Biden announced in August a target that by 2030, half of the vehicles sold in the United States will be battery electric, fuel-cell electric or plug-in hybrids. While the state’s larger cities have been adapting to meet […]

Alabama’s First Congressional District was dramatically redrawn by a three-judge panel in the state’s congressional redistricting case. Most of the city of Mobile has moved to the Second Congressional District and the First District includes large parts of the Wiregrass, including Dothan. On Monday, U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) announced he filed for reelection. “Today, […]

On Monday, U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) recognized that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During this month, Britt encouraged women to talk to their health care providers and get screened, as well as learn more about the benefits of regular screening and potential risk factors for the disease. “This month is not only important […]

Citing ominous figures, State Sen. April Weaver and Peggy Benson, executive officer of the Alabama Board of Nursing, said the Legislature is working to address the state’s shortage of licensed nurses. Weaver (R-Briarfield) and Henson spoke Friday with Todd Stacy on “Capital Journal.” Benson said there are 97,000 licensed nurses; down from 104,000. Even more […]

In the wake of protests and concerns about awarding licenses, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission voted Thursday to revise its procedures on applications. On the advice of counsel, the commission agreed to meet Oct. 26. “The timeline (on a new awards vote) will depend on future actions of the commission as well as what the […]

Former State Sen. Bryan Taylor, a candidate for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, disagreed with a recent court ruling upholding a jury’s record-breaking award in a malpractice case.  Taylor (R-Prattville) is seeking the position of retiring Chief Justice Tom Parker. In the malpractice case, a doctor at Springhill Memorial Hospital in Mobile made […]

Democratic candidate Sylvia Swayne is seeking to become the first openly transgender person to serve in the Alabama House of Representatives.  Swayne is running for the open House District 55 seat following the vacancy left by former Rep. Fred Plump. Democratic primary voters in the district gave the advantage to Travis Hendrix, a sergeant with […]

Lawyers for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission and businesses are back in court today concerning issuing medical cannabis licenses. The process has been stalled since June by litigation and internal reviews by the commission. Montgomery Circuit Court Judge James Anderson is slated to hear arguments challenging the process by which the AMCC awarded licenses to […]

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt slammed the Biden Administration’s Iran policy, pointing to reports that show Hamas did not act alone in its attacks Saturday in Israel. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard helped plan and organize the attack by Hamas. The report claims the final details of the attack were hashed […]

Palestinian militants operating out of Hamas-occupied Gaza have launched a series of attacks on Israel, signaling a new chapter in the hostilities in the Holy Land that date back to the founding of the nation of Israel. Alabama leaders are unequivocally voicing their support for the State of Israel and its people. U.S. Senator Tommy […]

On Thursday, former President Donald Trump announced that he was endorsing House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. Congressman Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) agrees. “I believe we should listen to the leader of our party,” Rep. Moore said on Twitter. “I know Chairman Jordan will help us get […]

Last Friday, State Rep. Chris Pringle told Alabama Public Television’s Todd Stacy he believed former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is behind Alabama’s congressional redistricting. Today, a federal three-judge panel will convene for a remedial map hearing.  Pringle (R-Mobile) co-chaired the Joint Committee on Reapportionment that was tasked with drawing the Legislature’s maps. “I had […]

The Congressional Black Caucus held its annual legislative conference in Washington, D.C., last Friday, where they held a panel on the automotive industry’s transition to electric vehicle manufacturing. Participating in the panel were Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) and Alabama Power Company Vice President of Governmental Affairs Houston Smith. Sewell and Smith credited the new industry […]

The subject of gifts to politicians and their families was an issue Wednesday as the Alabama Ethics & Campaign Finance Committee met to discuss possibly reforming the state’s ethics law. “At our last meeting, we discussed the Ethics Clarification and Reform Report,” said Rep. Matt Simpson (R-Daphne), chairman of the committee. “This is what people […]

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the State of Alabama’s emergency request that the court reinstate Alabama’s partisan congressional map that the GOP supermajority passed in a July special session. This means that the map that Alabama will use in the 2024 election will be selected by the three judge panel in a hearing tentatively […]

In June, the three-judge panel that is hearing Alabama’s Congressional redistricting case ordered the State Legislature to prepare a new redistricting map that created two majority Black congressional districts “or something close to it.” The Legislature held a special session in July and refused to follow that order, instead adopting a redistricting map by State […]

The Alabama Department of Transportation won a major victory today when the Alabama Supreme Court certified its decision to lift an injunction on construction of a bridge to the  Gulf Coast. “With Baldwin County Bridge Company’s request for a rehearing denied and the Supreme Court’s previous ruling in favor of ALDOT now finalized, ALDOT’s bridge […]