MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court issued a writ of mandamus ordering the state’s county probate judges to stop issuing gay marriage licenses Tuesday evening. The 148-page ruling will allow 5 days for probate judges to submit arguments for why they should be allowed to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The writ of […]

WASHINGTON — Republican members of Alabama’s congressional delegation on Tuesday spoke out against the US House’s vote to approve funding for the Department of Homeland Security through the remainder of the fiscal year—including funding for President Obama’s executive immigration program. The final tally was 257-167, including GOP House leadership and 75 other Republican House members […]

WASHINGTON — Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, issued a statement Tuesday condemning the GOP Senate leadership’s retreat in the effort to defund President Obama’s executive actions on illegal immigration. “Essential to any sovereign nation is the enforcement of its borders, the application of uniform rules for […]

MADISON, Ala. — State Senator Bill Holtzclaw (R-Madison) on Monday made his first public appearance since the Bentley administration shuttered $100 million in road projects in his district as retaliation for the senator taking out a billboard opposing Bentley’s proposed tax hike. In the press conference, Sen. Holtzclaw said there was nothing about the billboard […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — According to a new study, Governor Bentley’s $0.82 tax increase on cigarettes could weaken economic growth, cause the government to become reliant on uncertain revenues, and unduly burden Alabama’s low-income earners. The study, commissioned by the Phillip Morris Company but using data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and […]

WASHINGTON — Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL6) on Monday called the Federal Communications Commission’s “Net Neutrality” ruling an abuse of the agency’s power. “The FCC’s ‘net neutrality’ erodes the authority of Congress,” Rep. Palmer said. “The FCC, an independent federal agency, does not have the authority to write laws, but in a 3-2 ruling has done […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court has upheld the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA), the state’s first school choice legislation. In May, Montgomery Circuit Judge Eugene W. Reese ruled the law unconstitutional in response to a suit filed by the AEA, Democrat state Sen. Quinton Ross, and the Lowndes County School Superintendent. The plaintiffs argument […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard took to the airwaves Monday morning to push back against growing calls for him to resign his post. Last week, several emails between Speaker Hubbard and other politicians, lobbyists, and businessmen in the state were made public when they were filed by the State’s prosecution […]

According to a report released last week by the Pew Charitable Trusts, Alabama receives 36.1 percent of its annual revenue from the federal government, the ninth highest percentage in the country. Nationwide, the ratio was down to about 30 percent, the lowest it has been since the Great Recession spurred massive growth in federal spending. […]

(Video above: Sen. Sessions speaks at CPAC) One of the most widely-read conservative news sites, Breitbart News, declared Friday that Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush are battling for the “soul of the GOP.” Last weekend at the Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC), Sen. Sessions decried the influence of major GOP […]

MOBILE, Ala. — Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson signed an executive order Friday authorizing the demolition of an infamous drug den after a large drug bust at the dilapidated building earlier that day. According to local Mobile paper Laginappe, the Mobile Police Department on Friday arrested 13 people for drug trafficking and possession at 1078 State […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — In a ruling Friday afternoon, the Alabama Supreme Court overturned a 2009 law allowing small cities in “dry” counties to vote to sell alcohol. The law allowed dry county cities with populations of more than 1,000 to vote themselves wet, with the exception of cities in Blount, Clay, and Randolph counties. The […]

WASHINGTON — Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) bucked GOP Senate leadership Friday by voting against a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bill that would have funded President Obama’s executive actions on immigration through the end of the year. “While I support providing critical funding for agencies that protect our national security,” Sen. Shelby said in a […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Governor Robert Bentley (R-Ala.) announced the details of his proposed $700 million tax increase in a press conference Friday. In all, Gov. Bentley proposed raising taxes in 8 areas. Corporate Income Tax – Require combined income reporting for corporations that do business in other states. Estimated increase in revenue – $20 million […]

(Video above: Rep. Gary Palmer grills EPA consultant during committee hearing) WASHINGTON — In a House Oversight and Government Reform committee hearing Thursday, U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL6) raked Environmental Protection Agency consultant Dr. Susan Tierney over the coals for the agency’s use of armed agents when investigating possible violators. “EPA has been very aggressive […]

http://youtu.be/AxwfnxxeJ-Y (Video above: TLC’s Bride by Design preview) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Celebrated wedding dress designer and Alabama native Heidi Elnora will star in her own reality series on TLC, “Bride By Design,” premiering Friday March 27th. Born and raised in Morris, Alabama, entrepreneur Heidi Elnora’s wedding dress line of the same name is designed and […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama State Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Anniston) announced Thursday that he has pre-filed the School Choice and Student Opportunity Act, which would allow charter schools in the state for the first time. “Alabama’s children are the building blocks of our future and they should be given every available option to […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Birmingham Water Works Board (BWWB) is considering spending $200,000 to explore whether the city should bottle and sell its water. The board expects to compete with such beverage giants as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The plan is being pushed by board member Sherry Lewis, who attended the International Bottled Water Association annual […]

CULLMAN, Ala. — Much of north Alabama was covered in a thick blanket of snow yesterday, and though many residents couldn’t get out and take a look around, Kevin Henderson, with Alabama Aerial Photography flew a drone to capture the snow-covered city. Check out the beautiful footage he captured of downtown Cullman Wednesday evening in […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Used car salesmen in general get a pretty bad rap, but Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange may have just shut down the most corrupt used car shyster in the state. A Circuit Judge in Elmore County granted the Attorney General’s request this week for a temporary restraining order and to seize the […]

If you’re an engineering student at one of Alabama’s fine universities, you won’t need to move far away to get your dream job. According to personal finance and economics website NerdWallet, Huntsville is the best place in the nation for engineers, and nearby Decatur comes in pretty high too, at No. 8 on the list. […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama House Republicans on Wednesday released their 2015 list of legislative priorities, dubbing it the “Alabama First” agenda. “The Alabama First agenda is designed to put Alabama firmly on the road toward being first in education and first in economic development,” Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard said in a press conference. “And […]

WASHINGTON — Four members of Alabama’s congressional delegation have signed a letter to House leadership asking them to hold strong against pressure from the White House and Senate to pass a DHS reauthorization bill funding President Obama’s executive actions on illegal immigration. “We write you today to thank you for standing firm and forcing the […]

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