Authorizing budgets for the coming fiscal year is the top institutional priority of the House Ways and Means Education Committee. On Tuesday, members of the committee did exactly that by advancing several key bills. The package includes the supplemental appropriations from the Education Trust Fund Advancement and Technology Fund, supplemental appropriations from Education Trust Fund, […]

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama announced it has reduced the copay on Novolog insulin, Asmanex inhalers, Arnuity Ellipta inhalers, and QVAR RediHalers. The provider said they’re striving to alleviate financial burdens and make the products more readily available at lower prices for members. According to BCBS of Alabama, the following adjustments took effect […]

On Thursday, the Alabama Senate passed legislation making artificially-generated child pornography illegal under Alabama law. The legislation passed the Senate unanimously. The bill now goes to Governor Kay Ivey. HB168 was introduced by State Rep. Matt Woods (R-Jasper) and carried in the Senate by State Sen. April Weaver (R-Briarfield). “The purpose for this bill is […]

Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine was placed on administrative leave this week. City leadership said it was necessary, Prine very publicly disagreed, then on Thursday, Mayor Sandy Stimpson said the chief had gone “AWOL” on city attorneys regarding his inevitable ouster — as well as the department itself. In an interview on Wednesday, Prine spoke […]

State Rep. Anthony Daniels and State Sen. Merika Coleman filed companion bills on Thursday in response to Secretary of State Wes Allen’s warning to state and national Democratic party officials about a significant blindside in the process by which his office legally certifies candidates to appear on the ballot. Alabama’s deadline to certify is August […]

On Wednesday, longstanding Alabama political figure Stan McDonald resigned from the Alabama Ethics Commission after he revealed he donated to several Republican campaigns during his time serving as one of the three commissioners. “Reflecting upon my learning this past week that some of my actions while serving as a member of the Alabama Ethics Commission […]

An Irondale man was arrested Wednesday by law enforcement officials in connection to an explosive device that detonated outside the Alabama Attorney General’s office in late February. Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, has been charged with malicious use of an explosive and possession of an unregistered destructive device. “Thanks to the work of the FBI […]

Legislation of legalized forms of gambling has been a hot topic around Alabama for virtually all of 2024. While the benefit that seems to be the most generally agreed upon is the dismantling of the illegal betting market within the state — the numbers behind sports betting taking place illegally are staggering. The Crimson Tide’s […]

The Annual Alabama PALS (People Against a Littered State) “Don’t Drop it On Alabama” statewide spring cleanup and recycling event was officially kicked off on Tuesday at the Alabama Statehouse. PALS partners with Community Colleges, Coca-Cola United, the Alabama Farmers Federation, and Resource Conservation Districts for 2024 “Don’t Drop it On Alabama” Spring Cleanup PALS […]

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee weighed in on the ongoing autoworkers union debate, saying that a union for workers at Chattanooga’s Volkswagen would be a bad idea. Lee said at the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) for the second time since 2019, right before a vote failed, that unionization would not be beneficial to any party. […]

On Tuesday, the Alabama Senate voted to pass legislation that would ban vaping inside public buildings. The Alabama Clean Indoor Air Act already bans the smoking of cigarettes, pipes, and other methods of smoking tobacco from public buildings including schools, police stations, city halls, and courthouses. This legislation would expand that prohibition to include vapes […]

“… 3 … 2 … 1 …” It was the final countdown Tuesday for the United Launch Alliance’s Delta program as the last Delta IV Heavy rocket lifted off the launch pad. The Decatur-built rocket ended a 60-year program as it carried the NROL-70 satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape […]

On Tuesday, Alabama’s top election official informed Democratic Party leaders on the state and national level that he will not certify the names of their candidates for President and Vice President once the state’s deadline for certified nominees passes.  Alabama’s deadline to certify is August 15, 2024. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin […]

On Tuesday, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen wrote to notify the Alabama Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee that names submitted past the certification deadline will not appear on the general election ballot in November. “It has recently come to my attention that the Democratic National Convention is currently scheduled to convene on […]

On Tuesday, Robert Burgett, 63, was charged with felony Aggravated Theft by Deception after authorities were made aware of irregularities in the movement of city funds through his role as the City of Homewood’s former finance director. Burgett worked for 13 years in that capacity, before retiring on March 31 of this year. “When suspicious […]

Alabama has become the nation’s No. 1 auto-exporting state, with international vehicle shipments surging past $11.2 billion in 2023 to overtake long-time leader South Carolina, according to new trade data. Alabama’s auto exports have climbed 45% in value since 2021, when they totaled $7.7 billion, according to figures from the Alabama Department of Commerce. “Alabama’s […]

Alabama-based brand Golden Flake has sold its original five-building factory complex in Birmingham. The site, which first became operational in 1958, features a 283,310 square-foot warehouse building and an additional 36.7 acres. A Chattanooga investment group, 2nd in Building Materials Inc., reportedly paid $6 million for the acquisition. The group said that it expects to […]

In a seismic move that will send waves throughout the college basketball landscape, Kentucky men’s head basketball coach John Calipari, who led the Wildcats since 2009, will be leaving for the same position at Arkansas. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports the deal will be finalized within “the next 24 hours.” Sources: John Calipari is finalizing a […]

Alabamians, weather permitting, will likely get a chance between 12:45 and 3 p.m. today to view a partial solar eclipse. While not in the path of totality some viewers in the state will still see 78 to 92% coverage. States that are in the path of totality, meaning the sun is fully obscured by the […]

On Thursday, Alabama Ethics Commissioner Stan McDonald appeared on the Jeff Poor Show and admitted that he has made contributions to political campaigns while serving as one of the three commissioners. Following that admission, State Rep. Matt Simpson (R-Daphne) interviewed on the same program two hours later and said that McDonald admitted to committing a […]

On Thursday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation to protect homeowners from squatters illegally occupying their property. HB182, sponsored State Rep. Craig Lipscomb (R-Gadsden) HB182 passed the House with a unanimous vote. “This legislation is important as we have seen the trend of squatting take hold across the nation,” Rep. Lipscomb explained. “It […]

The Alabama Department of Transportation, along with the chairmen of the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization, said they will take 60 days to review cost-saving options for constructing the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway to minimize the effects of inflation, the department announced today. The project is temporarily on […]

State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) said he’s not against Alabama workers organizing — he just wants to make sure it’s done through a secret ballot. Orr’s proposal would condition an employer’s eligibility for economic development incentives if the employer voluntarily grants recognition rights for the employees solely and exclusively on the basis of signed labor […]

This week, the Alabama House of Representatives passed legislation to require K-12 public schools to include prevention education about the dangers of fentanyl and drug poisoning. Sponsored by State Rep. Joe Lovvorn (R-Auburn), the bill requires that public schools provide research-based educational information about the dangers of opioids – the nation’s number one killer of […]