MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama’s high school graduation rate has jumped to 89 percent, up an impressive 17 percent in the past four years, according to the Alabama Department of Education. Governor Robert Bentley said the improvement “is a testament to hardworking teachers, principals and other school staff who encourage and help our students meet their […]

MOBILE, Ala. — Alabama entrepreneur Dean Parker, who spearheaded the fundraising effort that helped propel Dr. Ben Carson to the top of the GOP presidential polls, has resigned from his post as the campaign’s National Finance Chairman. As Carson’s standing in the polls deteriorated, internal campaign squabbles spilled over into the press. Rival campaign consultants […]

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR: MONTGOMERY– Governor Robert Bentley on Friday announced that the Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved a request for disaster assistance for Coffee, Jefferson, Montgomery, Morgan and surrounding counties. The approval is based damage assessments from severe storms and flooding that occurred December 24 – 31, 2015. Governor Bentley made […]

Powerball officials say three winning tickets were purchased for the $1.58 billion jackpot on Wednesday, two of them in Alabama’s neighboring states of Tennessee and Florida. According to Reuters, this is the second consecutive Powerball jackpot that has been won — at least in part — by a Tennessee resident. The previous Tennessee winner took […]

Self-avowed socialist and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is bringing his message to Dixie next week when he hosts campaign rallies at the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham and at Alabama State University in Montgomery. Alabama, which has voted Republican in every presidential election since Ronald Reagan’s first victory in 1980 — usually by a wide […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Voters in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District still have over a month to decide who they will vote for in the race between incumbent congresswoman Martha Roby and insurgent challenger Becky Gerritson, which Politico has named one of this year’s “top primaries to watch,” but Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has already made up […]

WASHINGTON — Alabama’s congressional delegation on Wednesday voted unanimously to nullify the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) so-called Waters of the United States Rule, which imposes federal environmental regulations on small bodies of water, even puddles. Alabama farmers and foresters have been particularly concerned that the rule would result in sudden and drastic increases in compliance […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — During a pre-legislative session budget hearing on Wednesday, State Representative Lynn Greer (R- Rogersville) warned that the unchecked growth of Alabama’s medicaid program is threatening to bankrupt the state. “Unless we can get control of Medicaid… it can be the downfall of the state of Alabama,” he said. Medicaid is the joint-federal […]

WASHINGTON — Senator Jeff Sessions joined many of his Republican colleagues in blasting President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union Address, saying the President’s “policy agenda on trade, crime, immigration, spending and debt all have one common feature: they make life harder for working Americans and put the country at needless risk.” But in […]

(Video above: Congressman Byrne discusses ISIS with national security experts) Congressman Bradley Byrne and former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers both managed to get a “Roll Tide” into the Congressional record on Tuesday while discussing the United States’ plan, or lack thereof, to defeat the so called Islamic State in Syria and […]

ARLINGTON, Va. — According to a newly released study by Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, Alabama’s health insurance premiums on the individual marketplace are expected rise in 2016 faster than almost any other state in the country. Freedom Partners, an organization whose stated purpose is to promote “the benefits of free markets and a free […]

WASHINGTON — US Senators Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on Monday responded to Yellowhammer’s exclusive report that the Obama Administration is considering housing unaccompanied illegal alien minors at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery. The two senators, who have been among the most ardent opponents of President Obama’s immigration agenda, sent a letter […]

WASHINGTON — The United States Supreme Court has denied to review the appeal of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, who is currently serving a 78-month (six-and-a-half years) federal prison sentence after being convicted in a federal public corruption trial. In 2005, Siegelman was indicted on corruption charges alleging he had accepted campaign contributions in return […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee is calling on House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) to step down from his post until his impending trial is completed. Hubbard was indicted on 23 counts of public corruption in October of 2014, but maintained his position as Speaker throughout the three legislative sessions in 2015. […]

Watching state and national politics, I often wonder how a country founded on the principles of limited government, individual responsibility, and a healthy dose of skepticism – and fear – of the tendencies of government to grow in power and influence, accumulated a national debt of $210 trillion, a Code of Federal Regulations that now […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — “Campus carry” may be coming to Alabama in 2016. A state lawmaker has pre-filed a bill for the upcoming legislative session that would ensure the right of college students who obtain a concealed carry permit to conceal a pistol while at school. The bill would also allow colleges to “establish rules concerning […]

(Video above: Congressman Bradley Byrne discusses his family’s personal gun violence tragedy and how it shaped his views on the Second Amendment and mental health.) WASHINGTON — As President Barack Obama cried while remembering the shooting victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School, and announced his plan to issue executive actions on gun control, Alabama Congressman […]

The New Year always comes brimming with new goals, possibilities, and expectations. This year, for many, those expectations are closely tied to the 2016 presidential election. Conservatives had a tumultuous year. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled with unbridled power and without regard to long-settled precedent. The free exercise of religion continued to be hollowed out […]

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday announced his long-anticipated executive actions on gun control, which include expanded background checks on gun purchases, additional federal agents to enforce gun laws and a $500 million expenditure to increase access to mental health care and to help “shape the future of gun safety technology.” A chorus of […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — In 1999, Alabamians voted down Gov. Don Siegelman’s proposed “education lottery” 54% to 46%. Since then, numerous statewide candidates — most of them Democrats — have run on a platform of letting the people vote again. In 2016, with Alabama’s budgeting woes continuing and a $700 million Powerball jackpot sending lottery advocates […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Yellowhammer Multimedia on Thursday announced program details for the inaugural Alabama Economic Growth Summit, a two-day event that will celebrate Alabama’s recent economic development successes and spur the state toward being the country’s most attractive state for business. The Summit, which will take place at The Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Governor Robert Bentley on Thursday announced the State of Alabama has filed a lawsuit against the federal government for failing to comply with the Refugee Act of 1980, which specifically requires the federal government to consult with states before placing refugees within their borders. According to the Bentley administration, that consultation with […]

By: Sen. Jeff Sessions While President Obama lectures the nation on gun violence, and seeks to limit law-abiding Americans’ exercise of their constitutional rights, his Administration’s policies have let loose thousands of dangerous criminals onto America’s streets. The proven method for saving the lives of innocent Americans is not disarming them. The proven method for […]

WASHINGTON — According to a top Pentagon staffer, the U.S. government is once again considering housing unaccompanied illegal immigrant children at military bases around the country, including Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Congresswoman Martha Roby’s (R-AL2) office received the following email from Matthew Rhoades, a senior policy staffer for Secretary of Defense Ash […]