State Senator Tim Melson (R-Florence) introduced a bill Tuesday that would allow Alabamians with qualifying medical conditions to purchase and use cannabis for medical use.
The system would be strictly regulated. Patients with a prescription from a state-approved doctor would be issued a “medical cannabis card.”
Additionally, any person wishing to cultivate, process, dispense, transport or test the medical cannabis would be required to receive a license from the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, a group that Melson’s bill would create.
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Kanye West and his 135-member Sunday Service Choir on Sunday performed during two sessions at the Birmingham-based Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association’s “Strength to Stand Conference.”
Dawson, a well-known Alabama evangelist, finished third in the Yellowhammer State’s 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary.
West has made waves internationally for his turn to religion, seemingly trading in a life often in public turmoil for one of public testimony. Beginning in January of last year, the West-led Sunday Service Choir has performed every Sunday, as well as Friday, September 27, when his album “Jesus Is King” was announced for release.
Their appearance this Sunday at Strength to Stand also featured West’s pastor, Adam Tyson. A second session was added after the first one sold out. (more…)
Scott Dawson believes servant leadership is essential to spreading the gospel and healing society, and he highlighted famed musician Kanye West’s spiritual growth as one example of where that leadership can make a difference.
Dawson, founder and CEO of the Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association, spoke on these topics and many others when he sat down recently with Matt Wilson on his “Living Life on Purpose” podcast.
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What is the greatest issue we are facing as a society, and how do we deal with it? Scott Dawson, founder of the SDEA, shares his thoughts on this and much more in this episode. He also shares information about the upcoming Strength to Stand event he will be hosting with Kanye West this week as we talk about his radical conversion and what it means to the world and believers. Listen to find out more!
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The Birmingham-based Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association on Wednesday announced that famed musical artist Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir — along with West’s pastor, Adam Tyson– will be present for two separate sessions at the organization’s annual “Strength to Stand Conference” in Pigeon Forge, TN, on Sunday, January 19.
The first session, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. EST that day, sold out, leading the conference to add a second session featuring West and his gospel group at 3:00 p.m. EST.
Beginning in January of last year, the West-led group has performed every Sunday, as well as Friday, September 27, when his album “Jesus Is King” was announced for release.
Tickets to the second session are now available for purchase online and will not be sold onsite at the conference. (more…)
An interdenominational group of Birmingham-area pastors and clergy on Thursday held a press conference at the site of the under-construction Planned Parenthood abortion facility in the Magic City, with faith leaders of different genders and races coming together to say “all lives matter.”
The new abortion center is being built at 1019 1st Avenue North. Planned Parenthood Birmingham has not been able to perform abortions at its existing facility located at 1211 27th Place South since 2017.
Metro Birmingham Life Forum, spearheaded by Charismatic Episcopal Church’s Fr. Terry Gensemer, organized the press conference.
In a press release ahead of Thursday’s gathering, Gensemer emphasized, “Planned Parenthood is not welcome and has no place in our city.” (more…)
Civil asset forfeiture is a useful tool, but it needs reform.
That sentiment is unanimous among Republican candidates for governor of Alabama.
Civil asset forfeiture is the legal process by which law enforcement seizes the property of those it assumes to be involved in criminal activities. The seizures are allowed by law to occur even without criminal convictions, creating scenarios in which individuals suspected but not convicted of crimes may lose their property and never get it back.
Responding to questionnaires sent by the Alabama Policy Institute and Yellowhammer News to all candidates, the candidates spoke in favor of asset forfeiture as a way of combating illicit behavior, with a caveat that the practice has been abused and needs some reform.
The question was: Do you support the use of civil asset forfeiture by law enforcement and the provision that allows agencies to keep the proceeds of seized property?
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As we get down to the lick log in the 2018 June Primary, there are few if any surprises in any of the major state races. Polling indicates that all of the contests are about where they were three or four months ago when the races began.
There is a tremendous amount of apathy and indifference as we head into the final days. This lack of enthusiasm has also affected fundraising. Most of the high-profile races have not attracted the amount of dollars as in the past.
Kay Ivey is sitting on a sizeable lead in the GOP gubernatorial primary. She took a slight dip in the polls when she ducked out of debates. However, it is not as pronounced as it would have been if she had appeared. Her campaign has been managed brilliantly.
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Alabama’s workforce won big earlier this year when Toyota-Mazda promised to create 4,000 jobs in the Huntsville area, though the number of tax dollars that state and local coffers will not see, due to abatements granted by authorities at both levels, is in the millions.
Some candidates for governor see such tax breaks as a poor way to invite job creators into the state, as indicated by their responses to recent questionnaires created by the Alabama Policy Institute and Yellowhammer News.
When asked how the candidates would foster job creation that rivals our neighboring states, Scott Dawson, a Republican candidate for governor, responded in part:
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On Tuesday’s broadcast of the syndicated “Rick & Bubba” radio program, co-host Bill “Bubba” Bussey called out Yellowhammer News for highlighting his co-host Rick Burgess’ comments about the 2018 gubernatorial race and neglecting to mention Bussey was in “lockstep” with Burgess’ views.
Bussey and Burgess are both supporters of Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Dawson and Republican lieutenant gubernatorial hopeful Will Ainsworth.
The “Rick & Bubba” co-hosts were reflecting on a previous caller’s criticism of Burgess on the issue of global warming, to which Burgess noted he is often on the receiving end despite the two having the same opinion issues. Bussey stated that Burgess also tended to be the one showcased by news stories on the particular topic of Dawson’s run for governor.
Scott Dawson, a Republican candidate for the governor of Alabama, criticized Gov. Kay Ivey and a state agency last week, for funding that went to an Alabama based LGBTQ non-profit organization. Since then, it seems as if the gubernatorial race in Alabama has been turned upside down.
In his statement Tuesday, Dawson said, “Let me be clear. The Ivey administration has betrayed Alabama values by giving nearly one million dollars of taxpayer dollars to Free2Be, an activist organization which promotes transgenderism and alternate lifestyles to Alabama’s children.”
ADECA, which administers the state’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was responsible for the allocation of funds to Free2Be.
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Friday on the Birmingham-based “Rick & Bubba” radio show, co-host Rick Burgess sounded off on what the future may hold if current Gov. Kay Ivey wins the Republican gubernatorial nomination next month and is in a head-to-head match-up with potential Democratic Party nominee Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox.
Burgess, a supporter of Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Dawson, was responding to a caller that was seemingly a supporter of Ivey and offered a warning to those willing to support Ivey given any circumstances.
According to Burgess, such blind support sets up a potential repeat of Alabama’s 2017 special election GOP U.S. senatorial nominee Roy Moore’s performance, who lost narrowly to Doug Jones last December.
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Dawson appeared on Birmingham’s Talk 99.5 “Matt & Aunie” radio show Friday to discuss the controversy tied to his efforts to highlight the potential misappropriation of Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) grant money to the LGBTQ activist group Free2Be.
Dawson initially raised the issue in two press conferences earlier this week, which led to State Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) posting a tweet that acknowledged rumors about Gov. Kay Ivey’s sexuality.
In a sometimes-contentious exchange with co-host Matt Murphy, Dawson insisted it wasn’t his intent to play up those rumors when he first raised the ADECA issue. However, he acknowledged those rumors might be associated with his efforts.
There is no evidence Gov. Kay Ivey is gay. Former State Representative Patricia Todd lost her job as the head of a gay rights’ group in Florida as punishment for a stupid tweet. Evangelist Scott Dawson still claims he doesn’t understand the grant process, a process he held multiple press conferences about. The only candidate who struck the right note on this issue is Tommy Battle:
“We want to go back to that conversation about our great state, the great state of Alabama,” WKRG reports Battle said at a Wednesday press conference. “I decided to run for governor of the state of Alabama because I thought we could do better. I believe that with the right leadership, we can implement a vision and even develop a plan that makes Alabama a better place.”
Why this matters:
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Friday on Birmingham’s Talk 99.5 “Matt & Aunie” radio show, outgoing State Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) gave her first remarks since posting a tweet that publicly acknowledged the existence of rumors that Gov. Kay Ivey was gay.
Ivey promptly dismissed Todd’s claim by calling it a disgusting lie. And also, as a result of that tweet, One Orlando Alliance, an LGBTQ advocacy group in Central Florida, rescinded a job offer to Todd.
After a brief dialogue about her beginnings in politics, Todd explained her reasoning for the tweet and what she suggested was a hypocritical culture in politics that inspired it.
Thursday on the “Rick & Bubba” radio program, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Dawson elaborated on why he raised the issue of Gov. Kay Ivey’s distribution of federal grant money through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) to Free2Be, an organization described as an LGBTQ activist group that has an apparent questionable past.
Earlier this week, Dawson held two press conference raising the issue. Dawson received backlash and was accused of having an ulterior motive by raising the issue, especially given outgoing State Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) used the announcement to advance the rumor Ivey was gay.
However, with the aid of “Rick & Bubba” co-host Rick Burgess, the two dismissed the notion there was any other intent behind raising questions about the grant money and explained why that it was an issue.
Thursday on his syndicated “Rick & Bubba” radio show program, co-host Rick Burgess, a supporter of Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Dawson, speculated on what might have caused Alabama State Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) to post a tweet questioning the sexuality of Gov. Kay Ivey.
Burgess’s comments were in response to a caller’s remarks about Todd’s tweet. The caller suggested the tweet set Ivey up for the sympathy vote in next month’s Republican gubernatorial primary, and he went on to add that Ivey would be an easier opponent for Democrats in November.
Burgess made the case that Todd may have tipped off Democrats’ strategy for November in a possible general election setting, which he said was a good thing for Republicans.
From Huntsville to Mobile, Alabama Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Dawson blasted Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday for a pair of state grants totaling $800,000 to a gay rights organization.
“I want to know our governor’s role in this organization,” Dawson told reporters in Mobile, his third of four stops to highlight the issue.
The grants came from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, which doles out funds for a variety of purposes. The beneficiary in this case was Free2Be, which Dawson described as an LGBTQ activist group. The money ostensibly was for violence prevention and support services.
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Hardly anyone is paying attention to the race for the Republican Party’s nomination for governor this year.
That’s because the campaign is sort of boring. All four candidates are qualified, rational, reasonable and respectable people, and we lack a serious crisis or pressing issue upon which to contrast their differences.
But isn’t that a good thing?
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Scott Dawson, a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for governor, recently responded to a questionnaire from the Alabama Policy Institute and Yellowhammer News. His responses are below:
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AND PRINCIPLES
Question: What is your political philosophy and, if elected, how would it shape the way you govern?
Dawson: I’m conservative, which means that I agree with Ronald Reagan that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” I’m also a Christian, which means that my everyday decisions are guided by a biblical worldview—summarized by the Golden Rule, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Both of these principles will drive my administration to empower individuals, families, communities, and businesses to do what they can do better than government ever will: make Alabama the best it can possibly be. (more…)
Gov. Kay Ivey says Alabama is “stronger” than it was a year ago.
In a campaign stop in south Alabama, she stressed improvements in the state’s economy and named companies that have announced projects in the state over the last year.
Ivey became governor last year when her predecessor resigned in a scandal and is now seeking to win the office in her own right.
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Evangelist turned Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Dawson said if people are surprised to see him running for governor, they are not alone. In a way, he is too.
Dawson said in an interview that he got in the race because he was tired of the state being embarrassed by scandals and corruption.
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BIRMINGHAM — The gubernatorial debate HOSTED by AL(dot)com’s Reckon, Wednesday at the Lyric Theatre, went about as expected.
There was a little spice though. All three of the four GOP candidates weighed in on the recent spate of student-teacher romances and Alabama’s age of consent. We also learned the candidates’ positions on raising the gas tax. This is notable as rumors abound that Gov. Kay Ivey may call a special session in a lame-duck period to hike the state fuel tax.
Ivey was, however, noticeably absent from Wednesday night’s debate thanks, in part, to an empty dais emblazoned with her name and helpfully featured on the debate stage.
Otherwise, it was a lot of the same. Evangelist Scott Dawson is going to do a performance audit when he is elected governor. State Sen. Bill Hightower (R-Mobile) wants to privatize the ALDOT. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle believes in having computers in our public school classrooms.
And of course, AL(dot)com columnist John Archibald is still a self-righteous left-winger. Archibald and HIS beliefs were on display Wednesday. By the way, he won a Pulitzer Prize if you haven’t heard.
As expected, Archibald began the debate focused like a laser on those issues Republican voters really care about: Roy Moore and Confederate monuments.
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Although Gov. Kay Ivey hasn’t won a gubernatorial election, she is playing this one like a seasoned pro.
If you haven’t heard (or care), Ivey is taking a lot of heat for not participating in the numerous Republican gubernatorial primary debates, which for some reason are all in Birmingham.
(That latest count is three in the last week-and-a-half for the Magic City, by the way.)
If you believe the polling that is being whispered around, Ivey is right on the 50 percent threshold that would push her over the top and avoid a runoff contest.
Would her appearance at a debate, which would feature an older lady on a stage taking fire from her three male competitors, better her position or diminish it?
My guess would be neither. In fact, it might hurt Ivey’s challengers. At least this way, they can take shots at her from afar.
What’s in it for her? Very little.
But what about democracy? What about all the people that are planning to tune away from “Empire” or “The Voice” tonight so they can watch a debate and make an educated choice for a primary election that is two-and-a-half months from now?
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