What is Amendment One?
This year, there’s just one statewide constitutional amendment on the ballot for Alabama voters. But it affects only two counties. Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville) sponsored the legislation.
The amendment involves the Franklin County School System, which owns land in Walker county.
“The land that Franklin County owns is at the Intersection of I-22 and State Route 13, which is a highly traveled highway. It’s called the sixteenth section land, and the land is devoted for educational purposes,” Kiel said.
The land is currently being managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation. Franklin County Schools would like to develop that property for commercial use. If passed by Alabama voters, Amendment One will allow the school system to sell or lease the land.
“It could be a truck stop. It could be hotels or restaurants. And it would make a huge financial impact on both the Franklin County School System and Walker County.”
Kiel said selling the land to businesses would bring in funds to the county through the collection of sales and property taxes. But more importantly, the money would help the local school systems. He said that’s why it’s a statewide issue.
“My hope is that people across the state would look at this as ‘what if this were my children,’ or ‘what if this were my city’ and that they would vote for it” Kiel said.
Read analysis of Amendment One from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama.
2025 Tony nominations are out — and they’re full of celebrities
Nominees for the 78th Annual Tony Awards were announced Thursday morning. They include George Clooney, Nicole Scherzinger, Sarah Snook, Sadie Sink, Audra McDonald and more.
Judges would be accountable for abuse even if they retired or resigned, under new bill
A new bill from a top Democrat seeks to close a loophole that federal judges have used to collect pension benefits despite facing credible accusations of wrongdoing by employees.
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic keeps dorkiness close to his heart
"Weird Al" Yankovic has no trouble tapping into his dorkiness. Perhaps that's the secret to his decades-spanning appeal. On this week's Wild Card with Rachel Martin, he talks about aging into his weirdness.
This office was meant to bridge divides in government. Now it’s empty
Congress created the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to unite the expertise of two different agencies that work on electric vehicle charging. Now it seems to have turned into a ghost ship.
Republicans say they will still push education based on legal status
The Tennessee Legislature aimed to challenge a 1982 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that established a right to education for all students. Republican lawmakers still hope to overturn that.
New congressional district gives voice to Black voters in Alabama
Two majority Black cities in Alabama now have Black representation in Congress because of court-ordered redistricting. The progress comes as President Trump pulls back federal diversity initiatives.
