Government
‘Unprecedented’ education budget passes Alabama Senate
The proposed spending package includes a 2% pay increase for teachers along with more money for K-12 schools, higher education and community colleges.
Feds say Alabama ignored sewer issues, harmed Black residents
The departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announced the results of the environmental justice probe and a settlement agreement with state health officials to address longstanding wastewater sanitation problems in Lowndes County, a high-poverty county between Selma and Montgomery.
Ban social media for kids? Fed-up parents in Senate say yes
Sen. Katie Britt says she hears about it constantly when she is at home in Alabama. “Parent after parent” come up to her wanting to discuss the way social media was harming their kids.
Alabama church shooter gets life for killing 3 at potluck
Robert Findlay Smith, 71, pleaded guilty to capital murder and waived his right to appeal. A judge sentenced Smith to life in prison without parole in the killing of three people at a Vestavia Hills church dinner in June.
A Ukrainian dressmaker and his family find refuge and a new beginning in Vestavia Hills
Mykola Vyshyvanyuk and his family were forced to flee Ukraine when Russia invaded in 2022. Thanks to local support, they’ve found a new place to call home.
Rocky start for Alabama school choice bill
The PRICE Act would give families $6,900 in taxpayer money which could be used for private school tuition or homeschooling.
Alabama senators back bill to cut state sales tax on food
The bill introduced by Republican Sen. Andrew Jones of Centre would gradually reduce the sales tax on food from 4% to 2% — taking off .5% each year — provided there is more than enough state revenue to offset the loss to the education budget, which relies on sales and income taxes.
Alabama judge denies bond for suspects in Sweet 16 shooting
Five suspects charged with reckless murder in connection with a shooting at a birthday party in Dadeville that killed four people and injured dozens were not granted bond. A sixth suspect, a 15-year-old, is awaiting a hearing.
Birmingham City Council opposes water works bill that would dilute its influence
The bill would reduce the number of Birmingham Water Works Board seats from nine to seven, removing two of the four currently appointed by the council.
Alabama police say 89 shots fired into crowded Sweet 16 party
The lead investigator in the case testified at a court hearing Tuesday that could determine if the three adults accused in last week's shooting will be held without bond. The three juvenile defendants will have separate hearings.
Alabama education director ousted over book’s stance on race
Barbara Cooper was forced out as as head of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education after Ivey expressed concern over the distribution of the book to state-run pre-kindergartens.
Republicans and Democrats split over response to Sweet 16 party shooting
Democrats called for gun control measures while Republicans argued for a crackdown on crime.
Commission approves billing agreement with Birmingham Water Works Board
The agreement between the Jefferson County Commission Tuesday follows months of negotiation between the two entities.
Birmingham City Council working on a plan for overhaul of water works board
As the Alabama Legislature considers a complete overhaul of the Birmingham Water Works Board, the Birmingham City Council is mulling its own legislation to meet state lawmakers halfway.
School choice bill now on lawmakers’ agenda
Alabama legislators also advanced a bill banning teaching “divisive concepts” in the classroom
As grocery prices soar, push grows to end sales tax on food
Alabama is one of only three states that tax groceries at the same rate as other purchases. But as food prices soar — and as the state sees a record budget surplus — Alabama lawmakers are considering removing, or phasing out, the state's 4% sales tax on food.
Suit accuses Jefferson County of racial gerrymandering in commission districts
The lawsuit accuses the commission of intentionally packing Black voters into two supermajority Black commission districts based in and around Birmingham.
Tougher penalties on fentanyl trafficking now law
Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bill into law Thursday after the measure, which sets mandatory minimum sentences, passed both legislative chambers without opposition.
Alabama leaders propose four bills to boost state’s economic competitiveness
Backers of the bills said the bills will provide more opportunities for rural areas and expand entrepreneurship.
After botched executions, Alabama will try lethal injection again
Alabama paused executions for three months after the state failed to execute two men and took more than three hours to kill another man. Now, after an internal review and a rule change, prison officials will resume the procedure.
Bills tackling fentanyl trafficking and ‘good time’ limits in prisons advance
The bills would set a mandatory minimum sentence for trafficking or possessing fentanyl and reduce good time incentives, which can shorten prisoners’ sentences.
Proposed Ivey budgets: Income tax rebates; public money for charter schools; modest pay raises
Gov. Kay Ivey’s proposed budget for 2024 will call for state money for start-up charter schools, tax rebates for those who filed income taxes in 2021 and some pay raises for state employees.
Lawmakers wrap up special session on COVID relief funds
Gov. Kay Ivey signed a more than $1 billion plan to spend federal pandemic relief funds after lawmakers approved the package Thursday.
Lawmakers say prison plan will continue despite cost jump
The Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority on Wednesday increased the spending cap for a 4,000-bed prison now under construction in Elmore County, from $623 million to $975 million.
Spurred by slow deportation wait times, Louisiana ICE detainees attempted a hunger strike
A man held at the ICE facility in Jena said detainees are being held in some cases up to three months after receiving their final deportation notices.
A months-long landfill fire in Alabama reveals waste regulation gaps
An unregulated landfill that accepts vegetative waste has burned underground for months. Neighbors were inundated with smoke and left wondering why the site wasn't regulated in the first place.
Public transit in the Gulf South is in need of an overhaul. The solution could lie in the past
The Gulf South is not known for its great public transit systems. Some believe Bus Rapid Transit could solve lingering issues and lead to a better future.
New exhibition driving bill would stiffen penalties, including fines and jail time
People have been injured, even killed, in exhibition driving-related incidents in Birmingham. Now, lawmakers are addressing the issue on a statewide level.
After deadliest year on record, families remember loved ones lost in Alabama prisons
Two hundred sixty-six incarcerated people died inside Alabama's prisons in 2022, and dozens have died so far in 2023.
Special session underway on spending federal pandemic funds
On Thursday, an Alabama House committee passed a plan to spend about $1 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act on mostly health care reimbursements, water and sewer infrastructure and broadband expansion.
Ivey calls session on relief funds, proposes tax rebates
Gov. Kay Ivey delivered her state of the state address on the opening night of the 2023 legislative session where key issues include how to use the state's remaining pandemic relief funds as well as a $2.8 billion education budget surplus.
City relinquishes power over old Powell School, raising concerns about historic preservation
The property has the distinction of being the site of the city’s first public school, though it closed its doors in 2002 due to a sharp decline in enrollment.
