Doug Jones Certified as Winner of U.S. Senate Election
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill on Thursday certified the election results from the Dec. 12 special U.S. Senate election, naming Democrat Doug Jones the winner over Republican Roy Moore.
Jones defeated Moore by more than 21,000 votes, or 1.6 percentage points. Moore had refused to concede. On Wednesday, he sued to block the certification of Jones as the winner, claiming voter fraud on election day. Moore called for an investigation and another special election. Alabama Circuit Judge Johnny Hardwick on Thursday refused to delay certification, however.
Moore maintained his claims of voter fraud after the certification. “Election fraud experts across the country have agreed that this was a fraudulent election,” he said in a statement.
Merrill said his office reviewed more than 100 reports of voter fraud and had adjudicated more than 60. NPR fact-checked Moore’s claims of voter fraud and found many of them to be false.
Moore’s lawsuit to stop the certification included an affidavit that he took a polygraph test determining allegations of sexual misconduct against him were false. During the campaign, several women accused Moore of inappropriate sexual behavior when they were teens and he was in his 30s.
Jones in a statement following the certification said he is looking forward to getting to work in the new year. “As I said on election night, our victory marks a new chapter for our state and the nation,” he said. “I will be an independent voice and work to find common ground with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get Washington back on track and fight to make our country a better place for all.”
Jones will be sworn in Jan. 3.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir. He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
‘It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you’: a visit to a special healing Shabbat
Members of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham gathered recently for their traditional Friday Shabbat service. But this particular service was different, as could be seen by all the people dressed in their finest pink.
Space Command is coming to Huntsville. What might that mean for first-time homebuyers
While Huntsville has been a more affordable market than other growing cities, what’s it been like for those looking for their first home?
Colorado says relocation of Space Command to Alabama is ‘punishment’ for mail-in voting
The litigation announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser asks a federal judge to block the move as unconstitutional.
