In ‘The Jailhouse Lawyer,’ Calvin Duncan fights wrongful convictions behind the razor wire
While incarcerated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, Duncan would help hundreds of prisoners file appeals for their cases and motions for improved treatment.
Jabari Peoples’ family, community, pushes for release of police body cam footage
Pressure is mounting on Homewood and state officials over the shooting death of Jabari Peoples by a Homewood police officer last month. Protestors took to city hall on Tuesday evening to demand officials release body-camera footage from the shooting that killed the Black 18-year-old.
Q&A: How a conservative Mississippi mom became an advocate for legalizing drugs
Christina Dent talks about founding End It For Good, her journey to rethinking drugs and addiction and how Mississippi can change its approach, too
More News
Netherlands police embrace a public health approach to drugs. Will it work in the South?
Despite the opioid crisis’ deadly toll, U.S police treat drug use as a criminal issue. But in the Netherlands, a public health approach has seen better results.
Family seeks body camera footage from fatal police shooting of a Black teen in Homewood
Jabari Peoples, 18, was shot June 23 by a police officer in the parking lot of a soccer field in Homewood.
Amtrak’s new Gulf Coast line will start service in August; see details
Supporters say the line will boost tourism in the three states it connects, especially for the Mississippi cities along the coast.
NPR News
Caroleene Dobson to run for Alabama secretary of state
The secretary of state serves as Alabama’s chief elections official. The office also maintains business records and government records for the state.
Federal judge weighs whether Alabama’s anti-DEI law threatens First Amendment
The new state law, SB129, followed a slew of proposals from Republican lawmakers across the country taking aim at DEI programs on college campuses. Universities across the country have shuttered or rebranded student affinity groups and DEI offices.
Alabama environmental groups secure rare win in fight to update water toxicity standards
The new standards will reduce amounts of 12 toxic or cancer-linked pollutants in Alabama waterways, according to clean water advocacy groups that petitioned for the changes.
Bessemer recommends changing its laws to accommodate one of the country’s largest proposed data centers
Despite overwhelming public opposition, officials in Bessemer voted to recommend changes to city zoning ordinances to allow the massive development. Its operation could strain the state’s water and power supplies and leave an already imperiled fish species at risk of extinction.
Birmingham’s poet laureate releases ‘The Other Revival’ book for Juneteenth
Birmingham’s first poet laureate Salaam Green released a new book this week to coincide with the Juneteenth holiday. The Other Revival features poems inspired by descendants of Black enslaved people and white descendants of a central Alabama plantation.
‘I literally grew up in prison’: Juvenile lifers share struggles, pleasures of coming home
Accounts of reentry are notable as juvenile cases continue to undergo review. Attorneys and advocates say progress on reviews is halting in some states.
