Author

Chip Brownlee

Chip Brownlee is a former political reporter, online content manager and webmaster at the Alabama Political Reporter. He is now a reporter at The Trace, a non-profit newsroom covering guns in America.

News / Courts / State

Former state auditor candidate arrested on felony charges

A former Republican candidate for state auditor has been arrested and charged with three felony counts related to illegally accessing confidential law enforcement records about his opponents in the primary. Elliott Owen Lipinsky was arrested last week on the three felony charges, and he surrendered to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office on April 3. He … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 8, 2019

Justice Department report documents horrific violence, sexual abuse in Alabama prisons

Back in February 2017, an inmate was eating his evening meal when other inmates sexually assaulted him inside his dormitory at Fountain Correction Facility, a medium-security Alabama men’s prison opened in 1955 near Atmore. The prison is designed for 831 inmates, but it currently holds more than 1,200 prisoners at 150 percent its intended capacity, … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 4, 2019

Bill would strike language calling homosexuality a “criminal offense” from sex-ed law

Despite changing attitudes and decades-old legal precedent, Alabama’s sex education law still requires sex ed teachers to tell students that homosexuality is a “criminal offense” and “not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public.” The law requires that course instruction that relates to sex education should include “emphasis” on that language as it relates to … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 4, 2019

Former Alabama Supreme Court justice tapped as new senior services commissioner

The governor has appointed a new commissioner to oversee the state Department of Senior Services, the cabinet agency that administers programs for senior citizens and people with disabilities. Gov. Kay Ivey chose Jean Brown for the position. She will take over on April 15. “Jean’s experience in state government and the legal field will be … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 4, 2019

SPLC hires new president, CEO after tumult over cofounder’s firing

The Southern Poverty Law Center has appointed an interim president and CEO as it plans to conduct a nationwide search for a permanent leader. The SPLC’s board of directors voted unanimously to name Karen Baynes-Dunning as the civil rights legal group’s interim president, according to the board’s chair. Her appointment comes after the departures of … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 3, 2019

Editor who wrote KKK editorial says he sold his paper. One of the new owners has Klan ties

The Alabama newspaper publisher who called for a return of the Ku Klux Klan has apparently sold his newspaper to a man with possible ties to the KKK. C.T. Harless — one of the paper’s two new co-owners, according to a front-page story in the March 28 issue of The Democrat-Reporter — has apparent ties to … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 2, 2019

Sen. Doug Jones introduces legislation to prevent hate crimes

Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, is introducing legislation that would aim to curb online extremism and prevent it from turning into real-life hate crimes. “We absolutely need to address the proliferation of hate-based violence in our country and around the world, and this bill is a necessary step forward,” Jones said. “The growth of social media … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 1, 2019

Jones backs sweeping ballot box access reform legislation

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, is co-sponsoring sweeping reform legislation that is intended to strengthen democracy in the United States by removing barriers to voting, reigning in the influence of money in politics and ensuring public officials work for the public interest. The legislation is being called the For the People Act. If passed, the … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 28, 2019

Governor honors eight winners with 2019 Trade Excellence Awards

Gov. Kay Ivey has announced the winners of the 2019 Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards. The awards, announced Wednesday, recognize companies that fuel Alabama’s export business, which sends innovative designs and products worldwide. “Our winners this year range in size from the small business to the large corporation and also hail from different parts of Alabama,” … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 28, 2019

Jones: Alabama is one of the states with the most to lose if health care law is reversed

Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, said Tuesday that Alabama would be one of the hardest-hit states if President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law, the Affordable Care Act, is reversed by federal courts. “If the courts dismantle this law, Alabama is one of the states with the most to lose,” Jones said. “It’s already a challenge … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 27, 2019