Author

Joey Kennedy

Joey Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize winner, writes a column each week for the Alabama Political Reporter. You can email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.

Dodge the Economic Impact Payment card fees

My wife received her $1,200 stimulus payment as a direct deposit several weeks ago. I did not get one, even though we file a joint income tax return, she makes more money than I, and our money is deposited into the same bank account. I just figured there was some kind of mix-up. That’s fine; … Continued

Joey Kennedy

May 28, 2020

Opinion

With reckless abandon

This is Thursday. Since Sunday, we’ve had more than 1,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 in Alabama. Let that number sink in. Some of those 1,000-plus new cases will end in death or permanent damage. Our caseloads are going up. They’re not on a plateau. They are increasing, by more than 1,000 in … Continued

Joey Kennedy

May 21, 2020

Opinion

Hey y’all! Watch this!

My friend who is a server in one of our favorite Birmingham restaurants is afraid. She worries that as restaurants begin allowing customers back inside, she’ll come into contact with someone who has COVID-19. That’s not only possible, but likely, she said. “My customers come for curbside service,” she said. “I know the kind of … Continued

Joey Kennedy

May 14, 2020

Opinion

A senate full of morons

The Alabama Senate should just go home. The Legislature was supposed to gather again simply to pass the budgets. But, as my colleague Josh Moon notably pointed out, senators are up to no good. And no good is SOP for the Alabama Legislature, but senators are hoping to kick that up a few notches. Alabama … Continued

Joey Kennedy

May 8, 2020

Opinion

Conversations with my brain

I’ve been spending many hours a day grading college papers. Final grades are due Monday, and I’ve still got a pile to plow through. All of my “tests” are essays. So I’ve got to read them closely. It can take 15 minutes to a half-hour on one paper. The manual labor of teaching. If I … Continued

Joey Kennedy

April 30, 2020

Opinion

We have the smarter governor

The economy is a wreck. That’s true. Some believe this will be the worst recession since the Great Depression. We had that one already, in 2008 and 2009. Guess what? A Democratic Party president, and a black man at that, cleaned up that mess and set off the longest economic boom in recent memory. That … Continued

Joey Kennedy

April 23, 2020

Opinion

“Heroes work here”

How do we come together when we have to stay 6 feet apart? Handshakes may be a thing of the past? Hugs, even with close friends, off limits. Oh, this won’t last forever. This we know. Because nothing lasts forever. It may last a while, though. Quite a while. During this time, we come together … Continued

Joey Kennedy

April 17, 2020

Opinion

Push through is what we must do

In Alabama, it’s difficult to imagine that most churches are going to cancel Easter Sunday services this weekend. That, friends, should be a signal of how serious the COVID-19 pandemic is. So if you’re a little stir crazy, you can’t go to Stir Crazy, a Homewood bar, because it’s closed for the duration. I hope … Continued

Joey Kennedy

April 9, 2020

Opinion

Facing each day, finding hope

People text me news tips all the time. Most of them are unfounded rumors. I’m sure my other colleagues at Alabama Political Reporter get their share. We should never simply pass on a rumor or, as Donald Trump says, “fake” news. And the vast majority of us in journalism understand our responsibility in this. But … Continued

Joey Kennedy

April 3, 2020

“I’m completely isolated”: A woman’s COVID-19 experience, from her hospital bed

For the past five days, Pamela Franco hasn’t seen her fiancé except over FaceTime. She’s at UAB’s University Hospital on one of the floors set aside for those infected with the novel coronavirus. Franco’s room is a typical hospital room, which she isn’t allowed to leave. The exercise she gets is from walking around that … Continued

Joey Kennedy

March 27, 2020