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Story Type: Analysis

News / State

The 2019 gas tax, gambling fight is under way

The fight over a gas tax increase has begun. Just out of public view, lawmakers and lobbyists and business interests are working together and against each other to draw up bills that will increase Alabama’s gas tax as much as 18 cents initially, depending on the type of fuel being purchased. But there is broad … Continued
December 5, 2018

Could Auburn actually fire Gus Malzahn?

Is Auburn planning to fire Gus Malzahn? I’ve been getting that question a lot — way more than a political reporter probably should — after I tweeted on Monday that some AU reps met with former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops and/or his reps. It was a slow Monday in the sports world, I guess, … Continued
November 27, 2018

Matt Hart’s dismissal raises a number of questions, some with national implications

The forced resignation of Deputy Attorney General Matt Hart — the head of the Alabama attorney general’s public corruption unit who is widely known as the most feared man in Alabama politics — has raised a number of serious questions about ongoing investigations, some of which have national implications. Hart’s resignation, which was hastily forced … Continued
November 21, 2018

The myth of the “simple lottery bill”

There is no such thing as a “simple lottery bill” in the state of Alabama. You hear this phrase a lot from state lawmakers, as they field the inevitable questions about gambling that pop up prior to each legislative session or prior to elections in which one candidate — usually a Democrat — has proposed … Continued
September 6, 2018

Could Jones be a decisive vote on Trump’s Supreme Court nominee?

Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate are gearing up for what could be a massive confirmation fight over President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, and Alabama’s junior senator, Doug Jones, in his first year of a short two-year term, will likely find himself right in the middle of it all. Trump is expected to … Continued
June 28, 2018

AEA/MPS agreement with state was best possible outcome

Sometimes, a win is a less devastating loss. That was the case this week for the Alabama Education Association and a group of Montgomery Public Schools parents and employees who filed suit to block the sale of historic Georgia Washington Middle School to the Pike Road School system. After the Alabama Supreme Court last week … Continued
May 25, 2018

GOP Debate: Overtly friendly but not toward Kay Ivey

While the three GOP gubernatorial candidates were in Birmingham debating, their minds drifted towards the empty podium in the room meant for Gov. Kay Ivey. Former state Sen. Bill Hightower, Evangelist Scott Dawson, and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle gathered for a televised debate last Thursday. Minutes before the debate, WVTM, who hosted the debate, announced … Continued
April 16, 2018

Democratic candidates offer idealistic goals in debate. Realities remain unseen

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, former Chief Justice Sue Cobb and former state Rep. James Field gathered in Birmingham on Wednesday in a televised debate by WVTM 13. The debate, while eventful in moments, was plagued with common solutions by Democrats in the state. Here are the highlights of the night: Maddox and Cobb spar over … Continued
April 12, 2018

Are Hubbard-Riley emails key to answering the mystery surrounding HB317?

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Controversy still clings to HB317, also known as The Alabama Jobs Enhancement Act, despite the substitute added Tuesday that, at first blush, appears to fix problems with the original bill. Concerns remain. The mystery of why a substantial change to the Ethics Act is linked to amendments addressing business … Continued
March 8, 2018

Gov. Ivey’s campaign kick off solid, steady, shocking

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter When Alabama’s Governor Kay Ivey took the stage at the Montgomery Renaissance Tuesday night to kick-off her campaign for governor, she was buoyant, charming and in command of the evening. Most attendees agreed that Gov. Ivey hit all the right notes in her 10-plus-minute speech. But it was her … Continued
February 14, 2018