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The fight against public corruption isn’t lost yet

This will likely not surprise you: I get a lot of correspondence. Emails. Twitter direct messages. Facebook messages. Text messages. Every day. All day long. They come rolling in, usually from someone who disagrees with something I’ve written or has taken issue with something I said on TV or who wants to say something bad … Continued
December 10, 2018

School boards are choosing systems over students by calling for scholarship repeal

Boards representing three of the state’s largest public school systems – Mobile, Baldwin and Montgomery counties – recently passed resolutions calling for a repeal of Alabama’s landmark tax credit scholarships for low income families. They claim that the small yet popular program created in 2013 by the Alabama Accountability Act has “caused harm to the financial … Continued
December 10, 2018

Jefferson County indictments raise serious questions about Ethics Commission’s actions

When indictments were reported by Al.com against Scott Phillips and Onis “Trey” Glenn III for multiple violations of the Alabama Ethics Act, the pair had not been arrested or served with the indictments. However, Alabama Ethics Commission Executive Director Tom Albritton spoke in glowing terms about the hard work his office and the Jefferson County … Continued
November 14, 2018

A dozen things to know, expect during election day today

Polls are open across the state, and voters are headed out to cast their ballots. Here are a few questions, answers and things you can expect to happen today. 1. What time do polls close? Polls close at 7 p.m. in Alabama. If you’re in line by 7 p.m., you can still vote. Stay in … Continued
November 6, 2018

Officials claiming voter suppression in Alabama are crying wolf

We need words to mean things. The phrase “fake news” has been so widely applied that it’s now essentially meaningless, other than identifying those who would rather dismiss than deal with an argument or evidence challenging their conclusions. The extremely important phrase “voter suppression” is now also tittering on the edge of meaninglessness, thanks in … Continued
November 6, 2018

Gov. Ivey says “Budgets are strong”

During a recent presser, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey spoke briefly about the possibility of a state lottery. In usual fashion, she committed to letting the people vote but stopped far short of saying she personally supported a lottery. As reported by al.com’s John Sharpe, Ivey said, “If people want to vote, that is fine.” Gov. Ivey … Continued
August 27, 2018

Testimony confirms Sen. Phil Williams lied about criminal investigation

In sworn testimony given by disgraced former Gov. Robert Bentley, he affirms that State Sen. Phil Williams, R-Rainbow City, was under investigation for possible ethics violations related to consulting contracts he attained after becoming a state senator, as first reported by Alabama Political Reporter in 2016. After APR exposed Williams’ potential legal woes, he undertook a … Continued
July 30, 2018

Ivey claims she’s strengthened ethics laws. She’s done the opposite.

There’s a trick that’s often used in Alabama politics — one that Kay Ivey seems to know well. This trick comes in many different forms, and is disguised under many different names, but it is always essentially the same. It’s pretending to do something while in reality doing nothing. While that basically sums up Ivey’s … Continued
July 26, 2018

Cobb field director charged with violating sex offender employment restrictions

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday arrested Paul Littlejohn III, the Jefferson County field director for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Bell Cobb, charging him with violating Alabama’s sex offender laws. Littlejohn, 55, was convicted in 1985 of the rape and sodomy of a 30-year-old woman, according to Alabama Law Enforcement Agency records. He was released … Continued
May 11, 2018