Skip to content

Alabama Political Reporter

News / Elections / Legislature / National

Merrill and APR columnist dispute over voter ID laws

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and Alabama Political Reporter investigative reporter and featured columnist Josh Moon continue to trade words on Alabama photo ID laws.  In an op-ed published on July 31, Moon claimed voter ID laws “disproportionately impose hardships on those minorities being able to cast votes. Merrill issued a response later that … Continued
August 7, 2019

Merrill responds to APR Op-Ed on voter ID laws

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill issued a statement yesterday responding to a recent op-ed from Alabama Political Reporter investigative reporter and featured columnist Josh Moon titled “Voter ID laws burden minority voters, have zero effect on fraud.” Moon’s op-ed on Wednesday claimed voter ID laws “disproportionately impose hardships on those minorities being able to … Continued
August 1, 2019

It’s time for criminal justice reform

Evangelist Scott Dawson recently expressed a profound thought in an opinion column in Alabama Political Reporter. “Protecting life is a universal moral imperative. At every stage of human development, we, as good Christians and good people, should value life and who God has put on this earth,” wrote Dawson. The role of the church in … Continued
July 17, 2019

APR reporters take on additional assignments

Three members of the Alabama Political Reporter‘s staff have recently earned advances in their careers. Chip Brownlee, while continuing his work for APR, has been signed as a freelance reporter for the Washington Post. Brownlee worked with Post staff in covering the 2019 Legislative Session reporting on the state’s abortion debate. Brownlee has also been … Continued
June 3, 2019

The Ayers factor: A disturbing lack of compassion

When former Anniston Star publisher H. Brandt Ayers admitted last year to assaulting women who worked for him — including my wife Veronica when she was a young reporter — Ayers resigned as chairman of Consolidated Publishing, the company that owns the Star and other newspapers. Ayers was supposed to have nothing more to do … Continued
May 9, 2019

Optometrists push back against survey

A recent statewide survey of 500 likely voters published by Alabama Political Reporter found that an overwhelming majority of those polled oppose a proposed change in state law that would allow individuals who are not medical doctors to perform eye surgery. Nearly 80 percent of Alabamians oppose such a move, according to the survey. Alabamians … Continued
April 23, 2019

The fallen Star

At the beginning of last year, when former Consolidated Publishing chairman and Anniston Star publisher H. Brandt Ayers basically admitted to abusing at least two of his former female employees by spanking them decades ago, those of us who followed the story knew this was just the cliché’d tip of the iceberg. When my wife, … Continued
March 7, 2019

Brandy Ayers stole “normal” from the women he abused

Shortly after the Anniston Star posted a story that Washington Post Executive Editor Martin “Marty” Baron was coming to Anniston to deliver the annual Ayers Lecture, the rumblings started. On the surface, it appeared to be an insult to the many women, including my wife, Veronica, who were abused by H. Brandt Ayers, former publisher … Continued
February 28, 2019