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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

Alabama Medicaid releases number of abortion payments approved by agency

As a firestorm of controversy has engulfed the state over the passage of the nation’s most restrictive anti-abortion bill, APR asked Alabama Medicaid for statistics on the number of abortions approved by the agency over the last two years. Alabama Medicaid records show that Medicaid approved payment on three abortion procedures in 2018, and two … Continued

May 22, 2019

We have enough oil and natural gas to last over 120 years

Consumer Energy Alliance President David Holt was in Montgomery Tuesday to brief legislators on offshore oil and natural gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Holt agreed to talk to the Alabama Political Reporter about offshore oil and gas drilling and American energy policy. Holt said the state of Alabama just received over $30 million … Continued

May 15, 2019

Poarch Creeks subject of multiple federal probes, White House is watching

UPDATE: Late Friday evening, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians released a statement disputing that the tribe is under investigation, calling the comments from sources cited in the story below “untrue.” Tribal chairwoman Stephanie Bryan called the story an “attack” on the Poarch Creeks and said the tribe operates its businesses “with the highest degree … Continued

May 9, 2019

The feds are monitoring Alabama’s lottery debate because something stinks

A couple of weeks ago, as one of the worst lottery bills in history passed the Alabama Senate, I wrote that it would be amazing if the process that led to its passage didn’t get a hard look from one law enforcement agency or another. Well, guess what? As Bill Britt reports today in APR, … Continued

May 9, 2019

As the lottery push moves forward, a suggestion for a better bill

Now, the teachers have caught on. On Wednesday, social media posts from a number of teachers groups around Alabama highlighted the fact that a lottery bill set for a vote on Thursday in the state Senate offered zero dollars for education. Those social media posts also included the phone numbers for lawmakers, and by late … Continued

April 25, 2019

If the Albritton lottery bill is so popular, why all of the lies?

Del Marsh and Greg Albritton seem to have a serious problem with the truth. Basically, the two Republican senators don’t know what it is. In the ongoing debate over bills that would allow Alabamians to vote on lottery games, Marsh and Albritton have told some real doozies in their efforts to push through a bill … Continued

April 22, 2019

Alabamians voice grave concern over legislation that allows eye surgery by non-medical doctors

A recent statewide survey of 500 likely voters 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 change, according to the survey. Of those surveyed, 74 percent of … Continued

April 17, 2019

The bill that would have killed Alabama ethics laws is dead

The worst bill this legislative session (so far) is dead. Sen. Greg Albritton’s rewrite of state ethics laws — which all but eliminated ethics laws — will apparently never leave the Senate Judiciary Committee, chairman Cam Ward said Wednesday afternoon. “It’s dead in my committee,” Ward told APR. It was an odd turn of events … Continued

April 11, 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

April 2, 2019