Billy Canary Archives • Alabama Political Reporter

Senate votes to end Common Core in Alabama

Thursday, the Alabama Senate voted in favor of Senate Bill 119, which would end Common Core in the Alabama public schools. For a decade, conservative activists have been telling the state to overturn the Common Core-aligned Alabama College and Career Ready Standards. For years, the leadership had thwarted efforts by Senators to pass a Common … Continued

March 22, 2019

PCI investing heavily in out-of-state casinos using un-taxed dollars from Alabama

The Poarch Creek Indians are buying a billion-dollar casino in Pennsylvania using un-taxed dollars siphoned out of Alabama. PCI is paying $1.3 billion for the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in a bid to expand the tribe’s lucrative gaming syndicate beyond the borders of Alabama. According to lehighvalleylive.com, once the purchase is approved, the tribe, “plans to … Continued

January 17, 2019

Nine stories to keep an eye on in 2019

9. Who will challenge Sen. Doug Jones in 2020? It may have been only a year ago that Doug Jones won in a historic victory that sent a Democrat from Alabama to the U.S. Senate for the first time in a quarter century, but he’s up for re-election in 2020. With that election just around the corner, … Continued

December 31, 2018

The top 5 under-reported Alabama politics stories of 2018

In a state where political news comes fast and furious, and where newspaper and TV news staffs are steadily declining, it’s easy for a few stories to slip through the cracks. At this time each year, APR tries to go back and catch a few of those and give them the attention they deserve. And … Continued

December 27, 2018

Shelby’s Chief of Staff Katie Britt chosen to lead Business Council of Alabama

Friday, U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, R-Ala., announced the departure of his chief of staff, Katie Boyd Britt, following the official notice of her decision to serve as President and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama, a non-partisan business association representing companies throughout the state. “Katie Britt is an exceptional choice to serve as CEO … Continued

December 7, 2018

Is the Business Council getting out of the education picture?

As we reported back in July, longtime head of the Business Council of Alabama, Billy Canary, was ousted from his position after months of high stakes politicking by some of Alabama major companies. His replacement will be Katie Britt, who is presently chief of staff for Senator Richard Shelby. As explained in this article by … Continued

November 30, 2018

A final vote on Britt at BCA set for December

A vote by the entire board of the Business Council of Alabama on Dec. 7 is expected to confirm Katie Britt as President and CEO of the influential business organization. BCA’s executive committee in October voted unanimously to recommend Britt as the next chief of the organization, and those close to the process believe her … Continued

November 29, 2018

Will Republicans bring change or status quo?

For eight years, Republicans have dominated state government in Alabama, but those years are not a fair representation of Republican leadership because, for most of that time, corrupt, crazy or compromised men were at the helms in the State House, the governor’s office and throughout the political infrastructure. Already, Republicans are laying the groundwork for … Continued

November 12, 2018

BCA announces search criteria for new President and CEO

The Business Council of Alabama on Monday posted it’s search criteria for a new president and CEO. The posting will close on Oct. 8, 2018, at noon. https://www.bcatoday.org/bca-announces-search-criteria-for-new-president-and-ceo/ Those close to the process say the new Executive Committee doesn’t have a pre-chosen individual and that Alabama Power Company CEO Mark Crosswhite who leads the group … Continued

September 18, 2018