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Two city leaders resign after mayor’s anti-LGBTQ comments

Two Carbon Hill city councilmen have resigned after their mayor made online comments about killing gay people, transgender people, “baby killers” and “socialists.” The resignations of District 1 councilman McClain Burrough and District 4 councilman Chandler Gann were accepted during the city’s council meeting on Monday. An explanation for their resignations was not mentioned during … Continued
July 11, 2019

Legends of Girls State

For almost 100 years one of, if not the best annual event for young Alabama High School leaders in Alabama has been the Alabama Boys State and the Alabama Girls State programs. These events are sponsored by the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary. Boys State and Girls State are sponsored nationwide by the … Continued
June 5, 2019

Alabama should wait and watch before considering Medicaid expansion

If only Alabama’s leaders had a magical Medicaid “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, so they could flip ahead and see the different outcomes we could expect by expanding the government insurance program that was originally designed for the poor and disabled. Would it end in a stronger economy, more jobs and a vibrant system of … Continued
April 30, 2019

On controversial legislation, there are a couple of Republicans to trust

From an ethical point of view, the Alabama Republican Party has endured a tough run the last few years. There have been at least eight arrests of party leaders and high-ranking ALGOP lawmakers. The Speaker of the House, the governor, the majority leader — they all went down for ethics crimes primarily related to using … Continued
April 23, 2019

Taxation without representation: Clearing up the confusion between cities, counties caused by exterritorial jurisdictions

Just before the Revolutionary War and largely in response to the Stamp Act imposed by the British on the American colonies, the Massachusetts lawyer James Otis famously proclaimed, “Taxation without Representation is Tyranny.” Today, Alabama is one of only three states that permits municipalities to impose police, planning, and other exterritorial jurisdictions in areas well … Continued
February 13, 2019

Economic developers seek expanded immunity from ethics law

Leaders of the state’s economic development community want a blanket exception to the state’s ethics laws that allow them to give and receive things of value to and from corporations — solicited tax dollars from state and local government all under a cloak of secrecy. Not only do they want this indiscriminate sanction for site … Continued
February 5, 2019

Get the show on the road

It is time for the Democrat leaders in Washington to stop posturing when it comes to border security and end the government shutdown. The old expression “get the show on the road” is very apt in this situation. But, truth be told, the show is already on. There is no better way to describe the … Continued
January 14, 2019

“Cussing” the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Leaders of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute ought to be ashamed. They have tarnished the institute’s standing in a way that may be hard to recover from. Last fall, the board of the BCRI voted to honor author, activist, and scholar Dr. Angela Davis, a Birmingham native, with its Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award. … Continued
January 10, 2019

Four statewide amendments will be on the ballot Tuesday

Tuesday, Alabama voters go to the polls to select our leaders for the next four years. Also on the ballot are four proposed amendments to Alabama’s 1901 Constitution. Amendment one deals with allowing the Ten Commandments to be displayed in state buildings. “Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, providing for certain … Continued
November 2, 2018