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Thursday is the 156th anniversary of the end of the siege at Vicksburg

On July 4, 1863 Confederate Lieutenant General John Pemberton surrendered the Mississippi town of Vicksburg and the Confederate fortifications there to Major General Ulysses S. Grant. The fall of Vicksburg combined with the fall of Port Hudson five days later gave the Union Army complete control of the Mississippi River and cut the South in … Continued
July 4, 2019

Mississippi, Alabama are only southern states with no anti-FGM laws

33 states across the country have taken steps to criminalize female genital mutilation. However, Alabama and Mississippi remain the only southern states to have no legislation criminalizing the practice.  Female genital mutilation, which is defined as a procedure to “remove, cut, circumcise, excise, mutilate, infibulate or reinfibulate” any part of the genitals for non-medical purposes … Continued
July 2, 2019

Climate change is killing our coastal gulf fisheries

Marine life along the Gulf of Mexico is not doing well. Vast numbers of oyster, blue crab, shrimp, and fin fish off coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and bays of Alabama have been killed outright or driven from marshes. In Louisiana and Mississippi, the death blow was an unprecedented outflow of fresh water juiced, among other sources, … Continued
July 2, 2019

Sen. Thad Cochran has died

Retired U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Mississippi, died Thursday following a long illness. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, released a statement regarding the passing of his former colleague and longtime friend. “Today we lost a great legislator, Senator Thad Cochran, the last true southern gentleman and a loyal patriot,” Shelby said. “Thad was a colleague of … Continued
May 31, 2019

Ivey praises Senate for passing bill to replace the elected school board with appointed board

Thursday, the Alabama State Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would replace the state ’s State Board of Education and replace it with a new appointed board. Senate Bill 397 is sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston. SB397 would change Alabama’s current elected State Board of Education to a Commission appointed … Continued
May 17, 2019

Alabama lottery: What’s at stake

Over the past few weeks, I have written a number of stories and columns detailing the specifics of potential lottery bills and what their effect on this state and its tax revenues might be. I’m sorry. Not for writing those pieces, because they contained important and accurate information, but because I didn’t first adequately explain … Continued
April 17, 2019

What is abortion, really?

A battle over abortion is raging around us and more and more states are taking their stand. Some states, like New York and Virginia, seem intent on abolishing any limitations to the practice. Others–red states like Kentucky, Mississippi, and now Alabama–appear resolved to end legalized abortion within their borders. In the midst of this reality, … Continued
April 2, 2019

Alabama’s continued honoring of Robert Lee is a slap in the face to black Americans

Today, the State of Alabama will honor two men. One was a man who advocated for peace and justice, who led peaceful protests and demanded non-violent resistance to abhorrent mistreatment of Americans based solely on the color of their skin. All across America, people will celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King … Continued
January 21, 2019

State will host deer chronic wasting disease sampling efforts in Northwest Alabama

Friday, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced that they are increasing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) sampling surveillance efforts in northwest Alabama after deer in nearby Mississippi and Tennessee counties have tested CWD-positive. CWD is a contagious and deadly neurological disorder that affects members of the deer family. To date, no deer in … Continued
January 1, 2019

Jones, Cruz bill to release civil rights cold case records passes Senate

U.S. Sens. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced that their bipartisan Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act has passed the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support. Jones and Cruz introduced the legislation in July to require the review, declassification, and release of government records related to unsolved criminal civil rights cases. Even though … Continued
December 19, 2018