Montgomery Advertiser

Comparing peaches to peaches

A recent opinion column on solar energy in the Montgomery Advertiser leads with an analogy so full of holes that it resembles Swiss cheese. It claims that the reasonable fee charged by Alabama Power to rooftop solar customers, who also want power from the utility, is like the government charging you a tax on fruit you grow … Continued

Seth Hammett

December 19, 2019

Opinion

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

Joey Kennedy

May 9, 2019

Opinion

A weird legislative session rolls on

Ah, the freedom of being unconcerned with election consequences. That’s what we’re seeing in the Alabama Legislature this session — this weird, strange, oddball session. This session where everything is turned upside down, with Republicans pushing tax increases and marijuana and Democrats playing key roles in crucial votes. The Montgomery Advertiser’s Brian Lyman first mentioned … Continued

Josh Moon

May 8, 2019

Opinion

Education matters

President Trump had hardly taken the oath of office in January 2017 when his advisor, Kellyanne Conway, told Meet the Press about “alternative facts.” She was trying to defend press secretary Sean Spicer for disputing how many people attended the Trump inauguration. Host Chuck Todd simply told her, “Look, alternative facts are not facts. They’re … Continued

Larry Lee

March 18, 2019

Opinion

Everyday racism of publisher Goodloe Sutton is neither surprising nor uncommon

Goodloe Sutton is not a racist. That might seem impossible considering Sutton, the publisher of the Democrat-Reporter newspaper in Linden, just wrote an editorial calling for “the Ku Klux Klan to night ride again.” APR’s Chip Brownlee first brought attention to the editorial, which encourages the KKK to take out Democrats who are advocating for … Continued

Josh Moon

February 19, 2019

Alabama executes Muslim inmate after Supreme Court overturns stay

Alabama performed its first execution of 2019 following a legal back and forth over whether the inmate could be put to death without a chaplain of his faith in the chamber. The state executed Dominque Ray, a Muslim inmate who had appealed to federal courts after the state refused to allow an imam to be … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 8, 2019

A dozen things to know, expect during election day today

Polls are open across the state, and voters are headed out to cast their ballots. Here are a few questions, answers and things you can expect to happen today. 1. What time do polls close? Polls close at 7 p.m. in Alabama. If you’re in line by 7 p.m., you can still vote. Stay in … Continued

Chip Brownlee

November 6, 2018

Opinion

The yoga ban in Alabama schools explains so much

Yoga is illegal in Alabama public schools. If you ever wanted to sum up this state, that sentence — and the explanation behind it — should more than suffice. In a nutshell, it’s this: Alabama lawmakers were, in the early 1990s, so concerned with the spread of the Hindu religion, by way of strenuous stretching, … Continued

Josh Moon

August 31, 2018

More top companies exit BCA

The BCA exodus has begun. A day after Alabama Power announced its plans to leave the Business Council of Alabama, two more powerhouses — Regions Bank, the state’s only Fortune 500 company, and PowerSouth Energy, an energy company serving south Alabama and northwest Florida — followed suit on Tuesday. More defections are expected throughout the … Continued

Josh Moon

June 20, 2018