The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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December 28, 2024 – the Alabama Legislature will soon be back in session and one of the issues that they will have to confront is legislation to give the governor and attorney general the authority to appoint an interim police chief in any municipality where there is a threat to public safety. House Bill 14 (HB14) is sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram (R-Montgomery) and cosponsored by Rep. Cris Sells (R-Greenville). This was introduced on July 8, 2024. This bill would authorize the Attorney G...
During the last session of the legislature, Governor Kay Ivey, Speaker of the House, Nathaniel Ledbetter, State Senate President Pro Tem, Greg Reed, along with the business leaders of the state made the "Working for Alabama" program their priority. The Governor and legislature passed a sweeping package of bills that will streamline workforce development in our state and make us one of the most competitive states in America for attracting industry and creating jobs and careers for our young men a...
A star. I think of all the things God could have used to guide the first worshipers to Jesus, He chose a star. Not some man-made innovation. Not a person or prophet. Not even a voice. But a star. Loud in its light, but quiet in its announcement. Unlike the shepherds who were not looking for the angel, the wise men were always looking to the stars. They believed within the sky, divine messages could be seen and interpreted. Evidently, they were right. This particular star led these men to its cre...
The cameras don’t lie. Their all-seeing eye is there when I can’t be. I know every varmint that comes across my field. There were raccoons, bobcats, turkeys, skunks, coyotes, and even a bear. What’s been absent are the deer. I mean, there have been a couple of spikes and a couple of doe, but nothing like every other year. In fact, I can’t remember another time like this in the twenty years I’ve been hunting this property. I know disease comes and goes among every herd. And I’ve been listening to...
December 28, 2024 – MONTGOMERY, AL - the Alabama Legislature will soon be back in session and one of the issues that they will have to confront is whether or not to pass legislation to ban modifying trucks so that the height of the front bender is four inches or more higher than the height of the rear fenders. House Bill 17 is sponsored by State Representative Ron Bolton (R-Northport). "This bill would create the Alabama Squat Truck Law," the bill synopsis says. This legislation would p...
A church friend travels the country transporting automobiles for car dealers and told me, “There’s no good way to get to Denver.” I think he’s right. We trusted the GPS and found ourselves amongst lonely Kansas wheat fields and windmills for many miles. Actually we intended to get to Denver in two days. Our son transferred there and asked us to drive his car. The first day was grueling as we drove from Birmingham to Tulsa. But then we learned the moving company wouldn’t arrive for another f...
December 29, 2024 - WASHINGTON, D.C., - former President Jimmy Carter (D) has passed away after a lengthy illness. He was 100. U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) released a statement following the announcement of the death of the former President who served from 1977 to 1981. "From his time tending to his family farm in our neighboring Georgia to being leader of the free world, President Jimmy Carter lived a life deeply rooted in faith and service above self," said Senator Britt. "As a native...
My tradition is to make my year end column a tribute to major political figures that passed away during the year. My column last week did that, however, there were an inordinately large number of political leaders who passed away in 2024. Therefore, this week, I have a second tribute to two of the giants in Alabama legislative history. I had the honor of serving in the House of Representatives with these two icons, and they were two of my favorite legislative friends. State Senator Jimmy Holley...
While it may not seem obvious at first, the obesity epidemic and economics have a direct connection to each other, especially when it comes to spending categories like healthcare, food, and fitness. One study places annual healthcare costs related to obesity at $173 billion. But the rise of weight loss medications could shift these economic trends. The use of semaglutide as treatment for obesity has skyrocketed over the last five years, which could mean major changes in how people spend and...
Think you can pull over and park in a bus lane to grab your morning latte? Think again—at least in cities using computer vision technology to catch and fine drivers who block bus lanes. As cities across the U.S. invest in new bus lane infrastructure to speed up travel times and prevent delays, drivers continue to flout the red (or green) paint, Next City reports. One 2023 study from Philadelphia's SEPTA recorded 36,000 violations during a 70-day pilot on two bus lines, with half of all bus s...
When immigration agents raided chicken processing plants in central Mississippi in 2019, they arrested nearly 700 undocumented workers—many of them parents of children enrolled in local schools. Teens got frantic texts to leave class and find their younger siblings. Unfamiliar faces whose names weren't on the pick-up list showed up to take children home. School staff scrambled to make sure no child went home to an empty house, while the owner of a local gym threw together a temporary shelter for...
The Twelve Days of Christmas are from Christmas until Epiphany on January 06th. Therefore, we are still in the midst of the Christmas Season. However, for those wanting to celebrate the arrival of the New Year in-between Christmas and Epiphany, The Alabama Symphony Orchestra is holding their annual New Year's Eve concert entitled "A Viennese Celebration!" on December 31st, 2024 at 6PM in the Jemison Concert Hall of the Alys Stephens Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Modeled after the New Year's...
December 30, 2024 - MONTGOMERY, AL - In accordance with the Presidential Proclamation, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) announced that she has authorizied that flags be flown half-staff within the state of Alabama for 30 days to honor the service of former President Jimmy Carter (D) who passed away on Sundat, December 29, 2024, at the age of 100. https://governor.alabama.gov/newsroom/2024/12/flags-lowered-for-former-president-jimmy-carter/ "A native of Plains, Georgia, approximately 40 miles from...
As we move into 2025, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey will have the last two years of her long tenure as the state’s top executive. The Governor has taken on tough issues during her tenure in office, but has maintained her popularity. Actually she has ranked annually as one of the most popular governors in the Nation. Ivey worked her way up from reading clerk in the Alabama Legislature, to state treasurer, then Lieutenant Governor and now Governor. She has made history in her ascent to the s...
As we step into 2025, we are witnessing the dawn of a transformative period that will not only shape the next four years but set the stage for generations to come. I echo the sentiment recently expressed by a recent MAGA convert tech billionaire Marc Andreessen who stated: Across the country, from boardrooms to kitchen tables, Americans are finally exhaling in relief. The stranglehold of fear—whether from oppressive government overreach, ideological conformity, or cancel culture—has begun to...
There's a lot to consider when deciding where to apply to college. Tuition costs, financial aid offerings, and student loans are high on the list, but so are questions about campus culture and free speech policies. The Hechinger Report created a whole suite of tools with brand-new data that can answer your questions and help you research what life might be like at thousands of colleges and universities across the country. Here is what these tools do and how they can help you. - Tuition Tracker s...
Math education leaders have long said children should not be labeled "bad at math," even if they struggle mightily with the subject. Such a classification is racist, sexist, classist, inaccurate, and—worst of all, they say—lasting. Many Americans who absorbed such messages in their youth continue to define themselves this way decades later, The 74 reports. And they pass along those insecurities to their children, as if math competency is an innate trait and not a learned skill. This sort of old-...
December 27, 2024 – the Vanderbilt Commodores defeated the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets 35 to 27 in the 2024 Birmingham Bowl. The game was close in the first half with Vanderbilt holding a 14 to 10 lead over the Commodores. Vanderbilt broke the game open in the second half with 21 points scored to just 3 points for the Yellow Jackets. Vanderbilt leaped out to a 35 to 13 lead with 7:17 left to play in the fourth quarter when the game went into a lengthy rain delay. Georgia Tech scored 14 points w...
Eating out at restaurants is fun and convenient, but on New Year’s Day, don’t forget to eat your black-eyed peas. As tradition holds, if you eat cornbread on New Year’s Day, the cornbread will bring golden opportunities in the new year. If you eat collard greens on New Year’s Day with your black eyed peas, money will abound. If you eat the black-eyed peas with stewed tomatoes, the tomatoes will grant one good health in the New Year. And the black-eyed peas themselves, signify good luck and goo...
In 2016, ads for a new car-sharing service called Gig Car Share began popping up. The service allowed users to pick up a car with an app or a physical card, drive it anywhere within a designated "home zone," and leave it at a streetside parking spot, Next City notes. The idea was that this type of free-flow car-sharing could complement public transit, bike-share, and ride-hailing, ultimately helping reduce car ownership. Over the next few years, Gig expanded its home zone, launched in two more...
Throughout his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump has made big promises on issues of enormous consequence to Americans, from the economy to reproductive health care—but offered few details on how he would see those promises through. What he's said in his campaign and what he did during his first term offer some clues, as does Project 2025, the blueprint for a second Trump term written by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Though Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, saying he h...
December 30, 2024 – MONTGOMERY, AL – authorities are still doing damage surveys after severe weather struck Alabama on Sunday. Straight line winds and tornados are being credited with being responsible for damage in Limestone, Macon, Morgan, and Montgomery counties. The National Weather Services (NWS) is reporting that an EF-1 tornado hit the Athens, Ala. Area around midnight and was on the ground for five minutes. The storm uprooted a 100-year-old tree in front of the Limestone County Cou...
December 31, 2024 - MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday signed a proclamation to set special election dates for Alabama Senate District Five. This seat was previously held by Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed, who is newly appointed as Governor Ivey's Senior Advisor to Workforce Transformation. Governor Ivey set the special primary election for Tuesday, March 11, 2025; the special primary runoff, if necessary, for Tuesday, April 8, 2025; and the special general election for T...
A direct lending program providing financial relief after a natural disaster could be eliminated if President-elect Donald Trump follows the recommendations of the conservative Project 2025 playbook, The Daily Yonder reports. Eliminating loans provided through the Small Business Administration, or SBA, would be particularly harmful to rural communities that are disproportionately affected by natural hazards, according to one economic expert. "Rural communities are more exposed to natural...
As 2024 comes to a close, I wanted to provide you with an update on my work for North Alabamians this year. When the people of North Alabama sent me to Congress, I knew I wanted to focus on reforming how Washington does business for people. I am proud that my office has assisted nearly 1,200 constituents this year with various issues like delayed tax returns, VA claim denials, and ensuring folks receive the social security benefits they’ve earned. I have also put forward a legislative agenda t...
