The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Just when activity began to normalize on the nation's car dealer lots, tariff uncertainty threatens to increase auto prices for Americans in 2025. But for now, we're taking a look at 2024 data, which shows car loan balances increased moderately last year. The average auto loan balance held by consumers in the United States increased 2.1% to $24,297 as of the third quarter (Q3) of 2024, according to Experian data. This increase broadly impacted all U.S. regions and consumers of all ages and...
More insurance coverage should mean more confidence for small business owners, right? Not exactly—at least, not yet. According to a NEXT nationwide survey of 500 small business owners, insurance adoption is up across the board but confidence hasn't caught up. Despite more business owners having small business insurance coverage, many still feel unprepared to face real-world risks, and a majority say they find insurance confusing. This year's survey, a follow-up to NEXT's 2023 industry pulse c...
May 1, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL. – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall led a 24-state brief supporting Ohio's law prohibiting experimental sex-change procedures for minors. The brief urged the Ohio Supreme Court to review a lower court decision that enjoined enforcement of Ohio's law based on its conclusion that the law conflicted with purported standards of care promulgated by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). In the brief, Attorney General Marshall argued t...
May 5, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that Monica Carroll has been appointed by President Donald J. Trump (R) as the Executive Director of Alabama Farm Services Agency. Monica Carroll and her family operate a diversified farm raising poultry and cattle, along with growing row crops. She previously served as Chairperson of the FSA State Committee during President Trump's first term. She is a board Member for the Alabama Resource...
May 19, 2025 – Former President Joseph R. Biden (D) has stage four prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bone. The 82 year old Biden left office in January as the oldest man to ever serve as President. Concerns about his health and his fitness to serve after a disastrous debate performance against former President Donald J. Trump (R) last June ultimately led him to drop out of the Presidential race in late July. Trump then easily beat former Vice President Kamala Harris in the general e...
May 20, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL - Behavioral and mental health issues affect every aspect of life; one in five adults in the United States experiences mental illness each year. Alabama has seen the number of mental health providers and access to care improve, though more work is needed to meet the demand for services. State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said, "The strains experienced with COVID-19 highlighted a mental health gap between the people seeking assistance and the shortage of...
It's true that you can be healthy while living in a larger body. But it's also true that, for many, carrying excess weight can lead to health problems. This tends to be a bigger issue for women. More women than men report trying to lose weight and view themselves as overweight. Even though obesity in women is common, it's harder for women to lose weight. In fact, many studies show that men lose more weight than women from dieting, as well as from dieting plus exercise. But why? GoodRx reviews th...
April 30, 2025 - Tuscaloosa, AL – Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl issued a statement today responding to opposition from Democrat leaders and left-wing activist groups regarding President Donald J. Trump's scheduled address at the University of Alabama's spring commencement ceremony on May 1, 2025. "It is unfortunate that some Democrats and liberal activist groups are attempting to turn a proud moment for Alabama into yet another political fight," Wahl said. "Donald Trump is the s...
Scroll through the news, and you'll find no shortage of horror stories about landlords. But in three recent cases involving unlawfully withheld security deposits, a $692,000 wrongful eviction settlement, and chronic tenant neglect and harassment, the wrongdoing came from the property management companies hired to oversee the rental properties. Property management companies and landlords aren't necessarily one and the same, TurboTenant notes. And when a property manager fails to uphold the terms...
April 22, 2025 – MONTGOMERY, AL – The Alabama House of Representatives passed legislation to provide food pantries on Alabama college campuses. House Bill 273 (HB273) is sponsored by State Representatives Terri Collins (R-Decatur). The Hunger-Free Campus Act would require the Alabama Commission on Higher Education to require colleges and universities in the state to form a hunger-free task force. The bill would establish a framework for colleges to be designated as "hunger-free campuses." Instit...
Former Secretary of State John Merrill (R) recently spoke on the Brandon and Christopher Show podcast hosted by Alabama Gazette lead reporter and content manger Brandon Moseley and Alabama Political Contributor Publisher Christopher Peeks. Merrill touted his record as Secretary of State and his work making Alabama elections more secure. "When I left office, we were recognized by conservative women for good government, by the Heritage Foundation, and by the University of Southern California in Lo...
On Dec. 6, 2024, Connecticut State Police arrested a 35-year-old man who had allegedly failed to report several of his guns as stolen. It wasn't a mundane arrest: His case appeared to be a classic example of gun trafficking fueled by straw purchasing, a term for when a person buys a gun with the intent of giving or selling it to someone prohibited from possessing it, like a person convicted of a felony. In all, the man had allegedly purchased more than 30 guns, including 16 in 2020 alone. Some...
April 29, 2025 – MONTGOMERY, AL - An Alabama Senate committee failed to give a favorable report to legislation that would have changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. That bill had 55 cosponsors in the House but failed when Senate Republicans on the Senate Committee on County and Municipal Government sided with Senate Democrats in committee to kill the bill. House Bill 247 (HB247) was sponsored by State Representative David Standridge (R-Hayden). President Donald J. T...
April 29, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced today that the State has filed a lawsuit against social media company TikTok Inc., and its parent company, ByteDance Inc., for exploiting children, addicting them to harmful content, and lying about the safety of its platform. The lawsuit, filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court, seeks to hold TikTok accountable for fueling a mental health crisis among Alabama's youth. "Today we join concerned parents across o...
April 29, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in reintroducing the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) Act. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation would eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for diagnostic breast cancer tests, making them more accessible and affordable. "The ABCD Act would provide greater access to mammography so women can be diagnosed as soon as possible, giving them the widest variety of treatment options and the b...
Former Alabama Lieutenant Governor George D. H. McMillan Jr. (D), a prominent figure in Alabama's political and social scene, passed away, leaving a legacy that will be remembered for generations. His death marks the end of an era characterized by significant contributions to the state and its people. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) shared the following comment upon learning of the passing of former Alabama Lieutenant Governor George McMillan: "I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our...
More than $80 trillion over 20 years-that's the scale of the coming wave of wealth expected to trickle down to younger Americans over the next two decades. Dubbed the Great Wealth Transfer, the shift of assets from older generations to millennials and Generation Z may profoundly reshape financial influence and spending priorities in America. By one estimate, the Silent Generation and baby boomers are set to pass on $90 trillion to younger generations by 2044. Other estimates are more...
April 22, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) issued a statement following the announcement that President Donald J. Trump will deliver keynote remarks at the University of Alabama's 2025 commencement ceremonies. Britt said that she was "thrilled" by the news. "I'm thrilled President Trump will deliver the keynote address at the University of Alabama's commencement ceremonies this year. It is a tremendous honor for the university and for this year's graduating class t...
Few animals exhibit the absolute, unadulterated joy of a dog greeting its human companion after they arrive home from a long day at work. Dog owners may ask, "Does anyone love me as much as my dog?" As times change, so too do pet owners' preferences when it comes to which breeds they bring home. Breeds once wildly popular just a few decades ago may have fallen out of fashion. In other cases, an underdog can rise to the top of the charts. Take the French bulldog, for instance, which dethroned...
While taxes and a high cost of living eat into a household's earnings, past debt obligations like student loans may take another significant chunk out of the budget before allocating disposable income on nice-to-haves like retirement savings and vacations. While student loans may help a household increase its lifetime earnings, the principal and interest on these loans may stick around for decades—in many cases, those who still have student loan debt into their 60s still have more than $...
Muscle and joint aches. Shooting, stinging, or burning pain. Ongoing stiffness or squeezing sensations, pain so persistent and intense that it leads to constant fatigue, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. These and other symptoms of chronic pain are often associated with older adults, but chronic pain is a pervasive public health issue that is hard to measure. Nearly 1 in 4 adults said they experienced chronic pain, according to a 2023 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Al...
Ivan Dimov was convicted of reckless driving in 2013, after fleeing police in Washington state while his passenger allegedly dumped heroin out the window. Before that, he got six DUIs in California over a six-year period. None of that would keep him off the road. The California Department of Motor Vehicles reissued him a driver's license in 2017. The next year, on Christmas Eve, he drove drunk again, running stop signs and a traffic light in midtown Sacramento, going more than 80 mph, court...
April 23, 2025 - Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Mike Rogers (R-AL03) and Adam Smith (D-Washington), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued a joint statement in response to a horrific attack in Kashmir that killed more than two dozen people and left at least 17 others wounded. "We stand in solidarity with our Indian partners in condemning the appalling terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir that targeted innocent civilians, including tourists, r...
The retail and e-commerce sectors present significant entrepreneurial opportunities despite global economic shifts and geopolitical uncertainties. For those who can innovate and meet evolving market needs, the landscape remains full of potential. While challenges like inflation and increasing competition persist, some of the fastest-growing retail and e-commerce businesses show resilience by offering consumers greater convenience, affordability and personalized experiences, NEXT says. Many...
When Mental Health America established Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949, few could have predicted its profound impact. What began as a modest educational effort has evolved into a national movement that has fundamentally altered how we perceive, discuss, and treat mental health conditions. For over 70 years, each May has put a spotlight on mental health issues through community events, media campaigns, and educational outreach. But beyond the green ribbons and hashtags, has Mental Health Aw...
