The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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March 18, 2025 – The Alabama Senate Government Affairs Committee gave a favorable report that would allow a new sheriff to retain all of the accrued cost of living increases of the former sheriff. House Bill 157 (HB157) is sponsored by state Representative Paul Lee (R-Dothan). "If you have a sheriff who has been there for years he has received cost of living raises over the years," explained Representative Lee. "If they retire or gets beat the new sheriff will not get the cost of living i...
March 7, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL - The legal landscape of medical cannabis in Alabama has witnessed a significant development as the Alabama Appeals Court recently overturned a temporary restraining order (TRO) from Montgomery Circuit Court that has halted the issuance of medical cannabis licenses since 2023. This ruling could signal that we are finally near to the end in the legal drama that has stalled the state's journey towards providing patients with access to medicinal cannabis. Chey Garriga...
A staggering 45% of small business owners don't know they have a business credit score, according to the Native American Dream Gap survey. Even more surprising—this number could be silently impacting your business right now, affecting everything from your loan terms to your relationships with suppliers. Most business owners understand personal credit scores, but business credit scores play by a different set of rules. It's not just about the numbers being different (they are), or how they're c...
The vast majority of America's local election administrators would not encourage their children to do the same job, and a shrinking share of them say they would be proud to tell others about their work, Votebeat reports. The findings come from a survey conducted every federal election year by the Elections & Voting Information Center, an academic research group. While it contains small bright spots—election administrators largely find the job personally rewarding, for example—the number wil...
From compact crossovers in California to full-size trucks in Texas, Edmunds shoppers have a wide variety of favorite vehicles. Edmunds users' preferences were analyzed to determine the 10 most favorited makes and models of 2024, also looking at favorite model years and regions where shoppers were based. Takeaways? Honda and Toyota dominated with sensible, reliable sedans and crossovers; Ford and Chevrolet trucks remain perennially popular; and the Jeep Wrangler still inspires the daydreams of ma...
March 18, 2025 - MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday signed Senate Bill 67, sponsored by Senator Andrew Jones and Representative Ed Oliver, to further elevate veteran needs in Alabama. "Alabama's veterans deserve our very best, and I am grateful to the Alabama Legislature for its resounding support of this important legislation," said Governor Ivey. "We will use this new structure to focus on what matters most – serving those who sacrificed so much for our freedoms – our veterans and t...
March 26, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL - Wes Allen, Alabama's Secretary of State, stands strongly behind President Trump's "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections" Executive Order, which aims to strengthen election integrity and effectively end noncitizen voting across the country. "From closing the border, to dismissing the Biden-Harris era USDOJ lawsuit that attempted to block our efforts to remove noncitizens from Alabama's voter file, to signing this EO, it is obvious that...
March 26, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issues warning to consumers about protecting personal information by deleting personal accounts following the announcement that genetic testing company, 23andMe, will be filing for bankruptcy. The direct-to-consumer genetic testing company collects and analyzes an individual's genetic code. "Given the uncertainty surrounding 23andMe's bankruptcy, consumers should seriously consider deleting their accounts to protect t...
Despite record-high annual percentage rates (APRs) for consumers, credit card debt grew at a slower rate in 2024 than it did in 2023. The total amount of consumer credit card debt in the U.S. grew 8.6% to reach $1.16 trillion as of the third quarter (Q3) of 2024, according to Experian data. Among those consumers who carry a balance—revolvers, in industry jargon—the average balance grew 3.5% to reach $6,730 as of Q3 2024. That increase from 2023 marks the slowest annual growth since the start of...
The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that 14 tornadoes touched down across Central Alabama during the severe weather event on March 15. The tornadoes varied in intensity, The most powerful was rated as an EF3. Six were rated as EF2s, four were rated as EF1s, and three were rated as EF0s. 3 people were killed. Hundreds of thousands of people were able to get in their safe places ahead of the storms due to the efforts of the National Weather Service and TV meteorologists. We have far...
Many websites lose customers because confusing design and accessibility issues—like unreadable forms or missing labels—make it hard for people, especially those with disabilities, to use them. Fixing these problems not only helps users have a better experience but also helps businesses keep customers and avoid legal trouble. Every business wants its website to be a seamless, welcoming experience for customers. But too often, hidden accessibility barriers—unreadable forms, confusing menus, or po...
A community in Alabama may soon be forced to close its local police department. At the end of February, a grand jury recommended disbanding the Hanceville Police Department, concluding that it "recently operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency." City officials have said they are considering the recommendation, but for now, the department is, in effect, shuttered. Five officers have been arrested, and the entire force has been placed on leave. One state away, a form...
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, announced recently that it has launched a new satellite office in the state of Alabama. Veteran attorney Britton O'Shields has been hired to serve as the office's lead attorney. O'Shields is the first hire for CAIR's revamped presence in the state of Alabama. O'Shields is a graduate of the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham. She previously worked for CAI...
The first jobs report fully under the new Trump administration showed a softening job market, with the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.1% in February, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released March 7. Job growth increased but fell below expectations, one of several possible fissures appearing in the once rock-solid labor market. Businesses are pulling back on hiring as the economic forecast and policy outlook grow murkier due to volatile trade policies and large cuts to the...
March 27, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) and Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL01) are working to boost Alabama's agriculture community while making healthy foods more accessible for Alabama's more than 54,000 seniors by reintroducing the Farmers' Market Expansion Act. This bipartisan legislation would make pecans and other tree nuts eligible for the USDA's Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). The legislation would make tree nuts, including pec...
Unlike a full-time employee whose taxes are deducted from their paycheck, if you're an independent contractor, it's your job to pay taxes on your own—and you'll want as many 1099 tax deductions as you can take, NEXT explains. You can claim numerous deductions when you file your taxes on tax day. Your 1099 independent contractor deductions lower the amount you'll ultimately have to pay in taxes as a self-employed contractor. "Not keeping good track of their business expenses is one of the b...
Republicans who control Congress are reportedly weighing cuts to Medicaid, the popular federal-state insurance program that provides health and long-term care to millions of Americans. Lawmakers have indicated the cuts would help pay for President Donald Trump's tax policy, which is expected to include permanent tax breaks for wealthy Americans. On Jan. 31, Trump said he would "love and cherish" Social Security and Medicare—two programs that disproportionately provide financial support and c...
March 27, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) participated in a Senate Banking Committee nomination hearing. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, Senator Britt also introduced Marc Molinaro to serve as Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). "Marc brings to this role a rare blend of executive experience, bipartisan leadership, and an unwavering commitment to public service. Given his experiences, Marc p...
March 28, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL – Alabama Department of Workforce Secretary Greg Reed announced today that Alabama's labor force participation rate for February increased to 57.7%, up from 57.6% in January. The percentage of prime-age workers increased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 78.8% over the year. Prime-age workers are those aged 25-54 years. "We're seeing positive trends in our labor force participation rate," said Reed. "Increases, even smaller ones, are pointing us in the right d...
March 28, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and attorneys general from 17 other states announced the conclusion of their investigation into Wells Fargo & Company following the company's decision to abandon certain Environmental Social Governance (ESG) policies. "Despite banks having a fiduciary responsibility to their customers, global elites attempted to hijack these financial institutions in order to impose ruinous climate change policies on Americans that c...
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in reintroducing legislation to help America's landowners recover from the loss of timber after natural disasters. The Disaster Reforestation Act amends and makes improvements to the tax code to allow forest owners to deduct the value of their timber prior to the loss caused by a natural disaster. Sen. Tuberville cosponsored this legislation in the 118th Congress. "Natural disasters can't be stopped, but w...
The city of Reno, Nevada, is breaking records in ways it doesn't like: A 2024 analysis of 241 cities showed that Reno has heated up faster than any other city in the United States. While the country as a whole warmed by 2.6 F on average between 1970 and 2023, Reno saw an increase of 7.6 F. A heat wave that hit Reno in July 2024 made for the hottest month in the Biggest Little City's documented history, Knowable Magazine explains. Reno's heat is not evenly spread. In the summer, neighborhoods...
In January, Louisiana state troopers, alongside other state agencies, swept homeless encampments in downtown New Orleans and bused over 100 people to an industrial warehouse away from the city center in an effort to hide the city's homelessness crisis from Super Bowl tourists. The Louisiana governor's office told the Associated Press that people weren't forced to go to the center, but had to leave their encampment or could be arrested. But an unhoused person named Christopher Aylwen said in an...
Gasoline prices have increased by just a few cents compared to this time last month, but the cost to fill up the tank has declined by nearly 40 cents per gallon since last year. The national average fuel price is about $3.16, with Lubbock, Texas, seeing the cheapest metro-area prices at $2.62 and Lihue, Hawaii, with the most expensive at $5.12. After a monthlong pause on tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, the Trump administration proceeded at the beginning of March to impose 25% tariffs...
Gasoline prices have increased by just a few cents compared to this time last month, but the cost to fill up the tank has declined by nearly 40 cents per gallon since last year. The national average fuel price is about $3.16, with Lubbock, Texas, seeing the cheapest metro-area prices at $2.62 and Lihue, Hawaii, with the most expensive at $5.12. After a monthlong pause on tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, the Trump administration proceeded at the beginning of March to impose 25% tariffs...
