Tag Archives: Alabama

CNN reports: A federal court ruled Thursday that Alabama engaged in intentional discrimination when it refused to draw a congressional plan with a second Black majority district after courts, including the Supreme Court, repeatedly rejected maps with just one such district. With the finding, the court said it would consider whether to put Alabama under a Voting Rights Act provision …

The Alabama Reflector reports: An Alabama Senate committee Wednesday approved an expansion of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. HB 244, sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, prohibits discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation during instructional time in public schools. The law currently prohibits such discussions in K-5, but Butler’s bill expands it to pre-K-12 to be in …

The Guardian reports: A runaway kangaroo named Sheila shut down a stretch of interstate in Alabama on Tuesday before state troopers and the animal’s owner wrangled the wayward marsupial. The Alabama law enforcement agency said the kangaroo was spotted on Tuesday hopping along the side of Interstate 85 in Macon county, which is between Montgomery and Auburn. The sight snarled traffic, …

NBC News reports: Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is telling senators that he plans to run for governor of Alabama, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. One of the sources told NBC News, “He’s been telling anyone and everyone.” Tuberville has long been rumored to be considering a campaign for governor to succeed Gov. Kay Ivey, R-Ala., who …

The Birmingham News reports: House Bills 67 and 244, both described by supporters as parental rights legislation, would ban drag performances and cross-dressing in schools and would expand Alabama’s current “Don’t Say Gay” law to include older students. Lawmakers approved HB67, the anti-drag bill, on a 76-9 vote with no discussion. HB244, filed by Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, drew some …

The Alabama Reflector reports: An Alabama House committee approved legislation to expand the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law throughout K-12 public schools on Wednesday. HB 244, sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, would prohibit public school teachers at all grade levels from teaching or discussing gender identity or sexuality. The legislation also prohibits the display of pride flags and …

The Alabama Political Reporter reports: Elon Musk’s DOGE purge now includes the building housing the historic Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery. The Montgomery Bus Station, the site where Freedom Riders were attacked by white supremacists in 1961, is owned by the federal government’s General Services Administration. As part of a nationwide cost cutting initiative undertaken by Musk and the newly …

The Birmingham News reports: The families of men who died in Alabama prisons and were returned without all of their organs sat in court Tuesday, watching as lawyers for the University of Alabama at Birmingham argued that the school’s contract allowed them to keep organs after autopsies. The hearing had mentions of Nazi Germany, rats, artificial intelligence and illegal organ …

The Alabama Reflector reports: A House representative is bringing back an attempt to expand Alabama’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, which critics say infringe on teachers’ and students’ free speech. HB 244, sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, would prohibit public school teachers at all grade levels from teaching or discussing gender identity or sexuality. The law currently bans such …

Montgomery’s ABC affiliate reports: A former Troy church volunteer accused of possessing child porn has reportedly taken his own life. Samuel McCall was arrested on Wednesday, January 29, and charged with one count Possession of Child Pornography with Intent to Disseminate. He was released from the Pike County Jail on a $25,000 bond. According to Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas, …

The Birmingham News reports: Alabama lawmakers debated Wednesday whether to require schools to start their day with the Pledge of Allegiance and a Judeo-Christian prayer. If a school refuses, it could lose a quarter of its annual state funding. The measure, HB231, is a state constitutional amendment that would appear on ballots in a future election. But the legislation could …

Montgomery’s ABC affiliate reports: A local youth group volunteer from Troy was arrested last month on child pornography charges. Pike County District Attorney James Tarbox says Samuel Andrew McCall was arrested on Wednesday, January 29, and charged with one count of Possession of Child Pornography with Intent to Disseminate. McCall was arrested by state agents after an investigation with the …

Courthouse News reports: Congressional representatives in Alabama, where more than 64% of voters supported President Donald Trump in 2024, are increasingly confident Trump will reward their loyalty by prioritizing an administrative plan to move the headquarters of the U.S. Space Command from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado to Redstone Arsenal in the city of Huntsville. In a phone call …

Alabama Politics reports: Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday ordered flags at the state capitol and state offices be returned to full staff on Jan. 20 in honor of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump to office. The flags are currently flying at half-staff as the nation mourns the death of former President Jimmy Carter, and President Joe Biden ordered that …

The Christian Post reports: An Alabama pastor and church planter who led Landmark Church in Phenix City is being held in the Russell County Jail after he was arrested last month in connection with an armed bank robbery along with a female accomplice. A representative with the Russell County Court confirmed on Wednesday that 40-year-old former Landmark Church Lead Pastor …

Huntsville’s ABC affiliate reports: A former pastor at a Decatur church was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sodomy, a Morgan County circuit judge told News 19. Danny Duane Pitts was found guilty of second-degree sodomy by a Morgan County jury on October 24. On Wednesday, Circuit Judge Charles B. Elliott sentenced Pitts to 20 years in the Alabama …

The Birmingham News reports: A few hours before the city of Prattville’s annual Christmas parade was to start, a federal judge ordered the city to allow an LGBTQ pride group’s float to be included. Prattville Pride called the order “a powerful affirmation of the importance of visibility, representation, and inclusion for all members of our community,” in a Facebook post. …

The Alabama Political Reporter reports: An LGBTQ+ float has been denied participation in the Prattville Christmas parade, with Mayor Bill Gillespie citing safety concerns. “This morning, it was brought to the City’s attention from Prattville Pride that there are serious safety concerns regarding Prattville Pride’s participation in the Christmas parade,” Gillespie said in a statement Thursday morning. Asked to clarify …

The Alabama Political Reporter reports: Prattville Pride was the very first organization to enter the City of Prattville’s annual Christmas parade this year. The group paid the fee like other organizations and says they plan to abide by the city’s rules. However, Clean Up Alabama, the group that originally formed to challenge LGBTQ+ titles in the Prattville library, is calling …

The New York Times reports: Shomari Figures, a Democrat and former Justice Department official, won election in Alabama’s newly drawn Second Congressional District, according to The Associated Press, handing his party a rare pickup in the South. Mr. Figures’s victory over Caroleene Dobson, a Republican lawyer and political newcomer, means that Alabama will have two Black representatives at the same …