Opinion & Policy

Editorial by Adam Strunk   Running a local newspaper can be one of the most frustrating, worthwhile, mundane, exciting, demanding, rewarding endeavors you can take on. Sounds great, kids, doesn’t it? This year, we received the honor of a request to tell our story as part of National Newspaper Week. The week serves to highlight…

Editorial by Jeff Cott   It seems like about every time I am out in the public, no matter what the occasion, once someone realizes I own the local paper they seem anxious to tell me something. And in more cases than not, it is how something someone has read impacts their lives. For example,…

  Emily Campbell on Omaha Beach holding a photo of her dad who landed on the same beach.   I did it! I finally did it! For those of you who have been following my column for a while you know that my last BIG bucket list item was to go to Normandy and the…

Special to the News   Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Monday that she is appointing Chris Beeker III to serve on the Alabama Public Service Commission, Place 2. Beeker will finish the unexpired term of his father, Chris “Chip” Beeker Jr., who announced his decision to step down from his seat on the Public Service…

  The headlines surrounding the hundreds of Haitian migrants showing up in Alabama continues, and communities around the state are up in arms. From Athens, to Albertville, to Sylacauga and now in Coffee County, Alabama citizens are not getting any answers on where, who and why the migrants are showing up in their cities. The concerns…

Special to the News   Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the conviction of a Jefferson County man on charges related to child pornography. Dustin Van Faulkner, 36, of Gardendale, pleaded guilty in Jefferson County Court to one count of dissemination of obscene matter depicting a person under the age of 17. “Child exploitation has no…

Op-Ed by John Merrill   Numerous new election laws have been passed across the nation since the 2020 presidential election. Advocates have had close to four years to push for reforms to make elections safer, more transparent, and more secure. Now, with less than two months until the general election, it’s essential that we work…

Special to the News   Alabama Republican Party Chair John Wahl released the following statement concerning Sunday afternoon’s assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach. “Today marks an incredibly sad and heartbreaking day in the history of our nation. It is tragic beyond words that…

  Op-Ed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville   To Alabama’s students and families: welcome back to school! September rings in a new school year for our state’s more than 821,000 school-age population. Families are back into their routines – setting early alarms, packing lunches, riding the bus, waiting in the car line, attending pep rallies and after-school sports,…

  Since the pandemic, the Alabama economy has had its ups and downs. However, the good news is that the business climate in Alabama has outperformed other states. One sector of the Alabama business community that has really increased is the construction industry. A recent study by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama showed that between…