Opinion & Policy

  PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT! Last week I talked about our new ambulance service in Coosa County. One thing I failed to mention was that most of the folks working for the Coosa County Ambulance service are new to Coosa County and are learning their way around. In order to help them – and ourselves –…

  Special to the News   Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issued the following statement last Friday morning, July 21, after the execution of James Edward Barber at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore: “Justice has been served. This morning, James Barber was put to death for the terrible crime he committed over…

  I hope you will all join me in welcoming our new Coosa County Ambulance Service to Rockford. We have needed this for so long, and I want to thank the tenacity of our County Commission, State representatives Ed Oliver and Ben Robbins, State Sen. Clyde Chambliss, Coosa County Judge of Probate Richard Dean, and…

  The iconic stand-up comedian George Carlin (1937-2008) was notable for his observations on humanity, society and government. In his 2006 HBO special, “Life is worth Losing,” Carlin clearly explained the situation when he said: “There’s a reason education sucks, and it’s the same reason that it will never, ever, ever be fixed. It’s never…

I am starting to get old. I am getting tired. In my youth, I was a high school and collegiate athlete. Later, I enlisted into the military, where I literally trained and fought for our country for most of my adult life. In my prime I was a paratrooper and a member of a special…

I am sorry I missed last week’s paper with Part 2 of my column. I had a water leak in my house and had a mess to clean up instead of making the deadline. My topic had become the overreach of the federal government based on our Constitution, and I’m now going to get a…

I just heard that the Infinity Coffee Shop is closed for the summer. No announcement beforehand, just closed. This is a place that sells iced coffee, frozen smoothies, salads, and other light fare – during hot weather. Bad business decision? I also heard that the produce stand, which this town really needs, opened and then…

  This past week Gov. Kay Ivey announced that the State of Alabama would pay the family of slain Bibb County Deputy Brad Johnson $1 million. The governor made it clear the payment was because of fundamental flaws in the state’s correctional incentives “good time” law that allows felons an early release from prison. In this case,…

Op-Ed by Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth   Alabamians may have felt their wallets bulge a bit last month when the Legislature approved our bill that slices the sales tax on groceries in half and implements the single largest tax cut in state history. Alabama was one of only three states that taxed groceries at the…

Special to the News   Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall challenged the Biden Administration’s draconian regulations on tailpipe emissions. The administration’s plan mandates the phasing out of gas-powered vehicles and would compel the restructuring of the entire automobile industry around the production of electric vehicles (EVs). The proposal aims to boost certain EV sales from…