Opinion & Policy

  This week Gov. Kay Ivey will give the state of the state address as Alabama legislators kick off the upcoming 2023 regular session. So as Ivey begins her final term in office, she is already starting to set out her priorities for the next four years. Usually, a governor will provide a positive spin on…

“The news you receive in your community newspaper is news you cannot get from any other news source.”   Op-Ed by the Alabama Press Association Felicia Mason, APA executive director Darrell Sandlin, APA president   Recent changes in the newspaper landscape in Alabama have us wanting to share some good news about newspapers. Alabama newspapers…

There are so many things that have been going on recently that I would much rather write about this week. With things like the war in Ukraine; the actions of the NATO Alliance; a possible escalation to a World War, or nuclear Armageddon; the insanely huge U.S. Defense budget that will still not be enough;…

  Believe it or not, the 2024 election season is here and already heating up! Our Alabama primary date has been set for March 5, 2024 – one year from this Sunday. Announcements are already being made by people running for president – three for the Republican nomination and one for the Democratic nomination. There…

  We are now a week away from the first day of the 2023 regular session of the Alabama Legislature. As lawmakers head back to Montgomery, there is discussion of what bills will be up first for debate. However, it appears that before Alabama state representatives and senators get to work on their own legislation…

Special to the News Op-Ed by Attorney General Steve Marshall   On Friday, January 27, 2023, Alabama’s law enforcement community received notice that approximately 400 inmates would be released just three days later on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. This was to be the first of many such prisoner releases mandated by a law passed in…

Anthony “Tony” Mitchell grew up in Cordova, in Walker County, near Jasper. He led a relatively normal Alabama life. Austin Allen, a friend of Mitchell, recalled when they “used to play basketball in a barn together every day after high school.” Anitra Pearson, who also went to high school with Mitchell, recalled that at her…

Special to the News   Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the convictions of Charles Daniel Waltman, age 40, of Opelika, for attempted murder, second-degree kidnapping and domestic violence strangulation. Waltman was convicted in the Lee County Circuit Court on March 21, 2021. The evidence at trial showed that on the…

Special to the News Op-Ed by Attorney General Steve Marshall   On Friday, January 27, 2023, Alabama’s law enforcement community received notice that approximately 400 inmates would be released just three days later on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. This was to be the first of many such prisoner releases mandated by a law passed in…

  First, I want to thank Buzzy for the great shout out in last week’s paper. It’s always nice to hear that someone shares my opinion and is not afraid to speak out. That is one of the main reasons I write this column – to encourage other people to speak up, speak out, and…