Opinion & Policy

  Before I go into anything else, I want to take a minute to remember Mrs. Jo (Scarbrough). Last week’s edition of “The Coosa County News” had many mentions of her passing, but the tribute from Christa Jennings was just marvelous. Those two shared a very special relationship, even though they were two very different…

  Campaign season is now in full force with signs popping up all over and the televisions showing ads back to back on state and national candidates. I’m not going to dwell on any of that other than to say it’s now time for you to ask hard, tough questions before deciding on who to…

  So now that qualifying for the 2022 elections in Alabama is over, we can now sort out who is running for what office. While the United States Supreme Court will have the final say over what the congressional districts will look like in the state, all other campaigns are focused on the spring party…

The idea of the armed neutrality of the United States was originally put forth by President George Washington in his 1796 Farewell Address when he advised against “permanent alliances.” President Thomas Jefferson extended Washington’s ideology in his 1801 inaugural address, stating that one of the “essential principles of our government” is that of “peace, commerce…

Op-Ed by Christa Jennings   I met Mrs. Jo in early January 2005 when I came to “The Coosa County News” office in Rockford to be interviewed for an internship. Or so I thought. I came with my resume, references if needed and my clip file. I was prepared to meet and be interviewed by…

  This past week a stunning ruling by a three member panel of the United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a redistricting plan drawn up by the Alabama Legislature. The court ruled that the lawmakers now have until February 11 to draw up a new map that would create two congressional districts in Alabama that…

  The special session of the Legislature ended with $772 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds going to expand high-speed internet, water and sewer projects and healthcare needs. But it could have just as easily ended with the Legislature holding hands and singing “Kumbaya.” The five-day session’s grand finale came when both chambers (almost)…

Recessions are an unfortunate part of economic cycles. Each economic cycle contains a period of growth, or expansion, and a period of decline, known as a recession. Bad things tend to happen during recessions. Businesses will go bankrupt, workers will lose their jobs, and the stock market will decline. Over the last four decades, the…

  Thanks to all of you who reached out about my column last week about how to research candidates. I have spent a great deal of time in the past 10-12 years attending workshops, seminars, conferences, and conventions to educate myself on the undercurrents of elections. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many people who…

As we recognize the end of the first year of the Biden presidency, we find ourselves in the midst of a new American Crisis. There are currently serious supply chain issues, and inflation of costs has become rampant as the value of the U.S. dollar weakens even more than before, thanks in no part to…