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Alabama Reflector
Department of Justice files statement of interest in absentee ballot application case
The United States submitted a statement of interest to the case over the state’s absentee voting law expressing doubt of the legitimacy of the state’s arguments regarding absentee ballots. In the 12-page filing, attorneys for the Department of Justice wrote that the case presented “important” questions over Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act and […] The post Department of Justice files statement of interest in absentee ballot application case appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Trump says he’ll work ‘side by side’ with group that wants abortion ‘eradicated’
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump said Monday that if reelected he plans to work “side by side” with a newly formed religious organization that says abortion is the “greatest atrocity facing” the United States and should be “eradicated entirely.” During two-minute recorded remarks played at The Danbury Institute’s inaugural Life & Liberty Forum in […] The post Trump says he’ll work ‘side by side’ with group that wants abortion ‘eradicated’ appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Georgia’s battleground state status spurs partisan elections board skirmishes
This story originally appeared on Georgia Recorder. The Fulton County and Cherokee County election boards are the latest venues for Republican grievances challenging the legitimacy of vote tabulations and the partisan makeup of local boards. The latest election board drama is part of the lingering fallout from the controversial 2020 presidential election in which Joe […] The post Georgia’s battleground state status spurs partisan elections board skirmishes appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama approves two legal contracts to represent DOC in deaths in prison
Legislators pleaded with staff from the Alabama Department of Corrections to address the ongoing safety concerns within its prisons, while approving payments to attorneys to represent employees accused of fostering a dangerous culture and environment. “I know I have said this before, but you know, I have gotten another call from another constituent where the […] The post Alabama approves two legal contracts to represent DOC in deaths in prison appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama rises in child well-being rankings, but challenges remain
Alabama has improved its overall child well-being ranking, climbing to 39th from 45th last year, according to the 2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book. Apreill Hartsfield, a policy and data analyst for VOICES for Alabama’s Children, said that while it appears Alabama is doing better than previously, child well-being hasn’t improved as much as the data […] The post Alabama rises in child well-being rankings, but challenges remain appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
AG asks court to allow absentee voting law to remain in place while lawsuit is considered
The Alabama Attorney General’s Office filed a request Friday asking the court to reject a request for a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit over the state’s absentee voting law. Filed in the United States District Court of Alabama, the Attorney General argued in a 25-page filing that the plaintiffs have not shown they would likely […] The post AG asks court to allow absentee voting law to remain in place while lawsuit is considered appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Plaintiffs in case over absentee voting law respond to state’s motion to dismiss
The plaintiffs in a case against Alabama’s absentee ballot application law filed a response Monday to the defendants’ motion to have the case dismissed. In the 52-page filing in the Northern District of Alabama, the plaintiffs responded to claims by the Alabama Attorney General’s office’s motion to dismiss that alleged the law was not a […] The post Plaintiffs in case over absentee voting law respond to state’s motion to dismiss appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
High death rates, unchanging poverty level puts Arkansas among worst states for child well-being
Via Mary Hennigan and Arkansas Advocate: The experience of growing up in Arkansas has worsened in most areas of child well-being according to the latest Annie E. Casey Foundation report. The group’s latest KIDS COUNT Data Book, released Monday, shows 2022 was the deadliest year on record for child deaths in Arkansas. Child poverty and […] The post High death rates, unchanging poverty level puts Arkansas among worst states for child well-being appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
On the U.S.-Mexico border, hopes and fears after Biden’s order limiting asylum
EL PASO, Texas — Seventeen-year-old Karina Parababire gently rocked her three-month-old daughter as they waited in a migrant shelter before a Friday night bus ride to Chicago. “I want my daughter to have everything that I didn’t have,” Parababire, who traveled up the extremely dangerous route of the Darien Gap while pregnant, said in Spanish. The […] The post On the U.S.-Mexico border, hopes and fears after Biden’s order limiting asylum appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Easing federal marijuana rules: There’s still a long way to go
Nearly three weeks after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration proposed loosening a federal prohibition on marijuana, the next phases of policy fights over the drug’s status are starting to take shape. Public comments, which the DEA is accepting on the proposal until mid-July, will likely include an analysis of the economic impact of more lenient […] The post Easing federal marijuana rules: There’s still a long way to go appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Inmates challenge motion to dismiss in Alabama forced labor federal lawsuit
Incarcerated individuals in Alabama have filed a 214-page response opposing a motion to dismiss their lawsuit accusing state prisons of using slave labor. The case involves multiple claims against state officials, private employers and local governments alleging Alabama’s prison labor program system is a form of modern-day slavery. Each defendant filed motions to dismiss the […] The post Inmates challenge motion to dismiss in Alabama forced labor federal lawsuit appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
The good news that Gov. Kay Ivey didn’t share
Gov. Kay Ivey did something good last year. And as far as I can tell, she never told anyone about it. As Alander Rocha recently reported, the governor’s office used a plan submitted to the federal government to increase the monthly benefit paid to recipients of Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) in Alabama from […] The post The good news that Gov. Kay Ivey didn’t share appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Louisiana enacts law to let consultants profit off disabled veterans’ benefit claims
Louisiana has quietly enacted a law that allows unregulated companies to profit off the benefit claims of disabled American veterans. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry allowed Senate Bill 159 to become law by default by refusing to sign or veto it. He’s attempting to walk a political tightrope between the bill’s Trump-adjacent corporate sponsors and its […] The post Louisiana enacts law to let consultants profit off disabled veterans’ benefit claims appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Presidential election could decide fate of extra Obamacare subsidies
By Andy Miller and Georgia Recorder When Cassie Cox ended up in the emergency room in January, the Bainbridge, Georgia, resident was grateful for the Obamacare insurance policy she had recently selected for coverage in 2024. Cox, 40, qualified for an Affordable Care Act marketplace plan with no monthly premium due to her relatively low […] The post Presidential election could decide fate of extra Obamacare subsidies appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
For some rural communities, a stripped-down hospital is better than none at all
By Anna Claire Vollers and Stateline On many days, some small hospitals in rural Mississippi admit just one patient — or none at all. The hospitals are drowning in debt. The small, tight-knit communities they’ve anchored for decades can do little but watch as the hospitals shed services and staff just to stay afloat. The […] The post For some rural communities, a stripped-down hospital is better than none at all appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Legislature passed bill to open new avenues for teacher certification
The Alabama Legislature passed a bill that expanded options for alternative teacher certification. HB308, sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, would add organizations certified by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation, provided that they are also seeking accreditation from Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation by April 1, 2024. Starting Oct. 1, […] The post Legislature passed bill to open new avenues for teacher certification appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Challenges in Alabama’s ARPA broadband projects discussed in oversight meeting
The Alabama’s American Rescue Plan Act Joint Oversight Committee discussed ongoing challenges in fund allocation and project implementation, praising some agencies but criticizing others. Legislators reviewed the status of the ARPA funding expenditures in Thursday’s oversight commission meeting. Agencies have until Dec. 31, 2024 to obligate the funds, establishing agreements for specific projects. Once the […] The post Challenges in Alabama’s ARPA broadband projects discussed in oversight meeting appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
One facet of Louisiana’s public records law is never enforced
Officials in Louisiana will soon be free to disregard state public records law at no risk if Gov. Jeff Landry signs into law a bill that currently sits on his desk. One expert says it will change nothing because courts have never enforced that part of the law anyway. House Bill 768, sponsored by Rep. […] The post One facet of Louisiana’s public records law is never enforced appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
U.S. Senate panel divided over climate as cause of rising insurance premiums
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Budget Committee debated the cause of the insurance crisis plaguing homeowners around the country at a Wednesday hearing, with Democrats identifying climate change as the ultimate driving force of rising premiums and Republicans pointing to high government spending and inflation. Homeowners insurance premiums have skyrocketed in recent years following billions in damages, which […] The post U.S. Senate panel divided over climate as cause of rising insurance premiums appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Progressives urge Alito recusal from Jan. 6 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — Progressive lawmakers and organizers on Wednesday urged U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and to testify before Congress about two flags sympathetic to insurrectionists that were displayed outside his two homes. With the Supreme Court as their backdrop, […] The post Progressives urge Alito recusal from Jan. 6 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
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The Alabama Reflector is an independent nonprofit website covering politics and policy in our state. We look at the problems affecting Alabamians, and search for solutions. We connect readers with the decisions made in the hallways of the State House and try to give a voice to those outside it. We write stories about people in power and men and women on the margins. We hope to reflect what our home is, and what it could be. Alabama Reflector is an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Reflector retains full editorial independence.
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