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Alabama Reflector
Alabama has not yet achieved universal pre-K enrollment despite its success
Alabama generally ranks near the bottom in most measures of education, but it is home to a pre-K program that meets all benchmarks, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research. Despite that success, state officials have been cautious in efforts to expand the program to cover all of the state’s youngest learners. State […] The post Alabama has not yet achieved universal pre-K enrollment despite its success appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Retiree benefits were a discussion at Wednesday meetings
The Public Education Employees Health Insurance Board and Alabama Teachers Retirement Board of Control discussed the ongoing legislative interest in doing more for retirees during their meeting Wednesday. Neah Scott, legislative counsel for the Retirement Services of Alabama, said in an email Thursday that the federal changes would deal the federal funding of Medicare plans, […] The post Retiree benefits were a discussion at Wednesday meetings appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama Ethics Commission fines Rep. Marilyn Lands $4,500 for missing reporting deadline
The Alabama Ethics Commission Wednesday imposed a $4,500 fine against Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville. The fines, which total $4,500, were issued after the Lands campaign failed to file daily campaign finance reports as required by law during the last week of the special election. This requirement is triggered when donations or expenditures exceed $5,000 within […] The post Alabama Ethics Commission fines Rep. Marilyn Lands $4,500 for missing reporting deadline appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Critics say Tennessee’s blended sentencing law needs changes after expedited passage
Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway supports the concept of blended sentencing but contends a new law affecting serious juvenile offenders is unworkable and possibly unconstitutional. “There are lots of holes in the statute that I think, on behalf of the judges, we’re working through and trying to figure out how we’re going to […] The post Critics say Tennessee’s blended sentencing law needs changes after expedited passage appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
U.S. Senate Dems decry limits on abortion access
WASHINGTON — The national debate over whether laws or patients should determine abortion access dominated a U.S. Senate committee hearing Tuesday, when a panel of six experts testified about the complicated nature of treating pregnancies and miscarriages. The two-hour hearing in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was at times genuine and heartfelt. At […] The post U.S. Senate Dems decry limits on abortion access appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Executive order limiting asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border signed by Biden
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday issued an executive order that will allow him to partially suspend asylum requests at the U.S.-Mexico border when daily unauthorized crossings reach a threshold of 2,500 migrants. President Joe Biden greets attendees after speaking at a campaign event on April 16, 2024 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images) “I’ve […] The post Executive order limiting asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border signed by Biden appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Report: 13 hate, anti-government groups active in Alabama
There were 13 active hate and anti-government extremist organizations in Alabama last year, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center Year in Hate & Extremism report. While there aren’t as many hate groups in Alabama as other Southern states, people faced threats, flyers, protests and gatherings targeting people of color, LGBTQ+, Jewish communities and other […] The post Report: 13 hate, anti-government groups active in Alabama appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Sponsor plans to refile SSUT bill next year
A bill to raise Alabama’s online sales tax rate that was rejected during this year’s regular legislative session will be filed again next year. HB 17, sponsored by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, would have changed the Simplified Sellers Use Tax, an online sales tax from 8% to 9.25%. The additional amount would have been allocated […] The post Sponsor plans to refile SSUT bill next year appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Georgia families struggle to buy food during summer
A little extra money to buy groceries during a recent summer gave Augusta parent Tasha Marshall a rare chance to spice up the meals she cooked for her family by adding meat. Thousands of low-income families in Georgia began receiving emergency pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits that provided extra food assistance for days that schools […] The post Georgia families struggle to buy food during summer appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
USDA aims to aid small farmers by barring pay deductions from poultry companies
WASHINGTON — A rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would eliminate pay deductions for chicken producers, Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday. Under the current poultry payment system, an incentive-based arrangement known within the industry as a tournament system, farmers who raise poultry earn a base payment from the companies that buy the product […] The post USDA aims to aid small farmers by barring pay deductions from poultry companies appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Fauci defends his work on COVID-19, says he has an ‘open mind’ on its origins
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci defended his decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, testifying before Congress about his work on the virus as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during two presidencies. House Republicans who called the hearing grilled Fauci during the contentious three-hour session about the origins of […] The post Fauci defends his work on COVID-19, says he has an ‘open mind’ on its origins appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama grower nears first medical cannabis harvest amid licensing delays
One grower is nearing the first medical cannabis harvest despite ongoing delays in the state’s licensing process. Antoine Mordican, CEO of Native Black Cultivation and a medical cannabis cultivation license holder, said he would like to get product into the market, but he doesn’t think that will be feasible unless a restraining order on dispensaries […] The post Alabama grower nears first medical cannabis harvest amid licensing delays appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
U.S. Labor Department files child labor complaint against Alabama companies
The Department of Labor Thursday filed a complaint against three companies in Alabama regarding the use of child labor. The news release wrote that the action comes after an investigation that alleged a 13-year-old girl worked 50-60 hour weeks at a Luverne manufacturing facility over a period of six to seven months. The complaint said […] The post U.S. Labor Department files child labor complaint against Alabama companies appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Angry Trump pledges to appeal ‘this scam’ conviction, Republicans vow resistance
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump, now a convicted felon, vowed to launch an appeal based “on many things” he considered unfair during his New York trial, he said Friday in the lobby of Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan. Meanwhile Friday, legal and political analysts predicted he will spend little if any time in jail […] The post Angry Trump pledges to appeal ‘this scam’ conviction, Republicans vow resistance appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Multiplying trauma: Kentucky set to add more kids to its troubled juvenile jails
A state law taking effect next month will require more kids charged with violent offenses to be held in Kentucky’s troubled juvenile jails — at a time when all eight of the youth detention centers are under federal investigation for possible abuses. That worries Devine Carama, who directs the One Lexington program to tackle gun […] The post Multiplying trauma: Kentucky set to add more kids to its troubled juvenile jails appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Is Mississippi’s parole system broken?
This story was originally published by Mississippi Today. This is the first of a year-long look at Mississippi’s parole system. At 17, James Williams III shot and killed his father and stepmother in south Jackson, stuffed their bodies into plastic containers and dumped them in the woods in a different county. In 2023 after he’d […] The post Is Mississippi’s parole system broken? appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Where are the young women and mothers in Alabama state politics?
Merika Coleman joined the Alabama Legislature in 2002 as the 28-year-old mother of two school-age children. Her kids became the district kids, she said. She took them to events all throughout the area in her district. “I had community meetings, they went to those community meetings with me, so I said, I wanted to be […] The post Where are the young women and mothers in Alabama state politics? appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Bill calling for additional prenatal care access will get filed again next year
Low-income people can face delays to access prenatal care, which can reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy, such as miscarriage or infant death. Because it can take up to two months for people who are pregnant and apply for Medicaid to get coverage, HB 494, sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville, would have provided […] The post Bill calling for additional prenatal care access will get filed again next year appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
The hollow malevolence of Jefferson Davis
Even Jim Crow Alabama couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for Jefferson Davis. When an Alabama House representative filed a bill in 1900 to make his birthday a holiday, the Birmingham Post-Herald called it “an event which the general public does not remember and has no wish to be reminded of.” “Vast numbers of Southerners do not […] The post The hollow malevolence of Jefferson Davis appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Greater focus on crime sparks another wave of juvenile justice bills
For decades, state legislators and criminal justice advocates have worked to change the juvenile legal system, striving to expand access to rehabilitation and keep young people from returning to crime. During this year’s legislative session, nearly every state has considered some form of juvenile justice legislation, according to a National Conference of State Legislatures database. […] The post Greater focus on crime sparks another wave of juvenile justice bills 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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