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ACLU of Alabama outlines how to cut the state’s prison population in half

Elizabeth Patton September 5, 2018

Out of the 2+ million people who are behind bars in this country, about 90 percent are held in local jails and state prisons, which is why the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alabama has released a new report outlining how Alabama in particular can cut incarceration rates in half. Currently, 28,296 people are locked up in Alabama prisons, says the ACLU of Alabama. According to the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), state facilities are are at 160 percent of their intended occupancy — the most overcrowded system in the country — as they’re collectively designed to hold only only 13,000 prisoners. The ACLU of Alabama says prosecutors, judges, the state’s parole board and

ALGOP takes first official stance on marriage, immigration, judges and more in party platform

Elizabeth Patton August 27, 2018

During the Alabama Republican Party‘s (ALGOP) biannual meeting in Tuscaloosa on Saturday the State Executive Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of the ALGOP Party Platform — the first in the group’s history. “Proud to announce the @ALGOP has confirmed our first state party platform this past weekend 🐘🇺🇸#alpolitics,” ALGOP Chairman Terry Lathan tweeted Monday. Proud to announce the @ALGOP has confirmed our first state party platform this past weekend 🐘🇺🇸#alpolitics https://t.co/9eYs1rY855 — Terry Lathan (@ChairmanLathan) August 27, 2018 According to Lathan, the ALGOP state steering committee, chaired Sam Givhan from Madison County, drew up a draft of the platform, which was sent out several times to members where they were

Here’s why Alabama’s Open Meetings Law is important to you

Associated Press August 4, 2018

“It was pretty egregious,” said Brandon Cox, publisher and editor at the paper as well as the author of the column that sparked the controversy. Prior to his column, Cox said there were rumblings of access issues in the town of about 200 people because officials had closed a school with little notice by adding a last-minute agenda alteration. After that, he received word about rules barring admission to city meetings and what seemed like a overall refusal to grant public records requests. A call to the city’s clerk and Paint Rock Mayor Brenda Fisk seemed like it wouldn’t lead to much on a Friday nearing deadline as

Women of Influence: Alabama Ronald McDonald House CEO Katherine Billmeier

Staff Writer July 6, 2018

Few women in the world have had as much of an impact on their city’s space as Katherine Billmeier. A member of the Birmingham, Ala. community since birth, Billmeier graduated from Mountain Brook High School and attended Mount Vernon College, now under the name George Washington University in Washington D.C., earning her bachelors degree in Arts & Humanities in 1987. She then pursued and earned a post-graduate certificate in fine and decorative art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. Although her background is in art, Billmeier found her true passion in the non-profit sector; serving for nearly two decades in non-profits in Birmingham — literally shaping her community

Martha Roby: Always fighting for Fort Rucker and Maxwell AFB

Elizabeth Patton April 16, 2018

The recent district work period provided me valuable time on the road in Alabama’s Second District to have in-person meetings with many of the people I represent in Congress. I firmly believe that hearing directly from you and having face-to-face conversations about the issues that impact our community daily enables me to be a better representative for your priorities in Washington. As you know, our district has a very large military footprint and is home to two of the finest military installations in the country – Fort Rucker and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base. It is critically important that I stay up-to-date with the needs and priorities of our

Nicole Jones: Our state will benefit from the passage of the Alabama Jobs Enhancement Act

Guest Author March 22, 2018

Economic developers in Alabama are community-minded individuals who wake up every morning with a goal – to recruit and retain business and industry within our state and enhance the quality of life for Alabamians. It is a rewarding profession built upon the cultivation of relationships and trust earned by maintaining confidentiality throughout a highly complex and competitive process. The passage of the Alabama Jobs Enhancement Act (HB317) is important to the well-being of all Alabamians because it allows our state to maintain an environment conducive for economic growth. The bill reads correctly as it states, “an economic development professional is not a lobbyist.” The two professions are different.

Anne Marie Bonds: Juvenile justice – a broken system with harmful effects on Alabama’s youth

Guest Author February 13, 2018

A fourteen year old shoplifts cologne from a local Macy’s with hopes to impress his crush. Lacking the skills of an experienced criminal, he gets caught easily. Although perhaps warranting a fine and community service, he is instead processed as a criminal defendant and placed in a juvenile detention center. Here, he crosses paths daily with violent youth offenders. While this specific situation is hypothetical, under Alabama’s current juvenile justice laws the situation is possible and likely. Any minor charged with a misdemeanor can be sent to the same centers as major juvenile offenders. Will that minor come out of the system as an upstanding member of the

Here’s how Alabama has the power to prevent another Charlottesville

Staff Writer February 8, 2018

The “Unite the Right” rally in August of 2017 led to widespread panic and chaos in Charlottesville, Va. One major cause of the panic, coupled with the violence, was the intimidating display of the paramilitary activity that rioters demonstrated. According to new study released by Georgetown Law’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) all 50 states have laws already on the books that would prevent the public displays of a private militia that the nation saw in August, and thus and can prevent similar crises in the future. “What we found is that every state has laws on the books that could be used to help ensure that the violence that occurred

Lake Martin artist turns raw wood into arresting objects

Alabama NewsCenter January 3, 2018

The vessels in Michael Young’s boathouse on Lake Martin are not the kind you can ski behind. They’re artful wood creations, sometimes figurative, often abstract, that express his vision of what pieces of tree want to be. Like the sculptor who releases an imagined form from a block of stone, Young turns raw wood into arresting objects — literally turning them, on the lathes in his boathouse-turned-workshop. He’s a connoisseur of nature’s cracks and curves, of unusual wood grain, knotty burls and striking spalting (flaws caused by microorganisms and fungi acting on wood). Honoring the Japanese concept of wabi sabi (the beauty of imperfection), Young’s work takes many

Personnel note: Quinton Ross named President of Alabama State University

Elizabeth Patton September 8, 2017

The Alabama State University Board of Trustees named state Sen. Quinton Ross to be the next president of the University. The Board chose Ross over three other finalists for the job on Friday, pending the verification of his background check. The initial vote was 12 to 2, but a later recommendation by Trustee Darrell Hudson led to a change in the initial tally. “It’s going to take all of us to ensure that our next President is successful,” said Hudson. “Therefore, I would like to see the vote be unanimous.” Trustees Joe Whitt and Robert Gilpin ultimately conceded and changed their votes to “yes,” drawing applause from Board members

Food & Wine magazine’s relocation to Birmingham ‘a smart move’

Alabama NewsCenter June 27, 2017

At the first Alabama rest stop on Interstate 20/59, just this side of Mississippi, visitors notice two things in the lobby. One is a colorful poster touting our state’s remarkable biodiversity: Alabama is America’s Amazon. The other is a large, canvas photo of world-renowned chef Frank Stitt standing in the dining room of one of his Birmingham restaurants, Chez Fonfon, presenting a perfect omelet. The current issue of Food & Wine magazine. (contributed) Welcome to a state where food has become as important as the very land we live on. And welcome to Food & Wine magazine, which is moving to the Time Inc. building in Birmingham. Of

Poll: Most unfamiliar with school choice but like the idea

Associated Press May 12, 2017

Even as fierce political battles rage in Washington over school choice, most Americans know little about charter schools or private school voucher programs. Still, more Americans feel positively than negatively about expanding those programs, according to a new poll released Friday. “I wonder what the fuss is about,” said Beverly Brown, 61, a retired grocery store worker in central Alabama. Brown, who doesn’t have children, says American schools need reform, but she is not familiar with specific school options and policies. “Educational standards have to be improved overall.” All told, 58 percent of respondents say they know little or nothing at all about charter schools and 66 percent

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