Latest Alabama state government News
The next Republican debate is in Alabama, the state that gave the GOP a road map to Donald Trump
ATLANTA (AP) — Republican presidential candidates will debate Wednesday within walking distance of where George Wallace staged his “stand in the schoolhouse door” to oppose the enrollment of Black students at the University of Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. The state...
Federal appeals court deals a blow to Voting Rights Act, ruling that private plaintiffs can't sue
WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided federal appeals court on Monday ruled that private individuals and groups such as the NAACP do not have the ability to sue under a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act, a decision that contradicts decades of precedent and could further erode protections under...
Alabama sets January execution date using nitrogen gas
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama has set a January execution date for what would be the nation's first attempt to put an inmate to death using nitrogen gas. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday announced a Jan. 25 execution date for Kenneth Eugene Smith using the new method. Smith was...
Birmingham-Southern College leader confident school can complete academic year despite money woes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Officials at Birmingham-Southern College say options are firming up to keep the 167-year-old private, liberal arts institution open at least for the rest of the school year after a hoped-for $30 million bridge loan from the state fell through. The school's...
Alabama's forgotten 'first road' gets a new tourism focus
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Byler Road is as old as Alabama, authorized by state lawmakers in 1819, to bring settlers to the western part of the state. The Alabama Department of Tourism, lawmakers and the Byler Road Steering Committee are working to bring awareness and tourism dollars...
Judge dismisses Birmingham-Southern lawsuit against Alabama state treasurer over loan denial
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama judge dismissed Birmingham-Southern College's lawsuit against the state treasurer over a loan denial on Wednesday, a decision that could put the future of the 167-year-old private college in jeopardy. Birmingham-Southern College filed a lawsuit...
The Supreme Court refuses to speed the drawing of a new congressional map in Louisiana
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an emergency appeal from Black voters in Louisiana to speed the process of drawing new congressional districts in the state. The justices declined to overrule a federal appeals court, which last month blocked a district...
Alabama commission aims to award medical marijuana licenses by the end of 2023
MONTGOMERY (AP) — The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is aiming to award licenses to growers and distributors by the end of the year after a bumpy roll out of the state's medical marijuana program that has included multiple lawsuits over the selection process. The commission...
Jill Biden recognizes 15 young women from 13 states for advocacy to improve their communities
WASHINGTON (AP) — A charitable act by twins Brooke and Breanna Bennett to help give menstrual products to girls in Alabama public housing led them to start an organization that aims to end “period poverty” by ensuring broad access to the items women and girls need when it is that time of the...
Stricter state laws are chipping away at sex education in K-12 schools
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A dozen state or county agencies have parted ways with tens of thousands of dollars in federal grants meant to help monitor teenagers' sexual behaviors and try to lower rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The withdrawals reflect a...
