Posts by Will Blakely

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) is expected to send a letter Monday to the Federal Railroad Administration to call for an investigation into several train derailments in Alabama after four incidents in the state this year, all having to do with Norfolk Southern trains.

Alabama’s three largest tax-funded universities are spending at least $2.5 million a year on salaries for staff working in diversity, equity and inclusion departments on campus.

The College Republican Federation of Alabama is backing a bill in the Alabama House of Representatives to require students to learn financial literacy before graduating high school in the state.

The Alabama Senate voted in favor of two bills on Thursday that, if passed, will expand special privileges and tax abatements for specific corporations in the state but also impose transparency requirements on certain economic incentives.

The Alabama House of Representatives passed four economic incentive bills included in Gov. Kay Ivey’s “Game Plan,” expanding the state’s ability to provide special funding and tax abatements to specific corporations.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced that construction will begin soon on a 10-mile four-lane road connecting Highway 31 and State Route 75.

Just as some state legislators push to overhaul the Birmingham Water Works Board (BWWB), the utility decided on Wednesday to adopt a new self-governance policy and director pledge.

The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday to increase penalties for exhibition driving, which has been an ongoing issue for cities like Birmingham over the past year.

Former Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the University of Alabama (UA) on Tuesday night, touching on a wide variety of issues from the Biden Administration to the PATRIOT Act.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is working with Republican lawmakers to bring a set of bills to the Alabama Legislature with the intention of curbing gang violence by increasing sentences for gang-related crimes.

Jefferson County Commission president Jimmie Stephens told 1819 News on Monday that the JCC is reviewing a lawsuit filed against it by activist groups accusing it of racial gerrymandering. 

Another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Jasper on Saturday night, marking the third time one of its trains has gone off the rails in Alabama since January.

In November 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that has garnered a significant amount of both awe and criticism from the public. 1819 News sat down with ChatGPT to ask it ten questions about Alabama:

One day after state lawmakers filed a bill to prevent men from competing in women’s college sports, the U.S. Department of Education (USDED) is considering changing Title IX regulations to force schools to allow trans student athletes to compete according to their gender identity. 

A popular statewide media website in Alabama reran a story on Friday morning that contained a misleading headline accusing Florida officials of arresting the son of a critic of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis “for memes.” In reality, the boy was arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot up a school.

On Monday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey revealed more details of her economic incentive “Game Plan,” specifying the actions she wants the Legislature to take this spring.

Financially distraught Birmingham Southern College (BSC) is staying open after its board unanimously voted not to close its doors Wednesday night, despite failing to obtain a bailout from taxpayers. 

At least two Norfolk Southern trains have derailed in Alabama as the train company faces national scrutiny for its handling of a derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which resulted in over a million pounds of toxic chemicals potentially being spilled.

The Alabama Center for Law and Liberty filed a comment on Monday opposing the Biden administration’s suggested repeal of a rule protecting companies with moral objections to abortion-inducing drugs.

The Alabama Center for Law and Liberty (ACLL) and the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) reached a settlement on Tuesday in a lawsuit against the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH) over the university’s speech policy, which it has now agreed to reverse.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall signed a letter late last month with several other attorneys general criticizing large financial institutions like BlackRock Inc. for leveraging their capital to push woke environmental and social objectives.

Another student at a Birmingham high school died from gunshot wounds Saturday, becoming the latest minor to fall victim to the city’s violent crime epidemic. 

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) issued an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday defending his hold on general and flag officer nominations on the Senate floor in response to a Department of Defense policy that uses taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.

Over the past thirty years, public higher education institutions in Alabama have received millions from foreign sources, including the Chinese government and Saudi Arabia.

As you enter the Big Oak Girl’s Ranch headquarters, the first thing you see is a seal on the floor. On it is a tree, and on the tree are the last several lines of Isaiah 61:3.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and Birmingham Police Department chief Scott Thurmond both warned parents on Thursday to keep an eye on their children in the midst of the city’s violent crime wave, which made 2022 one of the most violent years in Birmingham history and has claimed the lives of 16 children in the last 15 months.

A leaked email conversation between several trustees at Troy University shows prominent individuals in the state discussing how to “vet topics” at a university-affiliated think tank for being critical of economic incentive programs due to complaints from Alabama Power and the Business Council of Alabama (BCA).