The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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July 12, 2026 – The nation woke up to the shocking news that Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) had passed away during the night. Graham had just returned from an official state visit to Ukraine and had briefed President Donald J. Trump (R) on this and other matters on a Saturday night phone call. That phone call with President Trump was the final act of a lifetime of service to this nation. Republicans across the nation are mourning the passing of South Carolina's senior Senator. The Ala...
Postpartum nutrition: What your body needs for healing, hormones and milk production The early postpartum period—often called the fourth trimester—is a time of major transition. While you’re getting to know your baby and settling into a new rhythm, your body is also doing significant work behind-the-scenes. You’re healing from pregnancy and birth. Your hormones are shifting quickly. If you’re breastfeeding, your body is producing milk day and night. And if your energy, appetite and routine f...
Platner’s exit from Maine’s Senate race leaves Democrats in a deep financial hole Maine Democrats have plenty of questions about who will replace Senate nominee Graham Platner on the ballot. But one thing is clear — his successor will start from a severe financial disadvantage, OpenSecrets reports. Platner’s withdrawal amid a sexual assault allegation has triggered a scramble over who will replace him and exposed a deeper problem — a financial crater left behind in a pivotal race Democrats...
Pharmaceutical marketplaces: How online platforms are changing drug purchasing Pharmacies have spent the better part of a decade absorbing pressure that other industries felt only briefly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the people inside each pharmacy responsible for ordering medications and tracking inventory have felt it most. Their daily work of finding the right drug at the right cost has gotten harder as prices move week to week and reimbursement from pharmacy benefit managers keeps...
The quest to build a better AI tutor It’s easy to get swept up in the hype about artificial intelligence tutors. But the evidence so far suggests caution. Some studies have found that chatbot tutors can backfire because students lean on them too heavily, get spoonfed solutions, and fail to absorb the material. Even when AI tutors are designed not to give away answers, they haven’t consistently produced better results than learning the old-fashioned way without AI. Still, researchers who hav...
My March SoPrep Report promised future dispatches I pray would do justice w.r.t. past graduates and former cadets of the Academy who served, sacrificed and died serving in our nation's military. This is the first on SFC James Leslie Moreland. Southern Preparatory Academy, one of a dozen remaining prep schools in the nation with a Corps of Cadets (military) program, sits at Camp Hill just off US Hwy 280 in East Central Alabama... on the same hallowed grounds bearing Lyman Ward Military Academy [L...
I'm compelled to begin with how dear I hold my country [Alabama] and the Constitution it voluntarily joined, as did my former countries [Maryland and South Carolina] after succeeding from the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union which followed our Declaration of Independence defying King George's asserted 'Divine Right.' I love what we were designed to be and evolving into the more perfect Union promised until forced into a coalition proffering despair observing what we are today. In fa...
MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Monday encouraged Alabamians to prepare for the upcoming school year during Alabama's annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, when certain school supplies and related items are free of state sales tax from Friday, July 17, through Sunday, July 19. "Quality education is essential to continuing the historic momentum that Alabama is experiencing," said Governor Ivey. "Successful students need to be properly equipped for the classroom, and this tax-free weekend m...
I don’t remember why Harold, a deacon, was leading music that day many years ago. I suppose he was filling in during the holiday season. It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving. One hymn he selected was “America The Beautiful.” He introduced the hymn and said, “We thank God for our many blessings, including our country.” I’d not thought of the hymn in this way. Later we sang another familiar hymn of “grateful praise” for “hill and vale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light,” and, i...
In my first report, I highlighted the foundation of a contracting pipeline through which the Magic City mayor's office funnels municipal revenue by outsourcing city projects to private firms. But how does this translate into political capital? The answer lies within a special-interest group called the North Alabama PAC. The Circular System We are not viewing isolated instances of mismanagement; we are watching a self-sustaining cycle that appears to circumvent several core protections in...
What to do after getting a hypertension alert from your smartwatch For years, smartwatches have helped us monitor our health. From tracking how many steps we take each day to measuring our heart rate, our watches have helped us stay healthy. More recently, many smartwatches can measure our blood pressure, letting the user take a reading as and when they need to. But now, thanks to FDA approval, users can receive a notification if their smartwatch detects signs of hypertension. This guide from...
Justice is supposed to be blind. It is not supposed to be endlessly delayed. Charlie Kirk was assassinated in broad daylight. The images shocked America. A husband was stolen from his wife. A father was stolen from his children. A voice that inspired millions was silenced by violence. Yet while America remembers the horror of that day, Charlie's widow, Erika Kirk, is still waiting for the justice her family deserves. No one is arguing that the defendant should be denied his constitutional...
With catfish living in almost all of the freshwater streams, creeks, rivers and reservoirs in Alabama, the Alabama Tourism Department decided it was time to honor this ubiquitous species to officially open the Alabama Catfish Trail. At a kickoff event in Birmingham recently, speakers celebrated what the numerous catfish species mean to anglers, catfish farmers and catfish restaurants throughout the state. "Catfish truly do run deep in Alabama, not just in our waterways but through our...
Power vs. progress: How canceled energy projects are threatening the AI boom One factor often missing from discussions of data center energy use is the number of planned energy projects that could provide the power required. Driven by the exponential growth of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the tech boom has ignited an unprecedented wave of capital allocation. Technology giants — including Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft — are projected to invest a staggering $650 bil...
Do I really need a college degree to be successful? Deciding whether you need a college degree to build a rewarding future might feel overwhelming. Everywhere you turn — online, the news, your family — there’s a different story. Some people talk about billionaires who dropped out of college, while others point to studies showing that people with degrees tend to earn more over their lifetimes. The truth? There’s no single path to success or one-size-fits-all answer. This guide from The Univers...
Judge Yashiba Blanchard appeared before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary this week as her legal team prepares to defend her against a series of allegations accusing her of bullying, unprofessional conduct, and inappropriate behavior during her first term on the bench. Blanchard, who serves as a district judge, firmly denies all accusations and has signaled her intent to fight the charges. Background of the Case The Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) filed formal charges earlier this year...
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - Orange Beach is moving ahead with the next phase of its fire training campus after city leaders approved a $1.3 million burn tower to provide firefighters with more realistic, hands-on training for high-risk emergencies. The project will add a live-fire training structure to the Fire Station No. 1 campus behind City Hall, where Orange Beach Fire Rescue has already been expanding its training and surf rescue operations. Fire Chief Jeff Smith recommended awarding the burn...
July 9, 2026 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US military has carried out a series of fresh strikes on Iran after Iran once again attacked three cargo vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Iran has responded to the U.S. strikes with attacks of its own on Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. President Donald Trump has declared that the ceasefire with Iran is "over." "I think it's over" said President Trump of the preliminary Memorandum of Understanding signed in June. He said that negotiations at this poi...
Why concerns about tap water quality are getting harder to ignore Most people assume their tap water has already been tested for anything that could affect their health. Public water systems do test and treat drinking water to meet current standards, but research is moving quickly, and scientists continue to discover potentially harmful substances that may be in drinking water before regulations are updated to address them. That gap is putting tap water under closer scrutiny. Case in point:...
(Montgomery, Ala) – Attorney General Marshall today announced a $45 million multistate settlement with Block, Inc., the company behind the popular peer-to-peer payments app Cash App. The settlement resolves allegations that Block misled consumers about the safety of Cash App, failed to protect users from fraud on the platform, and didn't provide the fraud protection and resolution that it promised and that was required by law. In short, the company failed to help people when things went w...
July 9, 2026 – MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Montgomery County Circuit Judge Brooke E. Reid has granted Senator Tommy Tuberville's (R) motion to dismiss the lawsuit against him seeking to prevent him from being the Republican nominee for Governor. The swift court victory frees the Tuberville campaign and the Alabama Republican Party to focus on winning the general election on November 3 and not waste time and resources in lengthy court hearings and appeals. Tuberville's residency was initially cha...
July in Alabama brings upper‑80s to 90s temperatures, steamy humidity, and fast‑moving thunderstorms. These conditions stress plants but also create ideal growth for heat‑loving vegetables. Gardeners who stay active this month can secure strong summer harvests and set up a successful fall garden. 1. Manage Heat and Moisture Keep Soil Consistently Moist Vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, beans, and okra produce best when soil moisture stays even. Fluctuating moisture leads...
Perfect for The Fourth of July, the feature film, "Young Washington", is now showing in movie theaters nationwide. It is a compellingly good movie. While the film does have some French and Indian War era violence which gives it its PG-13 rating, it is overall suited for family viewing. As one young lad of 13 years of age put it while holding up his large cup of Coca Cola in the movie theater, "Young Washington" is a good movie, "even better than this Coke". "Young Washington" focuses on the expe...
Are people with ADHD more likely to have car accidents? Driving is full of distractions, from cellphones to other drivers on the road. But for adults and teens dealing with symptoms of ADHD, like inattention and impulsivity, those disruptions can make driving especially risky. On average, adult drivers with ADHD in one study got into a crash every two years, and people with severe ADHD symptoms averaged one accident a year. A large study in JAMA Pediatrics found that teen and young adult...
A historic summer of sports is sweeping across the US, leaving fans to balance team spirit with surging costs It’s been an exciting stretch for sports in America, with the Knicks just ending a 53-year title drought, the FIFA World Cup on home soil for the first time in over 30 years, and Formula 1 now holding more races in the United States than in any other single country. As excitement around sports reaches new heights, so too does the amount of money fans are spending to be part of the a...
