The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) confirms that a bulldog in Pike County near County Road 7708, Troy, tested positive for rabies. The dog's owner reported that the bulldog was acting aggressively toward other animals and the owner, and on Monday called Troy Animal Control. Several other dogs live around the residence and are being monitored for signs of rabies. ADPH is monitoring and urging people in the general area to keep their pets and other animals current on rabies...
April 11, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure disabled veterans experiencing homelessness maintain access to crucial housing support. The Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (HUDVA) would permanently exclude disability payments received by veterans from annual income for housing assistance eligibility purposes under the Department of Housing and Ur...
Of the lucky pups who were adopted last year, it seems more have found their forever homes: The number of dogs surrendered by their owners has decreased by about 4.5% since 2023, according to a 2024 report from Shelter Animals Count. Collecting data from 13,527 animal shelters and rescues in the U.S., Canada, and U.S. territories, the SAC report also found that the overall dog adoption rate has dipped by about 1% from 2023. However, it's worth noting that when this figure is broken down by the t...
April 11, 2025 – NEW ORLEANS, LA – Federal Immigration judge James Comans ruled that former Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported. This ruling in favor of the federal government allows Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) to move forward with its deportation case against the former student Khalil is a foreign student at Columbia University. He is the leader of a student group that praised Hamas and distributed pamphlets associated with designated terrorist org...
Pastor Dean Odle is running for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, in the 2026 election. Odle spoke recently with Brandon Moseley and Christopher Peeks on the Brandon and Christopher Show (BCS) Podcast. "I just try to do what the Lord leads me to do and obey Him," Odle said. In 2022 Odle (despite the COVID shutdowns) ran as a political newcomer for Governor of Alabama against popular incumbent Governor Kay Ivey (R) and lost. "I spent the next year and a half to two...
April 9, 2025 – MONTGOMERY, AL - Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) shared her strong support for House Bill 437 (HB437) to establish a shark alert system under the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for beaches and shorelines in Baldwin and Mobile counties. HB437 is sponsored by State Representative David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook). The bill is inspired by Mountain Brook teen Lulu Gribben. HB437 would enable Mobile and Baldwin County Emergency Management Agencies to warn i...
State Senator Greg Albritton (R-Range) recently spoke with Alabama Gazette Lead Reporter and Content Manager Brandon Moseley and the Alabama Political Contributor's Christopher Peeks on their Brandon and Christopher Show Podcast. Albritton chairs the powerful Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund committee which prepares the state general fund budget. On April 3, the House of Representatives passed a $3.7 billion state general fund budgetv – the largest in state history. That budget is now b...
Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate (R) recently joined the Brandon and Christopher Show Podcast about his role as Agriculture Commissioner. The Alabama Gazette's Brandon Moseley and the Alabama Political Contributor's Christopher Peeks host the weekly news/information podcast. Pate said that the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries is actually in charge of one of the largest state agencies. "We're a relatively big state agency," Commissioner Pate said of the...
April 10, 2025 – MONTGOMERY, AL – The Alabama Senate passed legislation to change how the state distributes funding to K-12 schools. In the current model, the state funds schools by taking a count of all the students and dividing the money between public schools based on the number of pupils in each system with the same per pupil amount per student, without regard as to whether a student is special needs, an English learner, or in poverty. The bill that passed in the Senate moves the state to a...
April 12, 2025 – VESTAVIA HILLS – State Representatives Jim Carns (R-Vestavia), Susan DuBose (R-Greystone), and Mike Shaw (R-Hoover) delivered their reports to the Mid-Alabama Republican Club (MARC) on the status of the ongoing 2025 Alabama regular legislative session. Rep. Carns said that the Legislature has passed pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform in hopes of "Saving the independent pharmacists." "We lost 50 of them in the last year," said Carns. "It was extremely heavy lifting for the...
Thursday, April 3, 2025 - MOBILE, AL – Today, U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello announced criminal charges against seven defendants related to a multi-million dollar fraud scheme at the Water Works and Sewer Board of the City of Prichard ("Prichard Water Board"). A federal grand jury in Mobile has returned a thirty-two count indictment against five individuals, while two people have already pleaded guilty and await sentencing. According to the indictment unsealed today, Nia Bradley, 50, of M...
April 8, 2025 -MONTGOMERY, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) spoke to the Montgomery Kiwanis Club during National Crime Victims Week. Marshall also emphasized the work that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's (ALEA) Crime Suppression Unit is doing in association with the Montgomery Sheriff's Department. Marshall was introduced by former Montgomery Mayr Todd Strange. "I thought I would make you aware of a couple of issues," said Marshall. "This is National Crime Victims week." Nat...
Secretary of State Wes Allen announced today that Ohio is the latest in a long list of states to join Alabama's voter integrity database to cross-check the states' voter files and discover individuals registered to vote in both states. Alabama has previously entered into similar MOUs with all four border states, as well as, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Texas. Ohio is the ninth state to partner with Alabama as part of the Alabama Voter Integrity Database (AVID) voter file maintenance system...
For affluent individuals, building and preserving wealth involves more than picking the right stocks or stashing cash in savings accounts. It requires intentional, strategic investing that accounts for the unique opportunities and challenges of high-income earners. With elevated income levels come tax implications, portfolio considerations, and the need for sophisticated wealth management strategies. This is where advanced investment approaches like Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and tax-loss...
In the modern job market, salary has long stood as the holy grail of employment decisions. Yet, in an age where medical bills can spiral into bankruptcy and health crises strike unexpectedly, a different factor has emerged as a silent but potent influence: healthcare benefits. Whether it's a routine doctor visit or catastrophic medical care, the cost-sharing structures employers offer can deeply affect employees' lives—and influence whether they accept, stay in, or leave a job, explains S...
Mother's Day is an opportunity to recognize the presence, love, and influence of mother figures in all their forms—from biological mothers and grandmothers to stepmothers, chosen family, and mentors. And while no single gift can ever capture all they do, jewelry offers a timeless way to honor their impact and celebrate their style. This year, instead of one-size-fits-all suggestions, VRAI, a fine jewelry brand specializing in lab-grown diamonds, suggests considering jewelry that feels as intenti...
April 14, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL – Attorney General Steve Marshall joined a coalition of 27 states in asking the Trump Administration to continue combatting the flood of illegal Chinese e-cigarettes into the U.S. that target kids. Last year, illegal Chinese e-cigarettes valued at billions of dollars were sold in the United States. The products often use colorful packaging, sweet flavors, and video game themes to appeal to teenagers and kids. Despite youth tobacco use being at a record low, m...
April 12, 2025 – VESTAVIA HILLS – Alabama Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate spoke to the Mid-Alabama Republican Club about his new 'Thank a Farmer' initiative. "We have the most abundant affordable and readily available food supply in the history of human civilization," said Commissioner Pate. "If you wake up and you have plenty of food you have a lot of problems to deal with work and kids. If you wake up and you don't have enough to eat you have one problem: what am I going to...
April 14, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL03) has released a statement in response to the Department of Defense Inspector General's report on the Biden Administration's decision to locate United States Space Command (SPACECOM) headquarters in Colorado even instead of Huntsville, Alabama. "The Inspector General's report confirms that the Trump Administration was correct in selecting Huntsville, AL, as the site for SPACECOM Headquarters, and r...
The 2025 tax season is in full swing, and IRS data is beginning to paint a clearer picture of how business owners are faring. 95% of U.S. business owners pay their business taxes through personal tax returns, known as "pass-through entities," and only 5% pay their taxes at the "business level." Refunds are down compared to 2024. Filing is slower, and many business owners are taking a wait-and-see approach. These numbers also provide an opportunity to plan smarter and avoid costly mistakes. Every...
Leveraging its in-house global trade and compliance expertise, Passport breaks down how the April 2 and subsequent tariff announcements are creating new challenges for international e-commerce—and what brands can do to adjust their strategies. The Trump administration has announced major changes to U.S. tariff policy throughout April 2025—making waves across global e-commerce. A 10% blanket tariff on all imports, the end of de minimis for China and Hong Kong, and escalating reciprocal tar...
April 25, 2025 - MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Friday shared the sad news that Alabama's First Dog, her beloved Missy Ivey, has passed away. Missy is around 10 years old. In January 2019, the governor adopted Missy, a blended collie mix, from the Montgomery Humane Shelter. Governor Ivey and Missy were inseparable, and Missy adored the governor from the start. Whether the governor was working in her office at the Governor's Mansion, hosting gatherings in the back courtyard, enjoying a m...
April 15, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) joined U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska) in sending a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick regarding the Biden administration's AI Diffusion Rule (AIDR). In the letter the Senators called on President Trump's administration to withdraw Biden's overly restrictive rule and propose an alternative that is effective in preventing Communist China from capturing the world market in leading technology. "We app...
A $100,000 salary may sound like a comfortable income but how far it goes varies largely depending on where you live. Earning $100,000 places an individual tax filer at the upper limit of the 22% federal tax bracket. On top of that, FICA taxes for Social Security and Medicare apply, and depending on where you live, state and local income taxes could take another bite. But taxes aren't the only factor. The cost of living varies widely across the country, affecting how much purchasing power...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming workplaces, boosting efficiency, and reshaping job roles. According to a 2024 Gartner poll, 59% of CEOs believe AI will have the biggest impact on their business in the next three years. However, about a third expect it to deliver a more than 15% boost in worker productivity within the next two years. But this optimism may be misplaced if organizations don't focus on investing in the right processes and support to bring their employees along f...
