The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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U.S. Marines are moving toward the Middle East in one of the most significant Marine deployments of the current Iran conflict, adding a fast‑moving, crisis‑response force to an already large American presence in the region. Roughly 2,500 Marines, along with amphibious warships including the USS Tripoli, are now en route as Washington and its allies continue sustained strikes on Iranian targets. Why the Marines Are Being Sent The deployment reflects a shift toward deterrence, crisis response, and...
PeopleImages // Shutterstock Stop doing everything: How small business leaders in Alabama can reclaim 75 workdays each year Leaders in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) operate under constant pressure to deliver results with limited time, budgets, and staff. In a volatile market, they're expected to balance immediate execution with long-term strategy, often without the layers of support available to larger organizations. As a result, many leaders step in wherever the business needs...
Rural healthcare is in the red as Trump withholds Medicaid payments to Minnesota Governmental action (or inaction) that affects America at large often has an outsized impact on rural residents. At the end of February, the Trump administration announced it will withhold millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota, citing concerns about fraud. This comes on the heels of GOP cuts to Medicaid in the 2025 budget reconciliation bill and an effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act...
How much is a dollar worth? Why the weakening US currency matters for your wallet Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but for every dollar you earn, there are a number of different factors eating away at it. There are taxes, for one, not far away with April 15 on the horizon. Then there is inflation: Even though it has moderated from the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still eroding the value of our money to the tune of almost 3% a year. And now there is a new worry: The U.S. dollar,...
How to become a general contractor (if you don’t have experience) Nobody starts working as a licensed general contractor right away. Learning how to become a general contractor with no experience may feel overwhelming — but with the right plan in place you can jumpstart your general contractor career. Most general contractors begin in entry-level roles, learn the trades and gradually build the skills required for licensing. If you’re starting from scratch, ERGO NEXT provides this primer on ho...
How much of your income should you spend on housing? Looking to cut costs? Why not start at the top? In the typical American household, nothing takes a bigger bite out of the budget than housing costs. While that’s a burden, it also means that housing expenses are where cost-cutting has the biggest potential to help make ends meet. Experts say you should spend no more than 25% to 30% of your income on housing—rent or mortgage payments plus utilities—for financial stability. If you do that,...
The hidden infrastructure behind every prescription drug in 2026 A customer steps up to the counter at a neighborhood pharmacy. An insurance card is scanned. A pharmacist asks if there are any questions. A small paper bag with the medication inside slides across the counter. What most of us don’t see is the vast system that made that moment possible. Before a prescription drug reaches a shelf in your town, it has passed through research laboratories, clinical trial sites, regulatory review t...
Americans' average debt keeps rising, but pace of growth has slowed, according to Intuit Credit Karma data In the fourth quarter of 2025, Americans’ average total overall debt increased to $58,712 from $55,879 in the fourth quarter of 2024, a 5% year-over-year gain, according to an analysis of 99.5 million Intuit Credit Karma members with a combined overall debt of more than $9.9 trillion. That’s almost the same as 2024’s year-over-year average debt gains (4.9%). However, in the last quart...
H-1B lottery history and data: Selection rates 2008-2026 Every year, thousands of skilled workers compete for a chance to work in the United States. This is the H-1B lottery. By law, the government can only approve 85,000 new H-1B visas each year: 65,000 for general workers and 20,000 for those with advanced degrees from a U.S. institution. The lottery was created to parcel out these limited slots. But the demand and the rules have shifted since its inception. Data on H-1B visas goes by fiscal...
March 13, 2026 - WASHINGTON - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that Iran's newly elevated Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been seriously wounded and is "likely disfigured," raising questions about his ability to lead the country amid nearly two weeks of sustained U.S. and Israeli military strikes. Hegseth's comments mark the most direct public assessment yet from the Pentagon regarding the condition of the 56‑year‑old successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed alo...
March 14, 2026 - MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken McFeeters issued a formal notice to the Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, stating that he will pursue legal action if the party does not require Tuberville to affirm under oath that he meets Alabama's constitutional residency requirements to run for governor. McFeeters' statement comes amid an ongoing dispute over whether Tuberville satisfies the Alabama Constitution's seven‑year r...
March 13, 2026 - LINEVILLE, Ala. - Rodney Walker, a businessman, cattle farmer, and Republican candidate for the United States Senate from Alabama, is urging Congress and federal regulators to act swiftly to close what he describes as a dangerous loophole in the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act). Walker argues the gap in the law threatens community banks, farm lending, and the ability of rural families to rely on cash. Walker said the issue...
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Geneva County Sheriff Tony Helms has endorsed Republican Katherine Robertson in her campaign for Alabama Attorney General, adding another veteran law‑enforcement voice to Robertson's growing list of supporters ahead of the May 19, 2026 primary. Sheriff Helms, who is concluding a long career in public service, praised Robertson's record on public safety and her support among law‑enforcement leaders across the state. "I am proud to support Katherine in her race for Attorney Gen...
March 10, 2026 - TAMPA, Ala - A new analysis circulating online claims that a coordinated U.S. bomber campaign-featuring B‑2 stealth bombers, B‑1 Lancers, and B‑52 Stratofortresses-has allegedly collapsed major sections of Iran's underground military tunnel network, long considered one of Tehran's most important strategic assets. A recent video, published by PPR Global, frames the strikes as part of a broader operation referred to as Epic Fury, describing it as one of the most conse...
March 12, 2026 - MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed Senate Bill 242, legislation aimed at improving safety on Alabama's highways by ensuring commercial motor vehicle operators meet federal work authorization and communication standards. Surrounded by state troopers, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) Secretary Hal Taylor and bill sponsors state Sen. Lance Bell and Rep. Steve Clouse, along with Alabama Trucking Association (ATA) President and CEO Mark Colson and board m...
March 10, 2026 – MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment that would impose a Pledge of Allegiance mandate and authorize school boards to allow voluntary school prayers. House Bill 511 (HB5111) is sponsored by state Representative Reed Ingram (R-Montgomery). Rep. Reed Ingram said, "I'm not trying to cram religion down anyone's throat or make it to where they're mandated to do anything. A lot of times, kids don't have the option to pray and the...
March 10, 2026 – MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Senate passes legislation that would allow state employees to purchase credits from the Retirement Systems of Alabama for their years of past federal service. Senate Bill 280 (SB280) is sponsored by state Senator Jame "Jabo" Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills). Waggoner explained in committee that the state already allows state employees to do this for their military service. The Senate adopted and passed a committee substitute for SB280. SB280 had rec...
March 12, 2026 - NORFOLK, Va. - Lt. Colonel Brandon Shah, a decorated Army officer known for his work in counterintelligence and campus‑based military education programs, was shot and killed Thursday afternoon on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. The brazen daylight attack stunned students, faculty, and military officials, triggering an intensive multi‑agency investigation that now stretches across several states. Authorities say Shah, 42, was gunned down outside the...
March 10, 2026 – MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Senate voted to advance legislation that will allow the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) to write rules defining and regulating what is a derelict boat or vessel. Senate Bill 326 (SB326) is sponsored by Senator Chris Elliott (R-Josephine), who chairs the Senate Committee on County and Local Government. Chairman Elliott explained in committee, "We have an abandoned, derelict vessel problem." Elliott said that Florida has a real problem with hom...
States with the most remote workers and what that says about regional lifestyles Remote work is no longer just a COVID-19 pandemic-era experiment. It is a structural shift in how millions of Americans are earning a living and where they choose to live. While headlines often frame remote work as a national trend, the reality is far more uneven. Some states have embraced work-from-home as a defining feature of their labor markets, and others remain anchored in more traditional in-person...
On Thursday, March 12, 2026, six United States military personnel lost their lives during an accident involving their KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft operating over western Iraq while in support of Operation Epic Fury. Three of the six fallen military personnel served in the 99th Air Refueling Squadron of the 117th Air Refueling Wing located at Sumpter Smith Joint Air National Guard Base in Birmingham, Alabama. Major John A. "Alex" Klinner of Trussville, Alabama; Captain Ariana G. Savino...
In a major escalation of an already volatile regional conflict, Israeli officials say Ali Larijani, one of Iran's most influential political figures and a longtime pillar of the Islamic Republic's power structure, was killed in a series of targeted strikes this week. If confirmed, Larijani's death would mark one of the most significant blows to Iran's leadership in decades, removing a veteran insider who helped shape the country's security, nuclear, and foreign policy strategies for more than 20...
March 17, 2026 - ENTERPRISE, AL - Senator Rick Scott of Florida has endorsed Congressman Barry Moore in Alabama's 2026 race for the United States Senate, adding another high‑profile national figure to Moore's growing list of supporters. In announcing his endorsement, Senator Scott praised Moore's record and aligned himself with the broader America First movement. "Barry Moore is the America First fighter that Alabama needs," Senator Scott said. "Barry has been a strong conservative. I'm proud t...
March 17, 2026 - MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama House of Representatives Ethics and Campaign Finance Committee gave a favorable report to HB541, the SAVE Act. HB541 is sponsored by state Representative Ernie Yarbrough (R‑Trinity). Right now Alabama voters do not have to declare a party preference meaning that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents can all vote in the Republican or Democratic primary without supporting the ticket in the fall general election and they can change the primary t...
March 17, 2026 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Alabama League of Municipalities recognized U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville and Sen. Katie Britt as recipients of the 2026 Hometown Hero Award during a breakfast panel and meeting at the National League of Cities' Congressional City Conference. The League presents the Hometown Hero Award each year to leaders who demonstrate a steady commitment to strengthening communities and improving the quality of life for local residents. Tuberville and Britt were r...
