Al State Wire News Today

Members of the Democratic National Committee say they are concerned about the operations of the Alabama Democratic Party and the elimination of minority caucuses intended to ensure a diversity of voices in party affairs. The comments come amid the possibility that national officials might again intervene in the state party as they did in 2019. The Alabama Democratic Party last month eliminated some of the diversity caucuses created in 2019. A member of the Democratic National Convention’s Rule...

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday signed legislation to reduce Alabama’s sales tax on food. The new law will reduce the state’s 4% tax on groceries to 3% on Sept. 1. The tax will drop to 2% on Sept. 1, 2024, but only if tax collections to the Education Trust Fund are projected to rise at least 3.5% to offset the loss. Alabama is one of only three states that tax groceries at the same rate as other purchases. Advocates had long argued that taxing food at such a rate placed an unfair burden on...

A man convicted of the 1999 cold case slaying of two teenage girls has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Circuit Judge William Filmore on Thursday officially handed down the sentence of life imprisonment without possibility of parole to Coley McCraney. A jury decided the sentence in April and Alabama law requires a judge abide with the jury’s decision in capital cases. A jury in April convicted McCraney of capital murder for the deaths of Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley. ...

An officer at an Alabama prison has been charged with drug trafficking for bringing methamphetamine and possibly other drugs into the prison for an inmate. The Alabama Department of Corrections said in a news release Tuesday that 28-year-old Charlie Townsend was arrested Saturday and “confessed to bringing in contraband for an inmate” at Kilby Correctional Facility. He resigned after his arrest. Townsend was charged with trafficking methamphetamine, use of position for personal gain and prom...

More changes could be coming to voting districts in some states. The 2022 elections marked the first using new districts for Congress and state capitols that were drawn from updated census data. But they could be short-lived in some places. That's because court challenges could force some states to redraw districts again before the 2024 elections. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a ruling that Alabama's congressional districts should be redrawn to enhance Black voting strength...

MONTGOMERY, Ala, (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday concluded the 2023 legislative session. Here is a look at some of the major bills introduced this year and what passed and what failed. WHAT PASSED:

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday concluded the 2023 legislative session that was marked by tax cut measures and ended with the shelving of some controversial measures, including a bill that would make it a crime to help a non-family member fill out an absentee ballot.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Overtime pay in Alabama will be temporarily exempt from state income tax under a tax cut approved Tuesday by lawmakers The legislation will exempt overtime pay from the state's 5% income tax beginning in the 2024 tax year.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Joe Vetrano singled, doubled and homered twice to drove in five runs and Boston College pulled away to earn a 14-6 win over Nicholls in an elimination game at the Tuscaloosa Regional on Saturday.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers gave final approval on Thursday to legislation that could lead to lengthier prison sentences for felonies committed as part of a "criminal enterprise." The House of Representatives voted 95-6 for the Senate-passed bill intended to allow stiffer penalties for those involved in organized crime groups, including street gangs.