Alabama
updated
9:23 p.m.
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Michelle Rhee, the controversial ex-DC Schools chief, and her organization StudentsFirst have been brought in by Gov. Bentley and Republican leaders to advise on implementing a charter school law here in Alabama. Meetings took place between state officials and Tom Colton, VP of Legislative Affairs of StudentsFirst, Tuesday ahead of a gathering of educational, state and local leader...
Left in Alabama - 8:09 a.m. - 9 clicks 
Zac Parrish Ted Rollins, the CEO of Campus Crest Communities, has threatened to cut off all support to his ex wife and two daughters in Alabama over his anger about video interviews we published this week on Legal Schnauzer . Sherry Carroll Rollins, who lives in Birmingham with her daughters Sarah and Emma, said yesterday that Ted Rollins told her through an intermediary that he w...
Legal Schnauzer - 5:43 a.m. - 11 clicks
Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions introduced President Obama this morning at the National Prayer Breakfast . Who would have thought Jefferson Beauregard could be so polite to our President? Sen. Jeff Sessions , (R-Ala.) introduced the president by thanking him "for all the way your strive for all Americans, you give your life to that." &nb...
Left in Alabama - Thu 8:08 p.m. - 9 clicks
I’m Jordan Pittman and I’m running for a chance to represent Alabama’s 6th Congressional District as a delegate at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. I am a Tuscaloosa native and currently live in Birmingham where I’ve resided for over 2 years. I’m 26 years old and have been an active volunteer in Democratic Party politics for several years. ...
Left in Alabama - Thu 3:47 p.m. - 9 clicks
And it's about time. We need to modernize our image. Today Rep. Joe Hubbard (D, Montgomery) filed a bill that would replace "Heart of Dixie" on Alabama tags with "State of Champions." He says it will bring industry and jobs to Alabama, instead of raising eyebrows. “Nobody in Alabama is prouder than I am of our rich history as the Heart of Dixie, but that...
Left in Alabama - Thu 1:00 p.m. - 12 clicks
Kudos to countrycat for highlighting Alabama Gives Day. There are so many great organizations on the list-- over a thousand! -- it isn't easy to find what you're looking for or decide which to support. Here are my favorites; the people doing the hard work of moving Alabama forward, 365 days a year. They have my support and I hope you think some of them deserve yours, ...
Left in Alabama - Thu 9:40 a.m. - 12 clicks
So, the same people who cost Alabama billions with their immigration crackdown are some of the same people who want to keep public teachers from getting a raise and reform education, code for a racist dog whistle . H/Tarchangelsk Take the following: Charter schools are necessary in areas of chronically failing schools and underserved children, [House...
Redeye's Front Page - Thu 8:02 a.m. - 15 clicks
Down in South Alabama, at a Tea Party forum in AL-01, the Republican agenda is laid bare: Impeach Barack Obama . (And yes, that implies they've given up hope of beating Obama at the ballot box.) Did GOP congressional candidates Pete Riehm and Dean Young seize the opportunity afforded by this forum to lay out their plans for putting America back to work, improving education, prote...
Left in Alabama - Thu 8:01 a.m. - 11 clicks
What if every Alabama resident supported a non-profit organization today? Think of the positive change you could help create in a state that desperately needs it. Alabama's non-profits have banded together and hope to raise a record amount of money online to support Alabama organizations. Learn more and donate online at the Alabama Gives Web site. It's easy: Search fo...
Left in Alabama - Thu 6:41 a.m. - 11 clicks
I keep harping on this, I know. I say it nearly every time. But at a certain point, you just have to come to the conclusion that conservatives are conservative because they are, well, stupid. Via Think Progress , here's Alabama State Sen. Shadrack McGill (a Republican, of course) talking about why raising pay for schoolteachers would not just be a bad idea, it would be against the Bible : ...
DailyKos (Alabama) - Wed 9:04 p.m. - 13 clicks
Left in Alabama promoted a diary by blogger caterwaul begging democrats to be bad for one day and vote for Parker Griffith although he is an idiot , get this, he is a much less hideous prospect than Mo Brooks, and, because democratic candidate , C.L. Holley , doesn't stand a chance of defeating Mo Brooks because he's well...a black man ( my words ). Want to get rid of Mo B...
Redeye's Front Page - Wed 7:44 p.m. - 12 clicks
Title II of HR 676 is “Finances”—let’s look at Subtitle A, Budgeting and Payments. A little dry, but very relevant, considering Alabama’s current budget squeeze and the threat to the 40% of Alabama children covered under our Medicaid! .... What do you think? Any comments, questions or suggestions to revise this section of HR 676? I hope t...
Left in Alabama - Wed 8:28 a.m. - 10 clicks
Alabama State Senator Shadrack McGill thinks that increasing public school teacher pay isn't just a bad idea. It's possibly an affront to the Will of God . "It's a Biblical principle." He says. "If you double a teacher's pay scale, you'll attract people who aren't called to teach." Excuse me, but preachers & missionaries get "called." Teacher...
Left in Alabama - Wed 6:04 a.m. - 13 clicks
Artur Davis Former Alabama Congressman Artur Davis has been conducting a world-class whine fest ever since he got spanked in the 2010 Democratic primary for governor. Davis has bolted to Virginia and supposedly started a law practice, but he can't seem to resist taking shots at his home-state liberals, whom he blames for costing him the governorship. Never mind that Davis repeatedly...
Legal Schnauzer - Wed 4:46 a.m. - 21 clicks
Watch CNN's Anderson Cooper call Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders out for his "race baiting robo call". Then read; Who's afraid of Saul Alinksy ? Time Warp Civil War Low IQ, Conservatism, and prejudice: Here comes the science... The Ugly Words of Newt Gingrich RNC Chairman compares President Obama to the Captain of the Shipwrecked Costa Concordia Cooper asked San...
Redeye's Front Page - Tue 8:05 a.m. - 17 clicks
Strike that. It's not wise for Geek Pavaler to blog about the Huntsville City School System. Here we go again . You know the drill . Blogger gets hacked after skewering the Status Quo. It can happen to you. I thought I was secure. I was careful about how I set up my blog, my e-mail, and my Twitter. I used unique, complex passwords. But it didn’t matter. I ...
Redeye's Front Page - Mon 9:06 a.m. - 17 clicks
Ray Crosby Having lived as a progressive through the Karl Rove era in Alabama, this reporter is not easily shocked. But when word started spreading early yesterday evening that a defendant had died on the eve of the Alabama bingo retrial . . . well, that was a stunner. Ray Crosby, a former legislative analyst in the Alabama Legislature, was found dead in his Montgomery home yeste...
Legal Schnauzer - Mon 8:44 a.m. - 24 clicks
Sweet Home Alabama Governor Bentley and his red, republican controlled legislatur e propose giving more power to local school boards allowing them the opportunity to implement innovative strategies currently restricted by state law . In other words, allowing local school boards to give state law the middle finger. I thought school boards were elected by the people &...
Redeye's Front Page - Sun 7:10 p.m. - 14 clicks
What is wrong with this picture? Here we go again . Black folks from President Obama ,to Huntsville City Councilman Richard Showers , to RedEye still find ourselves being put in our place when we get uppity in post racial America. Some people will look at the above picture and say nothing is wrong with Gov. Jan Brewer (r. AZ) actions. I submi...
Redeye's Front Page - Sun 7:42 a.m. - 16 clicks
An apparent political hit on a family's cat in Arkansas has drawn national attention, and it's one of the most nauseating stories I've read in a long time. I only wish I could say it came as a surprise. Since starting this blog in June 2007, I've written frequently about wrongdoing among conservative elites in Alabama and beyond. That has made me a fair number of enemies, enough that bot...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 26 - 7 clicks
Watching poor Mitt struggle to be mean and hateful during last night's gop debate reminded me of something I overheard someone say about Robert Bentley (r) when he was running for Governor of Alabama~ He's really a nice guy, just hooked up with the wrong party . Although the gop establishment and the mainstream media have decided it's Mitt's turn , the gop base says Hell to...
Redeye's Front Page - Jan 24 - 4 clicks
Nick Saban About 32,000 people turned out on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa to celebrate the University of Alabama's latest national championship in football. It was Alabama's second title in three years, so perhaps now is the time to ask this question: Why in the heck is UA such a power on the football field? The simple answer is that the Crimson Tide has loads of ...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 24 - 3 clicks
Calvin McCall Haynes A second Birmingham man has been arrested in the murder of Talladega lawyer Blake Lazenby. We seem, however, to be no closer to learning why someone wanted to kill Lazenby, who was in the midst of a contentious divorce at the time of his death last July. Calvin McCall Haynes, 30, has been arrested and charged with one count each of solicitation of murder and ...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 22 - 7 clicks
Daniel M. Acker Jr. It comes about 20 years too late, but The Birmingham News actually is producing some decent journalism in the story of Daniel M. Acker Jr., the politically connected teacher who was allowed to go on a child molestation spree in Shelby County, Alabama . We learned yesterday that two additional charges of first-degree sexual abuse have been filed ag...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 20
I never cease to be amazed by the conservative press. Here in Alabama, where I live, we have an explosive story unfolding. It involves a retired fourth-grade teacher named Daniel M. Acker Jr. who has confessed to molesting 21 girls over roughly two decades. This all happened in Shelby County, a Republican stronghold just south of Birmingham. The Birmingham News , our staunchly conservative me...
DailyKos (Alabama) - Jan 17 - 12 clicks
John Archibald Someone needs to send an emergency medical team to The Birmingham News building, home to one of the most lazy, corrupt, and conservative newspapers in the country. Several members of the editorial team apparently need irony transplants--stat! First in line should be columnist John Archibald after he wrote a Sunday piece titled " Shelby County Shares in the Shame ."...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 17
It's hard to believe it's been three years, 652 posts and 53,474 page views since I was forced to start RedEye's Front Page after being booted from Left in Alabama that fateful Friday, November 13th , 2009, because of the content of my comments and other post . It still hurts I'm no longer allowed to participate in the Informed, Involved, Progressive conversatio...
Redeye's Front Page - Jan 14 - 2 clicks
It has been more than 10 years since I have been able to vote for Congress. I wasn't prevented by law from casting a ballot, just the fact that I live in one of the reddest districts east of the Mississippi River -- the 6th District of Alabama . You see, since 2000 there has been no Democrat on the ballot in the 6th District, which is represented by Spencer Bachus, the chairman of the House...
DailyKos (Alabama) - Jan 14 - 2 clicks
William Barnes qualified as a candidate for the democratic primary in CD-6. Barnes represents the democratic wing of the democratic party ,which is probably why he didn't have the full support of the ADP when he ran against Dick Shelby for Senate in 2010. I'm glad he didn't let the experience sour him against running for political office again. I admire his courage and ...
Redeye's Front Page - Jan 13 - 3 clicks
Ocie Lee Lynch The murder investigation in the death of a prominent Talladega attorney already is emitting a foul odor--and a suspect barely has been in custody for 48 hours. Ocie Lee Lynch, a 30-year-old Birmingham man, was arrested late Tuesday night in the murder of Robert Blake Lazenby, a partner in perhaps the most prestigious law firm in Talladega County. Lazenby died last ...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 13
Blake Lazenby A 30-year-old Birmingham man has been arrested in the July shooting death of Talladega lawyer Robert Blake Lazenby. Ocie Lee Lynch was arrested late Tuesday night at a house in north Birmingham. Law-enforcement officials had said very little about their investigation after Lazenby was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in his Sylacauga home. Lazenby's car had been ...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 12 - 4 clicks
A vaccine-development company in Birmingham, Alabama, has taken a major step toward a possible contraceptive for dogs and cats . Vaxin Inc. received a $1-million grant that scientists hope will move them closer to an alternative to spaying and neutering pets. ...
DailyKos (Alabama) - Jan 11 - 3 clicks
Nick Saban and his players celebrate their latest national title. For the second time in three years, the University of Alabama is the king of college football. The Crimson Tide took care of business by throttling LSU 21-0 last night in the BCS National Championship Game at the Superdome in New Orleans. When paired with Auburn's title last year, it means the state of Al...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 10 - 3 clicks
BP's PR campaign targets BCS game, and continues through Saints' playoffs. BP blasted by Norway’s regulator over offshore fire. Three firms appeal citations alleging Gulf spill safety violations. Halliburton denies destroying evidence in BP oil spill case. Transocean’s CFO steps down. Oil and gas group starts election push. You are in the current Gulf Watchers BP Catastrophe - AUV #575. AUV #5...
DailyKos (Alabama) - Jan 9 - 2 clicks
Shelby County, just south of Birmingham, long has been known as the most conservative county in Alabama. Pretty much all public officials there are white and Republican; Democrats generally don't bother to run for office. The county touts itself as a "great place to raise a family," a place where "family values" and GOP politics are exalted. So it was interesting to learn last week that Shel...
DailyKos (Alabama) - Jan 9
Daniel M. Acker Jr. The corrupt environment that has been at the heart of my reporting for four-plus years now has helped produce a serial child molester. That's how ugly things have gotten here in Shelby County, Alabama. Daniel M. Acker Jr., a retired elementary-school teacher in Alabaster, has been charged with four counts of sexual abuse and is being held in the She...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 9
Kenneth Earl Dukes A black minister in Alabama has filed a federal lawsuit after a warrant mistakenly was issued for his arrest on drug charges. Kenneth Earl Dukes lives in Montevallo, which is in Shelby County. That's the county where I live--and the jurisdiction where Mrs. Schnauzer and I have had our lives turned upside down by court-related corruption. I long have suspected t...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 5
John W. Rollins Sr. Ted Rollins, CEO of Campus Crest Communities, has been the subject of numerous posts here at Legal Schnauzer , focusing on his questionable legal tactics and business practices . Rollins has strong ties to Alabama because of a curious divorce case he brought in Shelby County against Sherry Carroll Rollins, even though the case had been initiated by Ms. Rollins ...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 4
I am a believer in government. It is important to have safe streets, a justice system and a democratically elected institution to insure the health and welfare of the population. These functions add value to our way of life and create an environment for many citizens to pursue loftier endeavors such as education, commerce and the arts. My ideals are not everyone's obviously, this is America af...
DailyKos (Alabama) - Dec 24 - 2 clicks
Hello from the deep south. Yes, I am still alive and kicking in the fair state of Alabama. Wait did I just feel a collective shiver, well yep I'm here, and yes Alabama has turned back the clock to oh about 1950 something. Our private family joke "Alabama would be so great, if it weren't for the people. Akkkk! ...
DailyKos (Alabama) - Dec 19
