SUMMARY: Residents of Chickasaw feel safer following recent changes in the Chickasaw Police Department. Since Police Chief Eugene Park took office in September, the department has increased patrols and enhanced community engagement. Local Pastor Victor Herman, whose home and business were burglarized last year, expressed relief, noting the increased police presence and visibility. Chief Park emphasized improvements in personnel, equipment, and training to boost patrol efforts and strengthen community ties. These changes are helping to rebuild trust and security, with many residents, including Herman, feeling more secure in their community.

Chickasaw residents told WKRG they feel a little safer after some recent adjustments in the Chickasaw Police Department.
FULL STORY: https://trib.al/obUSQti

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Witness challenges Black Belt, Mobile ‘community of interest’ in Alabama redistricting case

by Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
February 21, 2025

BIRMINGHAM — A witness for the Alabama attorney general’s office said historic racism might play a role but isn’t the only factor in achievement gaps between demographics in a trial over the state’s congressional map on Friday.

Kentucky State University political science professor Wilfred Reilly, who authored three books criticizing progressive politics, suggested historical racism does not mean Mobile and the Black Belt can be considered the same community of interest today. 

“There’s some relationship [between Mobile and a Black Belt county] … The relationship is lesser than the relationship between Mobile County and Baldwin County,” Reilly said.

His testimony was met with skepticism from attorneys for plaintiffs seeking to preserve a 2023 congressional map that created one majority-Black Alabama congressional district and one near-majority one in the interest of ensuring adequate representation for Black Alabamians. 

“None of your papers focus specifically on the political environment below the Mason-Dixon Line. Correct?” Brittany Carter, an attorney for the plaintiffs, asked.

He said “not as a primary focus.”

“You’re not a professional expert on Southern politics, correct?” Carter asked. He said “no.”

She then asked if any of his academic research focused on Alabama politics, to which he also said “is correct.”

The attorneys questioned his expertise in redistricting and community identity. Under cross-examination, Reilly said he had not conducted extensive research on Alabama’s redistricting history or specific state policies.

“I don’t hold myself out as an expert on redistricting,” he said.

The plaintiffs’ counsel also pressed him on his methodology, pointing out that his report did not incorporate widely accepted academic definitions of communities of interest. When asked whether he had reviewed Alabama’s redistricting guidelines before his deposition, he said, “that is correct.”

Reilly’s testimony came near the end of a two-week trial over the state’s congressional maps. The maps were put in place by a three-judge federal panel after an almost two-year battle that went to the U.S. Supreme Court twice. 

The courts ruled that racially polarized voting patterns in Alabama — where white Alabamians tend to vote for Republicans and Black Alabamians tend to vote for Democrats — meant that a 2021 congressional map approved by the Legislature prevented Black Alabamians, who make up about 27% of the population in the state, from meaningfully participating in the election process.

The court ordered the creation of a second majority-Black district “or something quite close to it,” and rejected a map from the Alabama Legislature, which they said failed to address Voting Rights Act violations.

Reilly’s testimony also addressed the concept of communities of interest, a key issue in the case. The plaintiffs argue that Mobile and the Black Belt, both home to significant Black populations, share common social and economic interests and should be linked in a congressional district. Reilly contended, however, that shared historical racial discrimination does not necessarily mean these regions constitute a single political community today.

Using labor and commuting data, Reilly said that Mobile County has closer economic and social ties to Baldwin County, a majority-white area, than to Black Belt counties.

“Well, 71% of the people who work in Mobile County live in Mobile County, prominently including the city of Mobile itself. About 13% live in neighboring Baldwin County,” Reilly said, adding that Black Belt counties each account for about 1% of people who work in Mobile.

But Baldwin County’s population is significantly higher than any county in the Black Belt. With about 253,500 residents, Baldwin County is about 17 times more populous than Washington County, which borders northern Mobile County and has a population of about 15,000.

They also questioned his data, including his reliance on non-peer-reviewed literature and publicly available real estate metrics, like the real estate website Zillow.

“You didn’t rely on any peer-reviewed studies concerning the identification of communities of interest, correct?” Carter asked.

The trial is expected to conclude next week.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

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What passed in the Alabama Legislature: Feb. 18-20, 2025

by Anna Barrett and Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
February 21, 2025

Here is a list of bills that passed in the Alabama Legislature this week, the third of the 2025 regular session.

Tuesday, Feb. 18

House 

HB 210, sponsored by Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston, would increase Calhoun County’s coroner’s base salary to $54,570 starting in 2027 and raises the salaries of assistant coroners from $4,800 to $6,100. The bill passed 32-0. Itl goes to the Senate.

HB 213, sponsored by Rep. Mark Gidley, R-Hokes Bluff, would allow the Calhoun County Commission to pay members of its board of registrars members $15 per day the commission meets and conducts business. The bill passed 18-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 215, sponsored by Rep. Chad Robertson, R-Heflin, would increase the base salary for the Calhoun County Sheriff to $114,290 without expense compensation starting in 2027. The bill passed 15-1. It goes to the Senate.

HB 188, sponsored by Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, would allow dependents and spouses of Alabama law enforcement to claim a $3,000 scholarship for post-secondary education. The bill passed 101-0. The bill goes to the Senate.

HB 199, sponsored by Rep. Travis Hendrix, D-Birmingham, would allow the Board of Pardons and Parole to electronically monitor a juvenile delinquent before their court hearing. The bill passed 101-0. It  goes to the Senate.

SB 70, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, creates a Veterans Resource Center as a public entity with a corresponding board of directors. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

HB 216, sponsored by Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster, creates civil liability protections for gun dealers participating in a voluntary firearm surrender program. The bill passed 98-2. It goes to the Senate.

HB 164, sponsored by Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, would raise the threshold for small estates for surviving spouses from $25,000 to $47,000. The bill passed 100-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 137, sponsored by Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, would allow the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency to have a language interpreter to monitor wiretapping. The bill passed 97-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 92, sponsored by Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollingers Island, would create the Alabama Seagrass Restoration Task Force, responsible for studying Alabama’s marine waters and addressing the loss of seagrass and its ecological and economical impacts. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 9, sponsored by Rep. Leigh Hulsey, R-Helena, would ban the three-cueing method of teaching reading. It passed 100-0. The bill goes to the Senate.

HB 134, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, would allow fees and fines collected from vehicles parked without a license plate to go to the employing agency of the officer issuing the ticket. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 140, sponsored by Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Birmingham, would allow privately owned sewer and wastewater systems to choose to be in the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission. The bill passed 100-0. It goes to the Senate.

Senate

SB 67, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, would make the commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs an appointed position by the governor and make the board an advisory body. The bill passed 21-9. It goes to the House.

SB 76, sponsored by Sen. April Weaver, R-Alabaster, would exempt nursing mothers from jury service. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House.

SB 64, sponsored by Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, would make removing, cutting, trimming, severing, or uprooting aquatic plants from public waters a Class C misdemeanor with a fine of at least $500. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House.

SB 104, sponsored by Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma, would increase membership of the Alabama Job Creation and Military Stability Commission to include the chairs of the Alabama House Military and Veterans Affairs Committee and the Alabama Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Safety Committee. It passed 32-0. It goes to the House.

SB 95, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, would allow Alabama Municipal Electric Authority board members to be paid up to $1,750 monthly and up to $2,000 for the chair. Currently, members may be compensated up to $600 if the board unanimously agrees. It passed 32-0. It goes to the House.

SB 60, sponsored by Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, would increase the state’s borrowing power for prison projects by $500 million, to approximately $1.28 billion. It passed 32-0. It goes to the House.

SB 1, sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, would provide compensation benefits to full-time public education employees who are injured on the job. The bill passed 32-0. It goes to the House.

SB 42, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, would allow abandoned roads constructed on a right-of-way to be deeded by an appropriate governing body to the original landowner. It passed 32-0. It goes to the House.

Thursday, Feb. 20

House 

HB 211, sponsored by Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston, would allow the Calhoun County Commission to regulate halfway houses and similar facilities. The bill passed 24-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 200, sponsored by Rep. Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa, makes technical changes to the Business and Nonprofit Entities Code and codifies electronic filing practices. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 123, sponsored by Rep. Kerry Underwood, R-Tuscumbia, extends the term of the Alabama State Board of Pharmacy to Oct. 1, 2026; changes the appointment of members of the board and the board’s sanctioning powers. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 35, sponsored by Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster, would extend first responder death benefit to volunteer firefighters. It passed 102-0. The bill goes to the Senate.

HB 141, sponsored by Rep. Kenyatté Hassell, D-Hassell, would allow state employees to deduct from their salary for household items, like a washing machine, pre-tax. The bill passed 81-19. It goes to the Senate.

Senate

HB 76, sponsored by Rep. Bryan Brinyark, R-Windham Springs, would allow the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office to establish procedures for using a credit card for official purposes. The bill passed 29-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

SB 139, sponsored by Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, extends the terms of offices for the Scottsboro mayor and certain members of the city council and school board members by one year. The bill extends the term of office for city council members and city board of education members whose terms set expire in 2026 to 2027; the mayor and council members with terms set to expire in 2028 to 2029, and board of education members whose terms are scheduled to expire in 2028 or 2030 to 2029 and 2031, respectively. The bill passed 29-0. It goes to the House.

SB 162, sponsored by Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, sets minimum distribution amounts of in-lieu-of-taxes payments of the Tennessee Valley Authority to the Marshall County Legislative Delegation office; the Marshall County Economic Development Office; Snead Community College, and ambulance service in the city of Boaz. It passed 30-0. It goes to the House.

SB 25, sponsored by Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, would require tax proceeds from alcohol sales in community development districts to be awarded as grants based on the recommendation of each legislator representing a portion of the county. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House.

SB 54, sponsored by Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, would add communications service facilities to the definition of “critical infrastructure facility.” The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House.

SB 80, sponsored by Sen. Tom Butler, R-Madison, would change the name of the Alabama Local Government Training Institute to the Buddy Sharpless Education Institute. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House.

SB 115, sponsored by Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, makes accepting a job as a law enforcement officer a crime of impersonating a peace officer if the person accepting the job knows they are disqualified or if they know their certification with the Alabama Peace Officers’ Standards and Training (APOST) commission has been revoked or suspended. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House.

SB 102, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, would provide presumptive Medicaid coverage for up to 60 days to pregnant people before their application for the program is formally approved. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House.

SB 40, sponsored by Sen. Keith Kelley, R-Anniston, would provide liability protection for Federal Firearms License dealers who choose to participate in the Safer Together Program, where they may accept surrendered firearms from community members.The bill  passed 31-0. It goes to the House.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

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