By Brian Lyman | Editor
Good morning. A very busy day ahead, so let’s get to our stories.
Jeffrey Lee, 49, who was convicted of the murders of Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson during a pawn shop robbery in 1998, is scheduled to be executed on Thursday. (Alabama Department of Corrections)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
By Ralph Chapoco
The state of Alabama Thursday plans to execute Jeffery Lee, 49, who was convicted of the murders of Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson during a pawn shop robbery in 1998. Lee earlier this year successfully challenged the state’s use of nitrogen gas in executions. Death penalty opponents are seeking clemency for Lee, citing a jury’s initial recommendation of life without parole, but Gov. Kay Ivey’s Wednesday signaled an unwillingness to grant it.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones speaks at a press conference on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol on Sept. 16, 2026 in Montgomery Alabama as Rep. Phillip Ensler, the party's nominee for lieutenant governor, looks on. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Anna Barrett
The Democratic nominees for governor and lieutenant governor Wednesday said they would work to pass a constitutional amendment to have candidates for the office run on the same ticket. Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the gubernatorial nominee, also said he would work to bring Phillip Ensler, the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor, into his administration. Once a powerful position, the lieutenant governor’s office has lost most of its powers in recent decades.
T=Alabama Educational Television Foundation Authority Chairman William Green (left) and authority member Dick Brewbaker, a former Republican state senator, listen during an AETFA meeting on September 16, 2026. (Andrea Tinker/Alabama Reflector)
EDUCATION
By Andrea Tinker
An authority overseeing Alabama Public Television Wednesday voted to fund a $40,000 survey on state attitudes toward APT and the Public Broadcasting Service. The survey will be conducted by Cygnal, a Republican pollster, and some members of the authority criticized the move as an attempt to discredit the broadcaster amid a push by right-wing members of boards overseeing APT to have it disaffiliate from PBS.
ICYMI
Fed raises interest rates for first time in 3 years, battling persistent inflation | Ashley Murray, DC Bureau
More states embrace ‘50-50’ child custody in divorce cases | Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline
US House to leave for campaign break without action on AI, affordability | Jennifer Shutt, DC Bureau
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