By Brian Lyman | Editor
The Alabama Legislature allocated $1.3 billion in 2021 to construct two new prisons. As of this morning, the state has spent roughly $2.1 billion in total on the project, more than double the state’s current spending on Medicaid.
Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, speaks with media following the Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority meeting on Thursday, August 27, 2026. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
By Ralph Chapoco
A state authority Thursday authorized nearly $200 million in bonds to pay for a new 4,000 bed men’s prison in Escambia County in south Alabama. The borrowing would bring the budget for the prison up to $900 million, on top of $1.25 billion spent on a prison in Elmore County. The project has far exceeded the Legislature’s original appropriation and seen several delays.
Mock medical cannabis gummies in a display case at Callie's Apothecary in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 14, 2026. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
HEALTHCARE
By Anna Barrett
The state’s second medical cannabis store is scheduled to open on Friday in Talladega, nearly three months after the first opened in Montgomery. Both are under the branch of Callie’s Apothecary. At least three other medical cannabis stores are expected to open in Athens, Birmingham and Bessemer later this year. The state authorized medical cannabis in 2021, but sale of the product was delayed by litigation.
Shipping containers sit at Malcolm Transfer Station in Minneapolis on March 21, 2026. (Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
DC BUREAU
By Ashley Murray
President Donald Trump’s imposition of new tariffs on Canada over the weekend led to Canada announcing retaliatory tariffs on alcohol, automobiles, dairy, home appliances, steel and other goods. The tariffs from Trump come as voters cite rising prices as a major issue for the fall elections, and Democrats in several key Senate races have seized on them to criticize Republican rivals.
ICYMI
Trump has widened scope of anti-immigrant policy in second term | Ariana Figueroa, DC Bureau
U.S. Justice Department challenges 4 more states over in-state tuition for immigrants | Shauneen Miranda, DC Bureau
Post Office pushes ahead on Trump order limiting vote-by-mail | Ariana Figueroa, DC Bureau
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