By Brian Lyman | Editor
“Committing taxpayers to another major financial obligation under these circumstances, without first addressing the cost overruns, delays, and apparent failures in project management, is an unacceptable risk to public funds and a failure of fiscal responsibility.” - Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, calling for halt to construction on a second men’s prison
Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, speaks at a press conference on Feb. 12, 2025 in Montgomery, Alabama as Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey listens in the background. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
By Ralph Chapoco
In the first public break between Gov. Kay Ivey and legislative leaders over a multibillion prison construction project, House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, sent a letter to Ivey Thursday criticizing cost overruns on an Elmore County prison whose price tag has reached $1.25 billion and calling for a halt to construction on an Escambia facility. Ivey rejected the call, saying her administration was committed to seeing the project through.
Former Auburn University football player Victor Horn speaking at a rally for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones on Oct. 29, 2026, at the Moors Mill Club in Auburn, Alabama. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Ralph Chapoco
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones spoke to a crowd of about 300 people in Auburn Thursday night, reiterating support for colleges and universities and sharply criticizing flyers created by an arm of the Business Council of Alabama that attacked Jones using AI-generated images and text. Victor Horn, who played for Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville, also spoke, accusing Tuberville of not being committed to Alabama.
A person reviewing a grocery receipt (Ming Tang Tung/Getty Images)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Ralph Chapoco
Republicans did surprisingly well in four majority-Black and strongly Democratic legislative districts in 2022. All four districts are contested again this year. But with the national environment considerably improved for Democrats, candidates for both parties are focusing on affordability issues, including the grocery and gas taxes and salaries, while Democrats are hitting voting rights hard.
ICYMI
Two Alabama cannabis dispensaries expected to open next week | Anna Barrett, Alabama Reflector
Trump cancels weekend Kansas rally 5 days ahead of election | Shauneen Miranda, DC Bureau
Caring for aging parents is getting more expensive | Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline
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