Today on the podcast we have AL.com Director of Investigations Challen Stephens for what’s probably our final 2024-in-review segment (it was such a great year we just can’t let go).

Challen talks with us about 12 Alabama stories that made an impact in 2024. That’s stories that either moved politicians to act on something or local officials to make some kind of change or helped non-violent people get a fair shake at parole hearings.

The rest of today’s report follows. Thanks for reading,

Ike

Civic duty vs. parental duty

Recent harassment claims by women who bring their breastfeeding babies to jury duty has led to work on a bill that would excuse nursing mothers from that civic duty, reports AL.com’s Heather Gann.

Heather reported a story just this week that a mom said she was told to make other arrangements for her child. She said that, when she replied that leaving her breastfeeding baby wasn’t an option, a judge raised the possibility of involving DHR.

State Rep. Susan DuBose, a Hoover Republican, said that woman’s story motivated her to work on a bill she said she’ll pre-file before the legislative session.

Currently, there’s nothing in Alabama law to exempt nursing moms from jury duty.

Said DuBose: “A mother shouldn’t be relying on a subjective, sympathetic judge to determine whether she can feed her baby or not.”

Ballot-box cheating

A Guatemalan national in Russellville faces four years in prison after she voted in at least four elections in Alabama, reports AL.com’s Carol Robinson.

The woman has been in the U.S. illegally since 2008. A few years later she used another woman’s identity to acquire a passport so she could travel to Guatemala and back.

One might suggest that the best thing to do in that situation is to keep as low a profile as possible. But U.S. politics are quite the temptation.

In 2016, the woman started voting.

She voted in the 2016 and 2020 primaries and general elections.

She was arrested and pleaded guilty in September to two counts of false claims of citizenship in connection with voting, one count of false statements in application for a U.S. passport, five counts of use of a U.S. passport obtained by false statements, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona said the sentence sends a message to would-be illegal voters.

“Maintaining the sanctity of the U.S. election system is one of the most important responsibilities of federal law enforcement,” Escalona said.

We’re No. 50

Here’s our list of the day telling us how awful it is to live in Alabama. Which might be useful information for the professionals flooding into North Alabama and the middle-aged Californians filling up new homes in Baldwin County.

AL.com’s Shauna Stuart reports that the senior-living service Seniorly ranked Alabama 50th among the states and Washington D.C. on its Best States to Retire in 2025 list. Fifty out of 51.

Georgia and Mississippi are down there with us. New Jersey is the only state that ranked worse.

Seniorly used nine data metrics, including cost of living, income taxes, weather, entertainment, availability of doctors, long-term care spending and overall health status.

Like many such lists, Alabama is basically dinged because its people have less wealth, health-care funding is low, and we trend poorly on health issues.

At the other end of the list we find Seniorly’s pick for the best retirement destination. The winner? Washington, D.C.

Picture that

More Alabama News

Born on This Date

In 1853, women’s suffragist and co-founder of the National Woman’s Party Alva Belmont of Mobile.

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