7. Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker unveiled a preliminary audit results from SBI Agent Jamie King, showing the Hanceville Police Department’s evidence room lacked 216 grams of methamphetamine, 0.5 gram of heroin, 67 oxycodone pills, a .25 caliber handgun, and 30 undocumented firearms, following an investigation sparked by dispatcher Chris Willingham’s overdose death, which Crocker linked to the room’s “unfettered” access via a broomstick through a wall hole. The findings, highlighting poor record-keeping and security, come as Hanceville tops Alabama with 7.65 drug overdose EMS calls per 10,000 residents, per ADPH data, prompting Crocker to warn of deeper issues while commending the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office’s temporary takeover. With the department’s future uncertain after a corruption scandal and arrests, Crocker recommended that, if reinstated, felony cases be managed by the Sheriff’s Office or ALEA, awaiting a final, detailed audit to fully map the missing evidence’s scope.
6. In a significant shift after U.S.-Ukraine talks in Jeddah, Ukraine endorsed an immediate 30-day ceasefire with Russia proposed by the U.S.. The proposal exceeds Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy’s prior sea-and-sky truce suggestion, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio pressing Russia to reciprocate as the U.S. lifts its aid and intelligence freeze. The deal, emerging from the first formal meeting since a Trump-Zelenskyy White House fallout, sets the stage for urgent peace negotiations, with Trump hopeful for Russian agreement in days, while Ukraine’s leader insists Moscow must prove its intent to end the war that’s claimed 20% of its territory since 2022. Alongside this, a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal nears completion, though European leaders, sidelined by America’s approach, plan emergency talks, and Russia’s Foreign Ministry hints at openness to dialogue as Trump threatens more sanctions to curb Moscow’s battlefield momentum.
5. Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Tuesday that he was pausing a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to the U.S., a decision made after a “productive” call with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who committed to trade talks in Washington on Thursday alongside U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to revisit the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal. The move came hours after President Trump intensified a trade war by threatening to double Canadian steel and aluminum tariffs to 50% in response to Ford’s initial surcharge plan, but following the Ford-Lutnick agreement, White House adviser Peter Navarro confirmed Trump withdrew the extra 25% increase. Despite the partial retreat, the White House emphasized that an existing 25% tariff on steel and aluminum will hit Canada and other nations at midnight, with Trump’s broader 25% tariffs on Canadian imports still slated for April 2, touted as a triumph of American economic pressure. Also, the European Union announced up to $28 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, effective April 1, targeting products like bourbon and soybeans, hours after President Trump’s 25% tariffs on global steel and aluminum imports took hold, escalating a trade war that threatens economic slowdown amid stubbornly high U.S. inflation.
4. A Huntsville middle school teacher was allowed to retire after allegations of him behaving inappropriately as a drag queen and facing allegations of taking his lifestyle into the classroom and performing as Majesty Divine and making sexually suggestive remarks at a 2022 Drag Queen Story Time. Now, James Miller is promoting a documentary called “Unveiling Majesty,” framing it as a story about the resilience of Alabama’s LGBTQ+ community while raising $30,000 for the film. The fundraising offers donors perks like drag show tickets, positioning itself as both a cultural statement and a movement to amplify silenced voices in the Deep South, but it also admits that the concerns of some in the community were justified, specifically the allegations of Miller incorporating these elements into his classroom.
3. Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth declared Tuesday that Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Auburn) potential 2026 gubernatorial bid, hinted at last week as he weighs skipping a Senate reelection, won’t impact his own ambition to run for Alabama governor, a decision he’ll finalize after the legislative session ends in May. Ainsworth, barred from a third term and uninterested in the U.S. Senate due to his teenage kids, praised Tuberville’s work but stressed the governorship is his only goal, even as Tuberville’s entry could leave an open Senate seat in a race with no announced candidates yet. With Gov. Kay Ivey term-limited and figures like Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate and ex-Veterans Affairs head Kent Davis also considering runs, Ainsworth remains focused, shrugging off speculation that Tuberville, the ex-Auburn coach and 2020 Senate winner, might dominate the field.
2. There are multiple tax plans working their way through the Alabama legislature, Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth ramped up his campaign Tuesday to erase the state’s grocery tax, cheering on State Rep. Danny Garrett’s (R-Trussville) legislative package to slash it from 3% to 2%, promising $150 million in annual savings if lawmakers emulate Trump’s tax-cut leadership. In an op-ed, he insisted the Legislature’s work is “half complete,” pointing to a study group’s blueprint and surplus funds as the path to finish the job, with ALGOP Chairman John Wahl predicting passage by the 2025 session’s end. House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) slammed Alabama lawmakers for potentially letting the state’s overtime tax exemption expire as “ridiculous” and insisting it’s absurd to “sit on our hands” instead of acting. He noted broad Republican support, citing Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) and Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth as advocates, and challenged lawmakers to find the “courage” to prioritize this tax cut when a bill drops March 18, arguing it benefits everyone.
1. Alabama U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) praised Elon Musk’s relentless push through the Department of Government Efficiency to curb “criminal” federal spending, observing Musk’s heightened resolve after meeting him before Kudlow interviews, despite backlash like X hacks and attacks on his car dealerships, which Tuberville linked to Trump’s tariff plans for economic renewal. U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) told a House Oversight Committee hearing that DOGE has outdone 40 years of federal oversight in just six weeks by leveraging 21st century tech to expose $162 billion in FY2024 improper payments across 16 agencies, a step he sees as key to tackling the nation’s $2 trillion annual deficit. Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered support to Elon Musk’s DOGE team, as well, and noted how he is now terminating 83% of USAID programs, 5,200 contracts, claiming they squandered billions and hurt U.S. interests, with the remaining 1,000 to be managed by the State Department.
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Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and from 10-11 a.m. on Talk 99.5 and News Radio 1440, with a rebroadcast on WVNN at 10 p.m.
