Alabama
Lawmakers hear pros, cons on plan for lottery, casinos
A new plan to let Alabama voters decide whether to approve a lottery, casinos, and legal sports betting was up for discussion for the first time Tuesday afternoon in the Legislature and drew a crowd that packed the largest committee room in the State House.
The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee held a one-hour public hearing on the two-bill package introduced by Republican lawmakers who spent more than a year preparing the legislation.
About 20 people spoke, including some who supported the legislation, some opposed, and some there to advocate for specific uses of the state revenue that would result if the legislation is approved.
Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Madison, chairman of the committee and one of the sponsors of the legislation, said the committee would vote on the bills Wednesday. Committee approval would put the legislation in position for a vote on the House floor as early as Thursday.
It would take 63 votes, three-fifths of the House, to approve the proposed constitutional amendment and send it to the Senate. No lottery bill has cleared the Legislature and reached the voters since 1999.
State Treasurer Young Boozer spoke in favor of the legislation. Boozer served on a gambling policy study group appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey that issued a report in December 2020. Boozer said the legislation appeared to be based on that report.
“My summary of the study of this bill is, gaming will work in Alabama, and it will be worth it,” Boozer said.
The fiscal note for the bill prepared by the Legislative Services Agency estimated the state would receive net revenues of $935 million to $1.2 billion from the lottery, casinos, and sports betting.
Boozer said it would take a couple of years to reach those numbers.
“Alabama is late to the game,” Boozer said. “Lotteries are offered by 45 states. Casinos with Class III gaming (slots and table games) are operating in 44 states. And sports betting is legal now in 38 states.”
Ivey has also expressed her support for the legislation.
Other speakers said the legislation could fund important programs in Alabama, like mental health care, veterans services, scholarships to community colleges and technical colleges, and support for a trust fund for retired education employees.
But opponents of the legislation said gambling revenues were a poor way to fund those services, partly because of the problems caused by gambling addictions. Two men told the committee about how their addictions and the disruptions in caused in their lives.
“We can all agree that we’re in a mental health crisis in the state of Alabama,” said Stephanie Smith, president and CEO of the Alabama Policy Institute. “Let’s not add to it with something that in every state where it has been studied has actually increased the mental problems in the state.”
Vestavia Hills City Council member Kimberly Cooke, noting that one of the casinos would be in Birmingham, said it would hurt her city.
“Gambling, drugs and prostitution thrive in casinos,” Cooke said. “As addictive as cocaine, gambling drives people to anxiety, depression, and suicide.”
Cooke said the ability to bet on sporting events on cellphones would pose a new risk for young people.
“Sports betting apps advertise for kids and quite literally steal their lunch money,” Cooke said. “This is an epidemic in our country.”
Cooke urged the committee to reject the legislation.
“Parents in Vestavia are having a hard enough time raising their children. Please, don’t make it harder,” she said.
Christian Genetsky, president of the online gambling company FanDuel, spoke in favor of the legislation and said FanDuel is diligent about blocking underage players. Genetsky, a Birmingham native, said his company has about 12 million users in the states that have legalized sports betting. He said there is strong demand in Alabama.
“Last year there were two million attempts to place a legal bet here in Alabama, and every single one of those was blocked,” Genetsky said, “And when those users were blocked from betting the legal market, they drove to Tennessee, Mississippi, or Florida, where sports betting is legal, or they simply switched to one of the illegal, offshore sites that’s already available.
“What’s different about legal operators like FanDuel and illegal offshore sites? Most critically, we are committed to ensuring the integrity of sports, that all of our customers play responsibly, and that no one underage can access our platform.”
The bill would create the Alabama Gaming Commission, which would oversee a new state agency that would include a law enforcement division. The commission could license up to seven casinos that could offer the full range of Las Vegas-style games, such as slot machines, blackjack, craps and roulette.
Six of the casinos would be designated for Birmingham, Mobile County, Macon County, Greene County, Lowndes County, and Houston County. The legislation says there would be an open bid process for those licenses, with a minimum license fee of $5 million and minimum investment of $35 million.
The seventh casino would be contingent on the governor negotiating a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. A compact would allow the Poarch Creeks to have a casino in northeast Alabama in addition to those now operating on tribal lands in Atmore, Wetumpka, and Montgomery.
Robert McGhee, vice chair of the Poarch Band, signed up to speak as an opponent of the legislation. McGhee said people should be able to vote on gambling in Alabama and said the tribe is interested in negotiating a compact.
But McGhee said the tribe had concerns about how the legislation was written. One concern, McGhee said, was that it says the governor “may” enter a compact with the tribe, leaving that uncertain, and did not provide any timeframe for that to happen.
McGhee said he was also concerned about limiting the tribe’s options for a new casino location to northeast Alabama.
Read more: What’s in new lottery, casinos bill in Alabama Legislature?
Alabama
Gov. Kay Ivey sets execution date for Jeremy Williams
Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday set an execution date for death row inmate Jeremy Williams, who was convicted in the 2021 kidnapping, rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland in Phenix City.
Williams is scheduled to be executed by the state’s three-drug lethal injection during a 30-hour window beginning at 12 a.m. August 13 and ending at 6 a.m. August 14. The execution date comes after the Alabama Supreme Court granted a request from Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office on June 16, authorizing the state to carry out the sentence.
In a letter to Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Greg Lovelace, Ivey said the Supreme Court’s June 16 order serves as the official death warrant for Williams.
“By law, I am required to specify the time frame for carrying out the sentence of death,” Ivey said. “Accordingly, I hereby order that Jeremy Lee Williams’s sentence of death be carried out within a time frame beginning on August 13, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. and ending on August 14, 2026, at 6:00 a.m.”
Ivey noted that she retains the authority to commute the sentence before the execution takes place.
Williams, 34, was convicted in April 2024 on four counts of capital murder stemming from Holland’s death. Prosecutors charged him with capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a rape, capital murder during first-degree sodomy and capital murder of a child younger than 14.
Authorities said Holland disappeared from her family’s home in Phenix City on December 13, 2021. Her body was discovered two days later inside an abandoned house less than a mile away. An autopsy determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
In addition to the death sentence, Williams received several other prison terms. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for human trafficking and for knowingly producing recordings depicting the sexual abuse of a child. He also received another life sentence for a separate sexual abuse conviction, along with a 20-year sentence for conspiracy to commit human trafficking and a 10-year sentence for abuse of a corpse.
Unlike most death row inmates, Williams sought to speed up the execution process. During a hearing, he told the court that he accepted responsibility for his actions and wanted the sentence carried out.
In 2025, Williams dismissed his attorneys and informed the court that he wished to waive any remaining appeals and proceed with his execution. Russell County Circuit Court Judge David Johnson determined that Williams was competent to make that decision and allowed him to forgo further legal challenges.
Under Alabama law, capital convictions automatically receive appellate review. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals subsequently affirmed Williams’ conviction and death sentence in March.
After that review concluded, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office petitioned the Alabama Supreme Court in May to authorize an execution date. The court granted the request earlier this week, clearing the way for Ivey to schedule the execution.
If carried out as scheduled, Williams’ execution would occur nearly five years after Holland’s death and a little more than two years after he was sentenced to death.
Williams’ execution would be Alabama’s first by lethal injection since April 2025. The state’s three most recent executions were carried out using nitrogen hypoxia, which Alabama began using in 2024.
Alabama
Kids take center stage at Alabama Shakespeare Festival summer camp
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – You don’t find too many camps where you learn how to slap someone. But this summer, you will in Montgomery. It’s one of many kids camps put on by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
“We have our Camp Shakespeare Junior which is our half day for the littles, kindergarten through 3rd grade,” said Cameron Williams, the ASF director of education. “We have Big Kid Shakespeare camp and everyone is learning all about ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.”
They learn about on stage combat, different acting techniques, and also how to be creative and think on their feet.
“I think theater skills are life skills. So, what makes this camp special is we’re doing more than just boosting literacy and doing theater things. We’re doing life skills, learning what it means to be team players, about discipline, and working with people who may have different personalities than you.”
Different kids have different talents. And even if your child isn’t up for a lead role in the next play, this place can leave a lasting impact.
“If you’re looking for a place where your kid can come out of their shell, to learn how to speak in front of a group, and develop some confidence, this is the place to be.”
It’s a place that’s a real treasure in Montgomery, and its mining some young gems, who one day, could be on the big stage themselves. There are still more ASF camps going on this summer for pre-teens and even adults.
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Alabama
Alabama Defense Contractor Agrees to $507K Settlement Over Cybersecurity Allegations
Huntsville-based defense contractor LOGZONE Inc. has agreed to pay $507,144 to resolve allegations that it failed to comply with cybersecurity requirements in contracts with the U.S. Department of the Navy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The settlement resolves claims brought under the False Claims Act alleging that LOGZONE knowingly submitted claims for payment while not meeting certain cybersecurity standards required under two Navy contracts.
Federal officials alleged that between May 2021 and March 2025, LOGZONE did not implement specific cybersecurity controls outlined in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171. The standards are designed to protect sensitive defense information handled by government contractors.
According to the Justice Department, the deficiencies were identified during an assessment conducted by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). The evaluation resulted in LOGZONE receiving a score of -170 on a scale ranging from -203 to 110, indicating significant gaps in compliance with required security controls.
The government alleged that the missing cybersecurity measures could have increased the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information or the exploitation of company systems.
The settlement does not include a determination of liability. As part of the agreement, LOGZONE will pay $507,144 to resolve the allegations.
Federal officials said the enforcement action reflects ongoing efforts to ensure government contractors comply with cybersecurity obligations tied to federal contracts, particularly those involving sensitive defense information.
The investigation and settlement involved the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, the Department of the Navy, the Defense Contract Management Agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
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Additional details regarding corrective actions taken by the company were not immediately available.
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