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Alabama Farmers Federation endorses Kristin Nelson for House District 38

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Alabama Farmers Federation endorses Kristin Nelson for House District 38


The Alabama Farmers Federation has endorsed Kristin Nelson in the upcoming special election for Alabama House District 38, a seat left vacant following the resignation of Rep. Debbie Wood (R-Valley). The district includes portions of Chambers and Lee counties.

Nelson recently secured the Republican nomination after winning a runoff election. The special general election is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3.

“Kristin Nelson is a well-respected community leader in Chambers County, and we are proud to endorse her,” said Jason McKay, president of the Chambers County Farmers Federation. “We know she will represent us well in Montgomery and ensure District 38 gets the attention it needs in the business and agricultural arenas.”

Support for Nelson’s candidacy also came from farmers in neighboring Lee County. “Kristin Nelson is a strong conservative with incredible knowledge of House District 38,” said Robert Walters, president of the Lee County Farmers Federation. “There is no doubt she will work hard and represent the people of Lee and Chambers counties well in the Legislature.”

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Nelson grew up along the Chambers-Lee county line and brings experience from both the public and private sectors. Her background includes seven years in city administration with the City of Valley and three years as a third-grade teacher with Lanett City Schools.

She has also been active in homeschooling through Classical Conversations, where she has served as both a tutor and a local representative supporting other families.

In addition to returning to part-time work with Harris Gray LLC, Nelson serves as worship leader at Fairfax Methodist Church, secretary of the Junior Variety Club and president of the EAMC Lanier Auxiliary Board.

She also founded the Chambers County Young Republicans and currently serves as the chair of the Chambers County Republican Party.

“The farmers of this district and I share the same strong work ethic and conservative values,” said Nelson. “It is an honor to have their support and to be able to represent them and all the people of this district in Montgomery.”

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Nelson and her husband, Jeff, live in the Huguley community with their two teenage sons.

The Alabama Farmers Federation is the state’s largest farm organization, representing more than 360,000 member families. The organization uses a grassroots endorsement process that relies on decisions made by county Farmers Federation boards of directors in local elections.

 Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].



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Two inmates killed in armed fight inside Alabama prison

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Two inmates killed in armed fight inside Alabama prison


Two Alabama prison inmates were killed Thursday during a fight inside Elemore Correctional Facility.

The Alabama Department of Corrections on Friday confirmed the killings and identified the slain inmates as Damon Lamar Calhoun, 35, and Londell Ramone Nunn Jr., 34.

A third inmate involved in the Elmore Correctional Facility altercation – 20-year-old Deion Lamar Booth – was not injured.

ADOC spokeswoman Kelly Betts said Calhoun and Nunn were severely injured during the fight – which involved an undisclosed weapon – and were taken to the Health Care Unit.

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Medical staff immediately began life-saving measures without success, Betts said.

Their bodies have been taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for autopsy.

Calhoun was serving an 18-year sentence for third-degree burglary out of Mobile County.

Nunn was serving a 10-year sentence for first-degree robbery out of Morgan County.

Booth is serving a 20-year sentence for first-degree assault out of Escambia County.

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The investigation is ongoing by ADOC’s Law Enforcement Services Division.



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Harvesting organs from Alabama prison inmates could soon be a felony

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Harvesting organs from Alabama prison inmates could soon be a felony


An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved legislation that could subject medical examiners to prison time if they harvest a deceased person’s organs without first notifying and obtaining consent from the deceased’s family.

HB 71, sponsored by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, makes it a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine, for a medical examiner to take a person’s organs without contacting their next of kin.

The law currently requires medical examiners to notify family members when organs are harvested and requires consent in all cases save for identification of the deceased, but does not provide penalties.

“The law already prohibited taking someone’s organs without permission, this adds a penalty to that because, apparently, this is a problem,” England said during a House Judiciary Committee meeting.

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In 2024, eight families sued the Alabama Department of Corrections, alleging that the department harvested the organs of their loved ones, who died while in prison, and sent them to the University of Alabama Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine.

According to the lawsuit, a group of medical students from the school noticed that many of the specimens they worked with in the curriculum were taken from people who died while in Alabama’s prisons.

The university and the Alabama Department of Corrections sought to have the case dismissed in February claiming that the university is immune from civil litigation filed by the plaintiffs. The Montgomery Circuit court ruled against the motion to dismiss and allowed the case to move forward.

The House Judiciary Committee approved similar legislation that England sponsored in 2024.

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The bill goes to the Alabama House of Representatives.



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Alabama House passes bill requiring random post-election audits

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Alabama House passes bill requiring random post-election audits


The Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill requiring every county to audit the results of at least one race in at least one precinct after every general election.

Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, said the intent is to identify any potential problems, such as malfunction of the ballot-counting machines.

The audits could not result in changing the outcome of an election.

Republican lawmakers have proposed similar bills before and they have passed the House but not the Senate.

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Democrats questioned the need for the legislation.

“I believe this is a frivolous bill,” Rep. Mary Moore, D-Birmingham said.

Moore said the ballot counting machines are tested before elections.

“We don’t have any data to prove that anything irregular has happened,” Moore said.

Lovvorn said the audits would identify potential problems that need to be fixed before the next election.

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Lovvorn noted that the audits would cost an estimated total of $35,000 per day statewide, according to the bill’s fiscal note.

The state would reimburse counties for their costs.

Rep. Patrick Sellers, D-Birmingham, questioned the $35,000 figure, noting that would be an average of just $522 for Alabama’s 67 counties.

He said the state’s large counties would have to spend more than that to do the audits.

Lovvorn said the cost would vary by county but said it would be justified to help ensure people’s confidence in elections.

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“This is a minimal cost for peace of mind for all of us and all the people we represent, that we’re doing everything we can to prove that this is working correctly,“ Lovvorn said.

Under his bill, the probate judge of every county would order an audit after every county or statewide general election.

The county canvassing board would randomly select one race for the audit and one precinct.

County canvassing boards are made up of the probate judge, the circuit clerk, and the sheriff.

The probate judge would select a date and time for the audit, which could happen no earlier than 31 days after the election or the expiration of the time period to file an election contest, whichever is less.

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The probate judge would appoint an inspector and poll workers to do the audit.

Every ballot from the selected race in the selected precinct would be counted after being delivered in the sealed ballot containers.

The ballots could be counted either manually or by a ballot counter. At least 30 ballots would be manually examined to compare with the reading on the ballot counter for each ballot.

The probate judge would report the findings of each post-election audit to the secretary of state, including any problems found, the cause, and recommendations for fixing them.

The reports would be posted on the secretary of state website.

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The bill passed by a vote of 72-25. It was the first bill passed by the House during this year’s annual session, which started Tuesday.



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