WSFA 12 News Editorials - WTOC-TV: Savannah, Beaufort, SC, News, Weather & Sports

Every now and then you hear a story that moves you and gives you hope for mankind. 

As those in Jacksonville, Alabama experienced just this week, severe weather strikes quickly.  

When acting State Superintendent Dr. Richardson laid out the details of the takeover of the Montgomery Public Schools, I am certain you were as disgusted as I. 

We lost an icon this week with the passing of Billy Graham.

Did you know that every nine seconds a woman is abused in America? Or, every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted?

We all know the saying, it takes a village to raise a child. As Chairman of the Montgomery County Commission, I’m asking the citizens in this village of Montgomery to come together and help make a difference in our children’s lives.

Dr. Larry Nassar, the elite sports doctor and sexual predator was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in jail.  

Montgomery’s Downtown Business Association will celebrate the 5th Annual Mardi Gras Block Party and Cajun Cook-Off this Saturday

So, last week my editorial focused on the lack of customer support my wife received at the post office. 

This is a guest editorial from Dr. Tommie Tonea Stewart, Dean of the College of Visual & Performing Arts at Alabama State University.

As the new year has started I wanted to look back at the year Gov. Ivey had. 

It's that time for us to start coming up with our New Year's resolutions.

So the big election is over and half the voting public in the state is none too happy and the other half is euphoric.

A law passed in May by the Alabama Legislature is about to go into effect that will give thousands of convicted felons in the state the right to vote.

When the Legislature reconvenes on Tuesday, one of the bills they can vote on is HB277, the Child Care Safety Act. 

First steps have now been taken to repeal the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare.

Former Governor Albert Brewer died on Monday. He was a notable figure in Alabama politics.

This holiday season you may have visited an elderly family member or friend.  But did you pay close attention to their situation? 

As we approach this holiday season, let us take time to remember that children are watching us and are learning from us.

The question is asked: Why do female accusers of sexual assault wait so long to report it? Why has there been such an increase in the reports lately. I have a theory:

Recently UCLA’s basketball team traveled to China to play against Georgia Tech. 

Child sex abuse is a horrific problem in this state and in our country. In the state of Alabama, the age of consent is 16 and you are considered an adult on your 18th birthday.

I’m Karlyn Edwards of the Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama. Girls need us now, more than ever, and we are committed to reaching every girl, everywhere. 

Gov. Kay Ivey announced last week that the state is currently experiencing one of the lowest unemployment rates ever. 

Fall is in the air and if you are like me, it couldn’t get here quick enough.  With the cooler temperatures finally heading our way, why not go out and explore Montgomery and have some fun with the family.

I stand here once again talking about horrific, terroristic actions of a deranged madman, who opened fire on Las Vegas concert goers killing 59 and injuring more than 500 others.

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started it all by sitting during the national anthem at a preseason game last year to protest the killing of unarmed African-Americans by police. 

Last Saturday, we began preparing for Hurricane Irma in the River Region. During that preparation we had thousands of neighbors from Florida and Georgia come to the River Region seeking shelter from the storm. Montgomery, you should be proud. 

Hunger is one of the greatest enemies to a person’s mental and physical health.

Thousands of people in Texas and Louisiana have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey, and you may be wondering how you can help. 

Guest Editorial from Dr. Tom Mitchell, Jr., MD.

If you have been watching WSFA 12 News for the past couple of weeks you know we are hosting our inaugural Made for Moms Expo Saturday, Aug. 12 at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center from 10 until 4 p.m.

Is it fair to make our senior citizens list Social Security as a taxable income benefit when Social Security is financed by tax dollars? 

My editorial on marijuana last week generated a big response on Facebook. Those in favor of legalizing marijuana came out in full support of weed, while also noting their negative opinions of me.  

Pastor Ed Nettles of Freewill Missionary Baptist Church offers his opinion on American health care. 

I can’t begin to thank all the people in Montgomery who went out of their way to make an outsider feel at home. In only a year and a half we have made lifelong friends, friends who we would count on with our lives and our children’s lives. But it is the South, and that is what you do. 

The election is coming on Tuesday. When talking about the presidential race, for many it can’t come soon enough. Don’t let the absolute mental drain that has been this presidential race keep you from exercising your right to vote.

Last week I gave an editorial discussing the presidential election and my belief that the two candidates running for the most important job in the world are both poor choices. This editorial received some very heartfelt feedback. Let’s take a look.

Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended for the remainder of his term nine months after instructing Alabama’s probate judges to defy federal court orders on same-sex marriage. Moore was suspended and not removed. There is a very big difference between the two.

I get it. We are Alabama, not Georgia, and we don’t want to be Georgia. We don’t need to be, but contrary to many peoples thinking, we must grow.

Well it is over. The lottery bill died on Friday as the Senate voted overwhelmingly against the House version of the bill. 

School is in and summer fun is over for another year. For parents the end of summer is often a good thing.

Last week I discussed the special session and called upon lawmakers to listen to the public and at least put the lottery on the ballot.  Poll after poll has shown that the overwhelming majority think it should go to a vote. Here are a few responses from you about that subject.

In April a bill was passed, and this month the new law goes into effect allowing state school systems to place cameras on the stop arms of school buses.  This will provide for the capturing of video evidence when a driver breaks the law by not stopping when these signs are displayed at stops. 

Last Thursday I, like many of you, got the alert on my phone and immediately turned on the news to see what was going on in Dallas. The killing of police officers in Dallas, in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of two African American men in Minnesota and Baton Rouge by Police officers, made last week a very somber, disturbing week for all Americans.  dun

I blinked and the year is half over. Time to take a deep breath and remember all the things I swore I would do this year and have not.

Wednesday and deep into the early morning hours Thursday House Democrats posed a sit-in over the Speaker of the House not allowing gun control legislation to come to a vote.  Similar legislation had been voted on and was defeated in the Senate earlier.

We now have a new largest mass shooting record in the United States. The saddest part of that statement is that it is a record that will be broken. Probably sooner rather than later.

Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer. It is for many an opportunity to get to the beach, the lake, or even the back yard with family and friends. We should not, however, forget the true intention of the holiday, to honor those who have fallen to protect this country and the freedoms that we have.

I was reminded recently just how long ago Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard, was indicted by a grand jury and charged with 23 class B felonies.  It was October of 2014; more than a year and a half ago. Delay after delay made me start to wonder if this trial would ever begin. Well, that time has come.

For most of May inmates at several Alabama prisons have been on strike. On the surface they are striking because they are not getting paid for work performed while in prison. For that I say, “Get back to work.”

HI said last December that Trump should get out of the race. I said that he lacked diplomacy and that his outlandish comments were unfitting a president. I also said that in the end he could never win the Republican nomination. On the last statement I was obviously wrong.

I have been quietly watching a piece of legislation to see if it would actually make it all the way through, and to my dismay it looks like it won’t. The legislation is designed to reform the payday loan industry.

Earlier this week I talked about the legislature and the shortcomings of the General Fund Budget. There were several well thought out responses. Here are a few.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any stranger this pops up. The Governor is accused of having an affair, though both parties deny it. The Governor has apologized for his inappropriate conversations. Whatever has happened, it seems to have been enough to cause Mrs. Bentley to stop being Mrs. Bentley. Is that enough for him to resign? It’s a debatable topic.

For a reason that is beyond me the vast majority of the elected leaders of this state, and many of the citizens, refuse to see that the state is not funding the basic needs of its citizens.

A bill filed by Rep. John Knight of Montgomery would require the City Council to develop procedures to investigate all perceived police misconduct. This would give City Council knowledge of the investigation therefore possible input on the direction of the investigation.

Statewide Amendment One, sponsored as a bill by State Senator Arthur Orr of Decatur, would do away with the supernumerary system that is in place for district attorneys and circuit clerks.

What do you say we end the debate once and for all on a state lottery and pass legislation this year up or down.

Each legislator has an agenda full of items that are important to their district and that work has to get done as well. I just never understood why the larger items on the agenda that are statewide don’t get done first, and then the more regional items get tackled at the end of the session.

Well here we are. The State of the State speech launches the 2016 legislative session and we will be off and running.  In years past the running seemed to be away from solutions to serious financial problems that face the General Fund.

This week it was announced that Montgomery would be home to Alabama’s first, and one of only four Internet exchanges in the Southeast. Young people and those new to the area may take this kind of development for granted, but this is a big deal for Montgomery.

This week a statement was released by the Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee detailing a passed resolution dated Sunday, Jan. 10 calling upon Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard to “suspend his leadership position.” 

My business always puts me in the same position. December is a very busy month for the media business, and there is little time to look forward to the new year and no time to reflect on the year that is about to end. 

Most of the country is finishing up the holiday season as New Year’s Eve is just a few days away. But not in Alabama. We are just getting started. Now that the preliminary events are over it’s time to get serious.

We all know that there is no simple answer, but the reality is that we do not have enough money coming in to pay for the essential needs of this state. 

The tragic event in San Bernardino, California is another chilling reminder that we are in the middle of a war unlike any we have ever seen. 

Donald Trump has had his moment, but it is now time for him to step aside. I think Mr. Trump has been a valuable part of the Republican primary, and in the end it will show that his involvement in the process was very important.

No message received or sent on your wireless device is worth putting your or other’s lives at risk.

As we move into the heart of summer and prime vacation season – here are a couple of reminders.

How far is too far when it comes to comedy?  How far can one push the envelope before stepping over the line?

This coming Monday, our nation celebrates Memorial Day. The Memorial Day weekend starts after work on Friday and culminates on Monday.

Here are  few ways to keep your bank account safer...