Good morning! Here’s your Daily News for Tuesday, October 16.

1. Board shakeup, parole moratorium.

• That early morning meeting when Gov. Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall met with the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles wasn’t just a pro-forma check-in.
• Minutes after the meeting, Ivey announced that she had replaced the Board’s chairman and placed a moratorium on early paroles.
• Read more about that along with Ivey’s letter and executive order HERE.
• The Parole Board has come under scrutiny lately for a trend of granting early parole to violent offenders. Lots of credit goes to Montgomery County District Attorney Darryl Bailey and WSFA’s Jenn Horton for exposing the problem.
• “It’s obvious we need a new approach so we can strengthen management and operations of that agency to better protect the people and public safety,” Ivey said.
• Ivey named Lyn Head as Board Chairman, replacing Cliff Walker. The governor does not have the authority to remove Board members, but can designate the chairman.
• Management at the staff level seems to be at the core of the issue. Don’t forget that Executive Director Eddie Cook had been appointed to the board, but his nomination was scuttled in part by victims groups like VOCAL.

• Kim Chandler for the Associated Press.
• Mike Cason for AL.com.
• Brian Lyman for The Montgomery Advertiser.
• Jenn Horton for WSFA.
• Brian Lawson for WHNT.

2. Race Profile: Senate District 32

• One of the state’s most competitive legislative primary contests was in Senate District 32, where a crowded field of Republicans ran for the chance to replace retiring State Senator Trip Pittman.
• Baldwin County Commissioner Chris Elliott won that heated race and now faces Democratic nominee Jason Fisher, who had the benefit of not having a primary contest.
• District 32 contains the western portions of Baldwin County, which is one of the fastest growing areas in the state.
• It has been a reliably Republican district, but population growth always makes for interesting electoral shifts.
• Read the full race profile from ADN’s Will Whatley HERE. It includes more background on the district, where candidates stand on the issues, and updated fundraising information.

3. Lawmakers get a look at I-65 widening project.

• Some Alabama lawmakers recently got a closer look at the Interstate 65 widening project south of Birmingham.
• ADN’s Caroline Beck was along for the ride as project managers and industry advocates explained the details of the construction and materials.
• Transportation infrastructure funding is without question one of the biggest issues facing the state right now.
• As Caroline writes, the I-65 widening shows both the problem with current funding and the promise of having more resources.
• It’s a giant project that is sorely needed. But, under current funding levels, the state can really only afford to do one major project like this, where as dozens are needed.
• Read her full write-up from her ride along with lawmakers HERE.

4. What’s going on with Saudi Arabia?

• You’ve probably heard that Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering a Saudi consulate in Turkey.
• He is likely dead and the circumstances surrounding his death carry high stakes for the United States and our diplomatic relationship with the kingdom.
• Why? Because they are a major ally in the Middle East that would be hard to do without. And the U.S. is preparing to complete a $110 billion arms deal with them.
• Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses have always been a problem, and the brazen killing of a critical journalist would add to that.
• President Trump suggested it was “rogue killers” after speaking with the king. Meanwhile the Saudi’s developing story is that Khashoggi was killed during an interrogation gone wrong by an over eager spy.
• So they only meant to torture him, not kill him.
• Turkish officials say Khashoggi was killed and dismembered, and a cleaning crew with mops and bleach was seen entering the consulate Monday.
• It’s a long story, but you ought to read it all HERE.

5. News Briefs.

• Congressman Bradley Byrne is in Montgomery today speaking to the Chamber’s “Eggs and Issues” breakfast event.
• Most politicians who speak at that event are either statewide or local.
• Byrne is clearly getting around the state preparing the ground for a Senate run in 2020. He’s even burying the hatchet with old rivals.
• He was vocal on the confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh, which I’d bet will be a key issue against Sen. Doug Jones, who voted against the nomination.
• But Byrne has to get through the primary first, and it could be a crowded one. Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh, Congressman Gary Palmer, Former Supreme Court Justice Glenn Murdock, and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle are all said to be considering a run.

• Public Service Commission President Twinkle Cavanaugh hosted a campaign event for her former opponent, GOP Lt. Governor nominee Will Ainsworth.
• The two had a heated primary to say the least, but Cavanaugh made a point to demonstrate her support for Ainsworth and the party by hosting the event.
• See tweet from Sean Ross.

• Attorney General Jeff Sessions created a new task force aimed at zeroing in on the three of the world’s most notorious drug cartels and the brutal MS-13 street gang, already considered a top priority for federal law enforcement.
• Speaking to a group of federal prosecutors on Monday, Sessions designated five groups as top transnational organized crime threats and said the new task force will “develop a plan to take each of these groups off of our streets for good.”
• Read more HERE.

• I mentioned yesterday that many inland communities are devastated by Hurricane Michael as well.
• They started getting some attention today as Associated Press reporter Brendan Farrington focused on damage in places like Marianna.
• It could be a month before some of the area’s power grid is fully restored.
• Read more HERE.

Headlines.

 

Front Pages (images link to newspaper websites, which you should visit and patronize)