Month: September 2025

Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Highway Patrol and Marine Patrol Divisions dedicated the 2025 Labor Day weekend to enforcement and safety operations designed to keep Alabama’s roadways and waterways safe for citizens and visitors alike.

Between 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 29, and midnight Monday, Sept. 1, ALEA Troopers worked tirelessly to prevent crashes and deadly incidents. While no traffic fatalities were reported on two of the four days, six individuals tragically lost their lives during the other two days of the extended holiday period.

Fatal crashes occurred in Choctaw, Colbert, Lauderdale, Talladega, and Tuscaloosa counties and involved a motorcycle, an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), and an electric bicycle. None of the three riders were wearing helmets at the time of the crashes, and among the three other vehicle occupants, only one individual was properly restrained with a seat belt.

Highway Patrol Enforcement:

Throughout the holiday period, ALEA Troopers investigated 371 crashes, which resulted in 147 injuries, including the six fatalities. Troopers also made 33 arrests for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and issued:

• 473 citations for seat belt violations
• 2,324 citations for speeding
• 4,696 total citations for various traffic violations
• 1,638 total warnings for various traffic violations

Marine Patrol Enforcement:

During the same period, ALEA’s Marine Patrol Division investigated three boating incidents, which resulted in four injuries. These incidents occurred on Lake Martin, Neely Henry Lake, and in Orange Beach on the Intracoastal Waterway. While there were no boating fatalities or drownings, ALEA Troopers remained active in enforcement efforts, which included:

• 538 Marine Safety Warnings issued
• 67 Marine Safety Citations issued
• 310 vessel inspections conducted
• 1 Boating Under the Influence (BUI) arrest

The single-vessel crash which occurred on Sunday, Aug. 31, on Lake Martin left a 12-year-old juvenile injured. Following an investigation, ALEA Troopers determined the operator did not possess the required boating license. As a result, the registered owner of the 2024 Sea-Doo the child was operating, was issued an Alabama Uniform Boating Traffic Citation for Giving Permission to Operate a Vessel Without a License.

Several weeks back, the Childersburg Police Department moved from downtown to the new Judicial Complex on Highway 280. With only a few cosmetic details to go, the Childersburg Municipal Court has followed suit.

Beginning on Wednesday, September 10th, the Childersburg Municipal Court will be held at the new Childersburg Judicial Complex located at 34011 US Hwy 280. All future court dates of the Childersburg Municipal Court will be held at this new location. The City of Childersburg Court Magistrate will continue to be located at Childersburg City Hall.

Also, during this week’s Childersburg City Council meeting, it was announced that the City Council will also begin holding their regular meetings at the Childersburg Judicial Complex, inside the Municipal Courtroom. That includes the next regular meeting, scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 16, 2025.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, the state sales tax on most grocery items declined by 1 percentage point to 2% this week. It’s the second such cut since 2023. The decrease, approved by lawmakers and Gov. Kay Ivey earlier this year, is expected to have a nearly $122 million impact on Alabamians – and the state’s Education Trust Fund, which supports education.

“The Legislature has been over the last several sessions reducing taxes and we’re happy that we’ve cut the grocery tax 50%,” Representative Danny Garrett announced this past Friday. Garrett, R-Trussville, is chairman of the House education budget committee and sponsored this year’s legislation.

“We expect there’ll be more tax relief provided in the future,” Garrett said. “Part of our mindset is that we’re going to continue to provide tax relief on a measured basis.”

Advocates for years have argued the sales tax on food disproportionately hurts the low-income. They’re celebrating this latest decrease and pushing for further reductions in the future. The state grocery tax reduction from 4% to 3% came in 2023, and this year’s reduction to 2% continues that trend.