Jacob Holmes

Montgomery

Reporter at Alabama Political Reporter

News Editor at the Alex City Outlook, Dadeville Record, Wetumpka Herald and Tallassee Tribune.

Articles

Lumpkin kicks off campaign for House District 60

6 days ago | alreporter.com | Jacob Holmes

Democrat hopeful Alicia Escott Lumpkin officially kicked off her campaign for Alabama House District 60 Saturday at the Birmingham Public Library’s Pratt City Branch. Lumpkin is the niece of Sundra Escott-Russell, the first African American woman elected to the Alabama Senate, who introduced Lumpkin to supporters Saturday. “As the niece of Alabama trailblazer Sundra Escott-Russell, I carry a legacy of service and strength,” Lumpkin said.
Embattled Prattville Pride group to host Pridefest Sunday

1 week ago | alreporter.com | Jacob Holmes

As pride organizations across the country plan events this month to celebrate their identity, Prattville Pride’s pride fest takes on a particularly special meaning. This year’s pride fest is set for Sunday, June 1, to kick off pride month, but the event won’t be inside Prattville city limits. The festivities will go from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Evans Park and Pavilion off U.S. Highway 31 not far from Maxwell Air Force Base.
5th Circuit reverses injunction against Texas library that removed challenged books

1 week ago | alreporter.com | Jacob Holmes

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled last week that plaintiffs cannot “invoke a right to receive information to challenge a library’s removal of books.”The ruling came Friday after a federal judge initially granted a preliminary injunction to plaintiffs who sued Llano County over the removal of 17 books from the library. A three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit later reinforced that injunction 2-1, with conservative circuit judge Stuart Kyle Duncan dissenting.
Clean Up Alabama leader wants "trans stuff" out of all libraries

1 week ago | alreporter.com | Jacob Holmes

In the debate over library content for the past two years, part of the argument has been over phrasing. When anti-censorship groups like Read Freely Alabama have thrown out the term “book banners,” the other side has often bristled and claimed their intent is solely to move books out of sections for minors and into the adult section.
Autauga sheriff sues commission over jail conditions

1 week ago | alreporter.com | Jacob Holmes

A year after evacuating the Autauga County Jail due to the presence of mold, Autauga sheriff Mark Harrell filed suit Friday against the Autauga County Commission seeking a legal remedy. “For more than a year I have tried to work with the Autauga County Commission to obtain the mold remediation, funding and completion on the Autauga County Metro Jail,” Harrell said Friday in a statement announcing the suit. “I have made numerous requests to the Commission which have either been denied or ignored.
Opinion | The 5 worst bills passed during the 2025 Legislative Session

2 weeks ago | alreporter.com | Jacob Holmes

Lawmakers wrapped up another legislative session in Montgomery a week ago today, and along the way passed a number of bills that are either unpopular, harmful to its citizens or both. It’s tough to condense that down into the five very worst bills that actually made the cut to become new laws, but we’ve done our best to pick a handful of bills that stands out. House Bill 202—The Police Immunity BillThe very last bill to pass during the legislative session also happens to be one of the very worst.
Read Freely celebrates legislative wins as bill to criminalize librarians dies

2 weeks ago | alreporter.com | Jacob Holmes

At the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, it appeared that a bill to criminalize librarians who shelve controversial content had considerable momentum. Nearly every Republican in the House co-sponsored the bill—practically a majority of the voting body had the bill, House Bill 4, reached the floor for a vote. Sponsors included House leadership.
Alabama Library Association slams APLS board's "dismissive" tone

2 weeks ago | alreporter.com | Jacob Holmes

The Alabama Library Association issued a statement Friday condemning the tone of the most recent meeting of the Alabama Public Library Service board and calling on the board to withdraw a memo defining the term “sexually explicit.” “The Alabama Library Association finds it necessary to address the Alabama Public Library Service board’s dismissive and discourteous treatment directed at library professionals and library supporters at the May 8, 2025, meeting,” the ALLA executive council said in...
Moms for Liberty calls for APLS board to help get librarians fired

2 weeks ago | alreporter.com | Jacob Holmes

Librarians in Alabama have been under fire, and now Moms for Liberty of Madison County is calling on the Alabama Public Library Service to push terminations for librarians who oppose their agenda.
Read Freely Alabama cites Colorado case in library lawsuit

3 weeks ago | alreporter.com | Jacob Holmes

Not much has happened in Read Freely Alabama’s lawsuit against the Autauga-Prattville Public Library since the plaintiffs asked for a preliminary injunction in October. But the plaintiffs added a new filing last week, arguing that a decision in a similar 10th Circuit Court case in Colorado supports their request for a preliminary injunction against the library. In Crookshanks et al. v.