Parker Griffith party switch big issue in 5th Congressional District GOP primary

By Challen Stephens, The Huntsville Times

May 23, 2010, 6:02AM

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 By Challen Stephens, The Huntsville Times

The grand jury room of the federal courthouse in Montgomery is not exactly the place electronic bingo proponents had envisioned as the next battleground in their effort to have voters decide the game’s fate.



But that is exactly where the next phase in the state’s bingo wars will unfold as federal prosecutors begin Tuesday to question doz­ens of people in front of a grand jury investigating possible corruption sur­rounding efforts to pass bingo legislation. (Click Here)

By Bob Lowry, The Huntsville Times

May 02, 2010, 9:48AM

View full sizeHuntsville Times file photoState Sen. Paul Sanford

MONTGOMERY, AL — As a newcomer in 2010, state Sen. Paul Sanford, R-Huntsville, says he was shocked at the dysfunction in the Alabama Senate and how poorly the Republican minority was treated.

Sanford easily defeated Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, in the June 9 special election to replace now-Congressman Parker Griffith.(Click Here)

By Bob Lowry, The Huntsville Times

April 28, 2010, 12:26PM

  MONTGOMERY — One of three Madison County senators subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury looking into the electronic bingo issue said Wednesday he has been assured he’s not a target.

   Sen. Tom Butler, D-Madison, one of only two Democrats who voted against the bingo bill when it passed the Senate, said he is scheduled to testify at 2 p.m. on May 6. (Click Here)

By Chuck Dean — The Birmingham News

April 28, 2010, 5:00AM

Two legislators subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury next week are prepared to testify they wore wires that captured conversations in which campaign contributions were offered in exchange for yes votes on an electronic bingo bill.

The lawmakers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Tuesday that they have been subpoenaed to authenticate recordings of conversations between themselves, other lawmakers and lobbyists. (Click Here)

MONTGOMERY – The words “spectacular,” “unprecedented” and “extraordinary” are being used to describe the success that Huntsville and Madison County achieved during the 2010 legislative session.

“I think it was like Christmas,” said Rep. Butch Taylor, D-New Hope. “You get everything you asked for, and a little bit more.”

The Huntsville-Madison County delegation went into the 2010 session with some very specific needs – all related to BRAC-related infrastructure. When the session ended on Thursday, all of those goals had been met. (Read More)

Dozens, including Alabama lawmakers and lobbyists, subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury over bingo bill

By Chuck Dean — The Birmingham News

April 23, 2010, 11:30PM

Federal authorities late this week began serving subpoenas to dozens of individuals, including state lawmakers and lobbyists, to appear before a grand jury as part of an ongoing probe into gambling. (Read More)

By Chuck Dean — The Birmingham News

April 25, 2010, 7:30AM

State Sen. Steve French, R-Mountain Brook, talks during a floor debate in the Legislature in a file photo from 2008. (The Birmingham News / Michelle Williams)Another state senator has confirmed he is cooperating with a federal investigation into possible corruption surrounding the effort to pass a bill that would have allowed a referendum on electronic bingo. (Read More)

(AP) — MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A federal grand jury is to meet next month to hear evidence in an investigation of possible corruption concerning a bill to legalize electronic bingo in Alabama, and a state senator said Saturday the probe began after offers were made to him before the Senate voted on the measure. (Read More)