Challen Stephens

Keeping tabs on Alabama. Editor of Pulitzer 2021, two more 2023

[Challen Stephens @ChallenStephens]

Pulitzer club of Alabama keeps growing!! 4 wins & one finalist at https://t.co/bWJkxRkT9H in last 5 years. Lots of love for these talented folks #Bham

[Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein]

Important new story out from @njdotcom and partners about how little nursing homes spend on feeding residents.
The Hunger Games: Many nursing homes feed residents on less than $10 a day: ‘That’s appallingly low.’ https://t.co/QqSVXMt1aI @TedShermanSL @SusanKLivio

[Ashley Remkus @aremkus1]

Alabama frequently denies parole to people who are in minimum-security lockup, working regular jobs & walking around in regular clothes or fast-food uniforms each day, arguing that they’re safe enough to work, but not to sleep at home. (By @IvanaSuzette)
https://t.co/FZNxUdW5Wc

[Challen Stephens @ChallenStephens]

“I don’t know of anyone else who wouldn’t be anxious in that position. And especially when they sent me to jail at three in the morning after all of that." https://t.co/uldWmOkwGa

[Challen Stephens @ChallenStephens]

Haley Butler-Moore was pulled over for speeding. Police said she seemed high. Having taken nothing, she thought meeting the Drug Recognition Expert would clear her. “I agreed to it, but I didn’t understand that at that point it was already over." https://t.co/u7bkhRlALR

[Challen Stephens @ChallenStephens]

What she didn't know was DRE officers -- more than 8,000 across 50 states -- say they can tell who is too high to drive and on what by systematically staring into eyes, pinching muscles, taking blood pressure & pulse, studying speech & balance. Critics call it junk science.

[Challen Stephens @ChallenStephens]

Alabama finally lost it with the broken parole board, Dem & GOP lawmakers grilling the chair over why hardly anyone gets out -- despite rules saying most should be paroled. “Either the process is broken or her decision-making process is terrible." https://t.co/OneOZq0QGl

[Beth Shelburne @bshelburne]

"It is puzzling that in this case, the State downplays the significance of the new DNA evidence when the State otherwise relies on similar DNA evidence to secure convictions and clear cold cases," wrote a federal judge. Great reporting on injustice in an AL #deathpenalty case.

[Kyle Whitmire @WarOnDumb]

A man (another one) who is clearly innocent sits on Alabama's death row. 30 years after his conviction, DNA evidence points to someone else. Alabama wants to execute him, anyway. https://t.co/aaOCrHsprn

[John Archibald @JohnArchibald]

This was a pretty tough one to write about my hometown. But it is in an existential moment.

https://t.co/fLn6apu9X5

[Challen Stephens @ChallenStephens]

Alabama still plans to execute this guy, but DNA from '92 now matches someone else in prison. State says OK, she maybe slept with that other guy first...then invited in some homeless guys who raped her and left no DNA. Judge: “the theory defies logic, common sense, and science.”

[Ivana Hrynkiw Shatara @IvanaSuzette]

Christopher Barbour has been on Alabama Death Row for 30 years for the brutal slaying of Thelma Roberts in Montgomery in 1992. But now, a judge is listening to his innocence lawsuit after newly tested DNA evidence points to someone else.
https://t.co/lRujTW2t99

[John Archibald @JohnArchibald]

This is an amazing honor and I'm still pinching myself. Looking so forward to being a part of this board.

[Ashley Remkus @aremkus1]

Gas stations sell hemp products that look like marijuana, smell like marijuana, can provide the same high as marijuana, and can cause a failed drug test just like marijuana. In Alabama, the consequences can be devastating. (via @AmyKingsley4) https://t.co/U6olhQusnc

[Ben Hallman @ben_hallman]

Now for a 🧵 about 🍃 + an @examinationnews 🔍

Without much notice or scrutiny, it is now possible to buy THC products in most US states - including in places like Alabama, where marijuana remains illegal and can lead to jail time.

[Challen Stephens @ChallenStephens]

Off the Oregon coast, nearly two thirds of the kelp canopy vanished in the last decade. “Fast forward to now, the ocean without kelp doesn’t feel vibrant anymore, it doesn’t have much activity, much life.” https://t.co/IEKXyIC6OS

[Challen Stephens @ChallenStephens]

Fishermen and scientists are seeing surprising changes over last 15 years. Ecosystem off Oregon is vanishing. Gulf is turning tropical. Great Lakes are losing ice cover. Jersey shore is heating up fast. Reporting from across four newsrooms https://t.co/lRYP4pQBYM

[Challen Stephens @ChallenStephens]

Already threatened by invasive species, whitefish are struggling as NOAA reports record low ice cover for the Great Lakes. “With no ice coverage, they’re hatching like a month early — like premature babies." https://t.co/hEqntRGCex

[Challen Stephens @ChallenStephens]

@AliceWatch Also NOAA https://t.co/XgqtyRJiYE

[Cary Aspinwall @caryaspinwall]

Trememdous honor for @MarshallProj to be a runner-up for this year's Molly Prize, with our amazing reporting partners @aldotcom @readfrontier @postandcourier @MSTODAYnews & @guardian