Engineers say the massive ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston plant last December was caused by a unique set of factors, but watchdogs are skeptical. Are other disasters waiting to happen at U.S. coal plants? More...

Opponents of the "public option" for health care say that it would hurt competition. But in fact, most health insurance markets fall under what the Department of Justice considers a "highly-concentrated market," or near-monopoly. More...

As the debate rages over health care reform, a new study by a group of Harvard doctors found that several major health and life-insurance companies in both the United States and overseas have nearly $4.5 billion invested in tobacco stocks. More...

While lawmakers from both parties called Alabama's legislative session this year "peaceful" and "amazingly productive," some observers were more likely to criticize missed opportunities. More...

Drummond Co. is facing a third lawsuit alleging serious human rights abuses at its South American mining operations. Will Congress keep the widespread anti-union terrorism in mind when it considers a free trade deal with Colombia later this year? More...

As the hurricane season opens, officials on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts are concerned about the record number of foreclosed homes -- which when left unsecured could become sources of dangerous wind-blown debris and damage neighboring homes in already-struggling communities. More...

Today marks the first day of hurricane season, and much is being reported on preparations happening along the Gulf Coast to prepare for stormier weather. But Gulf Coast advocates have also been preparing another big push to shore up Congressional support for the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act. More...

Judge Sonia Sotomayor has established a record as a defender of expanding voting rights -- putting her squarely at odds with the GOP's ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Alabama Sen. Jefferson Sessions. More...

The toxic waste, which is now being sent to landfills in impoverished communities in Alabama and Georgia, did not meet the state's standards for dumping into abandoned mines. But are the facilities accepting the waste really that safe? More...

The campaign for educational benefits for undocumented college students has been heating up all over the country the past few months both at the grassroots level and in the halls of Congress. More...

The Tennessee Valley Authority has come up with a preliminary plan for the toxic coal ash it spilled on eastern Tennessee that raises questions of environmental justice. Will the Obama administration -- which just took charge of of the cleanup -- approve? More...

Last week, researchers at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Southern California released a study that confirms what many people are all too familiar with: toxic pollution falls disproportionately on lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color. More...

Coming almost four years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a bipartisan bill was introduced this week in Congress to create more jobs and support sustainable rebuilding efforts in the region. More...

The long-term success of Obama's presidency might depend on his administration's actions on the controversial corruption conviction of the former Alabama governor, says Roger Shuler. More...

For poor Latinos life in the South is like living in a "war zone" as they face growing levels of widespread hostility, discrimination and exploitation in communities and workplaces across the region. More...

When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast more than three years ago, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were hit the hardest by the storm. Guest blogger Stephen Stetson explains why Alabamians envy Mississippi and Louisiana's recovery efforts. More...

Two Louisiana lawmakers are back in the spotlight: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal plans to reject even more federal stimulus funds, and Rep. Joseph Cao may break ranks with the Republican Party on Obama's budget. More...

Across the country, 23 Republicans running for Congress in 2008 fared worse than John McCain did in their districts -- and the majority were in the South. More...

Facing massive budget crises, states are beginning to move away from the "lock-'em-up" approach to crime. Is the South ready to make the shift? More...

In a sign of their ongoing clout in politics and the finance industry, Southern banks have raked in nearly $50 billion in federal money used to purchase troubled bank stock. More...