Mayor Lori Mock and Columbia officials siphoned town funds into unauthorized contracts, personal gifts, and family favors. Cancelled municipal checks and financial invoices held by local whistleblowers document a paper trail of blatant self-dealing. Discover how local officials banked on state immunity to hide their paper trail.
Small-town politicians are running dirty operations right under our noses while public health crises rage across the state. Discover how local municipal bosses turned a public sewer plant into an illegal bootlegging hideout. Listen as Backstory Podcast confronts the small-town grifters treating taxpayer property like their personal playground.
Following up on Columbia's scandal, state ethics officials created an immunity racket designed to systematically toss out criminal complaints against corrupt politicians. Internal ethics logs and bank records demonstrate how connected prosecutors shield small-town mayors from felony theft charges. What happens when concrete evidence finally shatters their bulletproof protection scheme?
Powerful local insiders hijacked the Baldwin County zoning process to crush a local family's restaurant venture after a single complaint. Text chats and public records reveal how corrupt officials blocked public land access to cater to wealthy bayfront donors. The Ripp Report exposes how political influence steamrolled a family business.
Mayor Sullivan and Jack Burrell put Fairhope citizens at risk while seizing control of millions in waterfront project funds. Newly uncovered documents reveal a trail of past financial scandals and ignored public surveys. Discover why local leadership gambled with public safety to push their own agenda.
Council President Jack Burrell continues to ignore citizen demands and health warnings to serve special political interests. FOIA requests prove city leaders threw out public input to alter plans for a multi-million-dollar grant. We outline the calculated self-interest driving Fairhope's political machine.
Political cronies completely gutted a massive infrastructure plan left behind by the previous administration. Leaked communications and public records show officials eliminated vital public features to cover up local corruption. Uncover the real truth behind this watered-down waterfront scheme.
City officials recklessly pushed forward with public events despite explicit warnings from local medical professionals. Financial records and meeting notes show a clear pattern of prioritizing backroom political deals over community safety. Look at the records to see the true cost of their negligence.
November 10th is the Marine Corp Birthday and November 11th is Veterans Day. On these two days I always reflect on my fathers career in the Army, where he served during WW II and later retired as a Colonel. I think of my first cousin, Freddie, who was killed in Vietnam, while I was in Vietnam. His death impacted my extended family, who has dearly missed him this last 52 years. I think of a high school buddy and fellow Marine, Boogie, who was haunted throughout his life with the experiences of the 1968 Tet offensive and battle of Khe Sahn. I think of John, Iraq War, a multiple amputee, who is embarrassed at how the Veterans Administration has treated him. I think of another Veteran, of Iraq, Willy, or Will Boy. Willy was like a son and his death drove home the meaning of heartache. They were Veterans, they took an OATH, gave their lives, body parts, or were mentally wounded for life. They were VETERANS, not suckers and loser's, not draft dodgers, VETERANS.
Media outlets declared Joe Biden the president-elect, but state machinery and political operatives are still fighting behind closed doors. We break down the bureaucratic mechanics and backroom maneuvers driving the federal transition power struggle. Watch this episode to get the unvarnished truth about what really happens during a chaotic presidential handover.
