Stories From The States
Latest Episode
America’s complicated relationship with the death penalty
Executions in the United States have been on the decline over the past few decades, yet 27 states still enforce the death penalty – and many are imposing it more often.
One very recent case in Alabama illustrates the complicated and emotional debates unfolding around the death penalty.
In 2025, Alabama executed five people, and the state was set for its first execution of 2026 this month. Charles “Sonny” Burton, 75, had been convicted of felony capital murder in 1992, even though he didn’t pull the trigger, and was scheduled to die March 12.
However, Burton’s fate quickly changed this week when Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey commuted Burton’s death sentence to life in prison. Alabama Reflector senior reporter Ralph Chapoco will have the latest.
This episode also examines a death penalty abolition movement in Indiana as well as developments in Arizona and Utah.
Wildly misguided farm policy creates oceans of red ink for taxpayers across Kansas, U.S.
Ohio voters deserve transparency and trust — not political games
Maryland’s moment: Protecting Marylanders from high drug costs
For Sunshine Week, five things to know about open government in South Dakota