Ralph Chapoco

Ralph Chapoco

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Ralph Chapoco is a senior reporter for the Alabama Reflector. Prior to that, he was the political watchdog reporter for Florida Today, covering local politicians and the impact their policies have on the community. He began as an education reporter for a year and half for the Rio Grande Sun in New Mexico and the North Platte Telegraph in North Platte, Nebraska. Afterward, he spent more than three years at the Washington County Daily News as the local political journalist.

Alabama commission warns 4 law enforcement agencies about crime stats reporting
Alabama

Alabama commission warns 4 law enforcement agencies about crime stats reporting

Oct 23, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
The Alabama Justice Information Commission Thursday voted to impose sanctions on four law enforcement agencies who did not appear at a meeting to explain the reasons for not reporting their crime numbers to the AJIC. The Napier Field and York...
Newcomer challenges 30-year incumbent in Alabama’s most Republican U.S. House district
Alabama

Newcomer challenges 30-year incumbent in Alabama’s most Republican U.S. House district

Oct 21, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
Candidates for Alabama’s 4th Congressional District both said residents are facing ongoing hardships but the two focused on different issues as part of their campaigns. Democratic nominee Amanda Pusczek, a first-time political candidate, is challenging U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville...
Gov. Kay Ivey commutes death sentence of Toforest Johnson
Alabama

Gov. Kay Ivey commutes death sentence of Toforest Johnson

Oct 20, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
Gov. Kay Ivey Tuesday commuted the death sentence of Toforest Johnson, whose conviction for the murder of an off-duty Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy in 1995 has faced years of questions over the conduct of prosecutors and the reliability of a...
In Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District, a longtime GOP incumbent faces a newcomer
Alabama

In Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District, a longtime GOP incumbent faces a newcomer

Oct 19, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
How to register to vote Oct. 19 is the last day to register to vote for the Nov. 3 election. If you haven’t registered to vote, you can do so here. And if you’re not sure of your registration status...
New men’s prison in Elmore County will miss completion deadline, says Corrections
Alabama

New men’s prison in Elmore County will miss completion deadline, says Corrections

Oct 16, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
The Alabama Department of Corrections said Friday that completion of the $1.25 billion Gov. Kay Ivey Correctional Complex, a 4,000-bed men’s prison in Elmore County, will be delayed. The department said in a statement Friday that Caddell Construction, a Montgomery-based...
In Public Service Commission race, reorganization bill looms over candidates
Alabama

In Public Service Commission race, reorganization bill looms over candidates

Oct 16, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
The Alabama Legislature’s decision to expand the Alabama Public Service Commission forced those running to sit on the utility regulator to make some campaign adjustments. Gov. Kay Ivey this spring signed HB 475, which expanded the PSC from three members...
Families want meeting with UAB officials over organ harvesting of loved ones
Alabama

Families want meeting with UAB officials over organ harvesting of loved ones

Oct 14, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
Families of incarcerated Alabamians whose organs were harvested after their deaths demanded a meeting with University of Alabama Birmingham officials Tuesday as delays in their civil lawsuit continue to mount. Speaking after a court hearing in Montgomery, in which UAB...
Doug Jones outlines data center policies at Lowndes County town hall
Alabama

Doug Jones outlines data center policies at Lowndes County town hall

Oct 13, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones Monday made his position on data centers the focal point of a town hall in Fort Deposit in Lowndes County that was attended by about 50 people. Speaking in a county where a planned hyperscale...
Alabama voters to consider Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem, school prayer
Alabama

Alabama voters to consider Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem, school prayer

Oct 12, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
Alabama voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to require school boards to adopt policies the daily recital of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools and student-led prayer, as well as the broadcast of the Star-Spangled...
Cher Stanturf, her daughters and neighbors touch base on Oct. 10, 2026, the morning after Hurricane Isaias ripped through their mobile home park in Pensacola, Florida.
National

Hurricane Isaias brings wind, water and destruction

Oct 10, 2026
Ralph Chapoco Michael Moline Jay Waagmeester
Hurricane Isaias made landfall Friday night in Destin, Florida, packing 110 mph winds that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across a large swath of the Southeast. Heavy rains from the storm’s remnants could still...
One person killed as Hurricane Isaias brings heavy rain, wind to Alabama
Alabama

At least 2 people die in Alabama as Hurricane Isaias cuts through state

Oct 10, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
At least two people died in Alabama Saturday as Hurricane Isaias brought heavy wind and rain to the state. The deaths occurred as the storm left a trail of damage in south Alabama and hundreds of thousands of Alabama residents...
Hurricane Isaias expected to make landfall Friday evening
Alabama

Hurricane Isaias expected to make landfall Friday evening

Oct 09, 2026
Ralph Chapoco
Hurricane Isaias is expected to make landfall near Pensacola, Florida on Friday evening as a Category 3 storm. As of Friday afternoon, the storm system was 90 miles south of Pensacola, moving at about 17 mph toward the Gulf Coast...