All posts tagged: Alabama News

Gambling Legislation Remains Stalled in Session’s Closing Hours

Gambling Legislation Remains Stalled in Session’s Closing Hours

Published by skeptic

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Gambling legislation remains stalled in the Alabama Senate with members expressing doubt that it will get another vote in the closing hours of the legislative session. The session ends Thursday and supporters have been unable to break a stalemate in the state Senate after the measure initially failed by one vote last week. Supporters had hoped to get the bill back for another vote but said that seems increasingly unlikely to happen as the session winds down. “I think it’s dead, probably,” Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton said. Singleton was a member of the conference committee that had worked on the legislation. “They don’t have the appetite for bringing it up. Can’t get anybody to talk about it,” he said. Republican Rep. Chris Blackshear, the bill sponsor, said it looks like it would take a “miracle of Biblical proportion” to get the bill taken up in the Senate. “I just hope the senators that voted no and couldn’t get on board take time to drive around the state and see for …

Alabama Groups Can Sue Over Threat of Prosecution for Helping With Abortion Travel

Alabama Groups Can Sue Over Threat of Prosecution for Helping With Abortion Travel

Published by skeptic

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday said abortion rights advocates can proceed with lawsuits against Alabama’s attorney general over threats to prosecute people who help women travel to another state to terminate pregnancies. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson denied Attorney General Steve Marshall’s request to dismiss the case. The groups said Marshall has suggested anti-conspiracy laws could be used to prosecute those who help Alabama women obtain an abortion in another state. The two lawsuits seek a legal ruling clarifying that the state can’t prosecute people for providing such assistance. Alabama bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape and incest. While Thompson did not issue a final ruling, he said the organizations “correctly contend” that the attorney general “cannot constitutionally prosecute people for acts taken within the State meant to facilitate lawful out of state conduct, including obtaining an abortion.” “Alabama can no more restrict people from going to, say, California to engage in what is lawful there than California can restrict people from coming to Alabama …

New Orleans’ Own PJ Morton Returns Home to Jazz Fest With New Music

New Orleans’ Own PJ Morton Returns Home to Jazz Fest With New Music

Published by skeptic

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer PJ Morton comes home with a new album and memoir dropping soon amid a Saturday afternoon performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which nears the end of an eight-day run. Morton, a preacher’s kid whose parents — the Revs. Paul and Debra Morton — are well-known in the city, said he looks forward every year to taking the stage at the Fair Grounds. “Jazz Fest always feels like home,” Morton said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It feels like a family reunion. We want the food, just like everyone else does. You get to see all your friends, see everybody. There’s nothing better than that.” Morton said he does not take for granted the love he feels in his hometown or in performances done around the world. “I’m amazed at the crowds and the rooms we get to play,” he said. “The joy started in small clubs where we were playing to 20 to 50 people. Now it’s thousands. I …

The Rolling Stones Set to Play New Orleans Jazz Fest 2024, Opening Thursday

The Rolling Stones Set to Play New Orleans Jazz Fest 2024, Opening Thursday

Published by skeptic

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It looks like the third time is the charm as the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival prepares, again, for The Rolling Stones to perform. The festival, which spans two weekends, is set to open Thursday with dozens of acts playing daily on 14 stages spread throughout the historic Fair Grounds race course. The Stones play next Thursday, May 2, tickets for which have long been sold out. In 2019, festival organizers thought they had landed the legendary rock band, but the appearance was canceled because lead singer Mick Jagger had heart surgery. They tried again in 2021, but a surge in COVID-19 cases ultimately forced the fest to cancel. Now, says festival producer Quint Davis, “It’s gonna be special.” This will be the first time the Stones play Jazz Fest. Opening day acts include rock bands Widespread Panic and The Beach Boys, reggae artist Stephen Marley and jazz vocalist John Boutte. Photos You Should See – April 2024 “The talent is great, the weather is projected to be good …

America’s Child Care Crisis Is Holding Back Moms Without College Degrees

America’s Child Care Crisis Is Holding Back Moms Without College Degrees

Published by skeptic

AUBURN, Wash. (AP) — After a series of lower-paying jobs, Nicole Slemp finally landed one she loved. She was a secretary for Washington’s child services department, a job that came with her own cubicle, and she had a knack for working with families in difficult situations. Slemp expected to return to work after having her son in August. But then she and her husband started looking for child care – and doing the math. The best option would cost about $2,000 a month, with a long wait list, and even the least expensive option around $1,600, still eating up most of Slemp’s salary. Her husband earns about $35 an hour at a hose distribution company. Between them, they earned too much to qualify for government help. “I really didn’t want to quit my job,” says Slemp, 33, who lives in a Seattle suburb. But, she says, she felt like she had no choice. Even so, women’s participation in the workforce has recovered from the pandemic, reaching historic highs in December 2023. But that masks a …

Alabama Plans to Eliminate Tolls En Route to the Beach

Alabama Plans to Eliminate Tolls En Route to the Beach

Published by skeptic

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama plans to buy the Foley Beach Express Bridge and eliminate tolls to drive across it, state and local officials announced Thursday. Gov. Kay Ivey and the mayors of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach announced an agreement for the Alabama Department of Transportation to purchase the bridge from the Baldwin County Bridge Company for $57 million. The thoroughfare is a private toll bridge that provides an alternate route to state beaches. Ivey’s office said in a press release that the bridge will become toll free as soon as the deal closes. “Alabama’s Gulf Coast continues to experience record growth and success, and I am proud we are making needed infrastructure improvements in the area that will help alleviate traffic congestion for Alabamians and those visiting our beaches,” Ivey said. The sale is expected to close in May and toll collection will end at noon on the closing date. The exact day has not yet been scheduled. Alabama is also building another bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway to help ease congestion. When …

Legislation Would Give Tax Credits to Companies That Help Workers Afford Childcare

Legislation Would Give Tax Credits to Companies That Help Workers Afford Childcare

Published by skeptic

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation that would provide state tax breaks to businesses that help their employees afford childcare. The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved the bill, which was backed by both advocacy groups for women and companies. The bill now moves to the full House for further debate and could be in line for a vote as soon as Thursday. House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, the bill’s sponsor, said the goal is to help struggling families to afford childcare and to help businesses that are struggling to find workers. “As we focus on increasing the workforce participation rate, we know that women have had to make decisions on breaking even on childcare costs or staying at home with their children. It’s easier just to stay home because you are losing money basically paying for childcare,” Daniels said. The bill would set aside $15 million in tax credits that could be claimed by companies that provide childcare stipends, on-site day care or reserved spots at licensed facilities. The …

Man Gets 4 Death Sentences for Kidnapping, Rape and Murder of 5-Year-Old Georgia Girl

Man Gets 4 Death Sentences for Kidnapping, Rape and Murder of 5-Year-Old Georgia Girl

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PHENIX CITY, Ala. (AP) — A man who kidnapped, raped and killed a 5-year-old Georgia girl has been given four death sentences for the crime. Russell County Circuit Court Judge David Johnson handed down the sentence Monday against Jeremy Williams who murdered, raped and brutalized Kamarie Holland in 2021, news outlets reported. Holland’s mother told police that when she woke up at 5:50 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2021, her daughter was gone and the front door of their Columbus, Georgia, home was open, Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor told reporters. The girl’s body was found late that night at an abandoned home in nearby Phenix City, Alabama where Williams once lived. A jury found him guilty Friday of four counts of capital murder, among other charges. Living in Columbus at the time of the murder, Williams raped and strangled Holland after offering her mother $2,500 for Holland to perform oral sex on him, according to testimony given in his trial. Video evidence shown to jurors captured officers finding Holland’s body and of him sexually assaulting …

Alabama Senate Votes to Change Archives Oversight After LGBTQ+ Lecture

Alabama Senate Votes to Change Archives Oversight After LGBTQ+ Lecture

Published by skeptic

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Senate voted Wednesday to put a politically appointed board in control of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, a change proposed after some lawmakers were upset about the department hosting a lecture on LGBTQ+ history. State senators also approved legislation that would allow local government officials to dismiss library board members they appointed if they become displeased with their performance. Both bills now move to the Alabama House of Representatives. Sen. Chris Elliott, the sponsor of the bills approved Wednesday, said a dozen lawmakers called the Archives urging them to cancel the lecture but the department went forward with it. “This isn’t history. This is indoctrination,” Elliott said during debate. He said the change would ensure board members are responsive to elected officials. “I’m making sure that there is some accountability,” Elliott said. Photos You Should See Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton told Elliott that his bill appeared to be retribution because department officials didn’t change course when “big bad senator” called. “I let history be history,” Singleton …

2 Weeks of Winter Storms Kill Dozens and Cause Cold Chaos in Parts of the US. but a Thaw Is Coming.

2 Weeks of Winter Storms Kill Dozens and Cause Cold Chaos in Parts of the US. but a Thaw Is Coming.

Published by skeptic

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Two weeks of storms that have turned roads into icy death traps, frozen people to death from Oregon to Tennessee and caused power outages that could take weeks to fix continued to sock both coasts with another round of weather chaos on Friday. The rain, snow, wind and bitterly cold temperatures have been blamed for at least 45 deaths in the U.S. over the past two weeks as a series of storms moved across the country. Schools and roads have closed and air traffic has been snarled There is hope. The forecast for next week calls for above average temperatures across almost the whole country, according to the National Weather Service. Snow was falling in New York City and Washington, D.C., on Friday. But the biggest problems remained in places hit hard by storms earlier in the week. On the West Coast, Oregon’s governor declared a statewide emergency Thursday night, nearly a week after the start of a crippling ice storm. Political Cartoons Thousands of residents have been without power since …