Alabama business roundup: Headlines from across state – 4/27/16 edition
Which Alabama city is the nation’s top destination for STEM graduates? What local startup was tapped by UAB for a solar energy construction project? Answers to all of these questions and more in today’s business roundup: Birmingham Business Journal: This Alabama city is the nation’s top destination for STEM graduates For the second consecutive year, Huntsville offers better career prospects for college graduates planning a job in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields than tech hotspots like Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Seattle. Of 330 cities analyzed by NerdWallet, Huntsville ranked No. 1 for STEM graduates. The city ranks highly for job opportunity, average salary, and cost of living. There are 152 STEM employees per 1,000 total jobs in Huntsville and that high demand also comes with a high paycheck. The average salary for STEM employees in Huntsville is $95,000. That’s about $11,000 higher than the national average. The city was also highlighted for Cummings Research Park, which employs 29,000 people in science and technology and is home to the operations of major national companies. Huntsville is also the headquarters of U.S. military garrison and weapons manufacturer Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “Dozens of Fortune 500 companies have a presence at the research park, including AT&T, IBM and Comcast. Huntsville stands out in particular for its opportunities in aerospace and defense. The research park hosts the Boeing Co., United Technologies, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. The Huntsville area is home to the Army’s massive Redstone Arsenal, which employs over 35,000 people, many in the science and engineering fields. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is located on the grounds of the Redstone Arsenal and is the area’s third-largest employer.” Here’s the rest of NerdWallet’s top 10 cities for STEM graduates. No. 2 San Jose, Cali No. 3 Boulder, Colo No. 4 Seattle, Wash No. 5 Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C No. 6 San Francisco, Calif No. 7 Kennewick-Richland, Wash No. 8 Palm Bay-Melbourne, Fla No. 9 Trenton, N.J No. 10 Austin, Texas Alabama News Center: First Alabama-made Airbus A321 ‘BluesMobile’ goes to JetBlue Airbus marked a major milestone at its new Alabama manufacturing facility today as the aviation giant delivered its first U.S.-made A321 passenger jet to customer JetBlue. The plane, which flew for first time on March 21, was nicknamed “BluesMobile.” Workers from the Alabama final assembly line joined the plane on the tarmac at Mobile Aeroplex while a marching band and cheerleaders performed. John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer, told the crowd that the delivery to JetBlue climaxed years of planning and preparation for the company, which announced plans for the $600 million manufacturing facility in Alabama back in 2012. “The team here at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility is very pleased and immensely proud to deliver to JetBlue the very first Airbus aircraft manufactured right here in Mobile, Alabama,” said Daryl Taylor, general manager of the Airbus facility. “Going from breaking ground on this facility three years ago to handing over the first Alabama-produced A321 today is an amazing accomplishment,” Leahy said. “It’s a testament to how well executed this project was and how strong the teamwork has been here in Mobile and throughout Airbus. “The Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility has brought together all the best aspects of our other assembly lines around the world, and it shows how Airbus people work hand in hand with our partners to deliver great aircraft to our customers,” he added. ‘AIRBUS 1’ Robin Hayes, president and CEO of JetBlue, said the company was honored to take delivery of the first U.S.-made Airbus passenger jet. He presented Taylor with a plaque to mark the occasion. “You’ve done an amazing job building an incredible airplane,” Hayes told the Airbus Alabama workers, who were wearing a blue “Airbus 1” jerseys. Airbus, which now employs about 350 people at the final assembly line, plans to produce four or five A320 Family jets at the Alabama plant. The facility will eventually support 1,000 jobs. “There is no better place to build airplanes in the United States than Mobile, Alabama,” John Leahy said at today’s ceremony. In addition to the JetBlue A321 delivered today, there are nine other A320 Family aircraft in production at the facility. Airbus anticipates delivering four aircraft per month from the Mobile plant by the end of 2017. Alabama News Center: Auburn University’s Recreation and Wellness Center named one of the best nationwide Auburn University’s student Recreation & Wellness Center was recently ranked No. 3 on a list of the 35 most luxurious student recreation centers in America. Here’s what College Rank had to say about the 237,981-square-foot center:Featuring a bike repair shop and two 50-foot climbing walls, Auburn’s student recreation center made College Rank’s list for a variety of reasons, according to the college evaluation website. “The goal of the Campus Recreation Department at Auburn University is to enrich student life by promoting physical activity and responsible, healthy choices. To ensure this, Auburn offers programs like the “Healthy Weight Challenge,” which challenges students to stay active and maintain nutritional balance. Cooking classes are also offered to ensure that students complete the challenge. Auburn also has fun options for students with events like the Polar Bear Plunge; where students take a swim in the outdoor leisure pool during the colder months of the year. In addition to these events, Auburn also has several programs and options for students looking to live a healthy lifestyle. Auburn has professional trainers on staff, has fitness assessments, group fitness courses, and a “Pilates reformer”, which adds resistance training to the traditionally mat-based Pilates regimen. The university also has many outdoor options for students and even has a bike rental kiosk for those who simply want to bike around campus.” Auburn’s student center was opened in 2013 after construction was completed by Birmingham’s Robins & Morton and HOK design firm. The facility features a 1/3-mile track, as well as basketball courts, an outdoor leisure pool, cardio/fitness zones and weight training areas. According to the firm HOK’s website, the facility was
Email insight: Activist father continues to push for fairer custody laws
Activist, father and Alabama Family Rights Association (ALFRA) President, Kenneth Paschal emailed supporters Wednesday urging them to contact their state legislators and ask them to vote no on House Bill 333, a child custody bill. Sponsored by Andalusia-Republican, State Rep. Mike Jones the bill suggests that children should have “frequent and continuing” contact with their parents; the bill fails to define frequent and continued, and preserves the status quo of standard visitation, which unduly restricts a child to 4-6 days a month with one parent. According to Paschal, “Experts in family systems, psychology, sociology, and the like have presented 40 studies, and 112 social scientists around the world have reached a consensus on shared parenting which states ‘…equal or approximately equal time-sharing with a minor child by both fit parents is in the best interest of the child.’” Read the full email below: Unfortunately, House Bill (HB) 333, a child custody bill, passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee April 20, 2016. The Judiciary Committee ignored evidence based research supporting shared parenting, and the Alabama Law Institute has refused to acknowledge this research. Alabama legislators are being told by the Family Law Committee of the Alabama Law Institute and divorce attorneys like Representative Mike Jones that HB 333 is a “starting point bill,” and future change(s) will follow. The problem with this is that HB 333 is based on opinion NOT legal or evidence-based research. (listen to a 3-minute excerpt of the research here) HB 333 will not equally protect a child’s relationship with both fit parents. Neither will HB 333 act in the best interest of the child as the bill fails to consider scientific research which states “… equal or approximately equal time-sharing with a minor child by both fit parents is in the best interest of the child.” HB 333 has been placed on the calendar and could be up for a floor vote in the Senate today, Wednesday, April 27, 2016. We need EVERYONE to TAKE ACTION this morning and all day today: call and email your elected official in the Senate. Ask them to vote NO on HB 333 or implement a friendly amendment that states: “there is a presumption that children have equal or approximately equal time-shared parenting time with their fit parents”. (view the bill here) Be sure to include a reason why the members should vote against House Bill 333. Feel free to use any of the following reasons to explain why committee members should vote “NO” on HB 333: HB 333 fails to align outdated child custody law with current research, which states “equal or approximately equal time-sharing with a minor child by both fit parents is in the best interest of the child.” HB 333 fails to protect the child’s fundamental right to freely associate with both of their parents. HB 333 maintains the status quo, which promotes parental conflict and deprives a child of a quality relationship with both fit parents. HB 333 fails to define “frequent and continuing” contact, which leads to irregularities in child custody rulings. Meaning, without definition, 5 different judges with same facts = 5 different rulings. Ala Code § 30-3-150. Policy of state: “It is the policy of this state to assure that minor children have frequent and continuing contact with parents”. “Frequent and continuing” contact is not defined. Courts consider “frequent and continuing contact” to include only 1 hour per week, 48 hours twice a month, or could be equal custody. HB 333 does suggest the use of parenting plans, which is good, but when based on outdated, flawed public policy, parenting plans are likely minimally effective, at best. HB 333 does consolidate years of case law into one central location, which may benefit both judges and pro se litigants, as a quick reference, but the bill is rooted in flawed case law that perpetuates the same negative impact of the current status quo. HB 333 does not take into account that there is no statutory requirement for judges or family law attorneys to be trained in family law and attend annual Continuing Legal Education training related to family law. HB 333 fails to provide evidence based guidelines to empower the Courts to meet the needs of each unique case, which leads to a “one size fits all” standard visitation schedule. Representative Office Phone Email Bussman, Paul 334-242-7855 p_bussman@bellsouth.net Holtzclaw, William 334-242-7854 bill.holtzclaw@alsenate.gov Orr, Arthur 334-242-7891 arthur.orr@alsenate.gov Reed, Greg 334-242-7894 greg.reed@alsenate.gov Sanford, Paul 334-242-7867 paul.sanford@alsenate.gov Shelnutt, Shay 334-242-7794 shay.sd17@gmail.com Stutts, Larry 334-242-7862 larry.stutts@alsenate.gov Together we can make our voices heard to protect children from being placed at risk. Thank you for your time and for standing up for all children of Alabama.
Judge: No, teacher-student sex bans are not unconstitutional
An Alabama judge ruled on Tuesday that prohibitions against teachers having sex with students do not violate the Constitution. It may seem obvious, but defense attorneys for Carrie Witt — a Decatur High School teacher and athletics coach charged with having sex with two minors — challenged the principle in a Morgan County District Court proceeding earlier in April. Witt’s counselors, Robert Tuten and Nick Heatherly, filed a motion asking a Judge Brent Craig to throw out their client’s charges on the basis the state law criminalizing student-teacher sexual relationships violate the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, with its protections of free speech and free association. The judge dismissed that motion, arguing restricting Witt’s right to sex with underage students does indeed limit her rights, but that such a restriction is in the state’s broader interest. “Constitutional liberties may be restrained when the state has a legitimate interest in doing so,” Craig said of his ruling. “The classic example is, while American citizens enjoy the freedom of speech, one cannot yell fire in a crowded movie theater. Freedom of speech can be restricted.” “Teachers are vested with a great deal of trust by the school districts, the parents, the public, and the students themselves,” continued Craig, citing a Kansas case. “Our legislature has sought to preserve that trust by prohibiting teachers from misusing their access to students as a means to obtain sex. A sexually charged learning environment would confuse, disturb, and distract students, thus undermining the quality of education in Kansas.” In other words, though Alabama law deprives her of certain liberties, the state has a valid and defensible reason for doing so. The 42-year-old Witt taught history and social studies and coached the girls’ golf and JV cheerleading squads. The case will continue at a preliminary hearing on May 3, 2016, at 9:00 a.m.
Ted Cruz to tap Carly Fiorina as running mate
Republican presidential contender Ted Cruz has tapped former technology executive Carly Fiorina to serve as his running mate. The Texas senator plans to unveil his pick for vice president Wednesday afternoon in Indianapolis. That’s according to a Republican with direct knowledge of Fiorina’s selection, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized speak before the official announcement. “Carly is bright, knowledgeable, brings great financial expertise and she’s a woman,” said Gary Aminoff, the Los Angeles County co-chair of the Cruz campaign. Aminoff said he had also been told Fiorina was Cruz’s choice. The 61-year-old Fiorina, a former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, has been a prominent Cruz ally since shortly after abandoning her own presidential bid earlier in the year. She was the only woman in the Republican Party’s crowded 2016 field. “Of all the people who didn’t make it far in the race, she was one of the best about laying out her plan, talking about who she is and her accomplishments,” said Doug De Groote, a fundraiser for Cruz based near Los Angeles. It was an unusual move for a candidate who is far from becoming his party’s presumptive nominee, but Cruz is desperate to generate momentum for his struggling campaign. The fiery conservative was soundly defeated by GOP front-runner Donald Trump in all five primaries contests on Tuesday, and he’s been mathematically eliminated from winning the nomination before his party’s national convention in July. Some Cruz allies praised the selection of Fiorina, but privately questioned if it would change the trajectory of the race. Trump has won 77 percent of the delegates he needs to claim the nomination, and a win next week in Indiana will keep him on a firm path to do so. Cruz was to appear Wednesday afternoon with Fiorina in Indiana’s capital city, having staked his candidacy on a win in the state’s primary contest next Tuesday. Fiorina’s California ties could also give Cruz a big boost in that state’s high-stakes primary on June 7. “Carly has incredible appeal to so many people, especially in California,” De Groote said. “She can really help him here.” Her first major foray into politics was in 2010, when she ran for Senate in California and lost to incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer by 10 percentage points. She has never held elected office. Trump criticized a Fiorina pick as “ridiculous” and “dumb” even before it was announced. “First of all, he shouldn’t be naming anybody because he doesn’t even have a chance,” the New York billionaire said in a Wednesday interview on Fox News. “Naming Carly’s dumb, because Carly didn’t do well. She had one good debate — not against me by the way, because I had an unblemished record of victories during debates — but she had one victory on the smaller stage and that was it,” Trump said. He added, “She’s a nice woman. I think that it’s not going to help him at all.” Throughout her presidential bid, Fiorina emphasized her meteoric rise in the business world. A Stanford University graduate, she started her career as a secretary, earned an MBA and worked her way up at AT&T to become a senior executive at the telecom leader. She was also dogged by questions about her record at Hewlett-Packard, where she was hired as CEO in 1999. She was fired six years later, after leading a major merger with Compaq and laying off 30,000 workers. Democrats quickly attacked the Cruz-Fiorina alliance. “The best way to describe that ticket is mean and meaner,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who beat Fiorina for Senate in 2010. “He wants to throw people out of the country and she threw thousands of jobs out of the country. Perfect match.” In an Associated Press-GfK poll conducted in December 2015, Republican voters were more likely to say they had a favorable than an unfavorable view of Fiorina by a 47 percent to 20 percent margin, with 32 percent unable to give a rating. Among all Americans, 45 percent didn’t know enough about Fiorina to rate her, while 22 percent rated her favorably and 32 percent unfavorably. By contrast, both Cruz and Trump have high negative ratings even within their own party, according to an April AP-GfK poll. Among Republican voters, 52 percent have a favorable and 41 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Cruz, while 53 percent have a favorable and 46 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Trump. Among all Americans, 59 percent had an unfavorable opinion of Cruz and 69 percent said that of Trump. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Justice reform group blasts “fruitless” state prison reform bill
Proponents, including Gov. Robert Bentley, have lauded the Alabama Prison Transformation Initiative Act as a bold step toward real criminal justice reform. But on Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Action Network slammed the bill in a memo to reporters, calling it a “fruitless course” that would simply raise costs. “This bill does not fix Alabama’s prison overcrowding problem, but it will give taxpayers heartburn. Senate Bill 287 would trigger over $1.5 billion in costs and still leave the state with overcrowded correctional facilities,” said Holly Harris, Executive Director of the national group. . “We call on the Alabama House of Representatives to reject this plan and continue working on real reforms that provide a safer and more effective justice system,” said Harris. The group says the bill is set to cost state taxpayers $1.5 billion, according to USJAN’s calculations. The group’s work largely focuses on reducing prison populations. The bill’s sponsor, Decatur Republican Sen. Trip Pittman, chairs the powerful Finance and Taxation General Fund committee. The bill would also originally have enacted a moratorium on all executions until 2017, but that provision was struck from the bill in the Senate. Other groups, including liberal-leaning Alabama Arise, have pushed for the creation of an Innocence Inquiry Commission to review death penalty cases. The group has not taken any formal stance on SB 287, but are supporting an alternative, SB 237. An analyst for the group called such a move a “recognition of human frailty” in the state’s justice system, but such a provision does not exist in the bill currently circulated. SB 237 has attracted support from some minority-party Democrats, including Mobile Sen. Vivian Figures and Sen. Rodger Smitherman of Montgomery. —- This article was updated on May 2 to clarify Arise Alabama’s stances and disambiguate SB 287 & SB 237.
Alabama House Committee approves bill dividing BP oil spill settlement
The Alabama House Budget Committee approved a bill Wednesday dividing the $20 billion settlement BP is scheduled to pay the state over 18 years for the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. HB569 divides the funds to pay off state debts and as well as road projects in coastal Alabama counties. The plan, sponsored by Ozard Republican Rep. Steve Clouse, would also help close the gap in next year’s Medicaid shortfall — freeing up $55 million of the necessary $85 million officials say is needed to maintain services across the state. The bill moves forward to the full House for consideration, which could happen as early as Thursday.
Alabama politicians lament 9 day Red Snapper season: It’s a ‘disgrace’
Congressman Bradley Byrne, Republican of the state’s first district, which encompasses Alabama’s two gulf counties, and State Auditor Jim Zeigler both spoke out Wednesday against the continuation of a federally-imposed nine day Red Snapper season. “A nine day Red Snapper season is a disgrace for Alabama’s fishermen,” wrote Byrne in a press release Wednesday. “This type of ‘derby-style’ season poses serious challenges and puts the safety of our fishermen at risk. There are plenty of Red Snapper in the Gulf, but the federal government continues to do a terrible job of counting the number of fish, as well as the number caught each year. The season, which will run this year from June 1st-June 10th is decided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The administration makes the determination yearly based on “scientific studies of the Gulf and past catches of red snapper.” For-hire charter fishing boats will have a longer season, lasting 46 days from June 1st to July 17th. Byrne has long argued the determination of the prized fish’s season should be taken out of the hands of the federal government, and instead given to research institutions to decide, saying federal regulators consistently underestimate the amount of red snapper in the Gulf and overestimate the number caught each year. Zeigler echoed these concerns, calling the short season “unacceptable.” “These federal limits are totally unacceptable,” said the State Auditor. “They are based on bad science and improper counting of the snapper fishery. We need to get Alabama out from under federal regulation and have state conservation handle our fishery. Can you imagine paying for a boat to go snapper fishing and only being able to use it for nine days?” In 2015 the U.S. House passed legislation, championed by Byrne, which would have extended state water boundaries for each Gulf state to nine nautical miles from the coast and removed data collection and stock assessments from federal control, but it was never taken up the the Senate. “The House has passed reform legislation that would give us a real season again,” Byrne concluded, “and it is past time for the Senate to act on our legislation and bring relief to our fishermen.”
5 years later, Alabama politicians reflect on the 2011 tornado outbreak
Wednesday marks the 5th anniversary of the second largest, most deadly tornado outbreaks in Alabama’s history. On April 27, 2011 a series of 62 tornadoes tore through 35 counties and 80 cities across northern and central Alabama, leaving devastation in its wake — killing more than 250 people, amassing more than a billion dollars in damages. Five years later, the vortex’s destruction still lingers across the Yellowhammer State as the reality of lost loved ones, friends, businesses and belongings hits a little too close to home for all too many Alabamians. Today, Alabama politicians from across the state look back on that fateful day: Gov. Robert Bentley: Alabama will never forget the more than 250 people who lost their lives on April 27, 2011. Today, five years later, Alabama is better prepared to face the next natural disaster due to the lessons learned in how we prepare and respond. I am proud of the efforts state agencies made to help communities recover. U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions: Today we remember the lives tragically claimed by the storms of April 27, 2011. The tornadoes which ripped through the Southeast five years ago did unprecedented damage in Alabama, tearing apart not just our homes and businesses but countless families. However, in those darkest of days, the people of our state united in a common purpose to reveal their true nature. The love and service shown in the following days and weeks through the giving of time, aid, and prayer brought our communities together like never before. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby: Five years ago today, the most powerful long-track tornado in Alabama history struck Tuscaloosa and surrounding communities. Please join me in remembering the lives that were tragically lost on that day as well as the generosity, strength, and resilience of the people of Alabama. U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01): April 27th, 2011 is a day that forever changed our state. Over 250 Alabamians lost their lives that day as tornado after tornado tore through the state. In difficult times like this, I always try to think about the positive things. We learned a lot about Alabama on that day and the weeks that followed. The resiliency of our state and the caring spirit of our people were on full display. So on this anniversary, let us remember those we lost while also taking great pride in how far we have come. U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02): Today marks five years since an unprecedented outbreak of tornadoes ripped through the State of Alabama killing 252 people and leveling whole communities. We can all remember where we were that day and how time stood still as we realized just how devastating these storms were and how Alabama would never be the same. There are countless stories from that day and its aftermath: stories of loss and devastation, but also stories of heroism and hope. People in our state came together in a very special way to help their neighbors in need, protect people they had never met, and serve each other as never before. We remember the those we lost that awful day. We ask prayers of comfort for their families on what must be a difficult anniversary for them. And, we recommit ourselves to serving and looking out for our neighbors just as we did after April 27, 2011. God bless you and God bless our state. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03): Today marks the fifth anniversary since a super storm of tornadoes swept through the Southeast. These tornadoes were some of the deadliest in U.S. history and Alabama was hit the hardest. Over 200 lives were lost and thousands were changed forever. As a community, we rebuilt or homes, schools and businesses. It is that strength and resilience that we prayed for to keep us moving forward. U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04): It is hard to imagine that is has already been five years since that dark day in our state’s history. Having been traveling in the 4th District that day, I was able to see first-hand the destruction that took place. Quite honestly, I didn’t know where the next tornado was going to touchdown. … Five years later, while many of the physical scars have healed, homes have been rebuilt and businesses have reopened, the emotional scars remain. 249 people died across Alabama with half of those deaths occurring inside the 4th District. I encourage everyone to continue to pray for those who lost loved ones and to remember them on this anniversary. U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05): Five years ago today, North Alabama faced one of the worst natural disasters in our history. In the wake of a seemingly unending string of tornado trails, I saw firsthand the compassion and resilient spirit of neighbors, churches, family members, emergency personnel, and local law enforcement as they came together to help and comfort those in need. Shortly after the tornadoes struck, my family and friends joined hundreds of other volunteers in the severely damaged Anderson Hills neighborhood to help cut and haul destroyed trees and other debris to the streets for removal. I will never forget how our spirits were uplifted when Alabama’s Governor and numerous other elected officials unexpectedly appeared and promised to help people recover from the widespread destruction. While the Tennessee Valley has largely recovered from the physical destruction and most homes have been rebuilt or replaced, many of our friends and neighbors lost loved ones who will never come back. Today, please take a moment and keep them in our thoughts and prayers. U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06): Today we remember the 252 people who lost their lives 5 years ago when 62 tornados ripped through Alabama destroying homes, communities, and families. The tornados severely damaged my hometown of Hackleburg, and our community lost 18 friends and neighbors that day. In one of our state’s darkest hours, we saw neighbors come together to rebuild the place they call home, not because they had to but because that’s who the people of Alabama are. As we look back,
Bernie Sanders’ bid reaches turning point after Northeast losses
Defeated in the Northeast, Bernie Sanders‘ movement for a political revolution is reaching a crossroads even as he vows to campaign against Hillary Clinton through the June primaries and into the Philadelphia convention. The Vermont senator said after losses to Clinton in Tuesday’s primaries in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Connecticut that he would now seek as many delegates as possible to “fight for a progressive party platform,” acknowledging that he had only a “very narrow path” to the nomination. “Every person in this country should have the right to vote for whom they want to see as president of the United States and what they want to see the agenda, Democratic agenda, look like,” Sanders said in a phone interview with The Associated Press late Tuesday. “We are going to fight for every delegate and if I do not win, we are going to bring in a whole lot of delegates who are going to be prepared to fight for a $15 an hour minimum wage, for a Medicare for all single-payer program, guaranteed paid family medical leave … almost every delegate that we get gives us more strength in the fight for a progressive agenda.” Sanders won the Rhode Island primary, adding to his trove of more than 1,300 delegates, but his loss in New York and Tuesday’s defeats in the delegate-rich states of Pennsylvania and Maryland is likely to change the focus of his campaign from winning the nomination to one devoted to shaping the Democratic platform, Clinton’s policy agenda and his movement to address income inequality and the campaign finance system. Sanders was campaigning Wednesday in Indiana, which holds its primary next week, and looking ahead to upcoming contests in Oregon and California. He vowed to compete until the final District of Columbia primary in June. Clinton’s campaign and Democratic leaders are watching closely to see if Sanders will continue to raise issues that could damage Clinton’s chances in November or whether he will encourage his youthful following to support Clinton. “I would hope that there is a beginning of a pivot for him to make it really clear to his supporters what’s at stake against the Republicans,” said former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who supports Clinton. Clinton’s allies note that Republican Donald Trump has been co-opting Sanders’ pitch against Clinton, which the businessman acknowledged on Wednesday. “Bernie Sanders has a message that’s interesting. I’m going to be taking a lot of things Bernie said and using it,” Trump said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” ”When he said ‘Bad judgment’ I said, ‘Soundbyte!’” Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said Sanders had every right to compete until the end of the primaries as Clinton did in 2008. But he expressed hope Sanders would point out their differences but “not assail her judgment or character anymore.” Rendell, a Clinton supporter, said that could undermine Sanders’ effort to address wealth inequality and campaign finance reform. “If he believes what he’s talking about, he’s got to understand that he’s got to help her by toning it down,” Rendell said. At rallies, Sanders has sent mixed signals during the past week over whether he will ease up on Clinton. He has demanded that Clinton release the transcripts of her lucrative private speeches to Wall Street and critiqued Clinton on issues like trade, the minimum wage and the war in Iraq. But in other events Sanders has largely steered clear of Clinton, focusing instead on Trump. In the AP interview, Sanders bristled when asked if he would continue to contrast his record with Clinton’s. “Of course. I’m getting attacked by Hillary Clinton and her surrogates every damn day. Every day we’re getting attacked and our record is being distorted,” he said. “We are trying to run an issue-oriented campaign and a campaign means that you talk about your record, what you believe in, as opposed to your opponent’s. That’s what Clinton does. Of course we’re going to do that,” he said. There’s also the issue of whether Sanders will urge his supporters to back Clinton. In a town hall on MSNBC on Monday night, Clinton questioned the idea that she needs to adopt parts of Sanders’ platform to win over his supporters, saying that she did not make demands when she lost the primary to President Barack Obama eight years ago. Progressive groups are pressuring Clinton and her Democratic allies to come to their side. Charles Chamberlain, executive director of Democracy for America, a liberal group backing Sanders, said Tuesday night the question isn’t whether the senator would win delegates. “It’s whether the Democratic establishment is going to bring our party together by embracing our fight,” he said. Sanders’ supporters want him to fight on. “There’s no reason he should drop out, or anyone should drop how they feel about him right now. If anything, the fact that he’s persevering at this point is inspiring,” said Maddie Harris, 17, of Parkersburg, W.Va., who attended Sanders’ West Virginia rally on Tuesday. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Tornado outbreak, 5 years later: Piecing lives back together
On April 27, 2011, a series of tornadoes killed hundreds of people, injured thousands and reduced countless buildings to rubble across a swath of the U.S. More than 120 tornadoes were reported that day — one of the deadliest outbreaks in the nation’s history. Five years later, some survivors who are still rebuilding say their lives and towns will never be the same. Casualties were reported in Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Alabama — which was the hardest hit, with a death toll of more than 250 in that state alone. Survivors there say no tornado warning or emergency plan could have prepared them. Alabamians who lived in the tornadoes’ path are trying to move on, but they face constant reminders of what their towns used to be. New construction is juxtaposed with grassy, windswept expanses. Jagged tree trunks have replaced thick woods. Cracked driveways cut through the grass and lead to bare foundations or empty lots where homes used to be. Here are some of those survivors’ stories. ___ A tornado left physical scars in the town of Hackleburg, and it’s still taking a psychological and social toll today. “The sky even gets dark, and my niece goes to pieces,” Deborah Purser said. “I mean, she starts shaking.” Hackleburg wouldn’t have rebounded without the volunteers who poured in from across the country, said Purser’s 19-year-old son, Clay Scott. The school and grocery store reopened, but the town of roughly 1,500 no longer feels like home, he said. “It feels like we live somewhere else, like we’ve moved towns or something,” Purser said. ___ Vince Hughes is still haunted by that same tornado. Nightmares are less frequent now, but Hughes said he can’t rid himself of the memory of a crying woman who lost her daughter and was left to care for her young granddaughter. The woman is a longtime customer of Hughes, a 53-year-old pharmacist. “That image sticks out in my mind above most all of them,” he said. “And you saw it repeated over and over and over.” Hughes and his colleagues set up a temporary pharmacy in a bank lobby, using salvaged medication. “People needed somewhere to go, and they needed faces to see that they knew,” he said. “Most of my patients aren’t just people that fill prescriptions — they’re friends.” The tornado had a peak wind speed of 210 mph and left a 25-mile long trail of damage. A separate twister hit Tuscaloosa, where Hughes’ daughter was a student at the University of Alabama. She wasn’t injured. ___ John Nero, 58, said he lost his home of 20 years when the tornado hit his Tuscaloosa neighborhood. His wife, Pam, suffered a heart attack days later. The couple’s new home overlooks their former neighborhood. Nero sees the area whenever he opens his front door. “It used to be an apartment complex right there,” he said, nodding toward a vast overgrown area. “It was flattened, but I could hear people hollering.” A brick from the nearby College Hill Baptist Church slammed into his upper leg as debris crashed through his home. He still has the brick, as a reminder — God kept him here “to get some things straight,” he said. “That brick didn’t just hit me for no reason.” ___ Michael and Flora Thomas of Tuscaloosa credit the power of prayer for keeping their home intact. It was spared from severe damage while nearly every other house on the block in the Alberta City neighborhood was destroyed. Michael Thomas said he saw the roof of a church hurtling toward him when he looked out the window, and he hid in the bathroom. The windows were blown out and the porch destroyed, but the church’s roof narrowly missed landing on the couple’s home. “Everything was just torn apart, demolished. They found body parts everywhere,” he said. “You look around and see things and know things will never be the same.” ___ Sonya Moore and her family were settling into their new Tuscaloosa home and hadn’t even finished unpacking when the tornado came barreling toward them. She and her children hid in a closet. “We almost lost one of them. The door flung open, and he was so tiny and frail that the wind kind of sucked him up and we had to actually pull him back down,” Moore, 42, said. Moore’s family emerged uninjured but realized nearly everything around them had been destroyed. Sleepless nights followed. They lived in a temporary shelter, a hotel, a FEMA trailer, and with a relative before finally moving into a Habitat for Humanity home in January 2013. “We slept on the floor with pillows, blankets whatever we could gather,” she said. “It was just that exciting to be able to turn the key and go into your own home and know that now we’re finally piecing our lives back together.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Oxford, Ala. passes transgender bathroom ordinance
The city of Oxford, Alabama, has passed an ordinance making it illegal to use a public restroom different from the gender on a person’s birth certificate. Council President Steven Waits tells local news outlets the ordinance passed Tuesday came in response to Target’s new restroom and changing room policies. Target announced the policies last week, which allow transgender employees and shoppers to use the restroom that matches their gender identity. There is a Target store in the Oxford Exchange shopping center. The ordinance makes the offense a misdemeanor. Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge says the law will be enforced like any other city ordinance, such as noise violations or public indecency. Violators of the ordinance could face a $500 fine or up to six months in jail. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Alexander City Mayor, wife charged with assault after fight
A city council member in Alabama says the town’s mayor punched him in the face at the end of a council meeting, leading to a fracas involving several others. Alexander City Councilman Tony Goss tells AL.com that Mayor Charles Shaw slugged him as Monday night’s meeting was concluding and that he punched back. No one was seriously hurt. Shaw tells the news site that Goss swore at his wife, which prompted the brawl. The mayor said he’d hit Goss again if he swears at his wife again. Al.com reports that the fight happened after a heated discussion of finances during the meeting. Tallapoosa County Chief Deputy Sheriff David McMichael says Shaw and his wife Lavern are charged with assault and each was released on $1,000 bail. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
