Alabama man accused of spiking aunt’s juice with bleach
Authorities say an Alabama man accused of spiking his aunt’s juice with bleach has been arrested. Footage from local television stations showed 18-year-old Deandre Leshawn Luckey of Tuscaloosa being walked to a sheriff’s patrol vehicle in handcuffs Thursday. He was found in Sumter County. Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit Capt. Gary Hood says Luckey’s 40-year-old aunt drank orange juice from a container in her refrigerator Tuesday and noticed a strange smell and taste. Hood says the woman’s husband told her the juice smelled like bleach and Luckey admitted that he put bleach in the juice to try to kill her. The woman was treated at DCH Regional Medical Center. Luckey is charged with attempted murder and is being held on $50,000 bond. It’s unclear if he has an attorney. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Bradley Byrne’s amendment limiting DOD spending on housing for illegal migrant children passes
The House of Representatives on Thursday adopted an amendment to the defense appropriations bills that would prohibit the Department of Defense from using any money to construct or modify facilities to house unaccompanied alien children (UAC). The amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, proposed by Alabama 1st District U.S. Congressman Bradley Byrne, reads that “none of the funds made available by this Act may be used to modify a military installation in the United States, including construction or modification of a facility on a military installation, to provide temporary housing for unaccompanied alien children.” It was adopted by a vote of 223 to 198. “I’m pleased the House passed my amendment to make clear there are better places to house illegal migrant children than our nation’s military facilities,” Byrne said in a news release. “It simply makes no sense to place these children so close to military activities like Navy aircraft training or live firing ranges.” Byrne’s amendment is especially timely as the Department of Health and Human Services evaluates whether to house illegal migrant children at two Navy outlying airfields in Baldwin County, Alabama. Last week, Byrne sent a letter to the Obama Administration outlining his concerns with housing the children in Baldwin County. “I especially hope the passage of my amendment sends a message to the Obama Administration that they should not bring these children to Navy airfields in Baldwin County,” Byrne continued. “Doing so would put the children at risk while also compromising military readiness.” With Byrne’s amendment included, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act passed the House by a vote of 282 to 138. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Alabama business roundup: Headlines from across state – 6/16/16 edition
Which mega-retailer now allows Alabama shoppers to pay with their smartphones? Are you familiar with the new Alabama tax laws that could affect your company? Answers to all of these questions and more in today’s business roundup: Birmingham Business Journal: North Alabama megasite primed for development A 1,252-acre site off Powell Road in Limestone County was certified as a Tennessee Valley Authority megasite, rendering the site more competitive when it comes to large-scale development. The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County said the site – which sits in the same area as other recent large scale manufacturing projects like Polaris Industries and GE Aviation- can now compete globally to land a major manufacturer. It’s the first TVA certification of its kind in Alabama. “The certification is our international calling card telling global manufacturers we are open for business and a prime place for industry and jobs,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said. “This site should attract a high-tech, high-end company for worldwide customers.” The TVA has seen its certified mega sites go on to land major projects, as five of the seven certified locations have brought a collective capital investment total of more than $5 billion. AL.com: Alabama Walmart customers can now pay with their smartphones Starting today, customers at the more than 120 Walmart locations across Alabama can check out using their smartphones. Walmart Pay was already available in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas and today rolled out in four Southern states, including Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, according to company spokeswoman Molly Blakeman. The service will soon be available nationwide. Here’s how it works: Open: Visit any register, open the Walmart app and choose Walmart Pay. Activate the camera. Scan: At any time during checkout, simply scan the code displayed at the register. Walmart Pay is now connected. Done: Associate scans and bags the items and it’s done. An eReceipt will be sent to the app and can be viewed at any time. The service, first announced in December, makes Walmart “the only retailer to offer its own payment solution that works with any iOS or Android device (that can download the Walmart app), at any checkout lane, and with any major credit, debit, pre-paid or Walmart gift card – all through the Walmart mobile app,” according to a press release. “We can’t wait to hear what our customers and associates in Alabama think of Walmart Pay. The service was built to make shopping easier and faster, something we know our customers want,” said Daniel Eckert, senior vice president, Services, Walmart U.S. “Walmart Pay is a powerful addition to our app, a tool that we’re using to transform the shopping experience by seamlessly connecting our online assets and our stores for customers. The service opens the door to new and better ways we can serve the 140 million customers who shop our stores each week.” Alabama NewsCenter: Gulf Coast facility helps keep saltwater fishing afloat in Alabama Marie Head works long hours monitoring conditions and tending to the fish at the Claude Peteet Mariculture Center in Gulf Shores. She shares on-call duties on weekends and holidays for a facility that requires constant attention. Being a biologist’s aide isn’t a high-paying job, either. And there’s nowhere else she’d rather be than the hatchery that grows saltwater fish for research and stock enhancement. “I love it,” Head said with a smile. “We watch them hatch out under a microscope. We feed them and grow them so that they can be released and fishermen can fish. You get to see life right here in this building.” Despite Alabama’s small coastline, recreational saltwater fishing is a $900-million-plus business for the state. The Alabama Department of Conservation Division of Marine Resources oversees both recreation and commercial fishing in saltwater. Its hatchery spearheads efforts to make sure anglers have plenty of fish to pursue down at the Gulf. “We’re two-fold,” said Josh Neese, hatchery manager. “We do research and raise fish in mass numbers to release at one inch long.” Completed in January 2015, the hatchery, tucked away behind the Gulf Shores Airport, includes a brood stock room, a fry room, grow-out tanks, an algae room where food for the larval and fish fry is grown, a pond production area and 35 one-fifth-acre ponds, said Chris Blankenship, director of Marine Resources. Raw water lines connect the facility to the Intracoastal Waterway Canal, where it draws its brackish water, and the Gulf of Mexico at Gulf State Park Pier, where it gets its pure salt water. Read the rest of the article here. Birmingham Business Journal: Alabama tax law changes your company needs to know The Alabama Legislature concluded a relatively productive 2016 regular session on May 4. The 2017 Regular Session will begin next February, although there is a good possibility of the governor calling a special session this fall to address his prison plan, increased Medicaid funding, how to spend the BP settlement funds awarded to the state and perhaps another vote on the popular historic renovation tax credit legislation. Here is a look at the some noteworthy state tax bills that were signed into law: Act #2016-412 – Federal/State Filing Date Conformity Bill: Conforms the state income tax return filing dates for corporations and pass-through entities to the inverted filing dates established by Congress last year. CPAs across the state breathed a sigh of relief. Act #2016-345 – HSA Conformity Bill finally passes: Generally conforms the state income tax rules for creating a health savings account to the federal tax rules, but not until 2018. Beginning that year, taxpayers can claim a state income tax deduction for contributions to HSAs, limited to the annual cap imposed by federal tax law (currently $3,350 for individuals and $6,750 for families). Alabama was one of only three states with an income tax that didn’t conform to the federal rules. Many Alabama employers offer this useful option to their employees. Act #2016-406 – Additional restrictions on private auditing firms: Clarifies that the statutory ban on contingent fee audits includes unwritten agreements between counties or
Alabama Justice Tom Parker files lawsuit over speech restrictions
A bench ally of suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore has filed a federal lawsuit challenging what he called the state’s unconstitutional restrictions on judges’ speech. Associate Justice Tom Parker filed the lawsuit Wednesday against the state’s Judicial Inquiry Commission. The lawsuit challenges speech restrictions in the canons of judicial ethics. The Southern Poverty Law Center in 2015 filed a complaint against Parker over remarks he made on a conservative talk show criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. Moore was automatically suspended from office after the Judicial Inquiry Commission brought charges that Moore violated judicial ethics in his actions related to the fight over same-sex marriage. Parker’s lawsuit also challenges the automatic suspension provision. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Gary Palmer introduces legislation to hold federal agencies accountable
An Alabama congressman introduced legislation Thursday requiring all fines, fees, penalties, and other unappropriated funds collected by federal agencies to be transferred to the Treasury, and subject to the appropriations process. Citing recent examples where government agencies lacked accountability, 6th District Congressman Gary Palmer pitched the Agency Accountability Act (AAA) as a way to allow Congress to effectively regain the power of the purse over the actions of federal agencies and bring more transparency and accountability to the federal government. “This legislation will bring transparency and oversight back to our government,” Palmer said in a news release. “Throughout the years, Congress has granted federal agencies the authority to collect fines, fees and other revenues outside of their appropriated funds, but Congress has had little or no say in the way a substantial portion of these monies are spent, which in some instances has led to agency abuse.” A sizable portion of the fines, fees and other revenues are used by agencies to self-fund programs or operations outside of the normal appropriations process. Entities such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) receive no appropriated funds from Congress. According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in 2015 the federal government collected $516 billion in user fees alone. Last year U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) intended to fund President Barack Obama’s unconstitutional executive action on illegal immigration through fines and fees and circumvent the will of Congress. Palmer continued, “Congress must begin reclaiming our Article I authority through the power of the purse and put the money back under congressional oversight where it belongs. I look forward to the support of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle as we work to restore Article I appropriation and oversight authority to Congress.”
A look at the redistricting process in every state
Districts for U.S. Congress and state legislatures are redrawn every 10 years after each U.S. census. In most places, that task is done by state lawmakers. Gerrymandering can occur when they draw boundaries that favor certain people or political parties, typically those already in power. To try to diminish the role of partisan politics, some states use appointed commissions for their redistricting duties. Those commissions have varying degrees of political independence from lawmakers. A look at how each state handles redistricting: ALABAMA Districts for Congress and the state legislature are drawn by state lawmakers, subject to a gubernatorial veto. ALASKA A 1998 amendment to the state Constitution created a five-person board to handle redistricting for state House and Senate seats. Two members are appointed by the governor and one each by the presiding officers of the House and Senate and the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Alaska has only one district for Congress. ARIZONA Districts for Congress and the state legislature are drawn by a five-person commission created by a voter-approved ballot measure in 2000. Twenty-five potential redistricting commissioners are nominated by the same state panel that handles appeals court nominees. The legislature’s two Republican leaders choose two commissioners from 10 Republican candidates, and the two Democratic leaders choose two from their party’s 10 nominees. Those four commissioners then select the fifth member, who must be an independent and serves as chairman. ARKANSAS A panel consisting of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state draws state legislative districts. Congressional districts are drawn by state lawmakers, subject to a gubernatorial veto. CALIFORNIA Districts for the state legislature and Congress are drawn by a 14-person commission, the result of voter-approved ballot measures in 2008 and 2010. A state auditor’s panel takes applications and selects 60 potential redistricting commissioners – 20 Democrats, 20 Republicans and 20 others. The state Assembly and Senate majority and minority leaders each can eliminate two nominees from each political category. Eight redistricting commissioners are randomly selected from the remaining pool of candidates. Those commissioners then select the six other members of the panel. It takes nine votes to approve the districts. COLORADO State legislative districts are drawn by an 11-member commission. The majority and minority party leaders of each legislative chamber each appoint one member, the governor appoints three and the chief justice of the Supreme Court appoints four. Congressional districts are drawn by the state legislature, subject to a gubernatorial veto. CONNECTICUT Districts for Congress and the state legislature require a two-thirds vote of approval from each state legislative chamber. If lawmakers fail to pass a plan, the task falls to a nine-member commission. The majority and minority party leaders of each legislative chamber each appoint two commissioners and the panel then picks its ninth member. DELAWARE State legislative districts are drawn by state lawmakers, subject to a gubernatorial veto. Delaware has only one congressional district. FLORIDA Districts for Congress and the state legislature are both drawn by state lawmakers. Congressional districts are subject to a gubernatorial veto. The legislative districts are not, but are automatically reviewed by the state’s Supreme Court. GEORGIA Districts for Congress and the state legislature are drawn by state lawmakers, subject to a gubernatorial veto. HAWAII Districts for Congress and the state legislature are drawn by a nine-person commission. The Senate president and House speaker each appoint two commissioners. The minority legislative party appoints two commissioners who, in turn, pick two more. The ninth commissioner is chosen by the other eight members of the panel. IDAHO Districts for Congress and state legislature are drawn by a six-member commission. The majority and minority party leaders in each legislative chamber each select one person to serve on the commission; the state chairmen of the Republican and Democratic parties also each select a commissioner. Two-thirds of the commissioners must vote to approve a map. Commissioners cannot be government officials or lobbyists. ILLINOIS Congressional districts are drawn by state lawmakers, subject to a gubernatorial veto. Lawmakers also are responsible for drawing state legislative districts, but if they fail, that task falls to an eight-member commission. The majority and minority leaders of each legislative chamber each choose two commissioners – one lawmaker and one citizen. If the panel fails to approve new districts by a majority vote, the state Supreme Court submits the names of two individuals from different parties and one is randomly chosen as a ninth member of the commission. An initiative proposed for the November ballot would shift congressional and state legislative redistricting to an 11-member citizens commission. INDIANA State legislative districts are drawn by lawmakers, subject to a gubernatorial veto. Lawmakers also are responsible for drawing congressional districts, but if they fail, the task falls to a five-member commission. The panel consists of the top-ranking lawmaker and redistricting committee chairman from each chamber, as well as a lawmaker picked by the governor. IOWA The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency provides the legislature with a draft redistricting plan for both Congress and the state legislature. If lawmakers reject it, the panel submits a new plan. If legislators reject the second version, a third plan is prepared. But unlike the first two, the third version can be amended by lawmakers before they vote on it. KANSAS Districts for Congress and the state legislature are drawn by state lawmakers, subject to a gubernatorial veto. The state legislative plan is automatically sent to the state Supreme Court for review. KENTUCKY Districts for Congress and the state legislature are drawn by state lawmakers, subject to a gubernatorial veto. LOUISIANA Districts for Congress and the state legislature are drawn by state lawmakers, subject to a gubernatorial veto. MAINE A 15-member commission drafts redistricting plans for Congress and the state legislature and submits those to the legislature. Lawmakers can either enact those plans or approve their own plan by a two-thirds vote of each chamber. The House speaker and minority leader each appoint three members, and the Senate majority and minority leaders each appoint two to the commission.
