Kay Ivey awards over $400,000 to law enforcement agencies across state
Gov. Kay Ivey has granted over $400,000 to fifteen different law enforcement agencies across the state. The funds will be used to purchase new gear and increase safety in their individual districts. “The brave men and women of our law enforcement agencies put their lives on the line each and every day to serve and protect their communities,” Ivey said. “I am pleased to help them obtain the needed equipment to enable them to do their jobs effectively and safely.” The funds are available through the U.S. Department of Justice, and will be administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), which administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development. The individual counties and districts and how they will use the grants are as follows: West Alabama: Hale, Sumter and Marengo counties will use grants to obtain new patrol vehicles Greene County Sheriff’s Department will invest in radios, bullet-proof vests and related equipment Eutaw Police Department will purchase vehicle radar systems and a live-scan fingerprint system The Demopolis Police Department aims to use funds for a new generator, assorted office equipment, electronic stun devices East Alabama: Valley plans to use funds to purchase laptop computers Lanett will use grant to acquire laptop computers, body cameras and electric stun guns Alexander City will purchase a utility task vehicle and traffic equipment Dadeville will invest in an off-road vehicle and body cameras Sylacauga plans on purchasing 30 stun guns and accessories for their police department Northeast Alabama: Cherokee County Commission will purchase a new vehicle for the Sheriff’s Office Jackson County Commission for the Sheriff’s Office will purchase tasers, body cameras, and a server to store video data The city of Arab will invest in a video system that includes in-car and body cameras for the police department The city of Guntersville will purchase 80 firearms for the police department The city of Scottsboro plans to purchase four new in-car computers for their police department Pell City will invest in a new case management system which will enable their officers to track crime reporting and to share evidence and intelligence with other law enforcement agencies Irondale plans to buy a body camera system for their officers.
Bentley-Ivey cabinet: who’s out, who’s in
When Gov. Kay Ivey assumed office last April, following the resignation of scandal-ridden former Gov. Robert Bentley, she pledged the people of Alabama that would work with them to steady the Ship of State and improve Alabama’s image. “Today is both a dark day for Alabama yet also one of opportunity. I ask for your help and patience as we together steady the Ship of State and improve Alabama’s image. Those are my first priorities as your 54th Governor,” Ivey said following her swearing-in. “There’s no doubt there’s been a dark cloud hanging over our great state. People all over the world had their eyes on Alabama, and not for the right reasons. People have lost trust in government leaders.” Part of steadying of the Ship of State has meant cleaning house of the Bentley administration as Ivey has dismissed several Cabinet and staff members. Of her 22-member Cabinet, Ivey has currently replaced nine, or 41 percent, of its members. Ivey’s cabinet as of Jan. 29, 2018: Administrator of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board: H. Mac Gipson Superintendent of State Banking Department: Mike Hill Secretary of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education: Jeana Ross Secretary of Commerce: Greg Canfield Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: Chris Blankenship As of August 11, 2017 Former: Gunter Guy Commissioner of the Department of Corrections: Jeff Dunn Director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs: Kenneth Boswell As of May 5, 2017 Director of the Emergency Management Agency: Brian Hastings As of September 5, 2017 Former: Art Faulkner Director of Finance: Clinton Carter Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources: Nancy Buckner Commissioner of Insurance: Jim Ridling Director of the Office of Information Technology: Jim Purcell As of July 15, 2017 Former: Joanne Hale Commissioner of the Department of Labor: Fitzgerald Washington Secretary of Law Enforcement: Hal Taylor As of August 11, 2017 Former: Stan Stabler Commissioner of the Alabama Medicaid Agency: Stephanie Azar Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health: Lynn Beshear As of July 10, 2017 Former: Jim Perdue Director of Minority Affairs: Nichelle Nix Commissioner of the Department of Revenue: Vernon Barnett As of May 12, 2017 Former: Julie Magee Commissioner of the Department of Senior Services: Todd Cotton As of July 15, 2017 Former: Neal Morrison Director of the Tourism Department: Lee Sentell Director of the Department of Transportation: John Cooper Alabama Military Department: Major General Sheryl Gordon As of July 28, 2017 * Ivey appointments in red.
Kay Ivey takes on mission to have employers hire more Alabama vets
Governor Kay Ivey wants to see more veterans hired across the state of Alabama. On Monday, the governor joined U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta and Alabama Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington in urging employers statewide to do just that: hire more Alabama veterans. “Veteran employment is an issue that is very important to me and my Administration,” Ivey said. “We are committed to making sure that those who have volunteered to serve us and our country have worthwhile opportunities to establish long-lasting careers.” Ivey also announced a new federal program, the HIRE Vets Medallion Program, is expected to officially kick off in 2019. It’s designed to encourage employers’ commitment to veteran careers, including hiring, retention, and long-term development. In preparation for its launch, the U.S. Department of Labor is asking employers to apply for its HIRE Vets Medallion Program Demonstration, an effort that will recognize up to 300 employers for their investments in veteran hiring. The program will recognize employers across three categories: large, medium, and small, and will be available at two levels, platinum or gold, based on the criteria they meet. The criteria is available at www.hirevets.gov. “I know that Alabama’s employers care deeply about our veterans, and I encourage them to pursue this federal designation, so that Alabama’s veterans will know how deeply their commitment lies,” Ivey continued. The designations will be available to the first 300 applicants across all categories (large, medium, and small employers) and applications will be available online at www.hirevets.gov on January 31st. Any employer with at least one employee on staff is eligible to apply. There is no application fee. Those recognized in 2018 will also be eligible to apply for the 2019 program. “We know that veterans bring many valuable skills to the workforce,” added Washington. “Employers who have this designation will be that much more attractive to veterans seeking work. It would be wonderful to have dozens of Alabama employers recognized in this first group of designees.” This is not the first time Ivey has brought the spotlight on Alabama’s veterans. In her State of the State address earlier this month, Ivey made hiring one of her administration’s priorities. She announced that she would be extending tax credits to small businesses that hire veterans. “Sometimes, when veterans finish their service, they struggle to find work; that is why I support extending tax credits to small businesses that hire veterans,” Ivey said during her speech. “For those veterans who own their own businesses, they need our support as well. I am proposing legislation that will give preference to veteran-owned businesses that bid on state contracts. Our veterans have given much to protect our state and nation. As a state, we must step up and repay them for their sacrifice.” Employers seeking further information on the HIRE Vets Medallion Program should contact hirevets@dol.gov.
Bombardier’s upstart jet regains U.S. access, Mobile plant likely
Welcome back to America, C Series. Bombardier Inc.’s marquee jet, slapped with crushing U.S. tariffs last year, got a new lease on life when an American trade panel nixed the duties. The Jan. 26 ruling, a surprise defeat for Boeing Co., enables Bombardier to jump-start sales campaigns in the world’s largest aircraft market and makes production of those planes in Alabama more likely. A revival of orders would help debt-laden Bombardier, Canada’s largest aerospace company, add momentum to its comeback. Chief Executive Officer Alain Bellemare thrilled investors in October by forging a C Series partnership with Airbus SE. Now the two plane makers are poised to win new customers for the cutting-edge jetliner in Boeing’s backyard. “Other airlines in the U.S. are probably going to take a closer look,” said Dan Fong, an analyst at Veritas Investment Research Corp. in Toronto. “If you get another U.S. anchor, it will accelerate the sales momentum globally. The U.S. is home to the most experienced aircraft operators in the world, and everyone will be keeping an eye on what happens there.” Bombardier shares surged 16 percent after the ruling, the biggest gain in almost two years for the Montreal-based company. The shares are at their highest level in three years. Boeing was little changed at $343.22, missing out on a defense-industry rally spurred by a report of stepped-up U.S. military spending. Trade ruling The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that American industry isn’t being harmed by C Series sales. The unanimous vote blocked a Commerce Department decision last year to impose duties of almost 300 percent after a complaint by Boeing. The Chicago-based company said Bombardier sold the C Series in the U.S. at less than fair value while benefiting from government subsidies. The decision means Bombardier can make deliveries to Delta Air Lines Inc. The U.S. carrier threw a lifeline to the slow-selling jets in 2016 by ordering at least 75 CS100 planes, in a deal with a list value of $5.6 billion at the time. Before that, Bombardier had struggled to gain a U.S. foothold while production of the single-aisle plane fell more than two years behind schedule and costs ballooned to more than $2 billion over budget. Bombardier spent more than $6 billion to develop the C Series after launching it in 2008, equipping the aircraft with fuel-efficient engines, large windows and a wider-than-usual middle seat. Passenger capacity ranges from 108 to 160. Sales prospects Chief on the list of U.S. sales prospects is JetBlue Airways Corp., which earlier this year delayed a decision on updating its fleet of regional jets. In October, Fabrice Bregier, Airbus’s chief operating officer, identified JetBlue as a possible customer. “JetBlue’s another potential anchor,” Fong said. The carrier was one of at least three U.S. operators – the others were Spirit Airlines Inc. and Sun Country Airlines – that wrote to the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission last year to express support for Bombardier. JetBlue has held discussions with Bombardier about the C Series, Bloomberg News reported in 2016. The New York-based airline didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. While Bombardier has a second U.S. customer in Republic Air, the carrier’s status is anything but certain. Republic has a firm order for 40 jets, but it reached a confidential settlement with Bombardier in 2016 to defer deliveries for an undisclosed period. ‘Not over’ It’s possible Boeing hasn’t said its last word. After the trade panel’s ruling, the company said it would review the decision and vowed not to stand by as Bombardier’s “illegal business practices” hurt U.S. workers and companies. Boeing has forged close ties with President Donald Trump, who last week slapped tariffs on imported solar panels and washing machines on the grounds that they’re harming U.S. industry. Unfair competition threatened the survival of the 737 Max 7, the smallest of Boeing’s upgraded single-aisle jets, the U.S. aerospace giant said. That plane and the C Series can carry similar passenger loads, depending on how they’re configured. Boeing is in talks about a potential combination with the Canadian company’s top rival, Embraer SA, which sells planes that directly compete with the C Series. Boeing can appeal to the U.S. Court of International Trade, said Terence Stewart, managing partner at Washington law firm Stewart & Stewart. Canadian lawmaker Andrew Leslie, the parliamentary secretary to Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, isn’t taking anything for granted. “It’s not over yet,” said Leslie, whose minister is responsible for U.S.-Canada tiesl. The ITC’s ruling “is not the final stage in this process,” he said. Alabama manufacturing Airbus and Bombardier believe they have a solution to remove the risk of future duties once and for all: a U.S.-made C Series. The companies are pressing ahead with a plan to manufacture the planes in Mobile, where the European company makes single-aisle planes. The new assembly line, with an estimated cost of $300 million, would complement Bombardier’s factory in Mirabel, Quebec. “Building the plant eliminates any of that future risk that duties can be imposed at a later date,” said Cam Doerksen, an analyst at National Bank Financial in Montreal. “If you believe Airbus and Bombardier will be able to sell a lot more aircraft through their partnership than what the current plant in Mirabel can accommodate, why not build that capacity in Alabama instead? Absolutely it’ll get built.” After the International Trade Commission’s decision, Bombardier reaffirmed its commitment to build in Mobile once the Airbus deal is completed. The closing is expected to occur later this year. The unanimous trade ruling, coupled with the Alabama plan, puts the C Series “on the right path to re-enter the U.S. market,” said Fadi Chamoun, a BMO Capital Markets analyst. “A cloud has been lifted.” Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.
Get to know: Richard Minor, candidate for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals
Three seats on the five-seat court of Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals are up for election this year. Today’s candidate spotlight features St. Clair County District Attorney Richard Minor. Minor has served as the top prosecutor in St. Clair County since he was first elected in 2004. He’s running for Place 1 on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. With a little over four months until voters head to the ballots, AlabamaToday.com is inviting all candidates running for office in Alabama this year, to complete a questionnaire we believe offers an interesting, albeit, thumbnail sketch of who they are and why they are running. If you are a candidate and would like to complete the questionnaire, email Elizabeth@ALToday.com. Here Minor is in his own words: Significant other? How long married? Kids? I am married to Angela Callahan Minor of Pell City. We married in 2006. I have two daughters, Olivia (19) and Adyson (10), and one stepson Bailey (17). My wife and I also have have custody of our nephew Brad (18). Education background? Professional background? I am a 1993 graduate of the Cumberland School of Law, Samford University. While at Cumberland School of Law, I was a member of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy, a Cordell Hull Teaching Fellow and served as a Samford Senator. I graduated summa cum laude from Auburn University in 1990 with a B.A. in Criminal Justice.In 2004, I was elected District Attorney for St. Clair County. Prior to my election, I served as the Chief Trial Attorney in the St. Clair County District Attorney’s Office. I am currently in my thirteenth year as District Attorney and twenty-fourth year as a career prosecutor. Prior to serving as Chief Trial Attorney, I served as an Assistant District Attorney in Tuscaloosa County and Jefferson County as well as serving as an Assistant Attorney General in the Violent Crimes Division of the Office of the Attorney General under both Jeff Sessions, current US Attorney General, and Bill Pryor, Jr., a current judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.During my tenure as District Attorney from 2006-2011, I served as the Acting Attorney General and Special Prosecutor for the State of Alabama overseeing the State of Alabama’s interest in a joint federal and state investigation of public corruption in the Post Secondary System of Alabama. This investigation led to the conviction of the former Chancellor of Post Secondary, state legislators, and a multitude of others. I have had the honor to serve as President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer of the Alabama District Attorneys Association. Currently, I am appointed by the Chief Justice as a member of the State of Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure Committee. In addition, I currently serve on the Alabama Sentencing Commission Standards Committee, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Juvenile Justice & Delinquincy Prevention, the Governor’s Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition, the Board of Directors of VOCAL, and the United States Attorney’s Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee for the Northern District of Alabama. In the past, I served on the State of Alabama Pattern Jury Instructions (Criminal) Committee, the Review Committee for Alabama’s Protocol for the Examination and Treatment of Sexual Assault, and the Pell City Housing Authority. What was your first job before college/adulthood and after? My first job before college was serving ice cream at Baskin Robbins. In addition, I spent the summer before college working for my hometown painting fire hydrants and checking the nuts and bolts on all street signs. During law school, I served as a law clerk for then US Attorney Jeff Sessions in the Southern District of Alabama. During law school, I served as a paid law clerk in the United States Attorneys Office in Birmingham assigned to the Criminal Division and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.Upon graduation of Cumberland School of Law, I became an Assistant District Attorney for Tuscaloosa County where I was assigned to the District Court. After a short period of time, I was assigned to the West Alabama Narcotics Squad (WANS) where I prosecuted all felony drug offenses committed in Tuscaloosa County. In 25 words or less, why are you running for office? To offer the citizens an opportunity to have someone on the court who has 24 years of specializing in criminal law and who has followed the rule of law. That is, I am offering myself as a judge that will apply the law as it is written, not what it should be. In doing so, the people will have the opportunity to elect someone who has a proven conservative record and someone who will uphold the United States Constitution and founding principles of our Founding Fathers. Did you speak with anybody in your political party before deciding on running? Receive any encouragement? From whom? Before making my final decisions to run for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, I spoke to my family, close friends, and Judge Bill Pryor, Jr., Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Pryor is a former boss and someone whose opinion I deeply value. As someone with firsthand knowledge of running a statewide campaign and serving as an appellate judge, he provided valuable insight. Once I made my decision in late May 2017, I did call Chairwoman Terry Lathan of the Alabama Republican Party to tell her of my intentions. During the summer of 2017, I also spoke with members of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. Who do you count on for advice besides significant other or clergy? Other than my wife and pastor, the two people I count on most for advice are my father and my twin brother. Who is your political consultant? Campaign manager? My campaign consultant is Angi Horn Stalnaker. Who was the first person to contribute to your campaign? Why did they donate? My first contributor was my primary physician, Dr. Bill McClanahan. He understand the need that our elected officials have the utmost integrity and ethical standards. Furthermore, he understands the need for conservative judges who will follow the rule of law. That is, say what the law
Bradley Byrne: Back on the road in Southwest Alabama
I always appreciate the opportunity to get out of Washington, D.C. and spend time with the people I represent in Congress. Our most recent District Work Week was unfortunately cut short by the frivolous government shutdown, but thankfully I was still able to get back to Southwest Alabama for a number of town hall meetings and other important events. It was a real treat to be able to celebrate my 100th in-person town hall meeting by holding a “100th Town Hall Tour” with stops in Chatom, Grove Hill, Jackson, Creola, East Brewton, and Frisco City. These town hall meetings are always a fantastic opportunity to hear directly from the people I represent in Congress. Many people were concerned about illegal immigration and what to do about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. I made clear my interest in boosting border security to cut down on illegal immigration, and I recommitted my promise to never support amnesty. I also heard from a number of individuals who want to see the House Intelligence Committee release a classified memo about potential abuses in some of our intelligence programs. I support the release of the memo, and I have written a letter to the Intelligence Committee asking that they make the memo public for the American people to read and evaluate for themselves. Various road and infrastructure projects also came up at the meetings, and I shared the positive news that President Donald Trump plans to make rural projects a key part of his upcoming infrastructure package. Social Security, Medicare, the VA, rural hospitals, and national security were some other hot topics. We were fortunate to have Bob Grip from Fox 10 News with us for our stops in Washington, Clarke, and Mobile counties. He will be doing a story highlighting my 100th Town Hall Tour, so I encourage you to be on the lookout for that story soon. As you may know, Bob recently announced he will be retiring at the end of the year, so I appreciated the opportunity to spend time with him. Last week, I was also able to visit some of the outstanding Pre-K programs in our area. Studies have shown that Pre-K programs increase education outcomes for students, and Alabama’s Pre-K program ranks as the best in the entire nation. So, it was very helpful to spend time in a few classrooms and see the programs in action. First, I visited the Crossroads Head Start and Pre-K programs in north Baldwin County. After a quick tour of the facility, I sat down with the kids to read a book and answer some of their questions. It did not take long for me to realize how sharp the students are and how committed their teachers are to helping the kids learn. Next, I visited Rachel Patterson Elementary School in Atmore. After a quick meeting with education leaders from Escambia County and the State of Alabama, I visited two classrooms to spend time with the students. I was able to play games with one class while reading the Dr. Seuss book “Oh the Place You Will Go” to the other class. As you can tell, it was a very eventful and productive few days back in Southwest Alabama. I have always made it a priority to get around the First Congressional District to hear directly from the people I represent and better understand the challenges they face. Ultimately, it is the people in Alabama – not those in Washington – that I work for and represent. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
