Kay Ivey announces $50M ‘Transformation’ for Talladega Superspeedway
The owners of Talladega Superspeedway are investing at least $50 million as part of a year-long project dubbed “Transformation” that will add amenities that include a fan area in garages and a massive covered area with a bar, seating and giant video screen. International Speedway Corporation said today it is making the investment in NASCAR’s most competitive track to “take Talladega to another level,” according to ISC Chief Operating Officer Joie Chitwood. Watch the Talladega Superspeedway Transformation development announcement from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo. “We’re elevating the guest experience with unique amenities and conveniences that Talladega Superspeedway can offer and that’s going to continue the history of this facility well into the future,” Chitwood said. Among the enhancements will be: Garage Fan Zone Experience, with more than 140,000 square feet of social and engagement areas, and up-close access to race car bays via a garage viewing walkway in the new Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage. There will also be interactive attractions and enhanced amenities for fans, sponsors, teams and stakeholders in the infield. The area will also have Wi-Fi, two new concession stands, restroom complexes, a guest services center and a fan first-aid facility. Open Air Club, a 35,000-square-foot covered area with lots of seating, a bar, a 41-foot video screen and views into the garage areas. Paddock Club will be a two-level viewing and seating area for more than 600 at the end of pit road. New Gatorade Victory Lane will be visible from fans in both the grandstands and the Garage Fan Zone Experience. Approximately 300 new RV spaces – all with power and water hookups – offering views of of the Alabama Gang Superstretch and the start-finish line. A new two-lane, oversized vehicle tunnel at the end of the Alabama Gang Superstretch will allow 24-hour entry/exit access for vehicular traffic, including RVs along with a tram route that will deliver fans to the entrance of the new Garage Fan Zone Experience. The project also will include an expanded drivers meeting location, renovated media center and a Race Operations building high atop the tri-oval that will house race control, live television booths for Fox and NBC, the Motor Racing Network and public address. The improvements are coming in 2019, the year Talladega Superspeedway marks its 50th anniversary. “We have had nearly 50 years of incredible history in motorsports and have been a tourist destination for so many,” said Grant Lynch, chairman of Talladega Superspeedway. “The investment that we are making shows a commitment today, tomorrow and beyond. Fans, both current and future, have a lot to look forward to in the next 50 years. There’s only one Talladega.” Construction will start following the Oct. 12-14 NASCAR Playoff doubleheader this year, featuring the 1000Bulbs.com 500 and Talladega 250. The new RV spaces and Race Operations improvements will be ready in time for the spring 2019 race while the other infield enhancements will be ready in time for the fall 2019 race. NASCAR and International Motorsports Hall of Famer Richard Childress raced in the first NASCAR race at Talladega in 1969 and has run many races there with his Richard Childress Racing team of drivers. “Talladega Superspeedway is where my career began as a driver, so it holds a special place in my heart,” Childress said. “Over the years we have met so many fans that love our sport here, and with this new endeavor, Talladega and ISC are taking this place to next level. Fans have loved it for nearly 50 years, but this is going to take it to new heights.” The improvements are expected to add to the economic impact the Talladega Superspeedway has on the state by bringing in more than 100,000 race fans to the state for two races each year. “In 2017, Talladega had a $435 million impact on our state, including $167 million in payroll supporting nearly 8,300 jobs,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said. “We simply cannot overstate the positive impact that NASCAR, (ISC) and the Talladega Superspeedway have on Alabama. Attractions like Talladega are essential to a healthy industry of tourism and it has a positive effect on Alabama’s economy.” The Talladega Superspeedway Transformation project focuses on infield improvements. (DLR Group/Alabama Newscenter) Birmingham’s Hoar Construction is the pre construction contractor on the project, which was designed by Omaha, Nebraska-based DLR Group. “We are excited to be involved in the redevelopment of the Talladega Superspeedway,” said Turner Burton, vice president at Hoar. “It is an honor to work with International Speedway Corporation on one of the most famous racetracks in the world. We are building a strong team of local partners that will make sure the project is a success and has a significant economic impact for our home state. We are looking forward to breaking ground this fall.” Transformation comes at a fitting time in the racetrack’s history, Ivey said. “Since ground was broken at this site 50 years ago, Alabama has proudly been the home of the biggest and baddest racetrack in NASCAR,” she said. Republished with the permission of the Alabama Newscenter.
Over 1,800 immigrant children reunited by deadline
Shy children were given a meal and a plane or bus ticket to locations around the U.S. as nonprofit groups tried to smooth the way for kids reunited with their parents following their separations at the U.S. Mexico border. The Trump administration said Thursday that more than 1,800 children 5 years and older had been reunited with parents or sponsors hours before the deadline. That included 1,442 children who were returned to parents who were in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, and another 378 who were released under a variety of other circumstances. But about 700 more remain separated, including 431 whose parents were deported, officials say. Those reunions take more time, effort and paperwork as authorities fly children back to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. On Friday morning, Homeland Security officials said they had reunified all eligible parents with children — but noted many others were not eligible because they have been released from immigration custody, are in their home countries or chose not to be reunited. Updated figures were not made public, but new data was expected to be released Friday at a court hearing in San Diego held by the judge overseeing the reunification process. “The administration will continue to make every effort to reunify eligible adults with their children,” a Homeland Security statement said. Now the federal judge in San Diego who ordered the reunifications must decide how to address the hundreds of still-separated children whose parents have been deported, as well as how much time, if any, reunified parents should be allowed to file asylum claims. Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union representing separated parents, said Thursday it was unclear how long it might take to find the parents returned to their homelands. “I think it’s just going to be really hard detective work and hopefully we’re going to find them,” he said. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw will also consider the ACLU’s request to give reunified parents at least a week to consider if they wish to seek asylum. The government opposes the waiting period, and Sabraw has put a hold on deporting reunified families while the issue is decided. On a parallel legal front over treatment of immigrant children, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles will be asked Friday to appoint a special monitor to oversee detention facilities. Children described horrid conditions in a voluminous report filed this month over whether the Trump administration is meeting its obligations under a long-standing settlement governing how young immigrants should be treated in custody. As the deadline neared, small groups of children were led in and out of Lutheran Social Services in Phoenix all day Thursday, sometimes holding hands with a worker from the center. Children and parents wore matching hospital-like identification bracelets and carried belongings in white plastic bags. The men sported shoes without laces that were taken away while in immigration detention. Support worker Julisa Zaragoza said some kids were so afraid of losing their parents again they didn’t want to go to the bathroom alone. “These families have been through a lot,” she said. The federal government was supposed to reunify more than 2,500 children who were separated from their parents under a new immigration policy designed to deter immigrants from coming here illegally, but the policy backfired amid global outrage over crying children taken from their parents. President Donald Trump ended the practice of taking children from parents and Sabraw ordered the government to reunite all the families by the end of Thursday, nevertheless indicating some flexibility given the enormity of the effort. Chris Meekins, the head of the office of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response for Health and Human Services, said the government would continue to reunify families with eligible parents throughout the evening. In most cases the families are released and the parents typically get ankle-monitoring bracelets and court dates to appear before an immigration judge. Faith-based and other groups have provided meals, clothing, legal advice, plane and bus tickets and even new shoe laces. A charitable organization called FWD.US, founded by technology leaders including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Dropbox founder Drew Houston was paying for the airline tickets, the bus tickets and the lodging for all the families newly reunited in the Phoenix area to get them to relatives living all over the United States, said Connie Phillips of Lutheran Social Services. She said a phone company donated 500 mobile phones for the migrants, each with six months of free service. There were scattered reunions in various locations Thursday, including about 15 in Phoenix, said Phillips. The main immigrant-assistance center in El Paso, Texas, has been receiving about 25 reunified families daily. Some children who had not seen their parents in weeks or months seemed slow to accept that they would not be abandoned again. Jose Dolores Munoz, 36, from El Salvador, was reunited with his 7-year-old daughter last Friday, nearly two months after they were separated, but he said his daughter cries when he leaves the house. “She is afraid,” Munoz said. “Yesterday I left her crying, she is telling me, ‘You are not coming back.’” Those who remain separated from their children include Lourdes de Leon of Guatemala. She surrendered to authorities at the border and was deported on June 7, while her 6-year-old son, Leo, remained in the U.S. De Leon said Guatemalan consular officials told her signing a deportation order would be the easiest way to reunite with Leo. “He is in a shelter in New York,” de Leon said. “My baby already had his hearing with a judge who signed his deportation eight days ago. But I still do not know when they are going to return him to me.” At the Lutheran center, Phillips said the parents and kids have opened up as they go through an assessment process with workers. She said the outpouring of donations has been comforting. “We have seen a lot of people come
Jack Williams’ lawyer believes his case will not go to trial, will end favorably
Vestavia Hills-Republican, longtime State Rep.Jack Williams‘ lawyer reportedly does not believe Williams’ case will go to trial and that whatever the solution it will end favorably for him. Williams, along with former Alabama Republican Party Chairman Martin “Marty” Connors, California-based health care executive G. Ford Gilbert were arrested in April on federal bribery charges. This week, a new defendant was added to the case. Outgoing Daphne-Republican State Rep. Randy Davis was also indicted on Wednesday by a feral grand jury on charges of bribery and conspiracy. In light of the new filing against Davis, Williams’ attorney Jake Watson told AL.com he expects to see a resolution soon, and that Williams could avoid the trial currently scheduled for September 4. “All I can say is that we are in the process of resolving the previous indictment. And I would think it will be resolved within the next few weeks,” Watson continued. “I expect it to be resolved in a manner that is favorable to the government and to Mr. Williams.” According to the indictment originally filed in April, Defendant Gilbert is the owner of a California company that operates diabetes treatment centers throughout the world—Trina Health, LLC (Trina Health). In 2014 and 2015, Trina Health opened three clinics in Alabama. Soon thereafter, the state’s largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama (a.k.a. Blue Cross), informed Trina Health that it would not cover the treatments provided by them. Gilbert then schemed to force Blue Cross to change its position. He came up with a plan to push a bill through the Alabama Legislature’s 2016 session that would require Blue Cross to cover the treatments. Gilbert then made payments to State of Alabama House Majority Leader Micky Hammon in exchange for his efforts on behalf of the bill. Gilbert also hired Defendant Connors to act as a lobbyist on behalf of the bill. Connors knew of Gilbert’s payments to Majority Leader Hammon. Hammon and Connors then recruited Defendant Williams, the chairman of the Commerce and Small Business Committee of the Alabama House of Representatives, to hold a public hearing on the bill. Williams also knew of the payments to Hammon and acted in part to help Hammon, who, as everyone in the scheme knew, was experiencing grave financial problems. The indictment does not include charges against Hammon since he has already been convicted in federal court of other offenses related to mail fraud and misusing campaign funds. Williams plead “not guilty” in a federal arraignment later in April. “I have done nothing wrong, and once the facts are presented, I expect to be found innocent by a jury of all the allegations outlined in Monday’s indictment,” he said in a statement. If convicted, Williams faces up to 20 years in prison.
Donald Trump open to Moscow visit if Vladimir Putin formally invites him
President Donald Trump is open to visiting Moscow if formally invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House said Friday. Putin had said earlier Friday during a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, that he was ready to invite Trump and also ready to visit Washington if conditions are right. That’s fine with Trump, said Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The U.S. president “looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation,” she said. Trump had initially invited Putin to Washington this fall for a follow-up meeting to their controversial Helsinki summit. But National Security Adviser John Bolton said this week that Trump now believes the follow-up sit-down should take place “after the Russia witch hunt is over” and “after the first of the year.” He was referring to the federal investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and whether Trump’s campaign assisted or was aware of the efforts. Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation as a “witch hunt” intended to delegitimize his presidency. Putin said Friday, “I understand very well what President Trump said: He has the wish to conduct further meetings. I am ready for this.” “We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow,” Putin said, according to the state news agency RIA-Novosti. “By the way, he has such an invitation, I told him of this.” He did not clarify if that was a face-to-face invitation to be followed by a formal one. “I am prepared to go to Washington, but, I repeat, if the appropriate conditions for work are created,” the Russian leader said Trump has been widely criticized for failing to strongly denounce Russia’s election interference and appearing to accept Putin’s denials during their joint press conference in Helsinki. Trump has since tried to walk back at least some of his comments. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Kay Ivey side-steps debate with Walt Maddox
Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday dismissed a challenge to debate Democratic Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox ahead of the gubernatorial election, saying only reporters and her opponent care about debates. “There are only two people that ever bring up the subject. Y’all in the media and my opponent,” Ivey said in response to a question about it. Ivey, who automatically became governor last year when then-Gov. Robert Bentley resigned in the fallout of a scandal, faces Maddox in the November election. The Tuscaloosa mayor, who is running on a platform of establishing a state lottery to fund education programs, challenged Ivey this week to a series of four debates. Asked twice if she would be willing to debate Maddox, Ivey repeated a statement from her campaign that Maddox should instead debate “himself” because he had been inconsistent on issues. “When he finishes debating himself he can talk,” Ivey said. Speaking to reporters after a Friday speech in Montgomery, Ivey said she believes the people of Alabama support her agenda. She cited a poll that showed her to be one of the most popular governors in the nation. Ivey did not debate her opponents in the GOP primary. Incumbent governors perceived as front runners sometimes avoid debates with challengers. In 2014, Bentley refused to debate his Democratic challenger Parker Griffith. Griffith responded by erecting a giant inflatable duck in downtown Montgomery to jab Bentley for “ducking” a debate with him. Griffith lost. During the GOP primary, Ivey’s Republican primary challengers argued that unlike elected incumbents Ivey has never been vetted for the position of governor. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Martha Roby: Meeting the demands of our growing workforce
Last month’s jobs report showed that job openings are at a record high, confirming our country’s continued positive economic progress. For the first time since the year 2000, the number of job openings is larger than the number of people unemployed. Our country’s gross domestic product also grew at a 4.1 percent pace in the second quarter of this year, marking the fastest rate of growth since 2014. This is great news for the American people, and our focus moving forward must be to continue this momentum. As I have said many times before, over the last year and a half, our unified Republican government has worked very hard to deliver meaningful results on the economic front. I am proud of our efforts to foster economic growth and opportunity, and I believe it is critical that we provide a well-trained workforce to meet the demands. That’s why I am glad to report that Congress has officially sent the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, an important workforce development bill, to the President’s desk for his signature. This important piece of legislation reauthorizes the Perkins funding that supports career tech programs at the state and local levels. The bill also makes needed improvements to the system to ensure these crucial dollars are spent effectively and efficiently. In addition, this legislation updates the federal investment in career tech education to provide increased flexibility to states to ensure these CTE programs are high quality, engaging, and above all, successful. As you know, our state is fortunate to have a very strong network of community colleges that offer a wide variety of career training. Alabama’s Community College System has more than 79,000 students enrolled in career tech programs, and more than 70 public high schools in our state offer CTE courses. They are working in lockstep with industries to ensure the educational training matches the jobs that will be waiting for these students when they complete their coursework. Our district is home to quite a few excellent career tech programs, including those at Trenholm State Community College in Montgomery, Wallace Community College in Dothan and their Sparks Campus in Eufaula, the Enterprise State Community College campuses in Enterprise and Ozark, Ingram State Technical College in Deatsville, Reid State Technical College in Evergreen, and the Lurleen B. Wallace Community College campuses in Andalusia, Opp, and Greenville. To broaden this extensive network even more, many high schools enjoy partnerships with nearby community colleges to offer students courses closer to home. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to visit many of these campuses and see firsthand the quality training they offer. Most recently, I stopped by Lurleen B. Wallace’s MacArthur Campus in Opp for a tour, and I was truly blown away by the wide variety of courses available. There’s no question that in Alabama, our current CTE system is working well, but that shouldn’t stop us from making every effort to improve it. The Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act for the 21st Century, which I hope will soon be signed into law, provides proper investment in quality career tech programs – but this is about so much more than just funding. This important bill provides greater flexibility to states and program administrators on the ground so they are able to adjust to ever-changing needs. The bill also improves accountability to require CTE programs to deliver results. Career tech programs are so important because they meet the demands of our steadily changing workforce by equipping students with the skills, knowledge, and experience they need to be competitive and fill these roles. Rest assured as your Representative in Congress, I will always support measures to improve and strengthen the CTE programs throughout our state and nation. And as always, I am hopeful that we will continue to see increased numbers of job openings and opportunities for all Alabamians and all Americans. ••• Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama, with her husband Riley and their two children.
Randall Woodfin writes Pennsylvania mayor over ‘misrepresentation’ of 1963 protests
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin penned a letter to Arnold, Pa. Mayor Karen Peconi on Thursday expressing his concerns over what he called her “deliberate misrepresentation” of the 1963 civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham. Peconi came under fire after her controversial Facebook post during the public protests in Pittsburgh following the death of Antwon Rose — a 17 year-old African-American man shot and killed by a police officer in Pittsburgh in June. The officer has since been charged with criminal homicide and awaits trial. According to TRIB live, Peconi posted a video of protestors being knocked down by water cannons during the during the civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham and suggested that law enforcement use the same method on the Antwon Rose protestors. Saying “I’m posting this so the authorities everywhere sees this… I agree with Tom.. bring the hoses,” The Root reported. “They don’t care about Pgh. none of them work now.. That’s how they can do this at 7am…. very sad.” After learning of Peconi’s comments, Woodfin wrote an open letter her in an effort to encourage “constructive reflection,” on her part. “I am writing as the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, because you posted and commented on a photograph taken during the civil rights demonstrations that took place in our city in 1963, in a way that completely misrepresented the purpose and meaning of those historic events,” Woodfin wrote. “Those demonstrations — and the oppressive manner in which our city government of the time chose to respond to them — raised the consciousness of Americans to the injustices being protested. They brought about the end of segregation in Birmingham and played a large role in paving the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.” “Today, we in Birmingham take tremendous pride in our city’s role in advancing the causes of justice and equality for all Americans,” Woodfin continued. “And, even as we recognize the distance our nation, more than a half-century later, still has to travel along that road, we take pride in Birmingham’s progress and our ongoing emergence as a city of growth and opportunity for all. We honor our past and proudly and actively commemorate the history that was made in our streets — but our eyes and our actions are fixed firmly on the future.” You can read Woodfin’s full letter here. Peconi apologized for her actions in a statement, saying “I love this community. I would do anything for the people here. I don’t take my position as Mayor lightly and deeply regret the comments I made on Facebook. It was never my intention to offend anyone, and for those who I offended I am sincerely sorry,” according to Trib Live.
City of Hoover shines light on benefits of federal cybercrime training center
In the City of Hoover, Ala., Birmingham’s largest suburb, you’ll expectantly find the nation’s premiere hi-tech crime training facility, which is proving itself to be an economic boom for the area. First opened in 2008 the National Computer Forensic Institute (NCFI) is a federally funded training center run by the United States Secret Service’s Criminal Investigative Division and the Alabama Office of Prosecution Services. There, state and local officials from across the country are trained on the proper handling of digital evidence, cybercrime investigations, and judicial procedures related to digital crime. Over the past ten years, 7,523 law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges have been trained from all 50 states, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have come to the NCFI for world-class training. And the City of Hoover is celebrating its success. Friday morning, the city took to Facebook to share that the NCFI has spent a whopping $21,125,260 over the past ten years in the city, including booking 86,406 hotel room nights, which is the largest source of room nights in the metro area. The NCFI has even proven itself beneficial to the local Hoover Police Department as $670,320 in training and equipment has also been provided to them courtesy of the NCFI. “The city of Hoover is proud to host this premiere facility that contributes to a safer nation,” the City wrote in a Facebook graphic.
Terri Sewell visits to Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands focusing on hurricane recovery efforts
With the House going out of session ahead of the the August District Work Period, more commonly known as August Recess, Alabama 7th District U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell is using this time to join her peers to visit to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands focusing on hurricane recovery efforts. The group, which left Thursday, will meet with families, local officials and leaders, faith groups, faith groups, and community groups over the next two days to discuss effective recovery efforts and what steps must be taken to ensure that every community receives the resources it needs to rebuild. “A year after the hurricanes hit, too many families in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are still without clean water, without power, and without roofs on their homes,” said Sewell. “Our delegation visit will bring attention to this ongoing crisis and needed oversight to federal recovery efforts.” She continued, “This Administration’s neglect for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after they were devastated by Hurricane Maria is nothing short of disgraceful. We have a responsibility to help our fellow Americans recover from one of the worst natural disasters of this decade. As another hurricane season approaches, the need for action is urgent.” In addition to Sewell, the Members of the delegation are: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Minority Leader Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), Judiciary Committee Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member, Small Business Committee; Natural Resources Committee; Financial Services Committee Rep. Shelia Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Judiciary Committee; Homeland Security Committee Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member, Rules Committee; Agriculture Committee Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Financial Services Committee; Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Appropriations Committee Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), Ways & Means Committee; Intelligence Committee Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), Agriculture Committee; Chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Energy & Commerce Committee Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), Oversight & Government Reform Committee; Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), Transportation & Infrastructure Committee; Oversight & Government Reform Committee; Agriculture Committee Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA), Agriculture Committee; Small Business Committee Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), Judiciary Committee; Homeland Security Committee Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Education & Workforce Committee; Small Business Committee; Foreign Affairs Committee
Rauf Bolden: Call for a Council Records Preservation Act in Orange Beach
The policy process is never a tightly managed affair. Creating a Council Records Preservation Act must be comprehensive, preserving all memos, letters, texts, emails, photos, videos and executive sessions that the Council touches for the historical archive and legacy preservation. Establishing the archive record is vital, letting descendants see how their ancestors wielded power, letting historians write about the achievements of our beach community, letting the documents speak about the government and the governed. Think about how many details have been lost because we do not have the legislative machinery in place to record history, preserving the historical archive during The Great Recession of 2008, The Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill of 2010, the School-Split Referendum of 2014, the Lodging-Tax Increase of 2017, or the Short-Term Rental Ban of 2018, documenting all those events when hard decisions were made is our canvas, adding emails and texts gives color and substance to the public-facing chronicle. Legislation for records preservation must have teeth, codifying public ownership of all Council records, placing the responsibility for the custody and management of incumbent Council records with the Council, requiring that the Council take all practical steps to file personal records separately from Council records, establishing that Council records automatically transfer into the legal custody of the Archivist/City Clerk as soon as the Council Member leaves office. The hard part is writing a policy by which the public may obtain access to these records; specifically, the legislation shall allow for public access to Council records through a Public Records Request. Connectivity by fiber-optic to the archiving server is the first step of the plan, probably requiring network development, building the connection to the city’s hub. Using a virtual server, hosted on the Internet, continuously providing hardware, software and data backups accessed from anywhere on the planet is defendable. This type of web-based service is very common, particularly easy to setup, usually coming with a free trial. It is a secure way to preserve historical records, providing read-only permissions for the public from the administrative portal. The public can request permission by writing to the Archivist/City Clerk, being granted for specific documents for a specific time period, like checking out a library book. Council members and appointed commissioners using their personal phones for government email, texts and recordings is reckless, possibly creating an unwanted legal dilemma. We must change Council’s culture about their government emails and texts. They are not their personal property. Surrendering those emails and texts when they leave office shall be a legislative requirement. We should learn from the book of Hillary Clinton, needing one phone for government and one phone for personal use. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) details guidance for records preservation on the Federal level, “The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, generally provides any person with the statutory right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to Government information. This right to access is limited when such information is protected from disclosure by one of FOIA’s nine statutory exemptions,” according to their web site (https://www.foia.gov/faq.html). These Federal guidelines are easily amended to fit municipal code if the Council is willing to initiate mandatory-records preservation. I have heard elected and appointed officials say, “These are my emails and texts,” acknowledging government emails and texts are stored on their personal devices. One must assume they are using the governmental address of .gov innocently for their personal business, being a more prestigious point-of-contact than @nomail.com. The scope of Council’s data-retention policy shall be broad by definition, including all the contacts, emails, texts, photos and videos on personal devices, including phones, tablets, and computers. Data must be copied and logged into the digital archive for preservation. Council Members and Planning Commissioners at the City of Gulf Shores use non-governmental email addresses like Gmail, Hotmail or their business accounts, avoiding the .gov extension, minimizing legal entanglements, sending and receiving .gov messages on their personal devices, creating health rather than treating disease. The goal of records preservation is not to inconvenience elected officials and their appointed commissioners, but to preserve the canvas while the paint is fresh, recording the Internet Age as it unfolds. During the Dark Ages (pre-1400s) manuscripts and classical knowledge resided with the monks. When Greek merchants migrated to Venice from Constantinople (1500s), fleeing the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, bringing their knowledge and artifacts with them, allowed people to see antiquities, books and art that had been lost, sparking the Renaissance. So it is with our time. The Internet provides a renaissance of knowledge in an unprecedented way, freeing intellectual data from the confines of universities, bringing its power to the fingertips of all who seek it. Documenting government during this new renaissance is not only a great opportunity; it is easy to do. Orange Beach has a museum, adding a digital archive section with remote access should be simple. Politically allocating funds and writing policies for historical preservation is a problematic illusion. ••• Rauf Bolden is retired IT Director at the City of Orange Beach, working as an IT & Web Consultant on the Beach Road. He can be reached at: publisher@velvetillusion.com.
T-HEAL to host transgender job fair in Birmingham
A project of the Birmingham Aids Outreach, T-HEAL (which stands for Transgender Help, Empowerment Affirmation and Learning) is hosting a job fair for individuals that identify as transgender, according to AL.com. The event, which will be held at the Magic City Acceptance Center, will take place on August 3 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. There, at least eight employers will be taking applications and conducting on-site interviews. “This is Alabama. We can easily be fired before any other person,” project recruiter Destiny Clark, who is also the president of Central Alabama Pride, told AL.com. Clark said “trans individuals face unemployment due to discrimination” in Alabama as the state doesn’t have statewide laws to protect the transgender community, thus T-HEAL is responding to a community need by hosting the event.
