Steve Marshall urges Congress to close deadly fentanyl loophole
Fentanyl has caused fatal overdoses across the United States. Sometimes added to heroin or cocaine without the user knowing, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin and morphine, and can kill those who come in contact with even minuscule amounts of it. Many in law enforcement and the health care industry believe it is drug catalyst of the national opioid epidemic. Which is exactly why Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is trying to do his best to stop its trafficking and distribution. Marshall, as part of a bipartisan group of 52 state and territory attorneys general, called on Congress on Thursday to help end the opioid epidemic and close a loophole that allows those who traffic deadly fentanyl to stay a step ahead of law enforcement by developing new drug analogues that are somewhat different in composition. “We know that illicit drug manufacturers are devious in changing the makeup of a drug just enough that it no longer falls under its classification as a controlled substance. Alabama has already strengthened its laws to deal with this problem, and we must ensure that our federal laws do not permit deadly criminal activity by way of a loophole,” said Marshall. The attorneys general sent a letter to Congress in support of S.1553 and H.R.4922, the Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues (SOFA) Act. Fentanyl is currently a Schedule II controlled substance and when used as prescribed by a doctor, can be a safe painkiller. However outside of careful supervision, fentanyl and analogues manufactured illicitly can be lethal. The SOFA Act, if passed by the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, would eliminate the current loophole which keeps the controlled substance scheduling system one step behind those who manufacture fentanyl analogue and then introduce these powders into the opioid supply chain. The SOFA Act utilizes catch-all language which will allow the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to proactively schedule all newly-modified fentanyl analogues. In addition to Alabama, the other attorneys general who signed the letter were: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Can’t we all agree: Regardless of your position on LGBTQ issues drag queens reading to toddlers is ridiculous?
In today’s, “What in the world are they thinking?” we have the Drag Queens Reading Hour in Mobile coming up. Organizers with Rainbow Mobile, a LGBTQ rights group, is hosting the event. Though their original invitation encourages parents with children as young as three years old to come and hear a drag queen read at story time, there are parents asking if they can bring children even younger than three. I don’t care what your stance on alternative lifestyles is, this is absurd. The Centers for Disease Control hosts a website on developmental milestones. At the age of 4 children often still can’t tell real from make-believe. How does introducing them to a drag queen do anything but confuse them about what to expect in society? In a society where drag queens’ main purpose historically has been to promote a type of personality within the homosexual community (see below study for more on that.) By the age of 5 children are just starting to understand gender, for the purposes of staying on topic I won’t go into my position on the national transgender movement among young kids, except to say I don’t believe science backs up the emotional and developmental ability of young children or early teens to choose their gender identity. Life is already confusing enough to children who are learning basic life skills and basic facts about the world around them why add to it? How is that healthy for the child? I get it if your personal agenda as an adult is to support the LGBTQ community and you want to teach tolerance and acceptance to your children, but to force it upon them before they understand the basics is just plain wrong. To confuse them with the idea that drag queens, or men dressing as women with full hair and makeup, is normal in conventional society is asinine. Cross-dressing is not normal for adult males. Period. We should not raise kids to think something that only happens rarely is the norm. For the purposes of this discussion and for my own general knowledge I spend some time doing research on drag queens. One of the most detailed studies I could find on their lifestyle was published last year in the journal of Evolutionary Psychology (April-June 2017: 1–14). Studying, A Natural History of the Drag Queen Phenomenon Michael Moncrieff and Pierre Lienard noted a few point I think are relevant for this discussion: Drag queens, or female impersonators, differ from transsexuals and individuals with transvestic fetishisms1 in that they are gay individuals who don female clothing with the explicit goal of performing in front of audiences (Schacht, 2000). Drag queens don their costumes primarily to perform at gay bars, nightclubs, and organized competitions (Berkowitz et al., 2007; Schacht, 2002). Their apparel is not intended to depict ordinary female attires like that of transgender women but portray purposefully outlandish, often vulgar, and exaggerated stereotypes of womanhood (Harris, 1995; Tewksbury, 1994). Again, if you’re a progressive parent, I can understand wanting to teach your worldview to your child but that should be done in a way that’s developmentally appropriate. Reading the history and facts about drag queens how can anyone say that a child should be exposed to such a sexually charged subject? We can and we should do better by our children.
Kay Ivey, Walt Maddox talk lottery, Ten Commandments ballot measure
Governor Kay Ivey and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Walt Maddox both spoke at the Alabama Association of County Commissioners in Orange Beach on Wednesday, providing their views on a lottery in the state and the Ten Commandments Ballot measure on the ticket with them in the November 6 general election after their speeches. Ivey seems to believe the Ten Commandments ballot measure is a good thing.” Goodness knows we need to keep the good Lord and our God Almighty in the forefront of our lives (or) we’ll never succeed,” Ivey told AL.com. Maddox took a different stance saying he believes the measure is a political ploy. “Let’s make no mistake about this, it’s not about our values and our faith. It’s about a political ploy,” Maddox told AL.com. “It’s going to ultimately end up in us spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ money.” “We have so many issues affecting everyday Alabamians and I think that is where our focus needs to be. What the politicians need to focus on are the problems in front of them,” he continued. Both candidates however, seem to agree on a lottery for the state. “If the people want to vote that’s fine,” Ivey told WKRG. “We have a robust economy, our budgets are strong we are able to do what we need to do so Alabama is at work and we’re working hard and is working.” Maddox, who unveiled his education lottery plan in February, stood by his previous stance. “The lottery has been a part of our platform since the very beginning and we certainly believe that 300 million dollars a year should be invested in college scholarships, Pre-K programs and to our schools so we can lift everyone up in the state of Alabama,” Maddox also told WKRG.
Alabamians rally with Concerned Women of America in support of Brett Kavanaugh SCOTUS confirmation
Nearly a hundred conservatives from throughout the Birmingham area braved the Alabama summer heat to join Concerned Women for America (CWA) — the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization — on Thursday, August 23, 2018 for a rally on their national bus tour. Gathered outside of Hoover Tactical in Hoover, Ala., the CWA team joined with local conservative leaders to rally conservative Alabamians to use their voices encourage Sen. Doug Jones to support Kavanaugh’s confirmation. This was their only stop in Alabama before heading south to Tallahassee and then Jacksonville, Florida rounding out a national bus tour that will end in Washington, D.C. “This is the moment conservative women and evangelical voters have been waiting for and a huge reason why they voted for President Trump,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America in a press release. “This in an historic moment for our nation, and I could not be more proud to stand alongside conservative women across the country in support of Judge Kavanaugh,” continued Nance. “Judge Kavanaugh is uniquely qualified, fair, and impartial and fulfills President Trump’s campaign promise to nominate a constitutional conservative to the Supreme Court.” “It is so important that everyone be involved with this confirmation process,” said one of the rally’s speakers, former State Rep. Paul DeMarco. “The public sentiment has been supportive of this nominee because he is so well-qualified to sit on the Supreme Court. And our United States senators need to hear from the citizens of Alabama that we want to see Brett Kavanaugh confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice.” The large crowd was among the largest crowds of the entire CWA tour a signal that organizers hope will send a clear message to Senator Jones. “We had a great crowd out today to show that support and we appreciate Penny Nance for bringing their bus tour to Alabama,” DeMarco added. The event also drew the attention of Republican Women of Shelby County President Dawn Ray, who’s been affiliated with CWA for over 30 years and supports their mission of protecting and promoting “Biblical values and Constitutional principles through prayer, education, and advocacy.” Ray attended Thursday’s event and said she believes Kavanaugh “is imminently qualified” and “is the right person for the job” on the Supreme Court. “Kavanaugh has vast experience and a record to support his position as a Constitutionalist. I.e., he has and will interpret the law as the Founder’s intended and believes in the Separation of Powers. The judicial branch was intended to interpret and not create law, which is the legislature’s responsibility,” Ray explained. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Kavanaugh will sit on the court for life, or until he chooses to retire. “The confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh should matter not only to Alabamians, but to citizens of all states,” Ray added. Notable attendees included State Reps. Jim Carns, Matt Fridy, and April Weaver. Jefferson County DA Mike Anderton, Constable Gilbert Douglas. As well as the Jefferson and Shelby County GOP Chairs. Representatives from Kay Ivey’s reelection campaign were also on hand as were ALGOP staff.
Jeff Sessions seems to push back against Donald Trump barb
The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local): 1:35 p.m. Attorney General Jeff Sessions says his Justice Department won’t be “improperly influenced by political considerations.” His comments — in a statement Thursday — seem to push back against the latest round of criticism by his boss, President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly railed against the department and the FBI. Trump told “Fox & Friends” in an interview that aired earlier Thursday that Sessions “never took control of the Justice Department and it’s a sort of an incredible thing.” The president was angered when Sessions stepped aside from overseeing the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Trump has called the special counsel’s probe a “witch hunt.” Sessions says there’s no other nation with more talented and dedicated law enforcement investigators and prosecutors. Sessions says he’s “proud of the work we have done in successfully advancing the rule of law.” ___ 1:30 p.m. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says his staffers have reached out to Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, about what information he might have — and they’re awaiting a response. GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa says no decision has been made about Cohen appearing before the committee. Cohen pleaded guilty this week in federal court to campaign-finance violations and other charges. He says he and then-candidate Trump arranged the payment of hush money to influence the election. Committee spokesman Taylor Foy says the committee originally scheduled an interview with Cohen in May. But he withdrew, citing criminal proceedings. Cohen’s attorney, Lanny Davis, has indicated he may be willing to testify to Congress. The Senate intelligence committee is also interested in talking to Cohen. ___ 11 a.m. President Donald Trump prizes loyalty, and he says that’s the only reason he made Jeff Sessions attorney general. Session, an Alabama Republican, was the first senator to endorse Trump’s bid for president, and he was rewarded with a spot in Trump’s Cabinet as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. But Trump was angered when Sessions stepped aside from overseeing the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and the president has taken issue with his own Justice Department. Trump tells “Fox & Friends” that Sessions “took the job and then he said, ‘I’m going to recuse myself.’ I said what kind of a man is this?” Trump says in the interview, “You know, the only reason I gave him the job (was) because I felt loyalty, he was an original supporter.” ___ 10:40 a.m. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says it’s time for Republicans to stand up to President Donald Trump after his former personal lawyer implicated him in a crime. The Democrat says Republicans have become complicit in bringing down the character of the nation. He says they’ve shirked their duty in exchange for a corporate tax cut and stacking the federal courts. The GOP, he says, is “becoming a co-conspirator in the culture of corruption that surrounds this president.” He called on GOP leaders to pass legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russia’s actions in the 2016 elections, to hold hearings on the power of the president to pardon and pass legislation to bolster election security. Schumer says it is time for Republicans to “speak truth to power.” 7:40 a.m. President Donald Trump says he believes the economy would tank if he were to be impeached. Trump was asked in an interview with “Fox & Friends” if he believes Democrats will launch impeachment proceedings if they win the House this fall, as many suspect. He says, “If I ever got impeached, I think the market would crash. I think everybody would be very poor.” Trump says Americans would see economic “numbers that you wouldn’t believe in reverse.” But Trump is also expressing doubt that that would ever happen. He says, “I don’t know how you can impeach somebody who’s done a great job.” ___ 7 a.m. President Donald Trump is suggesting that it should be illegal for people facing prosecution to cooperate with the government in exchange for a reduced sentence. Trump is reacting to the guilty plea entered by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to a range of charges. Trump — in an interview with “Fox & Friends” — is accusing Cohen of implicating him to get a better deal with prosecutors. Trump says Cohen “makes a better deal when he uses me.” Trump claims people who decide to cooperate with the government “make up stories” and “just make up lies” Here’s what the president says: “It’s called flipping and it almost ought to be illegal.” He says “it’s not a fair thing.” ___ 6:50 a.m. President Donald Trump is distancing himself from his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, in the wake of Cohen’s guilty plea to eight charges, including campaign finance violations that Cohen says he carried out in coordination with Trump. Trump — in an interview with “Fox & Friends” — describes Cohen as a “part-time attorney.” And Trump also suggests that Cohen’s legal trouble stemmed from his other businesses, including involvement with the New York City taxi cab industry. Trump claims that Cohen decided to offer “lies” about Trump to reduce Cohen’s own legal exposure. ___ 12:15 a.m. President Donald Trump is digging in to his denials of wrongdoing as his White House struggles to manage the fallout from allegations he orchestrated a campaign cover-up to buy the silence of two women who say they had affairs with him. In pre-dawn tweeting, Trump says “NO COLLUSION – RIGGED WITCH HUNT!” That’s a reference to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. And the president is accusing his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, of “making up stories” in order to get a “great deal” from prosecutors. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump suggests outlawing prosecutors’ deals with defendants
President Donald Trump, incensed over a deal his longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen cut with prosecutors, says it might be better if “flipping” were illegal because people “just make up lies.” Trump, in a television interview broadcast Thursday, tried to play down his relationship his longtime “fixer” who claims the president directed a hush-money scheme to buy the silence of two women who say they had affairs with Trump. The president contends Cohen only worked for him part time and is accusing the lawyer of making up stories to reduce his legal exposure. “I know all about flipping,” Trump told “Fox & Friends,” which taped the interview at the White House on Wednesday. “For 30, 40 years I’ve been watching flippers. Everything’s wonderful and then they get 10 years in jail and they — they flip on whoever the next highest one is, or as high as you can go.” That tool “almost ought to be outlawed. It’s not fair,” Trump said, adding it creates an incentive to “say bad things about somebody … just make up lies.” Trump made the comments as his White House struggled to manage the fallout from Cohen’s plea deal and the conviction of Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort on financial charges. The president suggested that Cohen’s legal trouble stemmed from his other businesses, including involvement with the New York City taxi cab industry. The back-to-back legal blows have raised speculation that Democrats would launch impeachment proceedings if they win the House of Representatives this fall. Trump argued the move could have dire economic consequences. “If I ever got impeached, I think the market would crash. I think everybody would be very poor,” Trump said. He added: “I don’t know how you can impeach somebody who’s done a great job.” Trump did not say whether he would pardon Manafort, but expressed “great respect” for him and argued that some of the charges “every consultant, every lobbyist in Washington probably does.” Cohen, who says he won’t seek a pardon from Trump, pleaded guilty Tuesday to eight charges, including campaign finance violations that he said he carried out in coordination with Trump. Behind closed doors, Trump expressed worry and frustration that a man intimately familiar with his political, personal and business dealings for more than a decade had turned on him. Yet his White House signaled no clear strategy for managing the fallout. At a White House briefing, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders insisted at least seven times that Trump had done nothing wrong and was not the subject of criminal charges. She referred substantive questions to the president’s personal counsel Rudy Giuliani, who was at a golf course in Scotland. Outside allies of the White House said they had received little guidance on how to respond to the events in their appearances on cable news. And it was not clear the West Wing was assembling any kind of coordinated response. In the interview, Trump argued, incorrectly, that the hush-money payouts weren’t “even a campaign violation” because he subsequently reimbursed Cohen for the payments personally instead of with campaign funds. Federal law restricts how much individuals can donate to a campaign, bars corporations from making direct contributions and requires the disclosure of transactions. Cohen had said Tuesday he secretly used shell companies to make payments used to silence former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult-film actress Stormy Daniels for the purpose of influencing the 2016 election. Trump has insisted that he only found out about the payments after they were made, despite the release of a September 2016 taped conversation in which Trump and Cohen can be heard discussing a deal to pay McDougal for her story of a 2006 affair she says she had with Trump. The White House denied the president had lied, with Sanders calling the assertion “ridiculous.” Yet she offered no explanation for Trump’s shifting accounts. Trump’s national security adviser was pressed by a reporter during a news conference Thursday in Geneva about whether he was concerned that Trump posed a security risk. “Honestly, have a little faith in the American people who elected a president,” John Bolton said. Manafort faces trial on separate charges in September in the District of Columbia that include acting as a foreign agent. That Cohen was in trouble was no surprise; federal prosecutors raided his offices months ago. But Trump and his allies were caught off-guard when Cohen also pleaded guilty to campaign finance crimes, which, for the first time, took the swirling criminal probes directly to the president. Both cases resulted, at least in part, from the work of special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russia’s attempts to sway voters in the 2016 election. Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, has said Cohen has information “that would be of interest” to the special counsel. Trump praised Manafort as “a brave man!” raising speculation the former campaign operative could become the recipient of a pardon. Trump contended the prosecution was an overreach by the Justice Department and he revived his criticism of the leadership of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump prizes loyalty, and he told Fox that was the only reason he put Sessions in the Cabinet. Session, an Alabama Republican, was the first senator to endorse Trump’s bid for president. “You know the only reason I gave him the job? Because I felt loyalty, he was an original supporter,” Trump said. Among Trump allies, the back-to-back blows from the Cohen and Manafort cases were a harbinger of dark days to come for the president. Democrats are eagerly anticipating gaining subpoena power over the White House — and many are openly discussing the possibility of impeaching Trump — should they retake control of the House in November’s elections. And even Trump loyalists acknowledged the judicial proceedings were a blow to the GOP’s chances of retaining the majority this year. Debate swirled inside and outside the White House about the next steps and how damaging the legal fallout was for the president. Allies of the president stressed
Checking in: What has Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox been up to?
Ever wonder what your mayor been up to each month? Sure you may have helped elect them, but what happens after that? Alabama Today has you covered. Each month we’ll highlight what the Yellowhammer State’s Big 5 mayors have been doing in an effort to hold them accountable and keep things more transparent. On top of campaigning for governor, Tuscaloosa, Ala. Mayor Walt Maddox has been busy keeping his constituents in Tuscaloosa up to date with what he’s been doing for the city. Here’s what he’s been up to for the last month: July 11 Maddox sat down with stern, a German magazine reporter Jens König to discuss possible tariffs on European carmakers, which would include Mercedes in Tuscaloosa. Mercedes currently employs approximately 3,700 people, and produces almost 300,000 cars a year. July 14 Maddox orders all city flags to fly at half mast to honor former City Councilor Ed Montgomery after his passing on July 13. Montgomery was “a councilor on the City of Tuscaloosa’s first term after converting to a mayor/council form of government in October of 1985, he represented District 4 until 1989,” the City of Tuscaloosa posted on Facebook. “He shaped the city for the better,” Maddox said in the post. “My wife, Stephanie, joins me in sending prayers to his family and friends.” August 21 Maddox announced the 2019 budget to the Tuscaloosa City Council. According to the City of Tuscaloosa: Specific comments and recommendations include: -The $155,105,724 general fund budget and the $54,074,701 water and sewer fund budget totals combined operating budgets of $209,180,425. -Employee cost of living adjustment of 2 percent and one step increase are included. There was no rise in employee health insurance costs, which remain at a 137 percent increase since 2006. Inflation has risen 33 percent. Health insurance outpaced inflation by 104 percent. -The 2019 budget includes a $1 adjustment on residential and non-residential garbage, trash and recycling rates and a 1 percent increase in water and sewer rates, the lowest water rate increase in recent City history. The City currently subsidizes $1.8 million a year for environmental services, saving each customer $78 a year. “We continue to do more with less and are driving Tuscaloosa’s economy into a 21st century model,” Maddox said in the city’s post. “While our estimated loss to online sales is still $5.3 million annually, our evolution to an experienced-based economy is starting to take shape, as evident in our 40 percent increase in lodging tax revenue since 2014 and 6 percent business license revenue growth in that same period.” Watch Maddox’s presentation below:
Richard Shelby secures Auburn University $3M for 3-D printing research
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded $3,087,090 to Auburn University for research and the development of techniques to improve the additive manufacturing, also known as 3-D printing, industry. “Auburn University has become a national leader in the field of additive manufacturing,” said Senator Richard Shelby, who announced the grant on Wednesday. “This NIST grant will provide Auburn the unique opportunity to innovate and empower engineering industries, boosting efforts to promote the continued economic growth of our manufacturing sector. The research, training, and development that will take place as a result of this funding will allow the university to advance additive manufacturing and continue competing on a national stage.” Unlike traditional manufacturing processes that require machining to create components, additive manufacturing allows manufacturers to fabricate parts layer-by-layer from metals, plastics or other materials using a 3-D computer-aided design model. Because parts are made by building upon each layer, additive technology reduces waste in the manufacturing process, allows for the creation of highly complex shapes and can create parts that are both lighter and more durable than those made using traditional manufacturing methods. The technology is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry, giving engineers new methods to create custom parts for manufacturers in the aerospace, biomedical and automobile industries as well as in other areas. “Additive manufacturing is revolutionizing industries ranging from aviation to medical instruments to automotive,” added Auburn University President Steven Leath. “Thanks to Senator Shelby, the State of Alabama is providing national leadership in developing and refining these technologies that foster economic opportunity, improve quality of life and strengthen our country’s infrastructure.” With the help of this NIST award, Auburn University will work to address various issues challenging the additive manufacturing industry. Specifically, the initiative will: Conduct cutting-edge research Train and educate graduate and undergraduate students Develop and promote technological innovations that advance the pace of the additive manufacturing industry. This new funding from NIST will allow Auburn’s National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence (NCAME) — founded through a collaboration between Auburn University and the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) — to expand its programs to include new research on metrology, which is the measurement and characterization of 3-D printed parts, and advanced process models that will allow engineers to predict the properties and performance of these 3-D printed parts. The research resulting from this grant will have a strong technical and economic impact on various industries in the United States.
These 50 Alabama schools top the state in reading success, earn share of $1 million
Reading is a gateway to future success — in school and in life. It is critical to start early if children are to develop the skills they need to be successful. Which is part of the reason why the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) is rewarding the top 50 Alabama schools who showed the most improvement in last year’s 3rd grade reading results money totaling a million dollars. Alabama lawmakers added an additional $1 million to the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) budget during the 2018 Legislative Session to be divided evenly among each school selected will receive a $20,000 check as a way of recognizing and incentivizing teachers and students who have worked hard to achieve proficiency in reading. “Reading is the cornerstone to all other learning. When we make sure our students can read and comprehend what they are reading at an early age, we prepare them for a greater possibility of academic success throughout their lives,” State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Eric Mackey previously said about the initiative. There will be a special recognition and awards ceremony on Thursday, September 13 at the ALSDE after the September Alabama State Board of Education meeting. Governor Kay Ivey, Alabama legislators, and other dignitaries will be on hand to personally congratulate all 50 schools. Below are the award recipients: State School Board District 1: Fairhope Elementary School-Baldwin County Silverhill School – Baldwin County Spanish Fort Elementary School – Baldwin County Swift Elementary School – Baldwin County Pleasant Home School – Covington County WS Harlan Elementary School – Covington County Eichold-Mertz School of Math and Science – Mobile County State School Board District 2: Cleburne County Elementary School – Cleburne County Kinston School – Coffee County Highlands Elementary School – Dothan City Geneva County Elementary School – Geneva County Samson Elementary School – Geneva County Slocomb Elementary School – Geneva County Abbeville Elementary School – Henry County Wedowee Elementary School – Randolph County State School Board District 3: Clanton Intermediate School – Chilton County Bluff Park Elementary School- Hoover City Deer Valley Elementary School – Hoover City Greystone Elementary School – Hoover City Mountain Brook Elementary School – Mountain Brook City Pelham Oaks Elementary School – Pelham City Mt. Laurel Elementary School – Shelby County State School Board District 4: Phillips Academy – Birmingham City State School Board District 5: Billingsley High School – Autauga County Pine Level Elementary School – Autauga County Southern Choctaw Elementary School – Choctaw County Sweet Water High School – Marengo County State School Board District 6: Randolph Park Elementary School – Anniston City Appalachian School – Blount County Cold Springs Elementary School – Cullman County Parkside Elementary School – Cullman County Chestnut Grove Elementary School – Decatur City F.E. Burleson Elementary School – Hartselle City Springville Elementary School – St. Clair County State School Board District 7: Hatton Elementary School – Colbert County Leighton Elementary School – Colbert County Berry Elementary School – Fayette County Mount Olive Elementary School – Jefferson County South Lamar School – Lamar County Central High School – Lauderdale County Underwood Elementary School – Lauderdale County Crestline Elementary School – Mountain Brook City Cahaba Elementary School – Trussville City Tuscaloosa Magnet School – Elementary – Tuscaloosa City Verner Elementary School – Tuscaloosa City State School Board District 8: Attalla Elementary School – Attalla City Fyffe High School – DeKalb County Henagar Junior High School – DeKalb County Sylvania School – DeKalb County Thurston T Nelson Elementary School – Scottsboro City
Federal school safety commission to meet in Montgomery
A federal commission on improving school safety will hold a listening session next week in Montgomery. The Federal Commission on School Safety will meet Tuesday at the Alabama Capitol. It is the fourth and final listening session organized by the group formed by President Donald Trump after the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people were killed. The group will hold round table discussions with state and local agencies. There will also be a two-hour session for the public to express their views on how to improve school safety. People who want to speak must register in advance with the commission. Members of the public may also send written comments to safety@ed.gov. Listening sessions were held earlier in Kentucky, Washington D.C. and Wyoming. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama editorial roundup: Aug 23, 2018 edition
Recent editorials from Alabama newspapers: ___ Aug. 16 Decatur Daily advocates for vaccinations for schoolchildren: Measles is making a comeback, and you can blame in large part parents who do not get their children vaccinated. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta is monitoring a multi-state outbreak of the preventable disease. According to the CDC, in the first six months of this year, “107 people from 21 states … and the District of Colombia were reported to have measles.” Alabama is not among those 21 states, but our neighbor to the north, Tennessee, is. Measles can cause high fever, and complications from the disease can include encephalitis, pneumonia and death. According to a Feb. 21 article in Popular Science, “patients can also experience swelling of the brain, which can cause permanent deafness or blindness. Prior to the invention of the vaccine, between 15,000 and 60,000 people went blind because of the measles each year.” The disease is so infectious, according to Popular Science, it “spreads to 90 percent of those who come in contact with an infected person. According to the CDC, however, transmission involves almost entirely unvaccinated populations, often when someone returns to the U.S. after traveling overseas in an area with a measles outbreak, then comes into contact with an unvaccinated population here. The CDC traced an outbreak in California in 2008 to a boy who had been traveling with his family in Switzerland, then returned to California, where it was trendy for parents embracing an all-natural lifestyle not to vaccinate their children. Parents in recent years have taken to not vaccinating their children in large part because of a debunked study that purported to link childhood autism to the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. The British journal The Lancet, which published the study by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, retracted the article in 2010, 12 years after it was published. Still, Europe has seen a rise in measles cases, due in part to “anti-vaxxer” parents still worried about autism and immigrants from countries without the benefit of the MMR vaccine. Unvaccinated immigrants, however, wouldn’t be a huge problem if native-born populations vaccinated their children, as most parents in the U.S. do. As children head back to school this month, it’s worth noting Alabama requires childhood vaccinations for children entering school, allowing only religious and medical exemptions. Tennessee, however, has similar vaccination requirements, yet shows even then enough children can slip through the cracks for an outbreak to manifest. Measles is a dangerous and potentially deadly illness, but one that had been all but eradicated in the United States until the anti-vaxxer movement. With the study linking the MMR vaccine to autism retracted, there is no good reason for parents to skip vaccinating their children. Any other potential vaccination side effects are trivial and rare compared to the dangers diseases like measles pose. History and science are on the side of vaccination. Online: https://www.decaturdaily.com/ ___ Aug. 20 Gadsden Times on ethics issues becoming a political issue: Elected officeholders, those who want to be elected officeholders and public employees who either make $75,000 or more annually or work in some specific roles are required to file a statement of economic interest each year with the Alabama Ethics Commission. The full list of what must be on those SEIs is lengthy and detailed. Here’s the condensed version: personal information about those required to file and their families; information about the income, occupations and financial dealings of those required to file (and their spouses); and information about the number of clients their businesses serve, depending on their field of work. We think it’s a completely justified requirement. Anyone who wants to be on the public’s payroll needs to be completely transparent financially and have no potential skeletons clattering around, poised to reveal their ribs and femurs at inopportune times. However, it’s become a political rather than an ethical issue this year, as several candidates have been nailed for or accused of not filing their SEIs on time. Some candidates have been tossed off ballots. At least one was disqualified, but sued and a judge returned her to the ballot. There is pending legal action on a couple of situations in Etowah County. Some media analysts and professional or amateur political “watchdogs” are alleging inconsistent and unfair decisions by the Ethics Commission on approving or rejecting candidates as having met the SEI requirements. We’re not going to address specific cases while they’re still being adjudicated. We’re more interested in how to quash this problem moving forward. The statutory requirement is that candidates for office must file an SEI at the same time they file qualifying papers to run. The local official who receives it has five days to get it to the Ethics Commission. Conversely, the Ethics Commission has five days to get it back to the local official and confirm the candidate as qualified. The Ethics Commission can — “with good cause,” as specified in the statute — grant candidates a five-day extension to file their paperwork. That seems as clear as the water in an unspoiled spring to us, plus the requirement is no secret and should catch no one by surprise. Even novice candidates generally don’t decide to run for office on the spur of the moment, or after a heavenly vision a la Joliet Jake in the imaginary Triple Rock Baptist Church from “The Blues Brothers.” We certainly don’t know individual circumstances, but we see no reason this information shouldn’t be assembled and ready to go at the proper time. A lot of new candidates probably are more interested in taking on “Philistines” and changing the world than counting beans. Unfortunately, they don’t get to opt out. We also think the Ethics Commission could do a better job of clarifying and defining the parameters here. This seems to us to be an “either/or” situation — the candidate either gets the SEI in on time or not — with no wiggle room other
