Carbon Hill Mayor Mark Chambers resigns months after calling for killing of LGTBQ people
Carbon Hill Mayor Mark Chambers has resigned after months of criticism and controversy. According to WBRC, he submitted his letter to the city clerk. The city scheduled an emergency meeting for July 1st. Greg Andrews will be Mayor Pro Tem. Chambers has been mayor of Carbon Hill since 2014. In 2019, Chambers faced criticism over a controversial Facebook comment. In response to a post on his Facebook page, Chambers wrote, “The only way to change it would be to kill the problem out. I know it’s bad to say but without killing them out there’s no way to fix it.” The response is no longer on Facebook. In an interview with WSFA News, Chambers denied writing the comment, but finally admitted he had. He responded that it was meant to be a private conversation between two people and didn’t mean for the post to be made public. He then apologized for the comment. Following the controversy, two Carbon Hill council members resigned. During that July 2019 council meeting, Chambers refused to step down and discussed plans to run for re-election. An online petition asking for his resignation states, “LGBTQ people live in every community across the state–rural, urban, and suburban. This is our state, but those aren’t our values. No person who threatens community members with violence should be permitted to hold office in Alabama. Therefore, we demand Mayor Chambers resign and that city officials take active steps to protect LGBTQ residents.” Currently, the petition has over 700 signatures.
CDC joining efforts to address Alabama’s COVID-19 spike
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is stepping in to provide assistance to Alabama in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases statewide. ADPH has conducted testing, case investigation, and contact tracing since the beginning of the pandemic. As the state is experiencing widespread community transmission, ADPH has worked to expand COVID-19 testing capabilities with drive-in sites throughout the state. Per ADPH’s request, a five-member team of CDC professionals — epidemiologist, a medical epidemiologist, an epidemiologist/data analyst, a risk communicator, and an informatics/visualization specialist — will be assisting the department from June 24 through July 3. The CDC deployment team will help staff with streamlining COVID-19 reporting, developing county-level indicators for use by local officials, recommending interventions based on the analysis, and assisting with development and review of outreach and communication messages to the public. “The expertise of these public health professionals will further our staff’s abilities to assess our processes and will help guide us in our efforts to protect the public during this pandemic,” explained State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. “We are grateful for the partnerships we have with CDC and other authorities at the local, state, and federal levels.”
State resumes normal driver license operations; record number of Alabamians served
Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Driver License Division has been working hard to serve the citizens of the state of Alabama despite limited in-person operations. The division was forced to close its offices to the public on Friday, March 27, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Kay Ivey issued a Safer at Home Order, ALEA’s Driver License Division began a “soft opening” at 13 locations across the state on Monday, May 4. In weeks that followed, the agency gradually reopened other offices. By Monday, June 29, 95% (69 of its 73 locations) will be open to the public. “We meticulously and strategically developed a plan to reopen our Driver License offices to avoid putting anyone at risk during this precarious time. The absolute last thing we wanted was to contribute to the spread of the coronavirus,” ALEA’s Secretary Hal Taylor said. “In addition, ALEA’s Driver License Division is striving to alleviate the accumulation of a COVID-19-related backlog, and it will continue to utilize new and innovative procedures to reduce the congestion at Driver License offices throughout the state.” Since the soft opening in early May, 66,244 customers have received face-to-face service in Driver License offices, and 98,167 online customers were served between March 16 and June 19. ALEA saw a significant increase in online transactions, whereas, in 2019, only 33,337 were served. On Monday, June 2, the agency resumed Class D Road/Skills tests on a limited basis. Between June 2 and June 19, 5,544 road tests were completed, which is an increase of 115% as compared to the same period in 2019. Currently, Driver License personnel have administered 6,922 Class D Road/Skills tests for regular driver licenses and 706 Commercial Driver License Skills tests. Another 8,000 customers have been served through ALEA’s partnership with the Alabama State Department of Education. This partnership helped streamline the Yellow Card/Vessel License process for 16-year-old students who pass the required road test with an instructor. The State Department of Education also has resumed Drivers Education programs to allow students to catch up from the spring semester. “We continue to ask everyone in need of Driver License services to adhere to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s guidelines and use masks during visits to Driver License locations,” Taylor added. “It is important we all follow guidelines to curb the spread of the virus.”
