Political gadfly Perry Hooper Jr. arrested on sex abuse charge
A former Alabama legislator was arrested Tuesday on a sex abuse charge, police said. Perry Hooper, Jr., 67, was charged with first-degree sex abuse related in connection to an incident that occurred in downtown Montgomery on Aug. 16, Capt. Saba Coleman, a spokesperson for the Montgomery Police Department, confirmed by email. The police department did not immediately provide details about the charge. However, state law defines first-degree sex abuse as subjecting someone to sexual contact when the person is incapacitated and incapable of giving consent or subjecting a person to sexual contact by forcible compulsion. Coleman said Hooper was identified as a suspect in the incident that occurred around 8 p.m. in the 100 block of Commerce Street in Montgomery. The area has several hotels, restaurants, and bars. He was taken into custody Tuesday by the U.S. Marshals Task Force and then placed in the Montgomery County Detention Facility. Jail records show he was being held on a $15,000 bond. A text message to Hooper was not immediately returned. It was unclear if he had an attorney to speak on his behalf. Hooper served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1983 to 2003. His father, Perry Hooper, Sr., was the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Hooper campaigned and raised money for former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. Hooper said he was chairman of the Alabama Trump Victory in 2016. Two other lawmakers served as the chairmen of Trump’s 2016 Alabama campaign. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Parker Snider: Arizona governor signs universal school choice legislation into law
School choice for every family, regardless of income, zip code or social status, has become reality in Arizona. This week, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) celebrated with parents, students and teachers at Phoenix Christian Preparatory School his signing of the nation’s most expansive school choice program in history into law. “Arizona is now the gold standard for educational freedom in America,” Governor Ducey said. “Our kids will no longer be stuck in under-performing schools. We’re unlocking their educational potential and advancing a bold new era of learning opportunities. Parents and teachers know there is no one-size-fits-all model to education. Kids and families should be able to access the school or learning program that best fits their unique needs — regardless of income or where they live. In Arizona, we’re making sure they have that choice.” The program offers any family, if they prefer a different education option other than the school they are zoned for, around $6,500 though an Empowerment Savings Account (similar to a health savings account but for K-12 education) to attend a private school, pay for homeschooling expenses, enroll in an online school, or pay for other approved expenses. Six percent of Arizona students are already enrolled in schools of choice using Empowerment Savings Accounts, a voucher program. Prior to this law, the program was limited to those with special needs, military families, and children who have been adopted or are in foster care. The expansion, however, opens the program to all families in Arizona. Fox News host Greg Gutfeld praised the bill’s signing on The Five Wednesday evening. “What’s happening in Arizona is so amazing,” Gutfeld said. “We’re going to see a huge change…it’s the parents that are pushing this, and it’s really going to change things.” Arizona is setting the standard in the school choice movement, according to American Federation for Children fellow Corey DeAngelis. Arizona’s Governor Ducey agrees. “I want to say to every one of my fellow governors,” Governor Ducey said Tuesday, “you can grab this bill, scratch out Arizona, write your state in, pass it through the two chambers, and you can have a ceremony like we’re going to celebrate today.” In the 2022 regular session, Alabama legislators had the opportunity to pass similar legislation as Arizona. The Parent’s Choice Act, SB140 sponsored by Senator Del Marsh (R-Anniston) and Rep. Charlotte Meadows (R-Montgomery), would have offered families over $5,000 per student to use for private school tuition and other approved expenses through an Education Savings Account. That bill, however, did not get a vote in either the House or the Senate. Many Republicans simply did not seem interested, even though school choice is a part of the party’s national platform. The Alabama Policy Institute, in fact, was one of only a few groups that supported the bill publicly. Governor Kay Ivey also did not openly support or oppose the bill. As more and more states adopt expanded school choice, however, the governor and quiet legislators will likely have to break their silence on the issue. Parker Snider is the Director of Social Policy for the Alabama Policy Institute.
GE workers in Alabama seek union
Workers at a General Electric factory in Alabama on Monday launched an effort to form a union, joining a wave of recent labor organization efforts at large national companies. Workers at the 179-employee GE Aviation plant in Auburn, Alabama, submitted union cards to the Birmingham office of the National Labor Relations Board in an organization effort with IUE-CWA. They said it is part of a national effort to organize at GE plants across the country and comes amid unionization efforts at other large companies like Amazon and Starbucks. A spokeswoman for the National Labor Relations Board confirmed the regional office received the union petition Monday. To qualify for a union election, the NLRB requires signatures from 30% of eligible voters at a specific facility. The IUE-CWA indicated that more than 50% of workers signed cards but did not provide an exact number. Two plant workers supporting the effort told The Associated Press, in interviews arranged by union supporters, that pay, the attitude of management toward workers, and benefits are among the driving concern of workers. “We need our voices to be heard,” Marcus Durrell, who has worked at the plant for seven years, said in a telephone interview. He said experienced workers at the plant earn less than workers at other GE facilities. “We want better pay, better benefits, just having a seat of the table,” Donna Rawlinson, 46, said. Rawlinson, who said she is on short-term disability while undergoing breast cancer treatments, said morale at the plant has declined over the years. “They keep pushing. They want more, but they don’t give anything,” she said. The company issued a statement in response to the filing. “GE employs more than 55,000 Americans, pays competitive wages in every community in which we operate, and has invested more than a billion dollars in our U.S. facilities since 2016, including in Auburn. We are committed to a direct relationship with our employees based on teamwork, cooperation, and actively pursuing mutually beneficial goals.. The effort at GE follows a union election at an Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama, the results of which are still being contested. Labor unions appear to be having a resurgence of interest after decades of decline. Just 10.3% of workers belonged to unions in 2021, down from 20.1% in 1983, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unionization campaigns have gained momentum recently, with workers launching efforts at Amazon, Starbucks, and other large companies. The Biden administration has also supported efforts to boost unionization campaigns at major employers. “GE workers in Alabama are sending a powerful message by coming together to form a union for the better pay, benefits, and job security they have earned. Across the country at giant corporations like Amazon and Starbucks, CEOs are getting a wake-up call from workers making their voices heard,” IUE-CWA Conference Board Chairman Jerry Carney said in a statement announcing the effort at the GE plant. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama AFL-CIO endorses Alabama State Senate District 3 candidate Rick Chandler
The Alabama American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) has endorsed the Libertarian Party candidate, Rick Chandler, for Alabama State Senate District 3. District 3 includes Morgan County and portions of western Madison and eastern Limestone counties. Chandler, a retired engineer from Huntsville, is a challenging Republican incumbent Arthur Orr. Nationally, the AFL-CIO is the largest federation of unions in the U.S., representing more than 12 million active and retired workers. The largest unions currently in the AFL-CIO are the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). Chandler thanked the organization for the endorsement and gave credit to unions. “The Libertarian party continuously seeks to bring in citizens from across all walks of life to form a more harmonious society,” Chandler said. “Even those workers not part of a union have benefitted from their activities to help people achieve an acceptable standard of life, since large corporations must now strive harder to keep their workforces well compensated and working in a safe environment.” Chandler continued, “The Alabama AFL-CIO represents many hard-working, tax-paying, independent-minded Americans. I greatly appreciate their endorsement and look forward to working with them after we win this fall.” The Libertarian Party gained ballot access this year for the first time in more than two decades following a big push to collect enough signatures in support of the party. Danny Wilson, an Alabama Libertarian Party leader, has expressed frustration over what he sees as a “media blackout” concerning libertarian candidates that aren’t being covered for the upcoming Alabama elections. According to the News Courier, Chandler has also been endorsed by LetBamaVote, an organization that advocates the rights of citizens to place statutes and constitutional amendments on ballots and to ratify or reject statutes.
Kay Ivey tells reporters she has a ‘clean bill of health’
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday made her first public appearance in nearly three weeks, telling reporters she was in good health but also declining to say whether she had undergone any recent medical treatment. Ivey toured a science and technology lab at a Montgomery elementary school in her first public appearance since an August 2 groundbreaking ceremony, news outlets reported. The gap between appearances fueled speculation about the 77-year-old governor’s health. “I’ve got a clean bill of health from the doctors, and I’m looking forward to serving for four more years as governor,” Ivey told reporters. Ivey brushed aside questions about whether she had recently undergone medical treatment in a hospital and did not directly answer, news outlets reported. “It just seems like a lot of you just want to will these rumors into being, and that just isn’t going to happen,” the governor responded, according to al.com. “I’ve got a clean bill of health from the doctors. That’s what matters, and I’m looking forward to serving four more years as your governor.” Ivey’s office, on August 12, began releasing occasional photos of her at work to combat the rumors, beginning with an Aug. 12 photo of her greeting South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at an airport when Noem arrived in Alabama for a speech. Ivey announced in 2019 that she had been diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer and would undergo radiation treatments. In 2020, she said the cancer appeared to be gone and that her doctor considered her free of the disease. Ivey easily won the GOP gubernatorial nomination without a runoff in May; Ivey is a heavy favorite over Democratic gubernatorial nominee Yolanda Flowers in the November general election. The rumors about possible health concerns came as a deadline approaches to replace candidates on the November ballot. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
