Nathaniel Ledbetter announces a second round of House committee chairs
State Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter announced his second round of committee chairs on Monday. Ledbetter is the Alabama House Republican Caucus choice to be the next Speaker of the House in the Alabama House of Representatives, and under the rules of the Legislature, the Speaker appoints most of the committee chairs. Ledbetter announced the appointment of Rep. Jim Carns to serve as Chair of the House Commerce and Small Business Committee, a role he previously held under outgoing Speaker Mac McCutcheon. Carns served in the state legislature from 1990 to 2006. From 2006 to 2010, he served on the Jefferson County Commission. He returned to the House in 2011. Carns is a businessman with experience in manufacturing. Ledbetter announced the appointment of State Rep. Margie Wilcox to chair the Boards, Agencies, and Commissions Committee. Wilcox returns for her third consecutive term in the Legislature. During the last quadrennium, Wilcox chaired the Alabama Legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee and the Joint License Plate Oversight Committee. Wilcox owns and operates a taxicab company in Mobile. She has previously served as vice chair of the House County and Municipal Government Committee. Rep. Danny Crawford returns as the Agriculture and Forestry Committee chair. Crawford was elected to the Alabama House in a 2016 special election. He served on the Athens City Council from 1993-2005 and was employed with the Farm Service Agency for 33 years. He was appointed state director by President George W. Bush in 2001. State Rep. Reed Ingram will return as the chair of the County and Municipal Government Committee. Ingram served in the House since 2014 and was the chair of the County and Municipal Government Committee since 2018. Ingram is a well-known businessman and restauranter from Montgomery. He previously served on the Montgomery County Commission from 2004 to 2014. Ledbetter is appointing State Rep. Randall Shedd to chair the Transportation, Utilities, and Infrastructure Committee. Shedd has served in the House since 2013. He previously served as the chairman of the Cullman County Commission and as the mayor of Fairview. He worked as the director of the Cullman County Commission on Aging. Shedd previously chaired the House Urban and Rural Development Committee and was vice chair of the House Children and Senior Advocacy Committee. “From rural to urban areas, from employers to employees, and from tradesmen to consumers, the collective decisions made by these committees affect every Alabamian in some manner,” Ledbetter said. “All of these individuals have my full faith and confidence, and I am certain they will always work on behalf of the citizens each of us seek to serve.” Ledbetter has previously announced his first round of appointments. All of these appointments are conditional on Ledbetter being selected as Speaker in the organizational session of the House of Representatives in January. Since Republicans hold a 77-member supermajority in the 105-member Alabama House, it is highly likely that Ledbetter will be selected as Speaker, so will then be able to make these appointments officially. Ledbetter has served in the House since 2014. He previously was the Mayor of Rainsville and has served on the town council. He has worked for the Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative as accounts manager. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Innovate Alabama forms Council on Outdoor Recreation
Alabama residents and visitors have long recognized and enjoyed the state’s natural resources, and a new group of leaders wants to leverage those same assets to help benefit and grow the state. Innovate Alabama has established the Council on Outdoor Recreation to advise the board of directors on strategies to achieve three primary goals: expand Alabama’s outdoor recreation industry, enhance the state’s attractiveness for a skilled workforce, and yield substantial returns for rural and urban communities for the enjoyment of current and future Alabamians. The council is supported by the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Roundtable, comprised of 19 stakeholders that represent diverse and comprehensive perspectives from various regions of the state and outdoor recreation fields. The roundtable, which met for the first time November 30, will provide recommendations for capitalizing on Alabama’s recreational assets as innovative economic development tools. “Made up of some of our state’s strongest outdoor recreation experts, the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Roundtable brings together centuries of combined knowledge in the outdoors to provide strategic recommendations on the application of outdoor recreation to enhance Alabamians’ quality of life and support economic development in rural and urban communities,” said Chris Blankenship, Alabama’s commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources and the chair of the Council on Outdoor Recreation. “We are thrilled to welcome these advisory members who will ensure that all regions of the state and outdoor recreation sectors have a seat at the table as we develop these recommendations.” In 2021, Innovate Alabama joined forces with former U.S. Secretary of State and Alabama native Condoleezza Rice and Stanford University’s Hoover Institution to conduct extensive research into fostering a robust, inclusive economy in Alabama. The research, which culminated in a final report, highlighted the opportunity to leverage Alabama’s natural resources to help attract innovators and encourage them to grow roots in the state. Out of that research, the Council on Outdoor Recreation was formed. “A thriving business ecosystem is holistic,” said Kellie Clark, CEO of AppThink and a roundtable member. “It considers the interest, hobbies, and well-being of entrepreneurs and their families. People build businesses in Alabama, in part, because of our outdoor recreation assets and landscape diversity. Our natural resources – a true advantage that helps us continue to recruit and retain top talent – differentiates us from other innovation-forward states.” “As an outdoor enthusiast and innovation advocate, I am proud to serve alongside fellow subject matter experts who are all focused on creating inclusive, thoughtful solutions through the lens of outdoor recreation that will enrich our innovation ecosystem,” Clark said. Innovate Alabama is working to leverage the state’s broad array of outdoor assets, such as local and state parks, diverse landscapes, and other natural resources, in an effort to showcase and cultivate Alabama’s unique offerings. Advocates say greater investment in these assets, which make Alabama special, will lure and encourage entrepreneurs, both local and from other states, to put down roots in the state. “We are seeing great success by aligning innovation with our outdoor recreation efforts,” said John Kvach, executive director of Singing River Trail and a roundtable member. “Thanks to Alabama’s unique outdoor landscape and outdoor recreation assets, we have the potential to strengthen regional bonds between rural and urban communities to create a thriving statewide innovation ecosystem.” Members of the Council on Outdoor Recreation and the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Roundtable include: Council on Outdoor Recreation Outdoor Recreation Advisory Roundtable Republished with the permission of The Alabama NewsCenter.
WNBA star Brittney Griner freed in swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout
Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, as the U.S. released notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden, but carried a heavy price — and left behind an American jailed for nearly four years in Russia. “She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said from the White House, where he was accompanied by Griner’s wife, Cherelle, and administration officials. The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad. Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose monthslong imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees. Biden’s authorization to release a Russian felon once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death” underscored the escalating pressure that his administration faced to get Griner home, particularly after the recent resolution of her criminal case and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony. The Russian Foreign Ministry also confirmed the swap, saying in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the exchange took place in Abu-Dhabi and that Bout has been flown home Russian and U.S. officials had conveyed cautious optimism in recent weeks after months of strained negotiations, with Biden saying in November that he was hopeful that Russia would engage in a deal now that the midterm elections were completed. A top Russian official said last week that a deal was possible before year’s end. Even so, the fact that the deal was a one-for-one swap was a surprise given that U.S. officials had for months expressed their determination to bring home both Griner and Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government has said are baseless. “We’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan,” Biden said. “We will keep negotiating in good faith for Paul’s release.” Whelan’s brother David said in a statement he was “so glad” for Griner’s release but also disappointed for his family. He credited the White House with giving the Whelan family advance notice and said he did not fault officials for making the deal. “The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen,” he said. In releasing Bout, the U.S. freed a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers. Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that U.S officials said were to be used against Americans. The Biden administration was ultimately willing to exchange Bout if it meant Griner’s freedom. The detention of one of the greatest players in WNBA history contributed to a swirl of unprecedented public attention for an individual detainee case — not to mention intense pressure on the White House. Griner’s arrest in February made her the most high-profile American jailed abroad. Her status as an openly gay Black woman, locked up in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LBGTQ community, infused racial, gender, and social dynamics into her legal saga and made each development a matter of international importance. Her case not only brought unprecedented publicity to the dozens of Americans wrongfully detained by foreign governments, but it also emerged as a major inflection point in U.S.-Russia diplomacy at a time of deteriorating relations prompted by Moscow’s war against Ukraine. The exchange was carried out despite deteriorating relations between the powers. But the imprisonment of Americans produced a rare diplomatic opening, yielding the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow — a phone call between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov — in more than five months. In an extraordinary move during otherwise secret negotiations, Blinken revealed publicly in July that the U.S. had made a “substantial proposal” to Russia for Griner and Whelan. Though he did not specify the terms, people familiar with it said the U.S. had offered Bout. Such a public overture drew a chiding rebuke from the Russians, who said they preferred to resolve such cases in private and carried the risk of weakening the U.S. government’s negotiating hand for this and future deals by making the administration appear too desperate. But the announcement was also meant to communicate to the public that Biden was doing what he could and to ensure pressure on the Russians. Besides the efforts of U.S. officials, the release also followed months of back-channel negotiations involving Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage talks, and his top deputy, Mickey Bergman. Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February when customs officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. She pleaded guilty in July, though still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. She acknowledged in court that she possessed the canisters but said she had no criminal intent and said their presence in her luggage was due to hasty packing. Before being sentenced on August 4 and receiving a punishment her lawyers said was out of line for the offense, an emotional Griner apologized “for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them.” She added: “I hope in your ruling it does not end my life.” Her supporters had largely stayed quiet for weeks after her arrest, but that approach changed in May once the State Department designated her as unlawfully detained. A separate trade, Marine veteran Trevor Reed for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot convicted in the U.S. in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, spurred hope that additional such exchanges could be in the works. Whelan has been held in Russia since December 2018. The U.S. government also classified him as
Jimmy Parnell re-elected to head Alabama Farmers Federation President
Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell was elected to a sixth two-year term heading the largest and most powerful Farm advocacy group in the state on Monday. “I thank you for my reelection,” Parnell said to the delegates who re-elected him. “I love y’all and truly enjoy what we’re doing. There is so much positivity going on inside this whole organization. I am so proud of that.” Parnell was re-elected by the four hundred seventy voting delegates from all 67 Alabama counties unanimously during the Federation’s 101st annual meeting in Montgomery. Parnell thanked fellow farmers from all 67 counties for their support and trust. As Federation president, Parnell also leads its affiliated insurance company, Alfa Insurance. This election to a sixth term caps off an incredibly successful year for Parnell, whose FarmPAC group endorsed candidates prevailed in numerous contests both at the primary and general election levels. Notable victories for the association include Katie Britt winning the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate over Congressman Mo Brooks, who had been an enemy of the group for years. Incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey was another high-profile endorsed candidate of FarmPAC. Ivey bested a dozen rivals to coast to re-election. Ivey addressed the group at their convention. “Tonight’s @AlfaFarmers’ 101st annual meeting marks the start of “A New Century for AL Agriculture; Continuing the Legacy.” I’ll always have the backs of our farmers, over the next 4 years & beyond,” Ivey wrote on Twitter. Parnell was recently chosen by Ivey to be one of the honorary co-chairs of her inauguration committee. Parnell succeeded Jerry Newby, who retired as the group’s President ten years ago. Parnell is a fifth-generation Chilton County farmer. Parnell raises cattle and runs a timber business. He was named the logger of the year by the Alabama Forestry Association in 2006. Parnell has a 1985 BA degree from Auburn University. Other leaders were also elected to roles in the association: Rex Vaughn of Madison County and George Jeffcoat of Houston County were both reelected to their sixth two-year terms as North Area and Southeast Area vice presidents. Both raise row crops and cattle. District 2 delegates elected agribusinessman Jeff Peek of Limestone County. Joe Anders of Tuscaloosa County was re-elected to serve a third term representing District 5. Tommy Martin of Hale County was elected to serve District 8. Mark Kaiser of Baldwin County was re-elected to a second term as District 11 director. Ann Whatley and Jonathan Edgar will each serve one-year, ex-officio terms on the state board. They were elected as chairs of the State Women’s Leadership Committee and State Young Farmers Committee. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama Democratic leaders receive national recognition
Alabama State Rep. Laura Hall was recognized as the President-elect for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) during the 46th Annual Legislative Conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rep. Hall’s term as President will begin January 1, 2023. Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels was also recognized during the annual awards ceremony as a Regional Legislator of the Year. The awards recognize the outstanding legislative achievements and contributions made by current members of NBCSL. They are given to legislators who have exhibited extraordinary leadership and dedication to the advancement of NBCSL’s legislative agenda. “Congratulations Madam President!” Rep. Daniels wrote on Twitter. According to Alabama House Democratic Caucus Chair, Rep. Barbara Drummond, “The moment I knew that Rep. Laura Hall would assume the presidency of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, I was Alabama proud. She represents excellence, intellect, and class. She is an Alabama jewel, moving our state forward, and now she sits at the helm of a national policy-making organization, a testament to the greatness that lies in Alabama.” Senator Merika Coleman was honored during the NBCSL convention by the National Organization of Black Elected Legislators (NOBEL) Women for her leadership in removing racist language from and streamlining the Alabama Constitution. Senator Coleman, who served as State Representative for House District 57 since 2002 before recently being elected to the Senate, received the award from Rep. Juandalynn Givan, who currently serves as the President of NOBEL Women. NBCSL membership also elected Rep. Artis “A.J.” McCampbell as an at-large member and Sen. Rodger Smitherman as Regional Chair for District 7.
German automotive supplier announces $3.4M expansion
A German automotive supplier has announced an expansion of its operations in Alabama that will create nearly 80 new jobs. Eissmann Automotive, in a news release Monday, said it is putting $3.4 million into new equipment for its new production line at its facility in Pell City. The company also said it expects to hire an additional 79 people to support the production in St. Clair County. Eissmann Automotive supplies car interior, trim components, shifter modules, and other parts for Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Jeep, Tesla, Porsche, Volkswagon, and other automakers. It has 13 locations on three continents. “This is a testament both to the company’s ability to produce a great product and the faith they have in St. Clair County’s workforce,” St. Clair County Commission Chairman Stan Batemon said. Eismann Automotive Plant Director Tracy Breeding said the company is “very pleased” to work with Pell City, the county commission, and the state’s Department of Commerce. “They have been wonderful partners as we continue to invest in Pell City to provide quality service and products to our valued customers,” Breeding said. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Proposed vendor contract could help Alabama officials track student, school data
A software company with expertise in the K-12 education arena could be tapped to build a platform for Alabama state officials to track student- and school-specific data in the hopes of tackling achievement gaps. The State Department of Education is seeking authority from the members of a legislative panel to use funds to build out a data management system that largely would benefit employees within the agency. Terms of the proposal call for a $7.79 million contract to PowerSchool Group LLC, a Folsom, Calif.-based software company that specializes in gathering data through cloud-based solutions. Connor Johnston, a representative within the department, went before the bipartisan members of the Alabama Contract Review Committee on Thursday and discussed the proposal. “This is for PowerSchool to come in and, from the ground up, build us a customized data dashboard,” Johnston said. “This is so that our staff … can go in, in real-time, and see where students are struggling and where schools are struggling.” If plans proceed as proposed, Johnston said the PowerSchool system would give department officials more rapid access to data and provide solutions to address issues as they arise. “Rather than waiting on a report at the end of the year, they can go in, if it was implemented today, click a button, see what students are struggling where and provide that implementation or that intervention to that school or that student – however, they need to,” Johnston said. The SDE’s request comes on the heels of a report last month that revealed a total of 79 schools across Alabama met the criteria of “failing” under the state’s guidelines. In 2019 – the last time state officials generated such a report – 74 schools wound up on the list. Learning loss and declining student achievement has been a widespread issue within schools across the U.S. – a ripple effect from the temporary cessation of in-person learning when COVID-19 mitigation measures were heaviest. Johnston said the goal behind the would-be PowerSchool contract is to follow through with Alabama’s education-related legislation, including the Accountability Act, which was passed into law in 2013, and calls for corrective measures for failing schools. “It’s more for us at the department being able to go in,” Johnston said of the system PowerSchool would build. “(Agency staffers) can go in and take care of a crisis before it becomes one.” At the meeting, members of the Contract Review Committee delayed signing off on the PowerSchool contract because additional information was requested. Questions arose about what, if any, opportunities parents will have in accessing data from the new system. “If it’s available to state employees, why shouldn’t it be available to the parents? They would have an immediate interest, I would think, in how their child or how their school is performing,” said state Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore. “That’s my only concern – if it’s available and an in-house thing, shouldn’t it be available to parents also?” Johnston said he did not have a ready answer to the question but indicated he would look into it on a deeper level. PowerSchool is already a familiar concept to parents and students in school districts across Alabama. The company’s software is used to convey specific information to parents. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
