Two days left for Alabamians to apply for federal assistance from January 12 storms
On Tuesday, Congresswoman Terri Sewell reminded Alabamians that homeowners and renters who sustained damage to their primary property due to the January 12th severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes have two days left to apply for federal assistance. The deadline is March 16, 2023, for survivors to apply for federal assistance in Autauga, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Greene, Hale, Mobile, Morgan, Sumter, and Tallapoosa counties. “Following the January 12th storms, I have made it my mission to get our communities the resources needed to rebuild better and stronger than before,” said Rep. Sewell. “In order to take advantage of the individual assistance available, my constituents in the eligible counties have until this Thursday, March 16th to submit an application. I remain committed to ensuring my constituents can benefit from the critical assistance available right now!” Homeowners and renters in the designated counties can apply for assistance in three ways: 1) Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. The helpline is open, and help is available from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. CT. 2) Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov 3) Download the free FEMA mobile app for smartphones. You can view an accessible video on how to apply for assistance here. When applying, homeowners and renters will need: · A current phone number where you can be contacted · Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying · Your Social Security Number · A general list of damage and losses · Banking information if you choose direct deposit · If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name If you are unable to locate important documents, FEMA will help you to identify other ways to verify your information. Disaster assistance should not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster. The assistance is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts. Contact FEMA for more information. Nine Alabamians were killed in the January 12 storms. Terri Sewell is in her seventh term representing Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Senator Katie Britt concerned Republicans are not being informed about bank failures
On Monday, U.S. Senator Katie Britt expressed her concerns that Republicans are not being kept informed about the federal government’s response to the recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. “My office and I have been in contact with federal financial regulators since Friday, and we continue to closely monitor the situation,” Britt stated in a press release. “The public deserves full transparency and accountability without regard to partisanship, and it is unacceptable that this Administration excluded Senate Republicans, including those on the Senate Banking Committee, from Sunday night’s bicameral Member briefing. Right now, we have more questions than answers. Why did regulators not see this coming? Did Silicon Valley’s focus on ESG distract from their fiduciary responsibilities, in turn contributing to its collapse? How much extra money will local community banks in rural Alabama have to fork up to fund the Administration’s plans? Unfortunately, we did not get any clarity on these pressing items on today’s Member briefing call, which the Federal Reserve did not make time to attend. Ultimately, American taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for bank executives’ mismanagement and regulators’ failure. I will continue to support the strength of our financial system, which is crucial to hardworking families, small businesses, retirees, and communities in every corner of our nation.” Federal regulators said that Silicon Valley Bank customers would be able to access all of their funds starting on Monday. “Depositors will have access to all of their money starting Monday, March 13,” the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) said in a joint statement. “No losses associated with the resolution of Silicon Valley Bank will be borne by the taxpayer.” They added that the depositors of Signature Bank in New York “will be made whole at no cost to the taxpayer.” The NY bank was closed on Sunday by state financial regulators. The statement added that the Federal Reserve will make additional funding available to eligible institutions “to help assure banks have the ability to meet the needs of all their depositors.” The regulators claimed that the broader banking system “remains resilient and on a solid foundation, largely due to reforms that were made after the financial crisis that ensured better safeguards for the banking industry.” President Joe Biden urged everyone to remain calm in comments delivered on Monday. “Today, thanks to the quick action of my administration over the past few days, Americans can have confidence that the banking system is safe,” Biden said. “Your deposits will be there when you need them. Small businesses across the country that had deposit accounts at these banks can breathe easier knowing they’ll be able to pay their workers and pay their bills. And their hardworking employees can breathe easier as well.” “Last week, when we learned of the problems of the banks and the impact they could have on jobs, some small businesses, and the banking system overall, I instructed my team to act quickly to protect these interests,” Biden explained. “They have done that. They have done that. On Friday, the government regulator in charge, the FDIC, took control of Silicon Valley Bank’s assets. And over the weekend, it took control of Signature Bank’s assets. Treasury Secretary Yellen and a team of banking regulators have taken action — immediate action.” “All customers who had deposits in these banks can rest assured — I want to — rest assured they’ll be protected and they’ll have access to their money as of today,” Biden continued. “That includes small businesses across the country that banked there and need to make payroll, pay their bills, and stay open for business. No losses will be — and I want — this is an important point — no losses will be borne by the taxpayers. Let me repeat that: No losses will be borne by the taxpayers. Instead, the money will come from the fees that banks pay into the Deposit Insurance Fund.” “Because of the actions of that — because of the actions that our regulators have already taken, every American should feel confident that their deposits will be there if and when they need them,” Biden said. “Second, the management of these banks will be fired. If the bank is taken over by FDIC, the people running the bank should not work there anymore. Third, investors in the banks will not be protected. They knowingly took a risk, and when the risk didn’t pay off, investors lose their money. That’s how capitalism works. And fourth, there are important questions of how these banks got into these circumstances in the first place. We must get the full accounting of what happened and why those responsible can be held accountable. In my administration, no one, in my view — no one is above the law.” “Finally, we must reduce the risks of this happening again,” the President added. “During the Obama-Biden administration, we put in place tough requirements on banks like Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, including the Dodd-Frank Law, to make sure the crisis we saw in 2008 would not happen again. Unfortunately, the last administration rolled back some of these requirements. I’m going to ask Congress and the banking regulators to strengthen the rules for banks to make it less likely that this kind of bank failure will happen again and to protect American jobs and small businesses.” “The bottom line is this: Americans can rest assured that our banking system is safe,” said Biden. “Your deposits are safe.” Katie Britt is a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and serves on the Senate Banking subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
State Legislature returns on Tuesday
Both Houses of the Alabama State Legislature will be in Montgomery on Tuesday for Day 3 of the 2023 First Alabama Special Session to appropriate over a $billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey called the special session on Tuesday during her state of the state address. Days 1 and 2 of the special session were on last Wednesday and Thursday. The Alabama House of Representatives will convene at 1:00 p.m., and the Alabama Senate will convene at 3:30 p.m. At 10:00 a.m., there will be an informational meeting of the House Committee on Military & Veterans Affairs in Room 617. At 4:00 p.m., the Lee County Legislative Committee will meet for an organizational session in Room 429 of the Statehouse. No bills will be discussed. All four meetings can be viewed online at the Legislature’s webpage. By law, it takes a minimum of five legislative days to pass anything. The first day is for introducing the bill, and the second is to consider the bill in committee. On Thursday, the committee advanced the proposed legislation to the full House. The proposed spending plan would allocate: — $339 million for healthcare costs, including another $100 million to reimburse Alabama hospitals for their pandemic-related expenses. The nursing homes will also receive $100 million to reimburse them. The Legislature is also appropriating $25 million to support mental health programs and services. — Another $400 million for water and sewer infrastructure projects. This includes $195 million for high-need projects, $200 million for matching funds for public water and sewer systems, and $5 million for septic systems in the Black Belt region. — $260 million for improvement and expansion of broadband network access. — $55 million for projects that address the economic impacts of the pandemic. The legislation says the Department of Finance may distribute the money for a wide range of needs, such as food banks, long-term housing, and summer learning programs for children. In separate legislation, unrelated to the ARPA funds, the committee advanced a bill to pay $50 million from the existing budget surplus to pay off the remaining debt from the 2013 raid on the Alabama Trust Fund. The third day is to consider the bill on the floor of the first House. On the fourth day, the bill is considered in committee by the second House. On the fifth day, the bill can be passed by the second House and sent to the governor for her consideration. Of course, if the bill is delayed at any point for any reason, it will be necessary to continue to meet for additional legislative days – including weekends if necessary. The 2023 Regular Legislative Session will resume on March 21. One hundred seventy-four bills have already been pre-filed for the regular session. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Gary Palmer warns, “China is the existential threat”
On Saturday, Congressman Gary Palmer spoke with the Mid-Alabama Republican Club (MARC) at their monthly meeting in the Vestavia Hills Public Library. Palmer spoke to the gathering of greater Birmingham area Republicans about several topics, including foreign policy. Palmer supports aiding Ukraine in its war with Russia but warned that “China is the existential threat” we face. “China is the existential threat,” Palmer warned. Palmer said that anything the economy needs for defense or to keep the U.S. economy functioning should not be made in a country that is an enemy. Anything essential that is produced in China cannot stay in China. “No nation should be dependent on an enemy nation for something they need,” Palmer said. “Frankly, we can’t bring back everything.” “What I have been proposing is that we form a western hemisphere prosperity act,” with willing nations in Central and South America as well as Canada, Palmer said. Palmer said that our European allies made a mistake by investing so heavily in renewable energy and then relying on Russia to provide most of their energy needs because now that Russia is causing problems, shutting off the flow of Russian gas and oil is problematic for those nations. Palmer said that while the U.S. and Western European Countries have limited their domestic energy options, “China is building a coal-fired plant every two weeks, but they are building 14 outside of China, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South America.” Palmer said he had been asked to discuss his ideas in Brussels, Belgium, and would probably accept that invitation. “We cannot stop helping Ukraine,” Palmer said. “The consequences would be worse than pulling out of Afghanistan.” Palmer said the unilateral U.S. decision to pull out of Afghanistan has severely weakened U.S. credibility worldwide. “World leaders don’t trust us,” Palmer warned. “Our allies don’t trust us, and our enemies don’t fear us. That is the consequence of pulling out of Afghanistan.” Palmer said that if we had not supported Ukraine, the Russians would have taken it and that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have stopped there. “They would have taken Moldova, they would have taken the Republic of Georgia, and they would have taken the Baltics, and we would be in another Cold War,” Palmer said. Palmer said that it is a mistake for the U.S. to transition off of oil and natural gas and said that renewables would never be able to produce all of the energy that we need. One alternative is nuclear power. “One nuclear power plant takes up about 640 acres,” Palmer said. “To produce the generating capacity of one nuclear power plant would take 67,000 acres of wind turbines.” “We will have to pass a debt limit bill,” Palmer said. “We cannot default on the debt.” Palmer assured the Republicans that in order to address the debt ceiling, President Joe Biden would have to negotiate with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and make concessions to the Republicans. Palmer announced when questioned by Terry Richmond that he would run for office again in 2024, breaking a pledge not to serve over ten years that he made when he first ran for office in 2014. “We all have a mission,” Palmer said. “I don’t think my mission is complete.” “There is no way we can be bound by any agreement that the Biden Administration makes unless it is ratified by the Senate,” Palmer said when asked about foreign agreements made by President Biden. “We are still committed to getting the Northern Beltline built,” Palmer said, referring to the beltway around Northern Jefferson County. “We have got $469 million in funding for that. We had a meeting with ALDOT in my office on that. They committed $120 million for that, but there is no seed money for it. It is frustrating.” The MARC meets monthly on the second Saturday of each month at 8:30 a.m. At this point, Gary Palmer is the only formally announced candidate for the Sixth Congressional District seat. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Economy gains 54,100 Jobs in 2022 state unemployment rate is holding steady at just 2.6%
On Monday, Gov. Kay Ivey announced that Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted January unemployment rate is just 2.6%. That is unchanged from December 2022’s revised rate and January 2022’s rate. Only 58,411 persons qualify as unemployed persons under the government’s definition. That is down from 59,986 in December and 60,270 in January 2022. “I’m proud to kick off 2023 with a continuation of Alabama’s unemployment rate holding steady,” said Gov. Ivey. “We have been enjoying a period of low unemployment, high wages, and high jobs count for some time now, and I believe that more is yet to come. We will not back down on our commitment to continue to bring quality, high-paying jobs to Alabama.” Over the year, wage and salary employment increased by 54,100 jobs, with notable gains in the manufacturing sector (+10,400), the professional and business services sector (+8,700), and the private education and health services sector (+7,500), among others. “Additionally, we’re continuing to see positive increases in our wages, meaning more money in Alabamians’ pockets,” said Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “This month, we reached one of our highest average weekly wages in history.” Total private wages increased by $30.12/weekly over the year to $1,008.61 in January. This marks the third-highest weekly wages in history. The Alabama counties with the lowest unemployment rates are Shelby County at just 1.8%, Morgan County at 2.0%, and Marshall, Madison, Limestone, and Cullman Counties at 2.1%. The counties with the highest unemployment rates are Wilcox County at 8.8%, Clarke County at 5.9%, and Dallas County at 5.4%. The major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are Homewood at 1.6%, Madison at 1.7%, and Alabaster, Trussville, and Vestavia Hills at 1.8%. The major cities with the highest unemployment rates are Selma at 6.4%, Prichard at 5.2%, and Bessemer at 4.2%. Selma was hard hit by a tornado that devastated much of the town in January. The Alabama labor force’s total size increased to 2,284,792 from 2,283,890 in December and 2,278,519 in January 2022. The national unemployment rate dropped to 3.4% in January – down from 3.5% in December and 4.0% in January 2022. The 3.4% national rate is the lowest in 50 years. The Alabama Labor Force Participation Rate actually dropped throughout 2022 to 56.7%. This is down from 56.9% in Jan. 2022. The U.S. Labor Force Participation Rate is 62.4%. That is up slightly from 62.3% in December and 62.2% in Jan. 2022. The historically low labor participation rate concerns some economists. Dr. Samuel Gregg is a distinguished fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. “THIS is the employment number that should concern Americans: our abysmal labor participation rate,” said Dr. Gregg. “Some Americans have stopped looking OR decided that they don’t want to work OR cobbled together enough forms of welfare rather than work.” While many older Americans who were sent home due to the COVID-19 shutdowns simply retired, there is a large number of younger persons who either dropped out of the workforce or finished school and never entered the workforce. Rachel Greszler is a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a former senior economist at the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. “The troubling part is, what does this mean for the future of the workforce?” Greszler told FOX Business. “When you talk about people who are kind of displaced from the education or worker experience routes that they otherwise would have gone into, and instead just kind of been idle at home — living with mom and dad or maybe in a group setting and just able to live off welfare benefits — they’re not getting the experience and the education they need. So I think it’s really troubling going forward that we could see this have a more longer-term impact.” The February employment numbers are expected to be released sometime this week. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com
Joe Biden OKs controversial Alaska oil project, draws ire of environmentalists
The Biden administration said Monday it is approving a huge oil-drilling project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope, a major environmental decision by President Joe Biden that drew quick condemnation as flying in the face of his pledges to slow climate change. The announcement came a day after the administration, in a move in the other direction toward conservation, said it would bar or limit drilling in some other areas of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean. The approval of Conoco-Phillips’ big Willow drilling project by the Bureau of Land Management will allow three drill sites, including up to 199 total wells. Two other drill sites proposed for the project will be denied. ConocoPhillips Chairman and CEO Ryan Lance called the order “the right decision for Alaska and our nation.” The order, one of the most significant of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s tenure, was not signed by her but rather by her deputy, Tommy Beaudreau, who grew up in Alaska and briefed state lawmakers on the project Monday. Haaland was notably silent on the project, which she had opposed as a New Mexico congresswoman before becoming Interior secretary two years ago. Climate activists were outraged that Biden approved the project, which they say puts his climate legacy at risk. Allowing the drilling plan to go forward marks a major breach of Biden’s campaign promise to stop new oil drilling on federal lands, they say. However, administration officials were concerned that ConocoPhillips’ decades-old leases limited the government’s legal ability to block the project and that courts might have ruled in the company’s favor. Monday’s announcement is not likely to be the last word, with litigation expected from environmental groups. The Willow project could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, create up to 2,500 jobs during construction and 300 long-term jobs, and generate billions of dollars in royalties and tax revenues for the federal, state, and local governments, the company said. The project, located in the federally designated National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, enjoys widespread political support in the state. Alaska’s bipartisan congressional delegation met with Biden and his advisers in early March to plead their case for the project, and Alaska Native state lawmakers recently met with Haaland to urge support. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Monday the decision was “very good news for the country.” “Not only will this mean jobs and revenue for Alaska, it will be resources that are needed for the country and for our friends and allies,” Murkowski said. “The administration listened to Alaska voices. They listened to the delegation as we pressed the case for energy security and national security.” Fellow Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan said conditions attached to the project should not reduce Willow’s ability to produce up to 180,000 barrels of crude a day. But he said it was “infuriating” that Biden also had moved to prevent or limit oil drilling elsewhere in Alaska. Environmental activists who have promoted a #StopWillow campaign on social media were fuming at the approval, which they called a betrayal. “This decision greenlights 92% of proposed oil drilling (by ConocoPhllips) and hands over one the most fragile, intact ecosystems in the world to” the oil giant, said Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen. “This is not climate leadership.″ Biden understands the existential threat of climate change, “but he is approving a project that derails his own climate goals,″ said Dillen, whose group vowed legal action to block the project. John Leshy, who was a top Interior Department lawyer in the Clinton administration, said Biden’s climate goals aren’t the only factor in an environmental review process that agencies must follow. Leshy, a professor at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, called the decision on Willow defensible, adding: “I think it reflects a balancing of the things they have to balance, which is the environmental impact and the lease rights that Conoco has.” Christy Goldfuss, a former Obama White House official who now is a policy chief at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said she was “deeply disappointed″ at Biden’s decision to approve Willow, which the BLM estimates would produce more than 239 million metric tons of greenhouse gases over the project’s 30-year life, roughly equal to the combined emissions from 1.7 million passenger cars. “This decision is bad for the climate, bad for the environment, and bad for the Native Alaska communities who oppose this and feel their voices were not heard,″ Goldfuss said. Anticipating that reaction among environmental groups, the White House announced on Sunday that Biden will prevent or limit oil drilling in 16 million acres in Alaska and the Arctic Ocean. The plan would bar drilling in nearly 3 million acres of the Beaufort Sea — closing it off from oil exploration — and limit drilling in more than 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve. The withdrawal of the offshore area ensures that important habitat for whales, seals, polar bears, and other wildlife “will be protected in perpetuity from extractive development,″ the White House said in a statement. The conservation announcement did little to mollify activists. “It’s a performative action to make the Willow project not look as bad,” said Elise Joshi, the acting executive director of Gen-Z for Change, an advocacy organization. City of Nuiqsut Mayor Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, whose community of about 525 people is closest to the proposed development, has been outspoken in her opposition, worried about impacts to caribou and her residents’ subsistence lifestyles. “My constituents and community will bear the burden of this project with our health and our livelihoods,″ she said. But there is “majority consensus” in the North Slope region supporting the project, said Nagruk Harcharek, president of the group Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, whose members include leaders from across much of that region. The conservation actions announced Sunday block drilling in the Beaufort Sea and build on President Barack Obama’s actions to restrict drilling there and in the Chukchi Sea. Separately, the administration moved to protect more than 13 million acres within the petroleum reserve, a 23-million-acre chunk of land on Alaska’s North Slope set
Gun laws, campus policies perplex college sports programs
At Alabama, one of the team’s best players allegedly delivered a gun that was used in a fatal shooting. At New Mexico State, a player avoided charges for shooting and killing a student in what he said was self-defense, even though he was carrying a gun in violation of school rules. At Michigan State, sports were suspended after gun violence on campus left three students dead. At LSU, the team’s leading wide receiver was arrested, but not charged, for carrying a gun through the French Quarter in New Orleans. The headlines over the past few months illustrate the challenge for athletic departments in determining how gun laws in their states and regulations at their schools should be applied to their programs and communicated to their players. An Associated Press analysis of more than a dozen schools in the NCAA tournaments shows a wide range of policies that govern guns at those schools and uneven efforts to regulate them. “I have no idea,” Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo told AP when asked what he should say to players who legally possess a gun. “Whatever the law is, you can’t supersede the law on your team or in your program.” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans, when asked about his own team’s gun policy: “That’s a good question. Not sure I know the correct answer to that right now.” The NCAA has no gun policy on its books, calling it a law-enforcement issue. That means rules for sports teams, if they exist, are derived from a mixture of state laws, university policies and, in some cases, supplements to those policies in the student-athlete handbooks. In some instances, coaches implement their own team rules. But as cases across the country have shown — just in the past four months alone — there is confusion, mixed messages and what some perceive as seat-of-the-pants decision-making on issues that can have life-or-death consequences. Marquette coach Shaka Smart said he’s been “yelled at by my superiors” over the years when he brings up sensitive topics such as guns to his players. So, he says, he treads lightly on the subject. “Now, should you be driving around with a gun in your glove compartment or whatever?” Smart said. “I’m not passing judgment on anyone anywhere else as it relates to that. But no, our players should not be doing that and I should not be doing that. And so I don’t, and they don’t.” Guns are prohibited in buildings on the Marquette campus in Milwaukee. At Kansas State, concealed weapons are allowed on campus, so long as they are legally owned. “We have to explain to them why we feel like one decision may be, in this moment in time, a little more prudent than another decision in another moment of their life,” K-State coach Jerome Tang said. “Like, later on in life, if they want to get a license, that’s fine. But right now, in this moment, it may not be as wise for you.” The AP’s analysis found that in many instances, school policies differ from state to state, and sometimes from campus to campus within the same state. Most student-athlete handbooks simply reiterate school policy regarding weapons. In Texas, open carry is not allowed at either the University of Houston or at the University of Texas in Austin, the site of a 1966 mass shooting from the clock tower on campus. But concealed carry is allowed in some areas of each campus, the listings of which are available on the school websites. The NCAA bans guns on the premises of its championship events, presumably meaning the Final Four sites — in Dallas (women) and Houston (men) — will be gun free. In Alabama, a state law that went into effect this year made it legal to openly carry a gun without a permit. Still, guns are prohibited on campus. Police say Alabama star Brandon Miller delivered a gun to a teammate and another person who are charged with the Jan. 15 fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jamea Harris. Miller has not been charged with a crime and has continued to play for his team, which is the overall top seed in the tournament that gets into full swing Thursday. But the school’s handling of Miller’s status in the aftermath of the shooting underscores the confusion over the topic. There was more than a month between the killing and police testimony that Miller had brought the gun to his teammate, Darius Miles, who was removed from the team after he was charged, then later indicted, in Harris’ death. “Our role in a criminal investigation is to support law enforcement, not to conduct our own investigation — and not to interfere with their efforts,” athletic director Greg Byrne said in an ESPN interview. At New Mexico State, campus officials appeared unprepared to deal with a shooting that resulted in the death of a student from University of New Mexico. NMSU forward Mike Peake said he was acting in self-defense when he shot and killed Brandon Travis last November while the Aggies were on a road trip in Albuquerque. Guns are prohibited on New Mexico State’s campus and on school road trips. Still, police say Peake brought the gun with him on the team bus; it took the school 16 days to permanently suspend him from the team after the shooting. “I don’t know if it’s a rule you talk about with the players, that you can’t bring a gun on the bus,” said Rus Bradburd, a former coach and current professor at New Mexico State whose book, “All the Dreams We’ve Dreamed,” tells the story of gun violence and basketball in Chicago. “But do you need to write that down? It’s like, I always wear pants to a faculty meeting, but that’s not anywhere in the bylaws. It’s sort of understood.” LSU receiver Malik Nabers was disciplined by the school (no specifics were given) but will not miss games next season after being arrested for illegally carrying a weapon on Bourbon Street last month. Had the incident happened on a busy
