Searches resume after tornado kills 23 in Alabama
Rescuers began tearing through the rubble of mobile homes and houses Monday in search of survivors of a powerful tornado that rampaged through southeast Alabama and killed at least 23 people, including children. The trail of destruction was at least half a mile wide and overwhelmed rural Lee County’s coroners’ office, forcing it to call in help from the state. “It looks like someone almost just took a giant knife and scraped the ground,” Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said of the devastation during a Monday morning news conference. Jones said children were among the dead, but he didn’t know exactly how many. And he said the number of deaths may rise as the search continues. “I have not seen this level of destruction ever in my time in Lee County,” said Jones, who has been sheriff since 1998. Drones flying overheard equipped with heat-seeking devices had scanned the area for survivors, but the dangerous conditions halted the search late Sunday, Jones said. The Sunday tornado, which had winds that appeared to be around 160 mph (257 kph) or greater, was part of a powerful storm system that also slashed its way across parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Levi Baker, who lives near the hard-hit area in Alabama, took a chain saw to help clear a path for ambulances and other first-responder vehicles. He said he saw bodies of dead people and dead animals. He said some houses were demolished and trees were uprooted or snapped in half. One house was swept off its foundation and was sitting in the middle of the road. “It was just destruction,” Baker said. “There were mobile homes gone. Frames on the other side of the road.” Jones said the twister traveled straight down a county road in the rural community of Beauregard reducing homes to slabs. Scott Fillmer was at home when the storm hit in Lee County. “I looked out the window and it was nothing but black, but you could hear that freight train noise,” Fillmer said. The National Weather Service confirmed late Sunday a tornado with at least an F3 rating caused the destruction in Alabama. Although the statement did not give exact wind estimates, F3 storms typically are gauged at wind speeds of between 158-206 mph (254-331 kph). In a tweet late Sunday, President Donald Trump said: “To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!” Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders had quickly jumped in to help search the debris after the storm struck in Beauregard. At least one trained canine could be seen with search crews as numerous ambulances and emergency vehicles, lights flashing, converged on the area. On a country road in Beauregard on Monday, a giant pieces of metal from a farm building were suspended 20 feet (6 meters) in the air, attached to the lower halves of pine trees, making loud creaking sounds as the wind blew them into the pine branches. The top halves of most of those trees were snapped off. For an entire mile down the road, the scene was the same — pine trees cracked in half. One mile down the road, a mobile home crushed by two trees marked the end of the mile-long path of destruction. At the R&D Grocery on Monday morning in Beauregard, residents were constantly asking each other if they were okay. “I’m still thanking God I’m among the living,” said John Jones, who has lived in Beauregard for most of his life. School Superintendent Mack McCoy said some buses were damaged in the storm and winds tore through the roof of Smiths Station Elementary School. No deaths had been reported Sunday evening from storm-damaged Alabama counties other than Lee County, said Gregory Robinson, spokesman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. But he said crews were still surveying damage in several counties in the southwestern part of the state. Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the storm system raced across the region. Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the region by radar alone and would send teams out Monday to assess those and other storms. In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful straight-line winds or a tornado that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency. “The last check I had was between six and eight injuries,” Erenheim said in a phone interview. “From what I understand it was minor injuries, though one fellow did say his leg might be broken.” She said searches of damaged homes and structures had turned up no serious injuries or deaths there. Henry Wilson of the Peach County Emergency Management Agency near Macon in central Georgia said a barn had been destroyed and trees and power poles had been snapped, leaving many in the area without power. Authorities in southwest Georgia were searching door-to-door in darkened neighborhoods after a possible tornado touched down in the rural city of Cairo, about 33 miles (53 kilometers) north of Tallahassee, Florida, on Sunday evening. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries. Authorities said a tornado was confirmed by radar in the Florida Panhandle late Sunday afternoon. A portion of Interstate 10 on the Panhandle was blocked in one direction for a time in Walton County in the aftermath, said Don Harrigan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. Republished with permission from the.Associated Press.
East Alabama’s controversial Sabal Trail pipeline on target for June operation
A 515-mile-long natural gas pipeline, which includes 86.4-miles in east Alabama, is on target to begin operation in June. The Sabal Trail Transmission pipeline is a joint project by three energy companies —Spectra Energy Corp., NextEra Energy Inc. and Duke Energy — and will transport natural gas from the Transco pipeline north of Alexander City, Ala., extend through the southwest corner of Georgia and end in central Florida near Orlando. The three-state pipeline is currently “about 85 percent complete with overall construction,” Andrea Grover, Director or Stakeholder Outreach for the Sabal Trail Transmission told Alabama Today. With construction underway in Tallapoosa, Chambers, Lee and Russell Counties, the pipeline is roughly 70% complete in Alabama, Grover added. Expected to provide a significant economic benefit to the Yellowhammer State, the pipeline creates both short-term and long-term jobs and adds capital investment and tax base to the state’s economy. During the current construction phase, the economic benefits include: 1,112 construction jobs available $37,240,486 funds from jobs being created $49,685,416 additional funds contributed by non-directly related construction activity $140,412,196 amount generated for the state after construction is completed In addition, the permanent economic impact and operations in Alabama will include: 94 permanent jobs after construction is completed $2,953,302 funds from jobs being created $4,907,082 additional funds contributed by non-directly related construction activity $10,757,812 amount generated for the state after construction is completed Despite the anticipated economic gains, environmental groups oppose the trail’s construction, saying it could threaten people’s health and access to clean water. On its face, this pipeline should be rejected for the threat it poses not only to our climate, but to the public health of communities it would affect,” said Lena Moffitt, Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign. “Rather than doubling down on outdated, dirty fuels, we should complete our transition to 100 percent clean, renewable energy.” However, the Transmission contends they’ve taken comprehensive steps to address environmental groups’ concerns. “Regarding potential impacts on water supplies: Natural gas is lighter than air, meaning in the unlikely event it escapes from the pipeline, the gas can only travel up through the soil into the atmosphere and dissipate,” Grover explained in a column last month. “It cannot travel down through soils to water supplies. No toxins are released that would affect water quality.” She continued, “The project has been evaluated publicly over the past three years to ensure environmental permitting agencies, all levels of local, state and federal government, communities and landowners’ questions were addressed and impacts along the pipeline route were minimized. Sabal Trail hosted more than 50 open houses and public meetings and underwent a well-documented, comprehensive review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).”
Alabama sheriff’s deputies refused service at Phenix City Taco Bell
Two sheriff’s deputies were allegedly refused service at a Taco Bell in Alabama, simply for being police officers. The deputies were at a Taco Bell Saturday night in Phenix City when a cashier denied the officer’s service because of the uniforms they were wearing. News of the situation surfaced when the wife of a fellow deputy on the same shift, Tammy Bush Mayo, took to Facebook to describe the situation. “This really disturbs me that people have started treating law enforcement professionals in this manner when these same law enforcement professionals put their lives on the line every day to protect all people, including this woman with a very bad attitude at Taco Bell,” Mayo posted. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones confirmed the incident with multiple sources on his staff, finding that a 9:40 p.m. the two LCSO deputies were told by a counter cashier they would not serve law enforcement and that they needed to leave. Jones released a statement, saying: I’m very disappointed that simply because they were uniformed law enforcement officers that our deputies were treated in such negative fashion. We pride ourselves in giving people basic respect and only ask the same in return. I am inclined to believe that this was the attitude of one employee and not the policy of the management. The fair thing is to give them an opportunity to respond. We won’t base our opinion of Taco Bell on one employee’s negative action any more than the general public should base their opinion of law enforcement on the negative action of one officer. Following an investigation, Taco Bell said the employee had been terminated and the restaurant chain issued an apology to the Alabama deputies. “We are deeply appreciative of the men and women who have taken the oath to serve and protect our communities,” the company said in a statement.
Robert Bentley calls for Special Election to replace the late Lesley Vance
Gov. Robert Bentley released one of his most solemn orders in recent memory Monday night, calling for a special election in House District 80 to replace the late Rep. Lesley Vance. Vance passed away last Tuesday at the age of 76, after a long struggle with what news reports have called “an extended illness.” The timeline for the special election, set for April 12, is as follows according to an announcement from the governor’s office: A Special Primary Election for the District 80 House seat will be held on Tuesday, January 19, 2016. Or, in the event that a Special Primary Election is not necessary because the major parties have only one candidate, the Special General Election will be held on Tuesday, April 12, 2016. If necessary because of one candidate not receiving a majority of the votes in the Special Primary Election, a Special Primary Runoff Election will be held on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. If a Special Primary Runoff Election is not necessary because one candidate receives a majority of the votes in the Special Primary Election, the Special General Election will be held on Tuesday, April 12, 2013. If a Special Primary Runoff Election is required, the Special General Election will be held on Tuesday, May 10, 2013. Major-party candidates have until Tuesday, November 17 at 5:00 p.m. to file to run for the seat. The state parties must certify their qualified candidates to the Secretary of State within 48 hours in order to appear on the ballot. “This timeline gives candidates time to qualify, allows voters time to learn about candidates, and allows time for those who are unable to vote in-person to arrange to vote by absentee ballot,” Bentley said in a release. “Representative Vance was a great man and a dedicated public servant. I know the next representative for District 80 will be a strong advocate for people in the district, just like Rep. Vance was during his time in the Alabama House of Representatives,” said Bentley. HD 80 covers parts of Lee and Russell counties, in the state’s eastern central region. “Today, the citizens of Russell and Lee Counties and the entire state of Alabama lost a great leader in the passing of Representative Lesley Vance,” Hubbard said last week. “Chairman Vance was a fine man and an effective legislator who nobly fought for his constituents for more than 20 years.” Vance was first elected to the Legislature in 1994, switching his party affiliation to Republican in 2010, giving the GOP a supermajority in the Alabama House.
Judge tentatively delays Mike Hubbard trial until March
The ethics trial for indicted House Speaker Mike Hubbard was pushed back until March, which will overlap with the 2016 legislative session, a judge said Monday. Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker granted a defense request to delay the trial that had been set for October, saying he was doing so because of the number of documents involved. However, defense lawyers also objected to the new date, saying they could not be ready until early summer. Prosecutors and defense lawyers traded accusations during a hearing on a number of motions in the corruption case against the powerful Republican legislator from Auburn. Defense lawyers said prosecutors were being purposely difficult by doing a “data dump” of 2.5 million unindexed files during the discovery process. They said the files included irrelevant material and played a video that showed the bare backsides of two women dancing to highlight their argument. “The goal seems to be to make it as burdensome for us as possible,” defense lawyer Augusta Dowd told Walker. “We have to look at each file. The time consumed is enormous.” Prosecutors said they turned over everything because that is what defense lawyers sought and accused the defense of trying to delay the trial. “The defense is saying I’m looking at that blue sky, but it’s not blue,” lead prosecutor Matt Hart said. “The grand jury, they indicted Mr. Hubbard for being a corrupt legislator. … They deserve to have that resolved,” Hart said. Walker tentatively scheduled the case for March but asked lawyers to look at their trial calendars before naming a specific date. The 2016 legislative session begins in February. Defense lawyer Mark White would not say if the defense would object to the trial being held at the same time as the session where Hubbard would normally preside as speaker. However, defense lawyers told Walker they could not be ready before early summer, a likely sign that they will seek another delay. Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics counts accusing him of using his public offices as House speaker, and his former one as Alabama Republican Party chairman, to enrich his businesses. Hubbard and his wife, Susan, sat on the front row of the courtroom during the hearing. Hubbard’s defense last week filed a sealed challenge to the ethics law, according to courtroom discussions. The 2010 ethics law was one of the first acts passed by the GOP legislative majority that Hubbard helped sweep into office. Hart told Walker that the challenge should be filed openly even if Hubbard was “embarrassed” by challenging the ethics reform that he once championed. White said the filing was sealed because it included grand jury material. White said the defense challenge accuses prosecutors of misapplying the law in Hubbard’s case. Walker instructed the defense to publically file the challenge by Friday with the grand jury material redacted. The defense team scored a significant victory during the contentious hearing. Walker agreed to hold an evidentiary hearing in October on defense claims of prosecutor misconduct, including that prosecutors tainted the grand jury with their behavior. White said he wanted Walker to listen to audio tapes of the grand jury. “You can hear in the voice of Mr. Hart the venom he has for my client, Mr. Hubbard,” White said. The defense is expected to call multiple witnesses to the stand, including legislators who testified at the grand jury. “For us it’s a great day. It’s an absolute victory,” White said. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Robert Bentley stresses major budget cuts will ensue without quick remedy
Gov. Robert Bentley continued his crusade against the Legislature’s current budget Wednesday, issuing an announcement detailing severe cuts to Lee County unless the tax increases he is proposing — or perhaps recent a gambling expansion measure he omitted from mention — are adopted as part of an overall budget approach. “We are facing a tremendous crisis in our General Fund Budget that will impact every Alabama county if not addressed by the Legislature,” Bentley said in a prepared statement Wednesday afternoon. Specifically, the governor’s office said that Lee County — home to the city of Opelika and the college town surrounding Auburn University — would face harsh consequences, including the loss of temporary public assistance from the Department of Human Services for 405 children, layoffs for 15 court system employees, possible closing of the Lee County Armory and the Opelika Trooper Post, one of 13 Alabama state trooper posts. “I am committed to finding new revenue so our state agencies can continue to provide essential services to Alabamians. For decades, we have failed to address the way our non-education state agencies are funded,” Bentley said. “With no one-time money available to support the General Fund and debts that are owed, we have a real crisis on our hands. I encourage the residents of Lee County to let their elected representatives know that these cuts are unacceptable and will hurt the people in in Lee County.” Auburn University at Montgomery recently published a study which bolsters Sen. Del Marsh‘s proposal to allow a lottery and a handful of casinos across the state. The study suggested that such an expansion of gambling could help solve the $250 million state budget shortfall currently projected in during the next fiscal year. An initiative to do so is in the works in the Legislature, where Republican House budget chief Rep. Steve Clouse has joined 23 House Democrats in co-sponsoring an agreement that would call for a constitutional amendment that would make Alabama the 45th state in the nation to adopt some form of state lottery. The effort was the subject of a press conference convened Tuesday by Marsh.
