Virginia Martin

Proposal Changing Charter School Funding Has Potential Bipartisan Support

MONTGOMERY — As advocates for public charter schools push for more equal funding in the Alabama Legislature this year, an unlikely ally has emerged signaling potential bi-partisan support for the proposal. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D- Birmingham, a prominent voice in the state’s minority party, recently filed Senate Bill 387, similar to House Bill 487, sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, earlier this session. These bills would make changes to the Alabama School Choice and Student Opportunity Act and allow for some local tax dollars to follow students to charter schools similar to how they would to any other school. Currently, both state and federal dollars follow students who leave traditional schools and enroll in charter schools, but local dollars do not. “Many of these people are constituents and so they asked for some help in those areas, and that’s what the objective was, just to help them to provide them with some funds so that they could ease the burden on the students,” Smitherman told Alabama Daily News. Alabama Democrats have historically been against expanding charter schools in the state and fought against the broad 2015 school choice legislation, arguing it would undermine traditional schools. Read more.

by Will Whatley and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Alabama’s COVID Hospitalizations Show Sharp Increase

The number of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients spiked over the weekend. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 381 inpatients being treated for the virus Sunday. That’s an increase of 51 patients from Saturday’s report and 80 more than the previous Sunday — a rise of 26.6% over the week.

by Robert Carter

Birmingham Sets Up Civilian Board to Review Police Misconduct

Mayor Randall Woodfin announced Monday morning the creation of a Civilian Review Board to investigate claims of misconduct by the Birmingham Police Department. The five-member board will have the authority to investigate citizen complaints and will have some subpoena powers to aid those investigations, Woodfin said. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

City Leaders Watch Business Licenses for COVID-19 Impact

In a March presentation on how the city of Birmingham’s finances are faring one year into the pandemic, city finance director Lester Smith said business license filings were down about 500 in the first 2.5 months of the year compared to the same time last year. “My concern is that differentiation between those numbers may be lost businesses, but we don’t know that yet, so we have to continue to monitor it,” Smith said late last month. Municipal business licenses are usually due early each year and have been an anticipated gauge of the true economic impact of COVID-19. “The overall concern is that in the municipalities that have seen a downturn in license renewals, is that you have lost some jobs and loss of business investment in your community,” Alabama League of Municipalities Executive Director Greg Cochran told Alabama Daily News. “Ensuring that businesses stayed healthy during the pandemic and stayed afloat financially was a difficult tight rope for a lot of them to maneuver down.” Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Eco Groups File Claim That Alabama Power Charges Unjust Fees on Solar Power

Conservation groups have filed a petition with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, claiming that Alabama Power has imposed “unjust” charges on customers using solar power. The Southern Environmental Law Center, along with Birmingham law firm Ragsdale, LLC, filed the petition this month on behalf of environmental advocacy group GASP and four Alabama Power customers with solar installations. The petition calls on FERC to compel the Alabama Public Service Commission to enforce federal laws protecting solar customers from unfair treatment by their utility. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Big Union Loss at Amazon Warehouse Casts Shadow Over Labor Movement

After a nearly two-month-long union election, Amazon warehouse worker Carla Johnson is ready to move on. “I’m glad it’s over,” Johnson said. “Now I can stop getting the emails, the phone calls, you know, from the union reps.” Results from last week showed Amazon workers in Bessemer voted more than 2-to-1 against joining a union. Johnson voted to keep the union out because she trusts Amazon – the company treated her well during her recent battle with brain cancer. She also doesn’t believe the union could deliver on promises to raise pay and improve work conditions. She hopes her co-workers can leave the idea of unionizing behind, but she doubts they will. And she’s right. “We’re not running away with our tails behind us because there was no victory,” said Amazon warehouse worker Jennifer Bates at a rally on Sunday at the union’s Birmingham headquarters. “There was illegal things taking place and fear tactics that was done to people who didn’t have any idea about what a union could do for them.” Read more.

by Stephen Bisaha, WBHM

Alabama’s Unemployment Drops to 3.8%

Alabama’s unemployment rate for March was 3.8%, down from 4% in February. That compares to a record-low 2.6% in March 2020, right before COVID-19 and precautions to stop its spread led to a double-digit spike in unemployment. March’s rate represents 84,670 unemployed people, compared to 91,041 in February and 57,895 in March 2020. Alabama is comfortably below the national average of 6%, the Alabama Department of Labor said this morning. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

New COVID Cases Slowly Trending Upward Again but Deaths Decline

For the second day in a row, the number of new cases of COVID-19 has increased in Alabama — barely — though they still remain well below those from a month ago. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Lottery, Casino, Sports Betting Legislation Sent to House Committee

The Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday received a Senate-passed gambling measure that had morphed from one entirely focused on a state lottery into an umbrella bill with the lottery, casinos and sports betting. The bill got a first reading and was sent to the tourism committee. This is the twisted trail of a legislative effort to enhance state revenues without directly imposing new taxes. Read more. More from the Legislature this week: Broadband Expansion Bill Close to Final Vote Bill Would Create Scholarships for Rural Teachers Teacher Retirement Bill Advances ADOC Reporting, Sexual Assault Victim Bills Advance, Grand Jury Bill Delayed Bill Would Change State’s Grand Jury Secrecy Laws, Free Witnesses to Talk About Testimony Governor Signs Alcohol Delivery Bill Read complete legislative coverage.

by Nancy Wilstach

Parker High Joins No-Appointment Vaccination Sites

Parker High School is now administering vaccinations without an appointment. The site is operating Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m., for walk-up or drive-thru clients, UAB announced Thursday. UAB also said that Alabamians age 16 and older can schedule their vaccine appointment by time, date and location at www.uabmedicinevaccine.org. Those appointments can be scheduled at AOH Cathedral

by BirminghamWatch