Virginia Martin

House Sends Bill Designed to Avert Government Shutdown to Senate

Key Votes Ahead The House in the week of Sept. 23 will take up bills dealing with banking rules, the Border Patrol and medical care for migrant children. The Senate will debate fiscal 2020 appropriations and executive-branch nominations. WASHINGTON — The House last week passed a continuing funding resolution (HR 4378) in an attempt to avert a government shutdown. The resolution, which is expected to be taken up this week by the Senate, provides stopgap appropriations for the first seven weeks of fiscal 2020, which starts Oct. 1. It would fund agencies at 2019 levels while giving negotiators time to reach agreement on regular appropriations bills for the 2020 budget year. Alabama’s representatives split on the vote, with Reps. Martha Roby, Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt and Terri Sewell voting for it. Voting against it were Reps. Bradley Byrne, Mo Brooks and Gary Palmer. Read more.

Can Gov. Ivey Keep Doing Her Job During Cancer Treatments?

Gov. Kay Ivey announced Thursday she will soon begin treatment for lung cancer. This morning she’s expected to undergo an outpatient procedure at UAB Hospital, and soon after she’ll begin a series of radiation treatments. Ivey seemed confident in a statement she issued that none of this will prevent her from carrying out her duties as

Megachurch Presence in Birmingham Schools Sparks Tension

WBHM Church of the Highlands, Alabama’s biggest megachurch, has expanded into the inner city, leasing space at two Birmingham schools. But there’s been pushback in the community, some of it highlighting a racial divide. The Birmingham Board of Education recently renewed the church’s lease for three more years at Parker High School and another campus at Woodlawn High for about $1 million combined. Read more.

Gov. Kay Ivey to Undergo Treatment for Lung Cancer

Gov. Kay Ivey, 74, announced Thursday she has lung cancer. This comes after her doctor recently found a spot on her lung during a routine visit. Ivey says additional tests confirmed it was “a tiny, isolated malignancy.” On Friday, Ivey heads to the University of Alabama at Birmingham for an outpatient procedure. She’ll begin a series of specialized radiation treatments soon. Ivey says she’s been reassured by her doctors that the treatment plan she’s on has a very high success rate. Ivey says it’ll have “a minimal impact” on her schedule and says “none of this will prevent me from continuing to serve as your governor and doing the work you elected me to do.” Read more.

Immigrant Rights Workers Released on Bond From ICE Detention

Two migrant workers arrested by immigration officers in Homewood last month were released on bond Wednesday following fund-raising and petition drives by Adelante Alabama Worker Center. Marcos Baltazar, a member of the Adelante board of directors, and his son, Juan, 18, spent the month in detention facilities at the Etowah County Jail in Gadsden and in Jena, La. Both facilities have been cited by human rights groups for their inhumane treatment of detainees, said Reysha Swanson of Adelante, a non-profit organization based in Hoover that unites migrant workers and their families. Read more. Read BirminghamWatch’s coverage on the Etowah Detention Center and immigration:

Alabama Site for Detained Immigrants Has History of Abuse Charges, Efforts to Close It

Man Without a Country’ Describes Conditions at Gadsden Detention Center

Lawyers: Major Changes Happening in How Law Is Applied to Immigrants

Immigration Rights Worker and Son Detained by ICE

Transit Board Approves Fare Increase and Service Cuts

Bus riders in Birmingham and Jefferson County will see an increase in their fares and reduced service times beginning this November. After weeks of debate, the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority approved its $34 million budget Wednesday. This includes setting one-way fares at $1.50 — an increase of 25 cents. And some MAX bus routes that run late into the evening will now end at 7 p.m. Read more.

Jefferson County Board of Education Makes History With Appointment of First African American as Interim Superintendent

It was a history-making moment for the Jefferson County Board of Education. The board on Wednesday unanimously selected Dr. Walter Gonsoulin Jr. as interim superintendent, making him the first African American to head the system in its 200 years of existence. Gonsoulin is temporarily replacing the departing Dr. Craig Pouncey. “I feel humbled and honored to be chosen by the board,” Gonsoulin said after the meeting. Gonsoulin joined JefCoEd as a deputy superintendent of school and community support in 2017. One of six deputies currently on the JefCoEd staff, he has had oversight over half of the system’s schools. Before that, Gonsoulin served as superintendent of Fairfield City Schools, a job he took in 2012 after moving from an assistant superintendent’s post in Starkville, Mississippi’s city school system. Read more.

Birmingham Council Clashes Over Funding for Public Transportation

Members of the Birmingham City Council clashed Tuesday over funding for the embattled Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, which currently is mulling route cuts and fare increases within the city.

Biden at 16th Street Baptist Church Commemoration: ‘Hate is on the Rise’

Parishioners and elected officials gathered Sunday to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham. The theme for the memorial observance was “a love that forgives.” During her speech, U.S. Air Force chaplain Lt. Col. Ruth Segres said a love that forgives does not call us to forget. “We have

Drilling Bans Greet Representatives as They Return From Break

Key Votes Ahead The House this week will take up a bill to eliminate mandatory arbitration in employment, consumer and civil rights litigation, while the Senate will debate judicial and executive-branch nominations. WASHINGTON — In the legislative week ending Sept. 13, members of the U.S. House passed a bill (HR 205) that would permanently prohibit the federal government from awarding leases for oil and gas drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The bill, which passed 248 for and 180 against, would replace a temporary moratorium slated to expire June 30, 2022. The protected waters extend at least 125 miles from the Florida coastline and include a 122,000-square-mile military testing range stretching from the Florida Panhandle to the Florida Keys. Read more.