A new report concludes that housing costs outpace wages at such a rate that now a worker being paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has to work nearly 127 hours – the equivalent of more than three full-time jobs – to afford an average two-bedroom apartment. Read more.
MONTGOMERY — Federal rules allow state Medicaid programs to recover money they spent on some enrollees after their deaths, including costs for recipients’ nursing home care and other medical care. But Alabama Medicaid doesn’t always find out when recipients or their spouses die and their assets, such as homes, are sold, state officials said. Now, a new law will require specific notice to Medicaid at the commencement of a probate proceeding. Read more.
Jefferson County Commissioners were told today that the trash going into the county’s Mount Olive Landfill will be increasing, ultimately doubling from up to 1,500 tons a day to up to 3,000 tons a day. Santek Environmental of Alabama leases and operates the landfills. The additional trash is allowed under the landfill’s permit, which was approved in 2004. Read more.
In Gene Necklaus’ 36-person Scottsboro Fire Department, he’s seen three firefighters in recent years diagnosed with occupation-related cancers. One of them died last year. The other two were able to return to work after treatment. One had $20,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, including deductibles and co-pays, Nicklaus said. “It shouldn’t cost him because he got cancer on the job,” Necklaus, president of the Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs said. Fire officials around the state praised a new Alabama law that will require local governments to provide supplemental insurance coverage for career firefighters diagnosed with cancer. Read more.
Deputy Jefferson County Manager Cal Markert talks about the cooperative effort between the county and the city of Bessemer to make upgrades to Academy Drive. The project aligns with the ongoing construction of the Amazon Fulfillment Center. Watch the video.
A north Alabama lawmaker says telecommunications companies’ ability to offer 5G service has been stalled by cities that want too much money for access to their existing infrastructure, including utility poles. But city leaders say they opposed 5G legislation that died in the recent session because it would diminish their control of their rights-of-way and fees and ability to set their own application approval schedules.
After two months of waiting, Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales wanted some answers today concerning the health care authority being designed by UAB Health System and Jefferson County and expressed concern that commissioners are not more involved in the process. County manager Tony Petelos said answers are still to come as he and leaders at UAB continue discussions in the due diligence phase of the negotiation to form a new system for indigent health care. “Our legal department has been working with UAB’s legal department and HR department also,” Petelos said during the commission committee meeting. “We’re very, very close to bringing you something in the very near future.” Scales expressed concern about the lack of involvement of herself and her fellow commissioners. “Although we have the county manager, Tony Petelos, and his staff to operate on behalf of the commission, I do believe that the commission themselves should have oversight in terms of what is being negotiated,” she said. Read more.
Birmingham City Councilor Steven Hoyt called on Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin today to change his strategies for fighting crime in Birmingham, even if it means calling in the National Guard. Woodfin quickly shot down that idea, saying, “We will not be calling the National Guard,” and emphasized that most of the city’s homicides “are not random.” “These are interactions between people who know each other,” he said. Hoyt’s comments were sparked after a Monday night shooting in the city’s Belview Heights neighborhood left one man dead. The victim, 27-year-old Michael James Weeks, was the 60th reported homicide in Birmingham this year; seven of those homicides have since been ruled as justified. That’s a marked increase from last year, which by June 18 had logged 50 homicides. “I just need a new plan,” Hoyt said to Woodfin during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, arguing that residents are being “terrorized” by violent crime. “My mother told me if you don’t know how to do something, ask somebody. Get some help … We did a couple of (crime) studies; it ain’t working. (We) brought a new chief in here; it ain’t working. So I’m just trying to figure it out … Maybe we need to call the National Guard in here to help us control this city.” Read more.
Overall on children’s well-being, Alabama came in 44th nationwide, down from last year’s ranking of 42nd in the country. That’s according to the latest KIDS Count Data Book, released annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The report ranks the well-being of kids across the U.S. The publication includes indicators of health, education, economic well-being and family and community. This year’s report is based on data from 2017 from sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Education. Despite that decline in rank, the state progressed in several areas. For example, from 2010 to 2017, there was a big drop in the percentage of high schoolers not graduating on time. Read more. Explore the interactive digital data book.
WASHINGTON — U.S. House of Representatives members voted last week to increase funding for vaccine research, a measure driven by the recent measles outbreak in the country. Alabama’s members in the House split their votes on the issue, but not along party lines. Three voted to increase spending while four voted against the majority to leave funding as it is. Members of Congress also took on a number of controversial issues, including reporting deaths of migrant children, using fetal tissue samples in research and selling arms to Bahrain. See how area members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week ending June 14.
