Author: Virginia Martin
Birmingham Council Amends Laws Affecting Predatory Towing, Plan More Changes
The Birmingham City Council wrestled with the issue of predatory towing this week and passed two ordinances to start addressing the problems.
Councilor Darrell O’Quinn, who heads the council’s transportation committee, has worked to resolve complaints on both issues since 2017.
After council approval of the ordinances, he called the action “a milestone because it has been a lot of effort.” Read more.
Commission Sends $1 Billion Budget to Thursday’s Agenda
Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens gave Commissioner Joe Knight a hearty handshake at the end of a nearly two-hour committee meeting of the commission, congratulating the finance chairman as the proposed 2024 fiscal budget went to the agenda of Thursday’s commission meeting.
“This budget’s been a work in progress,” Knight said. “I think we’re going to be fine with it. We still gotta try to keep an eye out on the economy, where it’s going. We’ve still got the refunding coming up. There are a lot of moving parts to this.” Read more.
She looked for help after her power bill doubled. But aid for utilities often falls short
Dolabriel Curry-Hurst’s January power bill in Alabama jumped above $700 — more than twice of what she owed the previous year. Read more.
Birmingham City Council OKs $4.5M More for Rickwood Field Improvements
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday secured funding for improvements at Rickwood Field in preparation for the MLB coming to town next summer for a tribute game.
Councilors approved an agreement for the city PACE Board to issue $4.5 million in bonds through PNC bank. It also during the year has approved several allocations totaling about $2.5 million for renovations at the field, and it recently approved allocations of $150,000 a year for three years to the Friends of Rickwood Field. Read more.
Federal Court Blocks Alabama’s Congressional Map, Orders New Lines Drawn
A three-judge federal panel Tuesday ruled that a new Alabama congressional map failed to address Voting Rights Act violations and ordered a third party to draw new lines.
In a 217-page opinion in the case, known as Allen v. Milligan, U.S. Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus and U.S. District Judges Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer sharply criticized the Alabama Legislature, writing that they were “deeply troubled” that lawmakers did not draw a map that gave Black voters in the state the chance to elect representatives of their choosing, as the judges ordered in a January 2022 ruling.
“We are not aware of any other case in which a state legislature — faced with a federal court order declaring that its electoral plan unlawfully dilutes minority votes and requiring a plan that provides an additional opportunity district — responded with a plan that the state concedes does not provide that district,” the judges wrote. Read more.
Alabama’s John Christy May Be the Country’s Best Known and Most Criticized Climate Change Skeptic
Alabama State Climatologist John Christy is considered an outsider, if not a pariah, among most climate researchers. His critics say his work has been plagued by errors and many of his conclusions dismissed. Yet he defends his research and continues to have an outsized influence on the climate change debate well beyond Alabama’s borders. Read more.
From a Bad Situation Comes a Powerful Defense of Local Journalism
“Most family newspaper sale announcements bear some variation of stock language regarding the new owner’s ability to ‘assume the families’ stewardship,’ ‘continue to provide strong local reporting,’ and ‘maintain the legacy’ of the selling family. Sadly, we feel that none of that will be true in our case.”
— George Lynett, publisher emeritus of Times-Shamrock Communications
Read more.
The Connection Is Growing Between Climate Change and Big Storms
The connection between climate change, hurricanes and tornadoes is not so clear. But data is beginning to show some relationship. Read more.
Much Obliged: JeffCo Wins New Award for Helping Autauga County After Tornado
The Roads and Transportation Department of Jefferson County received a heartfelt “thank you” Thursday for coming to the rescue of Autauga County after it was hit by a January tornado.
The county road crew became the first recipient of the first One Family Award because of its efforts in the wake of the tornado. The award was presented last week during the convention of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama. Read more.
Nature-Based Education on the Rise in Alabama
At least three forest schools have opened across Alabama in recent years. It’s part of a nationwide movement to teach kids in nature. Read more.
