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Gambling Bill Prospects Uncertain as Alabama Legislators Return for 2025 Session (Alabama Reflector)

Lawmakers are looking for the “magic combination” of gambling measures that could be approved by the Legislature after a bitter battle over a lottery and casino package last year.

In the Wild West of School Voucher Expansions, States Rely on Untested Companies, With Mixed Results (ProPublica)

Alabama recently adopted an education savings account program and hired ClassWallet to administer it under a $1.4 million contract. Applications opened last month for the program, which can let parents apply for $2,000 to $7,000 a year to be applied for their child to transfer to alternate private or public schools.

Birmingham’s New Resilience Chief Looks To Protect Residents From Climate Change (WBHM)

The city of Birmingham in December created a new Resilience and Sustainability Office focused on climate change and its effect on area residents. WBHM interviewed its new chief.

Nation’s Report Card Shows Gains for Alabama (Alabama Daily News)

Alabama fourth-graders saw record-breaking gains in math on the National Assessment for Education Progress results released last week, though reading scores remained flat.

Pearls of Wisdom (Southern Science)

The oyster population in Mobile Bay has declined by an estimated 80% in 80 years. Coastal residents, nonprofits and state officials are working on a combination of changes in hopes of reviving the oyster and returning a culinary staple to Alabama tables.

As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest (Inside Climate News)

The Biden administration had begun scoping out the possibility of new oil and gas leases in Conecuh National Forest. President Trump hasn’t announced whether he’ll continue that process but has been in favor of gas leases on public lands.

Most Violent Crime Rates Have Fallen Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels, New Report Shows (Alabama Reflector)

While Birmingham just ended one of the most violent years in its history, homicides nationwide decreased by 16%.

Trump’s Halt on Climate Spending Freezes Jobs and Stalls Projects (New York Times)

Funding to help fix hail-damaged houses in Camp Hill, in Alabama’s Tallapoosa County, has been cut off under a new executive order issued by President Trump. It’s just one of many programs affected by the order to pause all climate-related spending.

Lt. Governor Ainsworth: ALEA Forming Task Force To Support Deportation Efforts – ‘Alabamians also dare defend our border’ (Yellowhammer)

Ainsworth said he will be actively involved in partnerships to ensure illegal immigrants marked for deportation in Alabama are returned home.