BW Recommends

BW Recommends | January 19, 2025

BirminghamWatch Recommends returns with stories that you might have missed this week, that offer insight into issues important to our area or sometimes that just tickle the curiosity. Soon we’ll be offering Recommends through a weekly email. Sign up here to receive it, along with our WeeklyWatch and the new Monday Morning Watch newsletter launching in February, a roundup of public meetings scheduled for the week. 

Alabama Panhandling Laws Challenged Under First Amendment (Alabama Political Reporter)

The 11th Circuit Court is expected to issue a final ruling later this year in a suit that challenges the constitutionality of Alabama’s “begging statute” and “pedestrian solicitation statute.” Lawyers representing several homeless individuals argue the laws are antiquated and violate the free speech provisions of the Constitution.

Formaldehyde Cancer Risk in Your Neighborhood (ProPublica)

The EPA by the end of the year is expected to release revised rules for emissions of formaldehyde into the air. Environmental activists fear even the new rules will not sufficiently protect people from the widespread toxin that causes more cancer in the U.S. than any other air pollutant. ProPublica investigated formaldehyde across the country and put together a searchable database you can use to pinpoint the risk in your block and learn where it is coming from.

Alabama Retains Fewer Than 1% of Third Graders Under Literacy Act (Alabama Daily News)

Critics had feared as many as a quarter of students could be held back because they couldn’t read well enough to move on to the fourth grade. Instead, just 452 students were held back. Another 2,052 third graders were promoted under good cause exemptions, which causes concern for some educators.

Justice Department Says Alabama Institutionalizes Too Many Children With Disabilities (Associated Press)

The Justice Department sent a letter to Alabama warning that the state forces too many physically disabled children into nursing homes because state policies effectively limit community-based services, or long-term support services. The letter listed changes the state should make to provide more community services and threatened a federal lawsuit if action isn’t taken.

Medicaid Expansion Not a Priority, Alabama House Leader Says (Montgomery Advertiser)

Leading up to the 2025 legislative session, much of the conversation has been about possible action on Medicaid expansion and education funding. The speaker said last week that changes to Medicaid are unlikely this year, given Trump’s priorities. However, he said legislators probably would be working on education funding proposals that would be “positive.”

Alabama Refuge Is a Paradise for Birders and Thousands of Migrating Sandhill Cranes (Associated Press)

Birdwatchers flock to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Center each year to experience the migration of tens of thousands of sandhill cranes that overwinter there to avoid the harsh Canadian weather. Experience the chorus virtually in this AP video.