Robert Kennedy Jr. (D)
Democratic candidate, U.S. Senate
Government
Will Boyd (D)
Democratic candidate, U.S. Senate
League of Women Voters’ Vote411.org
At the League of Women Voters’ Vote411.org site, you can get a list of the candidates along with biographical information and answers the candidates submitted to issues questions asked by the league.
Register to Vote
Monday, July 31, is the deadline to register to vote. You can register electronically at the Secretary of State’s website.
Absentee Ballots
Aug. 10 is the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot, which you can do on the Secretary of State’s website.
James Paul Beretta (R)
Republican candidate, U.S. Senate
JeffCo Commissioners Say Indigent Care Not as Expensive as Previously Thought, but Needs to be Watched
Commissioner David Carrington acknowledged feeling better about the financial state of indigent care in Jefferson County during Tuesday’s commission committee meeting. He said last week he’d be told the county’s cost for inpatient indigent care at UAB Hospital was up to $25 million, well over the commission’s cap of $16 million to $17 million. County Manager Tony Petelos said Tuesday the county actually has spent just less than $12 million for inpatient indigent care so far this year. “I feel better than I did two weeks ago,” Carrington said. “My initial concern was it appeared as if the inpatient portion of the indigent care fund was out of control. I received some new data and it appears the inpatient data is in control.” Read more.
Bham Council Turns on Itself Over Issues of Favoritism and Skirting of Council Rules
Questions of protocol dominated a somewhat chaotic meeting of the Birmingham City Council on Tuesday, during which councilors argued over whether some agenda items had gone through appropriate channels – and, in some cases, accused each other of attempting to circumvent proper procedure. “This is trickery,” Council President Pro Tem Steven Hoyt said at one point, and that sense of confusion and distrust hung over the entire meeting. Hoyt was referring to a proposed resolution that would have rescinded roughly $22,000 in funding for the council’s discretionary contracts that had not been approved before June 30. Read more.
Federal Judge Nixes Plan to Adjust Attendance Zones for Two Elementary Schools in Gardendale
A federal judge has denied a request by Jefferson County Schools to change attendance zones for Gardendale and Snow Rogers elementary schools. U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala ruled against the request in a hearing Thursday morning. JefCoEd officials wanted to shift the boundaries between the two schools’ zones to move students away from Gardendale Elementary — which has suffered from crowding in recent years — and send them to Snow Rogers Elementary, which has available space. Earlier this year, Haikala ruled that the two elementary schools could be put under the control of the new Gardendale Board of Education, as part of the city’s long-running effort to break away from JefCoEd and form its own municipal system. That decision has been appealed. Read more.
Jefferson County Gets Extra Time to Comment on Rule Limiting Phosphorus in Black Warrior River Tributaries
Jefferson County will get more time to comment on proposed standards for the level of phosphorus that can be dumped into Locust Fork and Village Creek by its wastewater treatment plants. Phosphorus levels in the two water bodies are linked to algae blooms, weeds and slimes in the water and may impair their use for such things as public drinking water, swimming and other recreational activities. Algae blooms are a nuisance primarily during the summer. Commissioners said on June 21 that they had not been notified by the county’s Environmental Services Department in time to meet a July 10 deadline to comment on the proposal. In part, they are worried about the financial hit the rule could have on Jefferson County’s sewer costs, and its ratepayers, and wanted more time to study the situation. Read more.