BREAKING: My office has learned that there are no plans to house illegal immigrants at Navy airfields in south Baldwin County! This was a bad idea from the start, and I am pleased it will not come to fruition.

— Rep. Bradley Byrne (@RepByrne) August 14, 2018

“Housing illegal immigrants at ill-equipped airfields along the Gulf Coast was always a terrible idea, so I appreciate the confirmation that this plan is no longer being considered. We had a team effort to push back this flawed idea, and I especially want to thank Baldwin County Commissioners Chris Elliott and Tucker Dorsey and Baldwin County Sheriff Hoss Mack for their advocacy on this issue,” said Byrne in a news release.

He added, “While I am glad this issue is resolved, we must continue working to secure the border and eliminate the need for additional housing for illegal immigrants altogether. I remain 100% committed to working with President Trump to build a border wall, hire additional border patrol officers, and ensure our border security is as strong as possible.”

Click here to read the full letter ICE Deputy Director Ronald Vitiello sent to Rep. Byrne regarding the decision.

@RealKyleMorris is a Yellowhammer News contributor and also contributes weekly to The Daily Caller

The Judicial Crisis Network’s massive ad buy has been flooding Alabama’s airwaves since July 9, and the NRA started their own ambitious television campaign last week.

Concerned Women for America, a Christian women’s organization, is also focusing grassroots efforts on the state.

Sen. Richard Shelby voiced his strong support for Kavanaugh’s confirmation after meeting with him recently, but Jones remains undecided.

“Senator Doug Jones’ inability to make a decision on casting an Alabama vote for Judge Kavanaugh is disconcerting,” Alabama Republican Party Chair Terry Lathan told Yellowhammer News.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

Leaders in the educational system and the school board have talked for months about dropping the song, he said, and local news outlets reported in June that the longtime band director was retiring.

“While I fully understand the difficulty of changing a tradition, the song has negative connotations that contradict our school district’s core values of unity, integrity, and relationships,” Mullins said in a statement reported by WHNT-TV.

School bands throughout the South used to play “Dixie,” but the practice ended as the region got further away from legalized racial segregation.

The Arab High School Band has played “Dixie” after touchdowns for decades.

Students and staff at the school will vote on a new fight song after this football season.

In the meantime, the band will play an instrumental soul song that’s popular among marching bands, “The Horse.”

Census statistics show the town of about 8,200 people, located in northeastern Alabama, is more than 96 percent white.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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As you probably already know, I love to hold town hall meetings throughout the First District to hear directly from the people I represent. This August, I am holding a “Better Off Now” Town Hall Tour with twelve stops in all six counties that make up the First District. So far, we have held town hall meetings in Salipta, Atmore, Brewton, Dauphin Island, Millry, Citronelle and Mobile. Later this month, we will make stops in Grand Bay, Monroeville, Seminole, Loxley and Spanish Fort. You can get all the details about the town halls online at Byrne.House.Gov/BetterOffTour.

Visiting local businesses and talking with employees is another priority for me in August. For example, I have already visited Olin in McIntosh, the Louisiana Pacific facility in Clarke County, Serda Brewing in Mobile, and Metal Shark Boats and Master Marine in Bayou La Batre, just to name a few. The visits help me learn firsthand how federal issues are directly impacting employers and employees in Southwest Alabama.

A really special opportunity was being able to ride along with UPS to help deliver packages on the Eastern Shore. I dressed up in the full UPS uniform, rode in the truck, and personally delivered packages. It really helped to step in the driver’s shoes and see the difficult work they do every day. I am especially grateful to Chris Dorgan for showing me the ropes.

Just last week, I hosted Chris Oliver, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, down on Dauphin Island for a Red Snapper research trip. As one of the leading federal officials responsible for our fisheries, I welcomed the opportunity to show off the health of the Red Snapper stock in the Gulf, as well as the very impressive research being done locally by the University of South Alabama and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

Also last week, I traveled to the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in Biloxi to meet with the director and get an update on services for our veterans. As you may know, the Biloxi VA oversees most of our local VA facilities. It was a productive visit as I work to hold the VA accountable and ensure our veterans receive the care they deserve.

We had the annual Women’s Forum in downtown Mobile, which is organized by the Community Foundation of South Alabama. We had another outstanding crowd as local women had the opportunity to network and hear from speakers and panelists about issues important to them.

I find great value in holding roundtable discussions to hear directly from leaders about specific issues. With this in mind, we held separate roundtables with local school superintendents, economic developers from our area, and community leaders from Chatom. Each of these roundtables were very informative, and we have more scheduled later this month.

As you can probably tell, this August District Work Period has already been a huge success. The good news is that we are just getting started. I look forward to spending more time around Southwest Alabama throughout August to help me be the best Congressman possible.

U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne is a Republican from Fairhope.

“We feel like we have been cut out for many decades, it has hurt us, we have grown a great city but we need an interstate this way before those in the middle of the state do,” Saliba said of the I-14 proposal in an interview with Alabama Media Group.

It’s hard to see where an east-west Interstate highway through the Wiregrass would go. If such a route were proposed, it would probably follow U.S. Highway 84. But in 2018, is there any demand for a new route connecting Dothan, Enterprise, Elba, Opp, Andalusia, Evergreen, Monroeville and Grove Hill beyond what is already in place?

Probably not.

That’s why the route the Wiregrass needs is a north-south route.

If anyone has ever made a trip from Alabama to the Florida beaches between Apalachicola and Fort Walton Beach, at any point along the way, perhaps making your way through one of the various one-light speed traps along U.S. Highways 231 or 331, you thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to be on an Interstate highway right now?”

The proposal gaining traction is an Interstate spur connecting Dothan and/or Enterprise to Interstate 10 32 miles to the south in Florida. Interstate 10 is a major east-west thoroughfare that starts in Jacksonville, Fla. and ends in Los Angeles.

“One of the things they’re pitching is that this has already been planned out, the money has already been spent, and that needs to be our strategy with the I-10 connector,” Enterprise City Councilman Turner Townsend said to The Enterprise Ledger’s Leah Lancaster in an interview published on Tuesday. There was a study done and there was a route ticked out. I think we need to (stay with) the I-10 connector, because practically speaking I don’t see them putting an east/west interstate through Enterprise.”

Even if you can get beyond the endless bureaucracy and favoritism politics of the Alabama Department of Transportation and its 50-year backlog of highway projects, the next problem to overcome with such a proposal would be getting cooperation from the Florida Department of Transportation.

If you consider the transportation needs in Florida include the metropolises of Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, etc., elected leaders in southeastern Alabama probably should have started yesterday working with Florida officials in the Panhandle if they want to see an I-10 connector in their lifetimes.

Unfortunately for the bigger cities in the Wiregrass, they’re a victim of geography. To many of our statewide political leaders, places like Dothan, Enterprise, Ozark, Elba, Opp, and Andalusia are so far removed from the Montgomery-Birmingham-Huntsville corridor that they might as well be in Florida.

Even with some very favorable circumstances in the Congress that made funding available, it took nearly 40 years for Corridor X (now Interstate 22) that connects Memphis and Birmingham to be completed.

The takeaway of that is the Mississippi portion was completed decades before the Alabama portion. If that’s a model for what people in the Wiregrass should expect from ALDOT, promote the project early and promote it often if you want such a route completed before the automobile is obsolete.

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.

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Superintendent Michael Douglas tells the Decatur Daily that Witt quit the day before the board was scheduled to hold a hearing on her employment.

The 45-year-old Witt is charged with two counts of having sex with a student.

She’s been on paid leave since March 2016 while fighting the accusations.

Witt’s resignation letter says she “vehemently” denies committing any crime or having any inappropriate relationship with a student.

The school district has spent more than $128,000 on salary and benefits on Witt since placing her on leave.

She worked at Decatur High School.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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“When my mom passed away, I was so hurt,” he reflected. “And I just wanted to do better.”

This tragedy inspired Hall to go back to school, and after some time, attend Tilden High School.

While in a positive frame of mind again, his life did not necessarily get easier when he went back to get his education. Hall was living with a cousin who moved nearly two hours from where he went to class.

“I had to get on three buses and one train,” Hall explained.

However, through hard work and the right attitude, he always kept going.

“I don’t believe in giving up, and I think that failure is not an option,” said Hall.

Not only did his mom pass away when he was 12, but when he was a senior in high school, Hall’s dad died of lung failure.

“Of course, I lost my mom. I lost my dad,” he told WLS-TV in Chicago. “I wish they were still here to see what I’ve accomplished now, but they’re not. Everything is not going to come as you want it.”

Hall’s faith in Jesus Christ, sports and a local boxing gym got him through the hard times. He also had mentors at his church who never stopped encouraging him.

Hall said, “They are like, ‘Ivry, you’re going to be something. You’re so smart.’ And that stuff encouraged me to do good.”

“No pity party,” explained Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church, where Hall attends. “No ‘poor me.’ He was just a young brother who wanted the best for himself and others.”

Hall set a goal for himself when his mother died, and he never took his eye off achieving it.

“I always wish that I could graduate valedictorian, and look, I did,” he recounted. “I was beyond happy.”

Now, Hall is beginning his freshman year at Alabama State University in Montgomery, a triumph made possible in part by a $10,000 scholarship from his church.

The teen from the South Side of Chicago is just getting started on writing his life’s story, but he has a good plan for what comes next.

“Major in business, so I can open up my own business,” Hall forecasted.

He added, “I’m not for sure what I want to open up, but I want to help people.”

Hall now has his sights set on a new goal, and he is determined to succeed.

“I’m going to go to college and graduate, so I’m going to find a way to study,” Hall said. “I’m going to find a way to do everything without giving up.”

“If I give up, I will be just like everybody that I know,” he continued.

The young man also shared his key to overcoming the challenges life has thrown at him again and again.

“You have to give 100 percent in everything you do,” Hall emphasized. “Once you give up, you’ll only be used to giving up. At least try. If you can’t do it, continue to try.”

He has been through a lot in his short time on earth, but to him, a blank canvas awaits.

“This is the start of a new life,” Hall concluded.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

The former U.S. Marine is one of two former Prattville Police Department lieutenants charged with breaking into a home in 2015.

The other lieutenant, 48-year-old John Wayne McDaniel, is set to be sentenced Friday.

Townson also was charged in 2017 with defrauding an insurance agency by filing a claim containing false information.

The fraudulent claim prompted the agency to award Townson more than $190,000.

He resigned from the police department in 2005 before pleading guilty to trying to sell a modified rifle seized by the department’s drug unit.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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It said in early 2014 that the contract made the antennas more broadly available to the armed services, which already were using them in special operations units.

GATR’s ground-mounted antennas look like giant beach balls with tie-downs to point them in the right direction.

The antenna inside is reflective fabric.

Fans keep the air pressure in the top half slightly higher than in the bottom half, pushing the fabric down into the right shape.

The extension brings the contract’s total maximum value to more than $960 million.

It was announced Friday in the Pentagon’s daily list of military contracts.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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— Sen. Jones appeared at a town hall in Birmingham and the issue of Brett Kavanaugh arose. Jones seems to be hanging his hat on the fact that he can’t read his notes from his time in the Bush administration and therefore just can’t decide what to do on this vote.

— Conservatives continue to pressure Jones to make his position known. Meanwhile, a Democrat at this town hall heckled Jones and then threw a pair of plush lips at him telling him to “Kiss my ass” if he votes to confirm.

5. Democrats continue embracing socialism while thinking less of capitalism

— The Democratic Party’s embrace of socialism is nothing new. Fifty-seven percent of Democrats view socialism positively, which has changed little since 2010. Only 16 percent of Republicans view socialism positively.

— The party’s view of capitalism continues to decline with only 46 percent viewing the American economic system positively.

4. Governor Kay Ivey continues to talk about issues while her opponent talks about debates

— Gov. Ivey’s focus on education and business matters, she touts investment in pre-K and that Alabama was named the nation’s “Best Business Climate” in the nation.

— Democrat nominee, and former AEA field representative, Walt Maddox continues to release videos about a debate that is just never going to happen.

3. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks) makes it clear that Trump and Congress are serious about the Space Force

— While the idea of the Space Force has been mocked because it is an idea from the Trump administration, Alabama’s Rogers believes this new agency is very important. He said, “China set up their own separate space service a year and a half ago, and Russia reorganized before that — we are way behind the curve on it”.

— Rogers drove the point home that space is important to our war-fighting capabilities, saying, “People have to understand that we have become heavily dependent on space to fight and win wars, that’s our eyes and ears for the military.”

2. Sixty-six percent of Americans want the Mueller probe wrapped up

— Polling released this morning show that Americans want special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation wrapped up. This crosses party lines with Democrats and Republicans wanting it over for different reasons.

— The poll also shows 70 percent of Americans think Trump should testify “if asked.” Only 34 percent approve of how Trump has handled this investigation, and Trump’s approval rating is now at 42 percent (higher than Reagan, Clinton and Carter at this point).

1. Embattled FBI Agent Peter Strzok becomes the latest official fired by the FBI

— While the focus is on the anti-Trump e-mails that the agent sent to his lover, there are other issues including him sending a sensitive search warrant to his personal e-mail account, and he made the decision to drag his feet to examine new e-mails related to the Clinton investigation.

— The FBI clearly had some issues in their handling of these investigations in late 2016, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) pointed out how disastrous that period has been for the FBI with a tweet that laid bare all the discipline issues within the FBI with former Director James Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe being fired, Chief Counsel James Baker and FBI Counsel Lisa Page being demoted. All of these issues stemmed from the Clinton/Trump investigations.

“We don’t anticipate any lawsuits over this issue,” he told Yellowhammer News.

Marshall continued, “‘In God We Trust’ is the official national motto, adopted by an Act of Congress and displayed on the nation’s currency as well as in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. A lawsuit against a school displaying the national motto would be laughed out of court.”

Alabama’s attorney general also called out critics for not being focused on the real challenges facing public schools.

“Frankly, in a time when schools are increasingly the targets of violence, it is hard to understand how one could argue that a renewed emphasis on our nation’s religious heritage through the display of ‘In God We Trust’ or the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance could be detrimental to our students,” Marshall added.

The legislation’s sponsor, state Rep. David Standridge (R-Hayden), recently decried the controversy that outside groups and the media have made out of the law.

This article talks about the “In God We Trust” Act that I had the honor to sponsor. Political correctness has gone too far if our schools are afraid to display our national motto. https://t.co/u2N54iaJUX

— Rep David Standridge (@JudgeStandridge) August 10, 2018

Alabama will also decide in November whether the state’s 117-year-old constitution should be changed to allow public schools to display the Ten Commandments when voters have a referendum on Amendment One on the general election ballot.

“My hope is they have the Ten Commandments in the schools all over the state of Alabama as well as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the historical documents that go with this country,” said Dean Young, chairman of the Ten Commandments political action committee, which is pushing the amendment.

He added, “That way, children will be able to see and ask, ‘What are these documents’ and a teacher can say, ‘Those are the Ten Commandments and they come from God and this is what they say.'”

The critics claim the national political climate, including the leadership of President Donald Trump, is fueling renewed efforts to incorporate Christianity into the public realm.

“It’s a tsunami of Christian national laws in our country right now,” said Annie Laurie Gaylord, co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, per the Associated Press.

“The upcoming election will say a lot about the direction of our nation,” she added.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

“Proud that @POTUS has signed the #FY19NDAA into law,” Senator Richard Shelby said. “It is vital that we continue to prioritize our national security by ensuring that our military is highly trained and well-equipped to best protect our great nation.”

Great news→ @POTUS just signed the #FY19NDAA to provide our troops with the resources, equipment, and training they need and deserve. pic.twitter.com/R5j8Pt9oyP

— Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) August 13, 2018

The office of Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-1) released a lengthy statement, which in part highlights the leading role Byrne played in the bill as a member of both the House Armed Services Committee and the House-Senate Conference Committee.

Thanks @POTUS for signing the #FY19NDAA into law today! This bill makes critical investment in our military men and women and sends a strong message to our adversaries that America is back.

— Rep. Bradley Byrne (@RepByrne) August 13, 2018

“The strategy of peace through strength requires us to continue to produce and procure the best tools and resources possible,” Byrne said.

He also applauded the many important provisions of the 2019 NDAA that specifically benefit Alabama, including his district in the southwest part of the state.

“The bill authorizes the construction of three Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), which are built by Austal USA in Mobile,” Byrne outlined. He added that he was “proud” of this victory for his district.

Byrne’s colleague in southeast Alabama joined him in lauding the latest NDAA’s signing.

“I’m so pleased that @POTUS will sign the #FY19NDAA into law today,” Rep. Martha Roby (AL-2) said on Twitter. “This important measure continues to rebuild our nation’s military and provides proper support to those who wear the uniform.”

.@realDonaldTrump: “I’m here today to sign our new defense bill into law and to pay tribute to the greatest soldiers in the history of the world.” pic.twitter.com/vGywV5Raj8

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 13, 2018

This afternoon President @realDonaldTrump signed the 2019 NDAA, giving our troops their largest pay raise in 9 years.

RT if you’re thankful our Republican leadership continues to strongly support our military. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸#BetterOffNow #NDAA pic.twitter.com/1muvWdeQyT

— ALGOP (@ALGOP) August 13, 2018

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

As Mayor, I realized we needed to get educational tools to Marion residents, especially after Moller Tech announced that it would be locating in Bibb County, adjacent to Perry County, and bringing 222 jobs with it. But with a small town like Marion (population 3,432) not having a dedicated resource center, we didn’t quite know how to unite the two. Then one day, I attended a Central AlabamaWorks meeting and saw AIDT’s mobile unit, which is the Department of Commerce’s skills education center on wheels.

I spoke with Mikki Ruttan, director of Central AlabamaWorks, after the meeting and asked her about the possibility of getting the unit to our area. I learned it could be customized for the needs of its audience. After numerous discussions with other local leaders, we selected basic resume building and a Ready-to-Work course as the initial offerings. I knew the mobile unit would be key in obtaining career readiness for the citizens of Marion. I also felt that our citizens would welcome the chance to improve their skills and knowledge base.

After dozens of conversations, we got the mobile unit scheduled this past April. We posted and delivered flyers all over the city, announcing when and where the unit would be located, and we created a Facebook page. We had no idea what kind of response we would have for this type of educational opportunity. But, our citizens realized how such training could give them a leg up in the job market. As a result, they turned out in droves to learn more and better position themselves for entry into the job market, or to simply upgrade their skill set.

With Gov. Kay Ivey’s Success Plus initiative rollout a few months ago, I knew we had to get our citizens more training to help them, and our state, reach the goal of 500,000 people with post-high-school credentials by 2025. The mobile training unit seemed like the perfect way to deliver those opportunities to our residents.

After some discussion, we were able to get the unit at The Lincoln School. We focused the training on Ready-to-Work. The classes filled immediately, and a waiting list soon formed. Our people were eager to gain knowledge to improve their lives and that of their families. Once they completed the course, they received credentials as an Alabama Certified Worker; a Career Readiness certificate; a free three-credit-hour course at Wallace Community College Selma (if they had a high school diploma); three credits toward a high school diploma (if they didn’t have one); and a referral to the Selma Career Center for free certificates or degree information from WCC in welding, industrial maintenance, electrical technology or nursing.

The unit has been so popular with our citizens that two classrooms are now being refurbished at The Lincoln School specifically for AIDT courses. This means we will have a permanent place for our people to get not only Ready-to-Work training, but also training in other much-needed professions offered by Wallace, such as cosmetology, carpentry, welding, automotive technician and others.

The excitement continues to build for our city. In fact, AIDT has already completed one Ready-to-Work training with several graduates who have received employment.

With the extra effort by Central AlabamaWorks, AIDT, the Career Centers and the Alabama Community College System – combined with the excitement and work ethic of our citizens – I know Marionites can and will be a valued part of the Success Plus endeavor. I look forward to seeing what our citizens can achieve for themselves, their families and our community.

“We’ve had to go back and look at all of our regulations to clear up all the rules,” said Frank Miles, a spokesman for the agency.

The red tap law that passed five years ago requires any agency that proposes a regulation that might adversely impact a business to prepare an economic impact statement and file it with the Joint Committee on Administrative Regulation Review.

Lawmakers at the time said they had received complaints from companies that red tape was consuming time and energy that could be put into the core business and creating jobs.

The law also requires existing rules and regulations to be reviewed every five years. Agencies are required to post information related to proposed and existing reviews.

The Baldwin County regulation in question refers to Oct. 1, 2005 — any residence constructed after that date would not qualify for the senior discount. It also cites Oct. 1, 2006 — the date at which property taxes would be frozen for taxpayers 65 and older who had lived in their homes for at least 10 years.

The superseding 2008 regulation deleted references to specific dates and now simply states that the tax break is available to folks 65 and older who have lived in the same home for at least 10 years.

The tax agency will take up two other proposed rules changes on Tuesday. The first is a new rule clarifying the procedures for a tax lien auction and tax lien sale. The regulation lays out procedures for collecting delinquent property taxes. The rule requires county tax officials to determine which method to use no later than Oct. 1 when property taxes become due.

The second proposed rule is an amendment to regulations concerning tobacco manufacturers and salesmen. For instance, it changes “should” to “shall” in text related to a requirement that salesmen be informed of the illegality of transferring unstamped tobacco between wholesalers and in their vehicles.

@BrendanKKirby is a senior political reporter at LifeZette and author of “Wicked Mobile.”

Jones went on to expound on the press release, explaining that the department is conducting investigations where the virus might appear in folks who have recently traveled abroad to places where the virus is endemic, but that no actual case has been confirmed.

The press release does not specify how many people are under investigation, but it does reinforce that in all cases of Zika that have been previously confirmed in Alabama, each virus has been contracted by those who have traveled to those areas of the world where the virus is endemic. In other words, there have been no cases of local transmission.

Read the full press release here.

Released in January, Alabama’s annual list of failing schools showed that two-thirds of the City of Tuscaloosa’s public high schools are failing. Maddox has governed the city since 2005.

Before being elected mayor, he worked for the Alabama Education Association from 1996-2001 and served a term on Tuscaloosa’s City Council.

In stark contrast, Ivey has spearheaded SSSF and put education policy at the center of her campaign, along with touting her success in bringing more good-paying jobs to the state. The trademark initiative is composed of three major strategies: “Pre through Three,” “Computer Science for Alabama (CS4AL)” and “Advanced Training, Better Jobs.”

“Pre through Three” aims to ensure the Alabama First Class Pre-K program is available to all families across the state and that every single one of Alabama’s third graders are proficient readers by 2022. “CS4AL” will ensure that a computer science course is offered at every Alabama middle and high school by that same year. Third, “Advanced Training, Better Jobs” will prepare a whopping 500,000 more Alabamians to enter the workforce with high-quality postsecondary degrees, certificates or credentials by 2025.

Over the past year, Governor Ivey has secured progress toward each of the SSSF goals in major ways, including:

— Investment in Alabama’s nationally recognized First Class Pre-K program received its largest single-year increase ever.

— Establishment of the Alabama Summer Achievement Program (ASAP), starting with the testing of a pilot program.

— Empanelment of an Executive Team to establish 11 regional councils that will recruit a host of local campaigns for grade-level reading.

— Creation of the Governor’s Advisory Council for Computer Science Education.
Increase in the number of schools offering a high-quality computer science course by 103 percent in one year.

— Approval of official computer science standards – the Alabama Digital Literacy and Computer Science Course of Study and Standards. The state is now one of only eleven nationwide to have such standards.

— Formation of the revolutionary Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering, which will be a hub for computer science professional development in Alabama when it opens in 2020.

— Progress in the efficiency of the state’s workforce development programs to meet growing economic demands and to incentivize more private-sector partners to offer apprenticeships.

“Governor Ivey is happy with the progress thus far but plans to further work toward these goals and continue to strive for improvement in Alabama’s education system,” the governor’s office said in a statement released with the report.

Alabama was recently ranked as having the best business climate in the nation by the economic development-focused publication Business Facilities in a new analysis that examined performance in several key economic categories. The publication also gave the state high marks for growth potential (fourth in the nation) and workforce training (second in the nation).

Education, job training and economic development are all intertwined. Ivey has branded herself using job growth first and foremost, with her campaign’s tagline of “Alabama is working again” fresh on people’s minds. Now, she is building on this success, ingraining that not only is she “The Jobs Governor,” but “The Education Governor,” too.

As for Maddox? Well, he has gone from posting videos of himself jogging to his latest two ads, which at best are imitations of Jim Zeigler’s fake interview of then-Governor Robert Bentley and at worst direct descendants of Clint Eastwood’s infamous conversation with an empty chair at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Time called it “one of the most baffling and iconic moments of the 2012 election.” In fact, when asked what moment Eastwood most regretted over the course of his long life, he pointed to that humiliation in the run-up to Mitt Romney losing against incumbent President Barack Obama.

Now, the Democratic nominee for governor in Alabama is heading for the same fate.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

After finding that the paddlefish population in the Alabama River had become sustainable enough to support a regulated commercial fishery, the ADCNR implemented a limited annual commercial season for paddlefish within designated management areas of the Alabama River with the understanding that these monitored commercial fishing efforts would provide the data necessary to develop a management plan for the species.

Upon reviewing the reproductive habits and population growth of paddlefish from the 2013-2016 seasons and not having enough quality information to research the sustainability of the paddlefish further from the 2017 season, the ADCNR feel this is the best path to follow.

An analysis of the reports from the 2017 season continuing into the 2018 season indicated that some “paddlefish harvesters were likely falsifying records in an effort to obscure an overharvest of the fishery.”

The press release also noted that reports of illegal fishing methods were used by some permitted paddlefish harvesters lead to ADCNR law enforcement officers initiating an intensive investigation. This investigation resulted in 135 convictions for paddlefish fishing violations.

More information can be found about the paddlefish in Alabama here.

@RealKyleMorris is a Yellowhammer News contributor and also contributes weekly to The Daily Caller

Instead, the two imposing 600-foot-tall concrete structures that are part of Hollywood, Ala.’s Bellefonte plant have remained dormant for the last three decades, since the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) halted construction on the plant in 1988.

As one might expect with a quasi-governmental entity like TVA, which is seemingly answerable to no one, what the future has in store for Bellefonte has been anyone’s guess since 1988.

Enter Chattanooga, Tenn. developer Frank Haney, who wants to take Bellefonte off TVA’s hands. In November 2016, Haney’s Nuclear Development, LLC entered into a $111 million contract to purchase Bellefonte from TVA with the goal of eventually producing nuclear-generated electricity.

The catch: He needs a loan of $5 billion from the federal government.

The aspect of Haney’s plan seems to have the support of many of the lawmakers that represent Jackson County, including Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville). Brooks has been an outspoken advocate of the proposal.

On the opposite side of the issue are the left-of-center brainiacs at AL(dot)com, who seem to have only recently discovered the virtues of government fiscal responsibility. (That miraculous feat in itself should be a red flag.)

“Wake up Alabama. If Franklin Haney builds this reactor, you’ll pay for it,” John Archibald wrote in an August 5 column. “Maybe it’s not a lot of money to Haney, but it’s a lot of money to me.”

“If you thought taxpayers were supposed to be clean and clear of this thing, we’re not,” Kyle Whitmire, who is waging a war on dumb, wrote in a May column. “This isn’t privatization. This is what we’ve seen too much of in this country in the last ten years: Private profits and public risk.”

Being ideologically opposed to public-private, Frankenstein-ownership of nuclear power is a valid position but maybe start with the entire Tennessee Valley Authority if you’re true to these convictions.

At least acknowledge this isn’t just about whether or not Frank Haney makes his billions. It’s a potential shovel-ready project that could benefit the economy in a part of Alabama that could use the help.

The critics, as mentioned earlier, also argue that utility companies say there isn’t a market for an additional supply of electricity and there are questions as to whether and how electricity produced by Bellefonte would be transferred on to the existing power grid.

Since when did these critics start accepting what utility companies say wholeheartedly at face value?

There is one component these two fiscal hawks overlook (which admittedly causes me to question how much time they have actually spent in Northeast Alabama investigating the issue): People in Jackson County have had to deal with this on-again and off-again saga of Bellefonte since for the last several decades.

When headway is made on finally doing something with this industrial blight, the pseudo-intellectual set in our state’s media cry foul.

My question to them is what should be done with this lakefront property? Does it just sit there in perpetuity and then maybe in the year 2078, we’ll need nuclear power and can employ this century-old structure?

Instead of answers to these reasonable questions, we get argle-bargle about tenuous associations Haney has with former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, which apparently must mean the whole thing is rotten to the core.

One possible scenario, as laid out by former North Alabama Congressman Bud Cramer, who has been hired to work on behalf of Haney’s effort, is that Bellefonte could ultimately be a replacement for the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, the operational facility owned by TVA.

The point is, there are legitimate cases for the revitalization of Bellefonte. You may be against them for any reason. However, if you are against it – pray tell, what should be done with this multibillion-dollar boondoggle known as Bellefonte? I haven’t heard a good answer to that question from the naysayers.

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.

Jones says w/o Peck Fox, the party will keep the status quo. "There’s no money funneled to communications. There’s no money funneled to social media. There’s no money funneled to outreach or field reps." #alpolitics

— Brian Lyman (@lyman_brian) August 11, 2018

Jones is absolutely right.

When the Alabama Republican Party was preparing to take their party from a super-minority to a super-majority in one election, their messaging machine was on fire. Former ALGOP Chairman Mike Hubbard and his communication director Phillip Bryan had an agenda. Every day, e-mails and social media posts highlighted the missteps that the entrenched Democratic Party were making.

Most members of Alabama’s political media are lazy, and while they will try not to reprint and regurgitate press releases sent to them, they obviously use those communiques as templates for stories.

Under Worley’s leadership, the Alabama Democratic Party has been unable to gain ground even after multiple Alabama Republicans have been embroiled in scandals, indicted, convicted and removed from office. These were not county coroners we are talking about: the governor, the speaker of the house and the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court were all taken down, yet the Alabama Democratic Party remains the joke of the state.

The party is stuck on the toilet with Worley and if they want to be a legit player in the state, they need to get off.

@TheDaleJackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a conservative talk show  from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

“I am proud to associate with an esteemed team of government relations advisers and attorneys at Adams and Reese,” Dearborn told the Birmingham Business Journal. “It’s an honor to work with a forward-thinking team with such outstanding talent in the legal and business spheres. I look forward to bringing my knowledge to the table and collaborating with my colleagues on federal and state strategy and public policy.”

His wife, Gina, is a registered lobbyist in Alabama and President of Tucker Consulting in Birmingham.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

Legal challenges are expected to follow.

State lawmakers in February approved legislation allowing such displays on public property.

Blount County’s school board is set to become one of the first systems to take action, the news site reported.

A policy on the issue could be drafted within the next month, Blount County Superintendent Rodney Green said.

Observers view Blount County as a testing ground for the upcoming legal battles with organizations that advocate for the separation of church and state.

“You would think that something that passes the Legislature won’t be challenged in the courtroom but we all know that it can and probably will,” said Green, who oversees a school system with more than 7,800 students over 17 schools north of Jefferson County.

National politics are fueling efforts to incorporate the motto or Christian symbols in government buildings, critics say.

“It’s a tsunami of Christian national laws in our country right now,” said Annie Laurie Gaylord, co-president of the Madison, Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation.

“The upcoming election will say a lot about the direction of our nation,” she added.

“With the Republicans in charge of Congress and so many of these states, we are seeing a constant push for theocracy.”

State Rep. David Standridge, R-Hayden, sponsored the original legislation that gives public bodies the right to display the “In God We Trust” motto.

The Alabama law became effective July 1.

The Alabama legislation is not a mandate, and is a lighter version of what was approved by Tennessee lawmakers this spring that requires the motto’s prominent display inside all public schools.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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