7. Decatur man released on $0 bond, accused of another assault
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Raymond Matthew McKinney was previously arrested in Morgan County for sexually assaulting a child under the age of 12, and a $10,000 bond had been set for his release. Despite this, Circuit Judge Jennifer M. Howell released McKinney on his own recognizance on May 20, reducing his bond amount to $0.
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Since his release, McKinney reoffended against a minor and was arrested again on August 4 in Franklin County on to charges of rape and incest. In Franklin County, McKinney’s bond has been set at $90,000.
6. Release the cop killers?
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While advocating for dissolving the U.S. prison system, Black Lives Matter has joined a coalition of over 50 groups, called the Movement for Black Lives, which has demanded that large amounts of prisoners be released.
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Some of those who were on the list for release were Mumia Abu-Jamal, who killed a police officer in Philadelphia in 1981, Mutulu Shakur, who killed two police officers in New York in 1981; Kamau Sadiki, who killed a police officer in Atlanta in 1971; Ed Poindexter, who worked with David Rice to carry out the Omaha bombing in 1970; and Jamil Al Amin, who killed a sheriff in Georgia in 2000.
5. DOJ unlikely to take control of Alabama prisons
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State Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) has shared his thoughts on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) potentially taking over the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) if the prison system in the state does not improve.
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Albritton said, “I’m not convinced because the times that the feds did take over in different places, it wasn’t any better, it didn’t help … We don’t have the complete answer of how to hire people, but that transcends just DOC, that’s the state in general.” Albritton went on to say, “It’s a difficult situation to be in, but Commissioner Hamm is working on it. I know that he understands the problems … he understands what the challenges are. We’ve got to work together to find the solutions and he’s willing to do that.”
4. World Games was a $14 million loss
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The World Games 2022 reported that they recorded $51 million in revenue when the games were held in Birmingham, but this amount was $14.1 million short of the cost to hold the games, which totaled $65.1 million. Since the news of the debt, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has requested $5 million from the city as a “final funding request.”
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CEO Nick Sellers has said, “… for many reasons, our revenues left us with a deficit. We are working with our public and private partners to close the gap as quickly as possible and satisfy all our debts. We have every intention to raise the associated funds and pay our vendors.”
3. There needs to be a grocery tax holiday
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House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) has started advocating for a pause in the state grocery tax, saying that there should be a “holiday” to provide some relief to citizens due to increasing food costs.
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Daniels made the comments while on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal,” where he said, “Removal of the sales tax on groceries is something that I feel should happen, but we also have to look at ways to recoup some of those dollars. I think you start with the holiday right now while we’re in-between session, and then I think you go figure out ways to generate enough revenue to be able to eliminate it.”
2. Tax rebates for Alabamians are possible
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With record revenue for the Education Trust Fund (ETF), it appears that some lawmakers are considering a move to provide tax rebates for Alabama taxpayers. State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) believes that it is time to give citizens some of their money back.
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The ETF’s budget liabilities are $9 billion, while its available funds are $9.7 billion, meaning there is $700 million unspoken for. Orr said, “I strongly believe tax rebates to send money back to the people of Alabama from Montgomery should be a very high priority.”
1. DOJ won’t release affidavit that led to FBI raid at Trump’s home
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The affidavit that resulted in the FBI raiding former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home will not be released, according to the DOJ. The department has filed a motion opposing the release, which states, “If disclosed, the affidavit would serve as a roadmap to the government’s ongoing investigation, providing specific details about its direction and likely course, in a manner that is highly likely to compromise future investigation.” It added, “Disclosure at this juncture of the affidavit supporting probable cause would … cause significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation.”
- Meanwhile, former Trump seems to want all of this to cool down, saying that he is going to “do whatever … to help the country.” There is continuing heavy criticism against the FBI and DOJ for the raid and criticism of that criticism. Trump also said that “the country is in a very dangerous position.”
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