7. The queen has died

• Queen Elizabeth II has passed away, and after her seventy years of service, many are reacting to the news, including U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa), who said, “I think she was a woman of goodwill and class. The U.K. will miss her, we’ll all miss her.”

• U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) stated, “Yesterday’s meeting with the new prime minister was her 15^th prime minister, and there have also been 14 presidents of the United States since she was queen. Her time as the queen of England spans a third of our presidential history. It’s an amazing life.” Queen Elizabeth II’s time on the throne spanned from Feb. 6, 1952, until Sept. 8, 2022.

6. Student scores have increased since the pandemic

• Overall, test scores are still down from before the pandemic, but in Alabama scores have been improving steadily. Spring 2022 test results were released this week, which shows that 47% of students are proficient in English, 37% are proficient in science, and only 27% are proficient in math. This is not good, but it is better.

• Compared to 2021, there has been a 2% increase in both English and science, and a 5% increase in math. Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey said, “The main takeaways are that you’re going to see improvement across the state in science and math and English language arts. Our students improved significantly from 2021 to 2022.”

4. Not surprising, everyone will be paying a chunk of the student loan forgiveness

• The National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF) has released research that shows President Joe Biden’s plan for student loan forgiveness in amounts up to $20,000 will actually cost on average $2,503.11 per person annually, with 17% getting forgiveness and the remaining 83% will foot the bill.

• The cost per person will range based on income. The NTUF said, “Some may dispute that taxpayers bear the cost of canceling student debt. But the $329 billion cost of student debt cancellation would be $329 billion previously borrowed from the federal government and not returning to the Treasury. Policymakers will need to make up for that gap in the future with government spending cuts, tax increases, more borrowing, or some combination thereof.”

4. Democrats are more fascist than Republicans

• U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has discussed President Joe Biden’s comments about “MAGA Republicans,” who he called a “threat to Democracy.” He labeled their political beliefs as “semi-fascism.”

• Brooks said that based on definition, fascism is “more government dictatorial control. That’s Democrats’ policies and positions hand in glove. It’s Democrats who are the ones to tend to be more fascist because fascism is the opposite of liberty and freedom, and the Democrats don’t trust us to make our own decisions. They believe the government should be doing it.”

3. Alabama family asked to take down American flag by HOA

• In Huntsville, Dr. Jill Hudnell has been asked by her homeowners association (HOA) to remove the American flag displayed on her property. The association has detailed that the issue is with the flagpole being in the yard, writing, “No flagpoles other than those mounted on the home or no longer than four feet are permitted. Immediately upon receipt of this notice, please remove the flagpole.”

• Hudnell, during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends,” said that she won’t be removing the flag or flagpole. Hudnell stated that her family is military, and said, “Not only do we have Old Glory hanging from the flagpole, but we also have the Army flag, because that is a representation of my husband. Those two flags will stay up there. Old Glory is still waving this morning.”

2. The process of terminating teachers who discuss inappropriate topics has been updated

• A new process for terminating teachers has been established by the Alabama Board of Education. The new policy changes the process to be more in line with banning inappropriate sexual orientation and identity discussions.

• The policy requires teachers report to the state superintendent of education if they violate the law, and that the Alabama Educator Code of Ethics and Alabama Core Teaching Standards should be used as factors to determine if the teacher acted inappropriately.

1. Teen’s fentanyl leads to a drug focus by local law enforcement 

• Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran says his agency is prioritizing drug investigations, specifically fentanyl. This comes on the heels of a 15 year old dying after snorting the drug with her boyfriend, a 17 year old that has since been arrested. They believed they were just using regular opioids, but an investigation found that they were “laced with fentanyl.”

• The CDC has reported that 107,622 people died of drug overdoses in 2021 in the United States, and 66.2% (71,238) of those deaths were tied to fentanyl and synthetic opioids. Tretin D. Ferguson and Michael E. Carson were arrested in Mobile County on various drug charges and procession of a firearm by a felon, obliterating the idea that drug dealing in a non-violent crime.