7 Things: Ivey says Biden’s infrastructure plan is not good for Alabama, Alabama Dems want Merrill investigated, accidental shooting leads to more unrest in Minnesota and more …

7. Alcohol delivery bill signed by Ivey

• The bill sponsored by State Senator Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills) and State Representative Gil Isbell (R-Gadsden) that would legalize the delivery of alcohol has been signed by Governor Kay Ivey.
• Deliveries still won’t be allowed to dry counties or cities, but to other areas, deliveries will begin on October 1, 2021. Alcohol can only be delivered from grocery stores, breweries and other places licensed by Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, but deliveries from restaurants have to include food orders.

6. United States halts Johnson & Johnson vaccines because of blood clots

• As the number of vaccines delivered every day climbs to almost 5 million, one of the providers is having its shots halted by the federal government, and states are being urged to follow suit.
• Complications have emerged in six women, out of 7 million vaccinated, with one woman possibly dying from a vaccine-related blood clot and another in critical condition.

5. Family of a student who committed suicide is suing Huntsville City Schools over bullying

• In 2019, Nigel Shelby took his own life, and now his family has filed a lawsuit against Huntsville City Schools for wrongful death and civil rights violations. Shelby was openly gay, and his family has said that he committed suicide due to bullying at school.
• In a news release, attorneys for the family said that when Shelby “sought help from school administrators,” he “was told that his sexuality was his choice.” They added, “Following his death, school administrators alerted Nigel’s mother to look for a suicide note in his backpack, revealing that they were aware of his plans to take his own life.”

4. Democrats need to tell us what isn’t racist now

• U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) has previously supported canceling student debt, but now she has said on Twitter, “You can’t be anti-racist if you’re anti-student debt cancellation,” including a link to an article on the issue.
• In the article, the claim is that “Black and African American college graduates owe an average of $25,000 more in student loan debt than white college graduates.” This comes as there’s a new push for President Joe Biden to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt.

3. Rioting continues in Minnesota after officer mistakes taser for gun

• The shooting of a 20-year-old black man by a police officer after a scuffle and his attempt to flee appears to be a tragic accident, according to the video that shows the officer saying, “I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” before shooting the suspect.
• Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said the shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright was because of “an accidental discharge,” and this is backed up by the officer’s body cam where she says, “Holy (expletive)! I shot him.”

2. Democratic Party wants Merrill investigated

• After it was revealed that Secretary of State John Merrill was having an extramarital affair, the Alabama Democratic Party has asked that Attorney General Steve Marshall investigate Merrill, accusing him of using “tax dollars to facilitate his affair,” according to a release from executive director Wade Perry.
• Perry stated , “If the allegations that Ms. McPherson made are true…he likely broke the law.” He asked the question, “[D]id state taxpayers foot the bill for hotel rooms, mileage, gas, food, or other expenses related to his affair?” Perry ended by saying that if Merrill did use state resources, “like Former Governor Bentley did, Alabamians deserve to know.”

1. Alabama won’t support Biden’s infrastructure plan

• The American Society for Civil Engineers has given Alabama a grade of C-minus on infrastructure, but Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Transportation have admitted that the state has infrastructure needs. According to Ivey, those needs are not necessarily President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion “American Jobs Plan.”
• Ivey press secretary Gina Maiola said that while the “state would welcome infrastructure projects using federal dollars,” what isn’t welcome is “a wish list of pet projects.” She added, “However, our federal government seems to have the appetite to spend trillions on trillions with little concern for the burden of debt that our country is clearly incurring…we are still working to determine exactly what this will mean for Alabama.”