7. More FedEx jobs coming to Alabama
- The Dothan Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will be putting a $57 million FedEx distribution center in the city, which will create 200 new jobs in the area. Governor Kay Ivey and other officials joined in announcing the development.
- Construction on the new distribution center will likely start within the next month, and the facility will be completed to open in late 2022.
6. Tuition benefits for veterans passes
- The bill introduced by U.S. Representative Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) that would expand in-state tuition for those who are the family of veterans who passed away, specifically from service-related disabilities passed the House in a 424-0 vote.
- Moore stated, “As a grateful nation, we have accepted the responsibility to ensure that the educational needs of the survivors and dependents of our fallen heroes are provided for.” It was recommended by Moore that benefits be increased to $1,224 per month.
5. Britt: I-10 bridge should be a priority
- U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt recently criticized the infrastructure package that was signed by President Joe Biden that’ll cost $1.2 trillion, saying that the priorities are not in the right place entirely since it doesn’t include any work for the I-10 bridge.
- Britt said that it’s not a “true infrastructure package,” and added that what’s happening “in D.C. is disgusting.” She continued, “That is not a true infrastructure package. It is the left pushing us further toward socialism that is chocked full of policies that will change the fabric of this nation, and I am incredibly disappointed that it passed.” Britt also vowed that the I-10 bridge “will be a top priority” when she’s elected.
4. Rittenhouse jury deliberating as the nation braces for more chaos
- Jurors deciding the fate of Kyle Rittenhouse will spend their second day discussing the case of a 17-year-old accused of a double homicide and an additional shooting during the riots that occurred in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after Jacob Blake was shot by police while resisting arrest. The case hinges on whether or not the jury believes Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense when he shot three people who were attacking him in the streets.
- This time, the governor of Wisconsin has deployed 500 National Guard troops to the scene to prepare for unrest after the verdict, businesses are boarded up, and protesters are already on the scene. The Black Lives Matter movement, which appears neutered in a world without Trump is ready to seize on this moment even though the dead, injured and accused are all white. The media’s biases and institutional failures are on full display in all of its normal ugliness.
3. Alabama removed from a COVID-19 travel advisory as Alabama welcomes good news
- Not that we should care, but Alabama has been removed from the city of Chicago’s travel advisory list, along with Mississippi and Tennessee. There are currently 38 states on their advisory list. A state is removed after the rate of new infections falls below 15 cases per 100,000 people for two consecutive weeks.
- The good news comes as Alabama’s COVID-19 hospitalizations fall below 300 for the first time since July 21. Alabama is also seeing a plateau in new cases after a very quick drop in cases and hospitalizations. Currently, Alabama has a positivity rate below 5% and one of the lowest per-capita new cases rates in the country while the nation is starting to see surges elsewhere.
2. Aderholt asks DOJ about their probe in parents as evidence emerges of surveillance
- A whistleblower claims that there is ample proof that the Department of Justice has been using counterterrorism resources to monitor angry parents around the country after the National School Board Association requested just that. Republicans are accusing Attorney General Merrick Garland of misleading Congress on the matter when asked about the subject.
- U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) has now sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray asking him about the resources the agency used to pursue these issues and asked the FBI to look into school board members “doxing” parents. Aderholt’s letter serves as an admonishment of the current anti-parent environment, saying that “a parent who makes a school board member emotionally uncomfortable simply by asking about school policies and curriculum content is not committing a crime.” He adds, “A heavy-handed approach by the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation will only serve to chill free speech in contravention of the First Amendment.”
1. There were 6,000 missing students in public school this year
- Kids are leaving public schools in large numbers but having only 6,000 missing from Alabama public schools is actually an improvement compared to 2020, when there were about 9,000 students missing from schools, which is still a high level of students unaccounted for. These new enrollment numbers came from the Alabama Department of Education.
- The reason for students “missing” in the public school system is due to them either going to private school or homeschooling. After public schools initially shut down during the pandemic, parents switching their children to private or homeschooling became popular due to the lack of restrictions those environments offered. There have also been concerns raised by parents as Critical Race Theory has become a popular topic of conversation in public schools.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.