Three companies in the concept stage will be trying to bring home a $50,000 prize.

Those companies as follows:

• Acclinate Genetics, a Huntsville-based company addressing the lack of diversity in clinical drug trials
• Pure Game Sports Network, a sports media & marketing company created for high school athletic departments and fans.
• Smart Solutions, whose products offer assistive technology allowing more living independence for persons with disabilities

Three companies at the early seed stage have bigger stakes. The winner of that competition will take home $100,000.

Those startups as follows:

• Buolo Solutions, a company connecting professional women to talent-seeking companies with flexible jobs
• CerFlux, a cancer-fighting company creating personalized medicine solutions to identify the best and most effective cancer therapeutics for patients.
• MOXIE, whose engineering team is producing custom-designed IOT solutions for clients within 30 days

Alabama Launchpad is a program by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. According to their website, the EDPA “is a private non-profit organization funded by more than 60 Alabama companies, whose mission is to attract and retain world-class talent across a broad spectrum of interests and industries.”

“We are proud to support these innovative entrepreneurs,” said EDPA President Steve Spencer in a press release. “Alabama Launchpad is here to serve early stage companies all over Alabama, and we look forward to seeing these finalists compete onstage in our state’s capital.”

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.

“This bill is not about getting high. This bill is about getting well,” said Dr. Alan Shackelford, a Colorado doctor who described the success of using medical marijuana on people with seizures and cancer.

Cristi Cain said her son Hardy’s debilitating seizures have been helped by CBD oil, now legal in Alabama, but said the higher doses that could help him more aren’t legal in the state. Hardy had as many as 100 seizures per day before trying the oil, and now has about 20 to 30, she said

“An area code shouldn’t affect one health’s care. If Hardy didn’t live in Alabama, he could be seizure-free. We shouldn’t have to be and don’t want to be medical refugees,” Cain said.

Another woman described how patches used in another state were the only thing that relieved her husband’s leg pain from Parkinson’s

The bill drew opposition from some law enforcement and conservative groups. They expressed concern about dosing, safety and the potential for abuse.

“Just because we put the word medical in front of marijuana does not make it medicine,” Shelby County Sheriff’s Capt. Clay Hammac said.

The Rev. Rick Hagans described addicts he buried. He said that although they obviously didn’t overdose on marijuana, they started their drug use with pot.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall sent lawmakers a letter expressing his opposition that noted marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

The vote was a moment of optimism for medical marijuana advocates who for years made little headway in the conservative-leaning state. A medical marijuana bill in 2013 won the so-called “Shroud Award” for the “deadest” bill that year in the House of Representatives.

Melson said he is hopeful about the bill’s chances in 2020. He said there are multiple steps in the process of obtaining medical marijuana that should limit the danger of abuse.

“You are going to have to go to a physician. You are going to have to get a card. You are going to be on the (state) register,” Melson said. He defended the bill’s allowance of marijuana for a variety of conditions.

“I’m sure some people look at that 15 (conditions) and go, ‘Ýeah, really, that one?’ That’s because they don’t have it or don’t know the literature,” he said.

Sen. Larry Stutts, an obstetrician who cast the lone no vote on the committee, said state medical marijuana laws circumvent the process of drug trials usually required to introduce a new medicine

Stutts said other medications have been “through the process and been through the trials that study its effectiveness and side effects” before patients get them.

Before the vote, Sen. Cam Ward described his late father’s battle with cancer.

“I would have given anything, anything, had he had a tablet to take, something to chew on, some drops to put in his food to avoid the nauseousness from the chemotherapy. That would have changed his life. As a human being, who am I to say … you can’t have that to make you feel better?” Ward said.

(Associated Press, copyright 2020)

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The biggest ticket item that can be purchased without tax is a portable electricity generator, although, any generator that costs $1,000 or more will begin incurring regular taxes.

Dozens of cities and counties also exempt their local sales tax on the holiday weekend, including Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile and Tuscaloosa. A full list of those areas can be found here.

A full list of the tax-exempt items can be found here.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.

The company expects to invest approximately $550 to $600 million over the next five years to develop Blue Creek with expected spending this year alone of approximately $25 million to kickstart the project.

Based on the current schedule, Warrior Met Coal expects first development tons from continuous miner units to occur in the third quarter of 2023 with the longwall scheduled to start up in the second quarter of 2025.

The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange and as such must report specific financial details on the project. This included the company projecting a “net present value” of “greater than $1 billion over the life of the mine with a projected after-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of nearly 30% and an expected payback of approximately two years from initial longwall production.”

Warrior Met Coal previewed this project at a Yellowhammer News event in 2019.

RELATED: Study: Alabama coal industry has nearly $3 billion impact; met coal reserves to last centuries

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

“Gender is real. There are biological differences between boys and girls that influence athletic performance. The GIRL Bill seeks to support female student-athletes, so that they may compete against each other and not have to compete against male students with an unfair advantage,” Pringle has stated. “Liberal Democrats are always trying to accuse us of refusing science, but gender is a real biological truth. It truly defies logic that anyone would deny science and want male students to compete in female sports.”

During Wednesday’s meeting, a first-grade girl from the Birmingham area called on the committee to support the bill. The girl said it was only “fair” that student-athletes be sorted by the gender on their birth certificate and that she not have to compete against boys.

A full public hearing was held on the legislation last week, when State Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham) made some interesting remarks about Auburn legend Cam Newton while speaking against HB 35. Rogers in a subsequent interview then called for mandatory genetic testing of all public school student-athletes.

Pringle is currently running in the competitive Republican primary race for Alabama’s First Congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope).

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

In a statement to Yellowhammer News, she said, “As a Christian, and as a mother, I am appalled and disgusted that Doug Jones would act this way.”

“Defending the unborn has been a pillar of my campaign since day one,” Taylor continued. “Doug Jones’ blatant disregard for the rights of the unborn further demonstrates that he is unfit to represent us in Washington. Pro-life values are Alabama values. As a conservative, I will always fight for our Alabama conservative values in Congress.”

Taylor has been endorsed by the prominent national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List in her AL-01 primary bid.

SBA List also bashed Jones’ latest comments in a separate statement.

“Senator Doug Jones has proven once again that he is no moderate when it comes to abortion on demand through the moment of birth. Alabama’s Democratic senator may think it is ‘stupid’ to question his abortion extremism, but rest assured, his constituents take respect for human life very seriously,” stated SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser.

“With a record of voting in favor of late-term abortion more than halfway through pregnancy and forced taxpayer funding of abortion, Sen. Jones has repeatedly betrayed Alabamians, siding with the radical abortion lobby and fellow extremist Democrats in Congress,” Dannenfelser concluded. “Their agenda is dramatically out of step with the people of Alabama and the strong majority of Americans – including 55 percent of Independents and 43 percent of rank-and-file Democrats – who support compassionate limits on abortion after five months of pregnancy, when science clearly shows unborn babies can feel excruciating pain. If Senator Jones refuses to protect innocent unborn children, he won’t be laughing come Election Day.”

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

The MCFAUL is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the 24th of its kind in the U.S. Navy. Her commanding officer is Commander Rusty J. Williams. The ship gets her name from war hero Petty Officer Donald L. McFaul (1957–1989).

The GANNET is a Protector-class Coastal Patrol Boat manned by the U.S. Coast Guard. When she is not being toured by the public, the GANNET protects America’s coastal waters and fisheries after launching from her homeport in Mobile.

Full information for the public tours included below as a courtesy of the Alabama State Port Authority and the United States Navy:

USS MCFAUL (DDG 74) Welcome Ceremony and Public Tours Info

•   Welcome Ceremony:  11:00 am, CST, Friday, February 21, 2020. Alabama State Port Authority, Pier 2.  Gates open at 9:30 am (CST).
•   Public Tours:  February 22-25, 2020 between the hours of 8:30 am – 11:00 am and 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (CST) Pier 2 Terminal, downtown Mobile, Ala.
•   The gate entrance is located on the north side of the Mobile Convention Center on Water Street, Downtown Mobile, Ala.
•   The Public is welcome, but all visitors are required to wear closed toe/heel shoes and carry valid identification.  All guests will undergo security screening prior to entry to the facility.

USCGC GANNET Public Tours Info

•   GANNET will moor at 9:00 am (CST) on February 24, 2020 at the GulfQuest Maritime Museum, 155 S Water Street, in downtown Mobile, Ala.
•   Public Tours: February 24 between the hours of 11:00 am and 3:00 pm (CST), and February 25-26 between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm (CST).
•   The Public is welcome, but all visitors are required to wear closed toe/heel shoes and carry valid identification.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.

Jones did not seem to hear the initial question, as he said back, “What stupid question do you have for me today?”

The tracker again, this time at a speaking distance, queried, “Do you think abortion should be banned after five months?”

Jones then began laughing, while parroting, “Should abortion be banned after–?”

“As I said, what a stupid question,” the senator continued.

“You’re voting on it next week,” the tracker advised, referring to the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

“Yeah, and I’ll vote on it next week, just like I did the last time,” Jones responded, before walking out of view.

Watch:

🚨 NEW VIDEO 🚨

Constituent: “Do you think abortion should be banned after 5 months?”

Doug Jones: “What a stupid question.”

Constituent: “You’re voting on it next week.”#ALsen #ALpolitics pic.twitter.com/oZd5NrFHy3

— Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) February 19, 2020

Jones has been a staunch pro-abortion advocate while in the U.S. Senate, previously voting against the pain-capable abortion ban. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to be considered next week would prohibit abortion after 20 weeks’ gestation based on scientific research suggesting that fetuses are capable of feeling pain by that point in pregnancy, per National Review. A report released recently suggested that fetal pain is in fact possible even earlier in pregnancy than 20 weeks.

Alabama’s junior U.S. senator also previously voted against banning using federal funds for abortions.

Jones has been endorsed in his 2020 reelection bid by State. Rep. John Rogers (D-AL) of “kill ’em now or kill ’em later” infamy. Rogers has asserted that Jones privately called him to say those remarks were “right.” Jones, confronted by a tracker last year, refused to comment on that allegation.

RELATED: Video: Doug Jones’ pro-choice beliefs compared with Dem. Rep. Rogers’ viral abortion comments

Last year, Jones criticized Republican lawmakers in Alabama for pushing the nation’s strictest abortion ban. He called their pro-life views “callous” and “extreme.”

While Alabamians in the 2018 general election voted overwhelmingly to declare the official policy of the state as being pro-life, Jones has stressed in public comments that representing the majority of his constituents is not “the be all to end all.” He recently doubled down on this admission when defending his two votes to remove President Donald Trump from office.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

Currently, participants in the teachers retirement system are classified as Tier 1, if they were first hired before 2013, or Tier 2, if they were hired on, or after, Jan. 1, 2013. The tiers have different contribution rates, formulas and service requirements to collect benefits.

The bill would create anew Tier 3 retirement level and allow employees to retire at any age after 30 years of service with up to 80 percent of their final salary, Baker said. The bill alsoproposes increasingthe multiplier used in retirement calculations and allows employees to convert unused sick leave, similar to the Tier 1 system.

The bill would raise what employees must contribute to their retirement to make it the same as the old system. Tier 2 employees would be automatically shifted to Tier 3 unless they opt out of the change.

The bill passed without a dissenting vote, although Rep. Thomas Jackson criticized Republicans’ past cuts to educators’ benefits.

“It’s you all that took all that good stuff away from these good teachers in the state … I’m glad to know that you all saw the light and see where we are losing good teachers,“said Jackson, a Democrat.

Republican Rep. Bill Poole, who chairs the education budget committee, said it is a “reasonable” action.

“We’ve looked really hard at it. It’s part of the component of teacher recruitment and retention efforts to address a teacher shortage,” Poole, a Tuscaloosa Republican, said.

(Associated Press, copyright 2020)

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A project at the location had long been a focus of Montgomery’s Economic and Community Development Director Desmond Wilson.

“This has been a long time coming, we’ve been working on something in this area for 12 years,” said Wilson, who grew up less than a block away from the new site and remembers watching those marching for civil rights pass in front of his house.

“Everybody had a garden, that was our way of life,” continued Wilson, tying the new agricultural center to the cultural heritage of the neighborhood it seeks to revitalize.

Dr. Walter Hill, the Dean of Tuskegee University’s College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, spoke at the event.

The professor credited the unveiled center to the “brilliant, smart, articulate young people who don’t mess around and are ready to serve.”

Dr. Raymon Shange of Tuskegee University said the center will aim to spread knowledge about what to do with the products of a harvest; methods like drying and canning. He added the center will also seek to share methods of food preparation for those that may not know how to prepare meals with healthy ingredients.

Kalonji Gilchrest of 21 Dreams Arts & Culture announced that three murals will be added to the area in coming months as part of a larger effort to reinvigorate the neighborhood.

“We’re putting the culture back in agriculture,” said Lindsey Lunsford of Tuskegee University. Lunsford will work closely on the project as part of the public dialogue system that will ensure the agriculture innovation center meets the demonstrated needs of the surrounding community.

In his remarks at the event, Reed thanked Tuskegee University for their partnership on the project. The newly-elected mayor thinks projects like the one unveiled Tuesday can help relieve food deserts in urban areas.

“Projects like these are how we create a better future for the people in Montgomery,” added Reed.

Reed believes that the Peacock Tract area “was decimated by the intentional drawing of the interstate system right through the heart of this neighborhood.”

“We hope to be able to supply homes in this neighborhood, and homes in other underserved communities with fresh food and through gardening and through urban farming,” Reed said in his conclusion.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.

“I don’t consider it to be so much negative as everybody is trying to make their differentiation from the other person,” he said. “That’s natural in a campaign. So, I’m not bothered by it at all. In fact, I think it is good when people say, ‘What’s the difference between this guy and this guy?’ We’re right in the middle of that. We think that we’re winning that argument. That’s the word we’re getting back from people. And this is the time for us to be talking about that with the folks of the state of Alabama, so they get the information they need to make their decision.”

Byrne acknowledged efforts to show the candidates’ support for Trump but also said questions also remain about Tuberville’s stance on immigration.

“That’s a part of it,” he said. “But they’re also interested in some key issues, too. And I can tell you right now this issue about Tommy Tuberville’s position on amnesty is a key issue. And so we’re going to keep telling people about his position on that and let him explain why he doesn’t think that’s amnesty.”

The Baldwin County Republican said he expected to do well in Trussville and all of Jefferson County.

“We’ve been here a number of times — we’ve got a good support base here,” Byrne added. “We’ve got good support here and all over Jefferson County. We feel good about Jefferson County.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Huntsville’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN.

He said the situation the bill aimed to alleviate is one where a “child could lose in-state tuition and have to uproot their own educational pursuits through no fault of their own.”

Whatley has served in the Alabama National Guard for many years and told Yellowhammer about how that affected his thinking in regard to the bill that passed Tuesday.

He said of his service to the country, “It made it personal for me, it made it something I understood. I understood the plight of the military families that had this going on. I appreciate Lt. Governor Ainsworth for letting me handle it.”

Other items passed by the Alabama Senate on Military Friendliness Day include:

• Sen. David Burkette’s (D-Montgomery) bill to allow local municipalities/counties to create organizations that will develop area adjacent to active Air Force bases.
• Sen. Andrew Jones’ (R-Cente) bill to make easier the procurement of an Alabama teaching certificate by qualified members who served in the Armed Forces.
• Sen. Tom Butler’s (R-Madison) bill that would make necessary the alerting of military bases when a county or municipality builds a tall structure in the vicinity of the base.
• Two bills from Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road).
  • One that would require school districts with magnet schools to accept applications from students who have transferred into the district due to their parents being stationed there by the military.
  • A second that would authorize the formation of charter schools near military facilities.
• Sen. Donnie Chesteen’s (R-Geneva) bill making it easier for the offspring of those serving in the Armed Forces to enroll in Alabama’s virtual education options.
• A second bill from Sen. Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) that reshapes the Armory Commission of Alabama, changing it from nine to 15 members.

Multiple state senators who were part of the effort thanked Lieutenant Governor Ainsworth for spearheading the Military appreciation effort.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.

“We were able to talk about high school things and teachers — and matters of importance,” he explained. “And she’s just fabulous.”

“Those were all good, important contacts, and they’re good people,” Sessions added.

The Sessions campaign told Yellowhammer News that none of the meetings were regarding an endorsement.

Home stretch

Asked about how the campaign trail is going with only two weeks until the March 3 primary, Sessions responded, “We’re working very hard. People are so generous and kind traveling around the state. It really makes it a pleasure. We’re asking people for their vote, committing to them that I’ll be faithful to the values that the state of Alabama believes in — that I have been throughout my career.”

He then reiterated that there is an opportunity for Republicans to have a working conservative majority throughout the next decade or so. Sessions stressed that the first two years of a second term for President Donald Trump would be especially key.

“I think he will be [reelected],” Sessions remarked. “And we’ve got to take advantage of that momentum. I know those issues — I know trade, I know immigration, I know taxes, I know judges and crime. Those are issues that we can make some real progress in.”

“Frankly, I also sense that some of our Republicans still don’t get what’s happened,” he continued. “They don’t understand the Trump movement that brought in large numbers of independent voters, more African Americans, more Hispanics than previous Republican candidates have gotten. And even Democrats he’s brought over. So what the Republican leadership in Washington needs to understand is they need to reach out with energy and strength to welcome these new voters in, continue to deliver for them as President Trump has and build a new majority that can govern America and fend off this Socialist movement that threatens the very foundations of American democracy and free enterprise.”

Sessions added, “I just think it’s an incredible opportunity. I’ve given a lot of thought about it. I think I understand it. And I think I have the ability to help in a way a new person does not.”

Sessions punches back

Yellowhammer News asked Sessions about the new ad his campaign released earlier on Tuesday. He framed the ad as a longtime-coming response to attacks (whether through ads or barbs on the campaign trail) from his top two opponents: former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville and Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01).

“I think the ad — I’ve been subject to attacks for months now,” Sessions remarked. “And I’ve always tried to be faithful and true to the people of Alabama, but it’s time to push back and ask, ‘Well, who are you? Where were you when Donald Trump was in a race for the presidency and nobody knew how it was going to come out?'”

“There were days that were good and days that were bad, but I never wavered,” he added of his support for Trump in the 2016 cycle.

“Whereas, in fact, Congressman Byrne did call for him to withdraw in [October], just a few weeks before the election,” Sessions continued. “And then, I’m not even sure Tommy Tuberville even voted for Trump. He certainly should’ve been able to make a modest contribution — he gave no contribution. So I don’t know where this comes from.”

He followed up by calling into question Tuberville’s stated support of Trump during this campaign cycle. Sessions referenced comments made by Tuberville in September about immigration, in which the former coach was talking about documented migrant workers. Tuberville’s opponents contend the comments amount to supporting “amnesty.”

Sessions outlined, “[Tuberville has] indicated to me from what he’s said [publicly] that he’s not passionately committed to the issues that the people care about and that President Trump has pushed for. Like immigration, I mean, his statement on immigration is open borders. It says, ‘They want jobs, we want them to have jobs and we want them to become citizens.’ This is a stunning thing; it is hugely stunning.”

“And then on trade, he has said that he is a free-trader, which is a signal he’s not with the Trump agenda,” Sessions further decried. “And then he said that … he didn’t agree with Trump standing up to China. Which is stunning.”

“We are in a monumental battle with China. I have talked to the president about this in the [2016] campaign more than once, on the airplane, together we talked about it,” he advised. “The president knows that if he can stand firm to China, they need us far more than we need them. They will have to come to the table. We can improve our trading situation with China substantially. And the last thing you need, the very last thing, is members of his own party undercutting his negotiating ability. That’s the only danger that we have in this negotiation. If we stand firm, we will win.”

Sessions then hit Tuberville on his remarks from August about veterans’ healthcare related to Trump.

“I was with [Trump on the campaign trial] in speeches all over this country about veterans. He made it the highest priority,” Sessions commented. “Yes, it’s a hard bureaucracy to move. But nobody’s done better in moving that bureaucracy to help healthcare for veterans than him. I just don’t see why our leader on improving healthcare for veterans ought to be attacked by a person who’s in his own party. That just makes no sense to me.”

He then again underlined his argument about experience being integral to success in the Senate.

“I just think it’s really important the next senator understands how to be helpful on day one,” Sessions stressed.

“There’s not a military base in the state I don’t know about. There’s not a city size we haven’t worked with in the past. The businesses that often need to interface with Washington and need to be supported — Alabama businesses. I don’t have to be brought up to date on them. I know that already,” he advised. “And I think somebody starting with virtually no knowledge of the Congress is a problem.”

“And finally, I’ll say it this way: I have proven that I understand Alabama values. And that I fight for them every day. I have stood up to Republican colleagues on many key issues, sometimes alone, to advance trade and immigration issues that are important to Alabama. And why would we want to take a chance on somebody — may have been a good coach but’d be totally unproven. We don’t know what his philosophy is, except that it doesn’t look like he shares the Trumpian philosophy. I would say this is a critical election, and I believe I can provide valuable leadership,” Sessions emphasized.

Romney comparison

To conclude the interview, Yellowhammer similarly asked Sessions to react to two pro-Tuberville ads released on Tuesday comparing Sessions to Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), who recently voted to remove Trump from office on one impeachment article.

“This was very irritating to me,” Sessions responded. “Mitt Romney has indeed waffled. He’s a part of the crew that’s shown weakness and a lack of passion to advance the conservative agenda.”

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

First, SB 106 by State Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) would authorize the formation of public charter schools on or within one mile of military installations with a focus on serving military and certain Department of Defense dependents. That bill as amended was ultimately passed by the Senate on a 26-3 vote after it was initially carried over due to being slowed down by Senate Democrats on the floor. Figures voted against the bill.

Barfoot on the floor — and in brief remarks to Yellowhammer News after the Senate adjourned later in the evening — explained that the genesis of his bill is tied to comments made in recent years by U.S. Air Force Lt. General Anthony Cotton, who was at the time the commander of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery.

Montgomery Public Schools has been taken over by the state (via an intervention) as a failing system, and military families are very much affected by the quality of the system.

Here is what U.S. News wrote in August:

The impact of failing schools isn’t limited to the local community. Leadership at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery has voiced concerns that poorly performing public schools have made it harder to get military personnel and their families to want to come here.

About 56% of airmen coming to Maxwell for Air War College, a professional military school for senior officers, choose to leave their families behind rather than move them to Montgomery, said Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, during a community gathering to discuss education in 2018. Schools were cited as the top reason for separation, Cotton has said.

Barfoot also added that a lack in availability of quality, affordable education is an issue that Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commissions look at when evaluating facilities.

With all that in mind, another related bill followed the passage of SB 106 on the Senate floor.

SB 143 by State Sen. Donnie Chesteen (R-Geneva) would provide that for the purposes of enrolling in and attending a virtual school operating in Alabama, the dependents of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces shall be considered residents of the state upon the respective member receiving orders to relocate to the state. Under existing law, local boards of education are already required to provide a virtual education option for eligible students in grades 9-12. Essentially, this bill would just expedite the process by which military dependents could enroll in these existing virtual schools after their family was ordered to locate to Alabama.

Figures initially delayed the passage of this legislation, causing it to be carried over. However, at the end of the legislative day, the bill was brought back up. She remarked that the only reason she was not continuing to slow it down was because of her respect for Chesteen.

Nevertheless, Figures then turned her attention to the basis of the bills: that military dependents need better public education options in Alabama.

“I am very offended by the military,” the state senator decried.

She expressed that she was insulted that BRAC/military leadership would believe there are Alabama public schools not “good enough” for military dependents. Figures further lamented that, in her view, the military thinks their dependents are “too good” to go to school with civilian children at Alabama public schools.

After that, Figures voted in favor of SB 143. The bill passed 30-0. Both SB 106 and SB 143 now head to the House for a first reading.

In an interview with Yellowhammer News after adjournment, Figures affirmed her comments.

“I really think I said all I needed to say at the microphone about the passage of these bills, or the introduction of those bills that made it perfectly clear that our public school education is not ‘good enough,'” she said. “So, rather than us pay the price to establish charter schools just for them — that is a federal level of government, the Armed Forces — so if that’s the way they feel, why don’t they build their own school without continuing to further deplete the Education Trust Fund of Alabama, which is supposed to be intended for public schools.”

It should be noted that charter schools are public schools. Virtual school programs related to SB 143 are also governed by public school systems.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Tuberville and Byrne are leading the Senate primary field, ahead of other candidates such as former Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Springs).

The latest spot, also lasting 30 seconds, opens with a clip of Trump giving Byrne a shoutout at the recent White House event following the president’s impeachment trial acquittal.

“Bradley Byrne: the only one fighting for President Trump with a 97% pro-Trump voting record,” a narrator adds.

The ad subsequently invokes comments made in September by Tuberville regarding migrant workers. A separate ad by the Byrne campaign released this weekend has accused Tuberville of supporting “amnesty” over those remarks. Tuberville has maintained that he does not support amnesty for illegal aliens.

“Tommy Tuberville: wrong on Trump, wrong on immigration,” the Fighting for Alabama Fund ad concludes.

RELATED: ‘Don’t let Mitt happen in Alabama’: Pro-Tuberville PAC goes on attack in Senate race

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

Sign told “Fox & Friends” that he immediately sensed something was not quite right about the events on the airport tarmac in Phoenix that day in 2016.

“We knew something had occurred that was a bit unusual,” he remarked. “It was a planned meeting. It was not a coincidence.”

According to a 538-page report released by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice, Clinton and Lynch held different recollections of how the meeting came about.

Clinton claimed that Lynch invited him onto her government-owned jet, while Lynch maintained Clinton boarded the plane uninvited.

“I just wanted to say ‘hello’ to her and I thought it would look really crazy if we were living in [a] world [where] I couldn’t shake hands with the Attorney General, you know, when she was right there,” Clinton said, according to the report published in 2018.

Clinton bristled at the notion that the appropriateness of the meeting was being called into question.

“I don’t know whether I’m more offended that they think I’m crooked or that they think I’m stupid,” he told investigators.

Although Lynch expressed her discomfort with the meeting to investigators, both she and Clinton denied the subject of his wife’s emails coming up.

Sign, like many others across the nation, remained skeptical that conversation in such an urgent meeting was confined to small talk.

“[Secret on the Tarmac] details everything that they don’t want you to know and everything they think you forgot, but Bill Clinton was on that plane for 20 minutes and it wasn’t just about golf, grandkids, and Brexit. There’s so much that doesn’t add up,” explained the former Crimson Tide football player.

At the time, Donald Trump joined in the chorus of those questioning the substance of the secret meeting.

Does anybody really believe that Bill Clinton and the U.S.A.G. talked only about "grandkids" and golf for 37 minutes in plane on tarmac?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2016

“Secret on the Tarmac is available for purchase at ChristopherSign.com and other outlets, including Amazon.

Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia

Ivey also activated the Alabama Emergency Management Agency State Emergency Operations Center, “as well as impacted or potentially impacted Alabama Emergency Management Divisions.”

“The recent flooding has affected the lives of Alabamians in many parts of our state,” said Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Brian Hastings. “This State of Emergency will assist in connecting Alabama to the resources required to respond to current and future impacts caused by recent flooding throughout the state.”

A press release from the governor’s office noted:

By declaring a State of Emergency, Governor Ivey is directing the appropriate state agencies to exercise their statutory authority to assist the communities and entities impacted by the ongoing flooding and impact of the recent flooding. Among offering other assistance, the SOE issued by the governor allows local education authorities to appeal to the State Superintendent of Education for relief in fulfilling the local school calendar with respect to student days or employee days, or both, with no loss of income to employees.

Ivey’s press release concluded by encouraging Alabamians to stay alert and always tune in to local weather channels in case of any future threat of flooding.

Kyle Morris also contributes daily to Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @RealKyleMorris.

The bill sponsor, State Sen. Andrew Jones (R-Centre), has argued that the State Auditor’s office in recent years has been downsized to such an extent that the office only catalogs state property and that that duty could be more efficiently completed by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts. That department already handles the auditing of state finances.

Zeigler argues the bill would not save money.

“The money savings simply would not be there,” he said last week. “The people of Alabama want to maintain the ability to elect their state auditors and not have all of the auditing done by an agency not subject to election.”

The bill on Tuesday was carried over to the call of the chair for the second consecutive week. A substitute is expected to be offered in committee in the coming weeks.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

“There’s a plethora of black scientists who make significant contributions to science, but many of them are unknown to the masses,” Hinton said. “It’s imperative that young black scientists know about the myriad accomplished scientists from African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, and African American backgrounds in the fields of life sciences, chemistry, engineering and physics.”

Lubin is the director of the NINDS-funded Neuroscience Roadmap Scholar Program. She is also a scientist in the Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging, the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, and the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute. Her research focuses on learning, memory and synaptic plasticity, epigenetics, non-coding RNAs gene transcription, epilepsy disorders, neurodevelopment, and developmental disabilities.

Gray is the Dixon Scholar in Neuroscience in the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, a scientist in the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center and the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, and co-director for the School of Medicine’s Summer in Biomedical Sciences Undergraduate Research Program. Her research focuses on the pathogenesis of Huntington’s disease with a specific interest in astrocytes, as well as cardiac abnormalities in Huntington’s disease and X-linked dystonia Parkinsonism.

The list includes 75 established investigators, including Lubin and Gray, who range from tenure track assistant professors to full professors and 25 scientists whom the author labels as rising stars.

Visit Cross Talk to see the list in its entirety.

(Courtesy of UAB)

“Losing even one law enforcement officer to violence is unacceptable, losing seven in just one year just blows my mind,” he remarked at the event.

After a thorough review of the current system, Ainsworth said that the effort morphed into a change that would affect “all capital offenses.”

“This legislation still affords a thorough appeals process,” Ainsworth assured those in attendance.

A release from his office compared the effort to a similar process recently implemented in the State of Tennessee.

The bills would also direct the Court of Criminal Appeals to prioritize and expedite the hearings of those convicted of capital crimes, and it would start the clock sooner on an appeal to the United States Supreme Court.

“The crime rate is down in every single category except one, murder,” warned Ward when he took the podium. “We have had an increase in murder in Alabama by 25% over the last three years, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.”

The state senator, who is seeking a place on the Alabama Supreme Court, argued that when it comes to law enforcement officers getting killed, Alabamians should not “continue to allow political correctness stop us from stopping this problem.”

Ward also signaled that the bill would be heard next week by the Senate Judiciary Committee which he chairs.

Rowe began her remarks talking about her 27-year career in law enforcement that ended with her as police chief for the City of Jasper.

Rowe then detailed the case of a woman slain in 1988 in Rowe’s native Walker County. The man convicted of killing that woman is currently still on death row.

“This shaves two years off of that process, it does not prevent the offender, the person who killed her, from any level of justice or appeals that they deserve, but it does speed this process along,” added Rowe.

“Her only sister lives to see if the death penalty is played out,” she said in her conclusion.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.

“It is unfortunate that Tommy Tuberville and Bradley Byrne have resorted to desperate and false attacks on Jeff Sessions,” Sessions’ campaign spokesman John Rogers said in a statement. “Tommy Tuberville just can’t find a positive message that connects with Alabamians. He’s too busy attacking President Trump.”

Transcript as follows:

NARRATOR: Bradley Byrne and Tommy Tuberville are desperate, telling lies about Jeff Sessions.

The truth? When Trump ran for president, only one senator had the guts to support him – only ONE — Jeff Sessions.

Byrne stood with the liberals, said Trump was “not fit to be president,” and stabbed Trump in the back right before the election.

And Tuberville is a tourist in Alabama — he lives, votes, and pays taxes in Florida.

The conservative you can trust – Jeff Sessions.

JEFF SESSIONS: I’m Jeff Sessions, and I approved this ad.

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Huntsville’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN.

Bloomberg on why farmers can’t work in information technology

MB: “I can teach anyone how to be a farmer 1 dig a hole 2 put a seed in 3 put dirt on top 4 add water 5 up comes the corn”

The skill 4information technology is completely different you need more grey matter#farmers pic.twitter.com/HM13tA6goz

— Pete (@NYBackpacker) February 15, 2020

Hasdorff is running to succeed U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) in Alabama’s Second Congressional District. Though she has not fared well in the polls to date, she has been endorsed by two generals and has connections in Washington, D.C. from her time working in government.

“Alabama’s farmers are the backbone of our state,” Hasdorff said in the release. “The fact that someone like Michael Bloomberg feels he is entitled to belittle their hard work is appalling – but this is what the far left really thinks of real America. This is what out of touch Democrats and coastal elites believe. Mr. Bloomberg was just the one caught on tape.”

.@mikebloomberg doesn’t think farming is hard work. Well, I’m inviting him down to #AL02 to visit one of our farms & see what real work is. I’m running for Congress for our farmers. They can count on me to be a fighter for them! pic.twitter.com/UNuclWmRRu

— Terri Hasdorff (@TerriforAL02) February 17, 2020

Hasdorff will compete at the ballot box against Dothan businessman Jeff Coleman, Prattville attorney Jessica Taylor, former Alabama Attorney General Troy King and former State Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) on March 3.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.

It was an honor to help cut the ribbon on the new @blueorigin rocket engine plant in Huntsville this morning. This plant, and the other high tech industries that are moving here and expanding here, are a testament to how I believe this new decade is going to be Alabama's decade. pic.twitter.com/6KkDTV77vi

— Rep. Robert Aderholt (@Robert_Aderholt) February 17, 2020

Huntsville truly is the propulsion capital of the world. Today’s opening of Blue Origin’s engine plant adds to our legacy. pic.twitter.com/FvYfyOnshM

— Tommy Battle (@TommyBattle) February 17, 2020

Congratulations and welcome to the neighborhood! Looking forward to seeing those BE4s rolling out the front door and into Decatur. #GoingToSpaceTogether. https://t.co/beh6KYBKJR

— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) February 17, 2020

Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine will power United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket built in Decatur.

Watch this video produced by Blue Origin providing a sneak peek inside the pristine facility:

Our facility will be home to the next generation of rocket engines, as well as the next generation of engine builders. Join our team, which is soon to be 300 strong. https://t.co/LxlJu7DBfp pic.twitter.com/xrkvvJU96M

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) February 17, 2020

HB 35 would require Alabama public schools to make sure every entrant in an athletic competition is sorted by the gender on their birth certificate. The bill also forbids any state, county or municipal government/agency from providing a facility to a single-gender competition that allows a transgender entrant. The GIRL Act exempts any event that is specifically designed to have both boys and girls as competitors.

In his interview with Pluralist, Rogers reportedly once again asserted that “a lot of people in the NFL have accused Cam Newton and other players of being [transgender].”

However, he did clarify that he himself did not know Newton to be transgender or gay; Rogers stated that he was simply trying to state that others believe this to be the case.

“I brought him up because there are a lot of insinuations about a lot of people who play athletics, whether they are transgender or not, and you never know,” Rogers reportedly told Pluralist. “Why would you point at someone if you don’t know and no test has been done?”

According to the publication, it subsequently became clear that Rogers seemed to be at least somewhat confusing being “transgender” with “intersexuality,” which is more colloquially understood as being a “hermaphrodite.”

“When you’re born, sometimes people are born a hermaphrodite,” Rogers remarked. “They’re born as a boy but they have other chromosomes of a girl, or they’re born as a girl but they have other chromosomes of a boy. Sometimes, the gender doesn’t take effect until later in life. That’s science. It’s x and y chromosomes.”

While reportedly decrying that “hermaphrodites” would be singled out under HB 35, Rogers then suggested a solution that would actually go further than the original legislation, which would rely on each student-athlete’s respective birth certificate for gender identification and eligibility purposes.

Rogers reportedly advocated that Alabama public school student-athletes be mandated to undergo genetic testing that would then be utilized to sort them for eligibility purposes.

“You need to get medical proof of what they really are: a boy or a girl. They need to have more x chromosomes than y chromosomes, which gender is prominent,” Rogers said. “Go with the test. Go with the biology.”

He added, “If a person ends up being male, they can compete as male, and if they end up being a female, they can compete as female.”

People around the state — and the country — may remember Rogers for his “kill ’em now or kill ’em later” comments made last year during debate of Alabama’s abortion ban legislation.

However, Rogers took a hardline conservative stance last week in advocating for an automatic death penalty without any appeals for convicted cop killers. No matter which ideological side of an issue Rogers finds himself aligned with, he seems to be making a splash whenever paired with a microphone.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn