During that same year, Medicare spent $115 million on proton beam therapy, an external, targeted cancer treatment, that has “a lack of evidence that it offers a clinical advantage over alternative treatments” despite being “substantially” more expensive.

Medicare spending on Acthar went from $49 million to $504 million between 2011 to 2015. Acthar gel, which can be used to treat Multiple Sclerosis symptoms, has “weak evidence” of being an effective treatment. In addition to questions about its efficacy, 71 percent of physicians received payments from the manufacturer not related to research.

The report suggests tying effectiveness to coverage and payment under Medicare. Currently, “Medicare’s coverage process considers, but does not require, comparative clinical effectiveness evidence” when deciding which treatments to cover.

(Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.)

GeneCapture, a resident associate company at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, has developed a “gene signature matching platform” that screens for hundreds of pathogens in less than one hour. The multi-pathogen test is conducted using a small, inexpensive disposable cartridge and can be used to test samples from humans and animals. The technique is being evaluated as a possible solution for a portable infection diagnostic device for use in forward deployed military operations.

GeneCapture is collaborating on this contract with Birmingham’s Southern Research, which will provide its expertise in infectious diseases, purifying genetic material for testing and designing clinical trials for the Food and Drug Administration.

“It has been a dream of mine to bring this technology to market so that critical diagnostic decisions can be made quickly, which will save lives,” said Krishnan Chittur, chemical engineering professor emeritus at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and co-founder of GeneCapture. The original discovery was patented by UAH and exclusively licensed to GeneCapture.

Chittur said the technology uses genetic probes to capture the “signature” of germs. An optical scan identifies which germ is present and produces a result in about 45 minutes.

“It’s a completely new technique that would have been impossible without the advances in genetics and genomics discoveries of the last decade,” he said. “That is one of the reasons we are located at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology – the research that’s happening here is cutting-edge.”

Paula Koelle, chief scientist at GeneCapture and principal investigator for the STTR Phase II contract, will lead the effort to produce the disposable cartridges and desktop analyzer for a set of pathogens selected by the DOD that present potential biological threats to the war fighter.

The resulting technology could have uses beyond the battlefield.

The portable platform could enable civilian applications, such as rapid infection diagnosis in schools, urgent care clinics, doctors’ offices, nursing homes, veterinary clinics, cruise ships and airports.

Southern Research’s proven track record supporting new platforms for detecting and preventing newly emerged and highly dangerous and infectious disease pathogens made the nonprofit the perfect partner on the project.

“The opportunity to work closely with GeneCapture is a perfect match for Southern Research,” said Art Tipton, Southern Research president and CEO. “We have a history of reaching out to the life sciences community, which benefits both our state economy and the global healthcare industry. Our infectious disease scientists will produce reference tests and accelerate the clinical testing of GeneCapture’s new platform.”

Working for the DOD drives home the sense of urgency when it comes to disease-causing germs around the world.

“GeneCapture is focused on reducing the risk we all have of being infected from emerging pathogens and global pandemics – the clock is ticking,” said GeneCapture CEO and co-founder Peggy Sammon. “The GeneCapture team is working diligently to bring an affordable, portable solution to this critical problem by connecting with disease experts around the world to incorporate their needs into this product.”

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)

“Models devised by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have, on average, predicted about twice as much warming as has been observed since global satellite temperature monitoring began 40 years ago,” they wrote.

Climate model accuracy has become a major source of debate as scientists realized predictions diverged greatly from observations over the last 15 years or so. Governments often rely on climate models to justify climate policies or regulations, meaning inaccurate models can yield bad policies.

Hansen laid out three global warming scenarios in 1988 at an iconic congressional hearing: a high-end one where the world warms about 1 degree Celsius by 2018, a middle-range of 0.7 degrees of warming and a low-end estimate with only a few tenths of a degree of warming. The hearing was held on a hot summer day and was organized by none other than former Democratic Rep. Al Gore of Tennessee.

Hansen wished he hadn’t been so accurate in predicting future warming, contradicting Michaels and Maue, he told the Associated Press on Monday. AP claimed Hansen’s predictions had “pretty much come true so far, more or less.”

“I don’t want to be right in that sense,” Hansen said, adding he wished “that the warning be heeded and actions be taken.”

Many other scientists the AP spoke with raved about Hansen’s predictions. Berkeley climate scientist Zeke Hausfather tweeted: “Hansen’s 1988 projections have largely been borne out.”

Hansen’s 1988 projections have largely been borne out, though he predicted modestly higher climate forcings and warming in Scenario B than what occurred. His model’s climate sensitivity (4.2C/doubling of CO2) is also on the high end of current estimates. https://t.co/gtYoK0X2f5 pic.twitter.com/a693ikoy2P

— Zeke Hausfather (@hausfath) June 18, 2018

However, Michaels and Maue said Hansen’s predictions only look correct because of the strong El Nino effect, a naturally occurring warming event, that began in 2015. Global temperatures have actually come down quite a bit since El Nino subsided.

“The problem with Mr. Hansen’s models — and the U.N.’s — is that they don’t consider more-precise measures of how aerosol emissions counter warming caused by greenhouse gases,” Michaels and Maue wrote.

“Several newer climate models account for this trend and routinely project about half the warming predicted by U.N. models, placing their numbers much closer to observed temperatures,” the two wrote. “The most recent of these was published in April by Nic Lewis and Judith Curry in the Journal of Climate, a reliably mainstream journal.”

The two Cato scientists also took on Hansen’s other failed predictions, including those about the Greenland ice melt, temperatures in the U.S. Midwest, hurricanes and tornadoes.

“The list of what didn’t happen is long and tedious,” Michaels and Maue wrote.

“These corrected climate predictions raise a crucial question: Why should people world-wide pay drastic costs to cut emissions when the global temperature is acting as if those cuts have already been made?” they wrote.

(Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.)

“We are thrilled to bring our first fulfillment center to the state of Alabama, creating 1,500 full-time jobs,” said Mark Stewart, Amazon’s vice president of North America customer fulfillment. “Alabama has a talented workforce and we look forward to making a positive economic impact in a state where we are committed to providing great job opportunities and an exceptional customer experience.”

Employees at the Bessemer facility will work with technology created by Amazon Robotics to pick, pack and ship items to the company’s customers.

“Amazon is one of the world’s most dynamic companies, and we couldn’t be more proud to see the company select Alabama for one of its high-tech fulfillment centers,” Governor Kay Ivey said.

“This facility represents good jobs for our citizens and the beginning of a long partnership that I believe will see Amazon expand and grow in Alabama in the future.”

SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

An analysis projects that the Amazon fulfillment center will generate a significant economic impact on Jefferson County and Alabama. The center will contribute $203 million to the county’s economic output annually, while adding $123 million to the county’s GDP, according to the study prepared by the Center for Business and Economic Research in the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse School of Business.

The facility will contribute $232 million to Alabama’s economic output each year and add $137 million to the state’s GDP, the study says.

Bessemer Mayor Kenneth Gulley said the Amazon project represents the largest single private investment in the city’s 131-year history. As an added bonus, the company has pledged to create a tuition-assistance program for its workforce.

“Amazon is bringing jobs and opportunity to our residents and students. I am particularly proud of the educational incentives Amazon will offer our young people: get your high school diploma, work one year and receive $3,000 the next four years toward furthering your education,” he said.

GROWING TECH JOBS

Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said Amazon’s project perfectly aligns with a strategic emphasis to facilitate the growth of tech jobs across the state.

“Amazon’s new fulfillment center in Bessemer will create a large number of high-quality jobs and feature cutting-edge automation and technological innovation,” Secretary Canfield said. “We’ve made recruiting technology-focused jobs a priority, and Amazon’s presence in the state will help us advance toward our goal.”

This is Amazon’s second project in Alabama. In June 2017, the company announced plans for a $30 million “sortation center” in Mobile to accelerate delivery of online purchases. The facility will have 1,000 part-time workers during peak periods.

Lee Smith, chairman of the Birmingham Business Alliance, said the successful recruitment of Amazon’s fulfillment center in Bessemer stemmed from a team effort that included a number of economic development agencies, utilities, transportation departments, and others.

“Amazon’s investment in our community is a big win for the Birmingham region,” Smith said. “This state-of-the-art facility will be able to accommodate an expanding workforce and a changing economy as Amazon continues to prepare for its future.”

Amazon said full-time employees receive competitive hourly wages and a comprehensive benefits package, including health care, 401(k) and company stock awards starting on day one. Amazon also offers generous maternity and parental leave benefits and access to innovative programs like Career Choice, where it will pre-pay up to 95 percent of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.

Since the program’s launch, more than 16,000 employees have pursued degrees in game design and visual communications, nursing, IT programming and radiology, to name a few.

(Courtesy of Made in Alabama)

“We come to the airport today, a place that we are most likely to find Steve Marshall, because these weren’t isolated events,” King said, with revving jet engines as background noise.

King began to argue that Marshall has spent too much time away from his post, such as at a recent meeting of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RACA) in Kiawah, South Carolina, where King said attendees – state attorneys general and their lobbyist friends – were “bought and paid for” while they did yoga on the beach and went on dolphin tours.

King referred to this report published by CBS News on Tuesday, which lays out the agenda of RACA’s retreat meeting.

“This idea that someone’s bought and paid for is rich coming from Troy King,” Marshall told Yellowhammer News, citing King’s relation to the gambling industry.

Marshall said that King attended the same RACA meetings when he served as attorney general. He also challenged King’s characterization of the business interests in attendance, saying the notion that their interests are wholly other than the interests of Alabamians is misguided.

“One of the things we attempt to do, on behalf of not only the people of Alabama but on matters of constitutional importance is to make sure that we are upholding the rule of law,” Marshall said.

According to Marshall, among the issues that RACA set off to address at their April conference were the leftovers of President Obama’s regulatory environment, health care and campus free speech.

King also accused Marshall of wasting time on a trip to Africa last year, which was sponsored by the Conference of Western Attorneys General, saying Marshall was “missing in action.”

In a statement to Yellowhammer News, Marshall’s campaign challenged King’s claims.

“Steve was on a short trip last year to the Republic of South Africa to participate in a legal seminar with his counterparts there,” the statement said. “This trip was not a vacation of any kind and was focused on fighting human trafficking, a hallmark of Steve’s platform.”

The primary runoff election is July 17.

@jeremywbeaman is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News

The counties that counter the national trend tend to be those with an influx of younger immigrants and Americans moving from other parts of the country. Of the 531 counties where the median age has dropped since the last census, more than half are in the Midwest and 32.4 percent are in the South.

“Nationally, almost 17 percent of counties saw a decrease in median age from April 2010 to July 2017,” Census Bureau demographer Molly Cromwell said in a statement.

The aging population is most profound in the West and especially in the Northeast, where the median age increased in all but 2.1 percent of counties.

Longer life spans and fewer babies are the main drivers, according to Cromwell.

“Baby boomers, and millennials alike, are responsible for this trend in increased aging,” she stated. “Boomers continue to age and are slowly outnumbering children as the birth rate has declined steadily over the last decade.”

The long-term trend has profound public policy implications. A higher percentage of retirees strains Social Security and Medicare, among other challenges. On the local level, counties with smaller numbers of young people sap the economy of workers needed to grow the economy.

In Alabama, the young counties generally are those with big universities or vibrant economies that draw in younger adults.

For instance Lee County (median age, 21.9) and Tuscaloosa County (32.8), have the second-and third-youngest populations in Alabama. It is not difficult to guess why. Auburn University in Lee and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa dominate those counties with thousands of students and large numbers of recent graduates. But even those counties have a higher median age than at the start of the decade.

Three of the four most populous Alabama counties, Montgomery, Mobile and Jefferson, all have median ages under the national average. The other big county, Madison, stands just above the national median at 38.5.

On the flip side, the Alabama counties where the median age is high are dominated by rural areas that have been hemorrhaging population for years or are growing slowly. When younger people leave it not only raises the median income, it also results in fewer babies. And that has a long-term impact.

Conecuh County has lost population four of the last six decades and has declined again so far this decade. Tallapoosa County has lost 2.2 percent of its population so far this decade and has seen a basically flat growth rate since 1980. Marion County has roughly the same population as it did in 1980, while Choctaw, Clay and Lamar counties have lost residents since then.

All of those counties are among the 10 with the highest median ages in Alabama.

To be sure, there are outliers. Cherokee and Henry counties have seen steady, if not spectacular growth over the past several decades, yet have median ages that are among the highest in the state.

And having a “young” population is no guarantee of growth. Sumter County, for instance, had the state’s fourth-lowest median age at 36.3 in 2017. Yet, it has experienced a population decline every census year since 1950.

@BrendanKKirby is a senior political reporter at LifeZette and author of “Wicked Mobile.”

Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens tells news outlets the operation could eventually employ as many as 3,000 people.

Local officials say the project is worth about $325 million.

Employees will receive full benefits and an average hourly wage of $14.65.

Birmingham is one of the last U.S. cities its size without an Amazon facility to fulfill orders.

The region previously submitted a proposal for Amazon’s new headquarters but wasn’t selected.

Amazon already has a sorting center on the Gulf Coast at Mobile.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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Alabama Power Co., Regions Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative all left the organization in recent days.

Yellowhammer News has also confirmed that Progress Rail of Albertville and Parker Towing of Tuscaloosa have also withdrawn citing concerns of direction, leadership and effectiveness.

In addition to business members, two long-time senior officials have also resigned from the organization. Next in line as chairmen of the board and current chairman of ProgressPAC, Mike Kemp, president and CEO of Kemp Management Solutions LLC in Birmingham withdrew Wednesday evening. BCA general counsel Fournier “Boots” Gale, senior vice president and general counsel for Regions Financial, resigned on Tuesday.

Officials with the organization say they wanted an orderly transition to replace Canary, who’s run the business group since 2003. Exiting companies say they have expressed concerns about the leadership and effectiveness of the organization since August 2017 with no meaningful response.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Roby had publicly withdrawn her endorsement of Trump in the final days of the 2016 election after the release of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape.

Roby had said that the tape made Trump “unacceptable” as a candidate for president.

Roby was forced earlier this month into a runoff with Democrat-turned-Republican Bobby Bright.

Bright, a former congressman, has embraced the president and charged Roby with being insufficiently supportive of Trump.

Trump is rejecting Bright as “a recent Nancy Pelosi voting Democrat” ahead of the July 17 runoff.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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She was released after posting a $10,000 bond.

Courthouse records show the Prattville woman is accused of stealing $15,000 to $20,000 from the Dixie Youth baseball program.

Court records show that she doesn’t have an attorney.

The newspaper could not reach board members of the Dixie Youth organization for comment.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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Currently, only some county schools have officers on duty constantly.

Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack says Baldwin already has 30 school resource officers, meaning 16 more are needed.

The sheriff’s office and city police departments will have to fill those positions.

Officials haven’t provided details on how all the new jobs will be funded, but they say new taxes aren’t needed.

School board members will consider the plan during a meeting Thursday.

Baldwin County has more than 200,000 residents, and it’s located across Mobile Bay from Mobile.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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Thirty-year-old Joshua David Rose of Prattville got almost 17 years in prison.

Authorities say Rose used an internet site to advertise a girl as being available for sex acts, and Lowe helped.

Authorities say the men then stood guard outside a motel room while the young victim engaged in sex for money.

Rose pleaded guilty last year, and jurors convicted Lowe earlier this year.

Both men must spend 15 years on probation after prison, and U.S. District Judge Scott Coogler ordered each to pay restitution.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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They include an area that encompasses parts of western Oklahoma, western Kansas and eastern Colorado.

Also Friday, storms could be severe in the Deep South, especially in parts of southern Arkansas; northern Louisiana; northern Mississippi, northern Alabama; and parts of Tennessee.

Forecasters say high winds and hail will be the primary threats, though some tornadoes will also be possible.

On Saturday, there’s a threat of severe storms in parts of Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas that includes the cities of Oklahoma City; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Springfield, Missouri.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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Last month, the Harley was put on a ship docked at Port Saint-Nazaire in France and sailed to Alabama’s Port City.

Until Monday, the GulfQuest National Maritime Museum in Mobile will be displaying the Model J for visitors to see though on Saturday morning, those who want to see it will have to visit the Mobile Bay Harley-Davidson.

“We thought it was a rare opportunity for us to showcase a piece of military history that transited seaports 100 years ago, assisted the war effort, and found its way back home through the Port of Mobile,” Brent Beall, Interim Executive Director for the museum, said in a press release.

After that, de Goulaine and the bike’s restorer, Pierre Lauvergeat, will drive it all around the country: first stop, Jacksonville, Florida.

The two also intend to stop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Harley-Davidson Headquarters.

“In all, we plan to complete 9000 kilometers (5600 miles) on a 1918 motorcycle without any special technical assistance,” de Goulaine said.

A Denver city spokeswoman, Amber Miller, tells the Houston Chronicle that scheduling conflicts forced Denver to bow out.

Turner, a Democrat, told City Council members Wednesday the trimmed field makes Houston’s chances for hosting Democrats “exponentially better.”

The city last hosted a Democratic National Convention in 1928. Republicans gathered in Houston in 1992.

Toyota Center, home to pro basketball’s Houston Rockets, would be the main convention site.

Atlanta, New York City, San Francisco and Birmingham, Alabama, also were seeking the convention.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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Sayyed pleaded guilty in March to attempting to provide material support for the Islamic State terrorist group.

He admitted buying bomb components last year with plans to attack police stations and Redstone Arsenal.

Authorities say he also tried to form a group to carry out domestic attacks.

Prosecutors say Sayeed made the plans after watching videos by the Islamic State.

U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon sentenced the North Carolina native during a hearing Wednesday.

Sayeed was attending college in Alabama at the time of his arrest.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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“They are message testing to see just how bad that is for them,” said Jonathan Gray, who is running the commissioner’s campaign.

He said a typical push poll changes its negative messages and keeps hammering away.

“It just keeps going. It doesn’t stop,” he said. “This is message testing. That’s not us. And that only leaves one player.”

But Chris Brown, who is running Northcutt’s campaign, said, “I don’t know who Davis Research is.”

Elliott and Northcutt will face each other July 17 in a runoff for the Republican nomination after they emerged as the top two finishers in this month’s primary. They are vying for the seat currently held by Sen. Trip Pittman (R-Montrose), who is leaving office after serving two terms.

The district includes a majority of fast-growing Baldwin county and is reliably Republican, although next month’s winner will face Democrat Jason Fisher in the fall.

The race has been testy at times, and the Davis Research questions reflect that. After asking voters which candidate they prefer, the pollster then offers negative information and asks residents if that changes their view. About Northcutt, the pollster claims the candidate is not able to build coalitions and that a fellow dentist has criticized him for prioritizing making money over patient care.

About Elliott, the pollster tells voters that he has supported tax increases; that he has taken money from the Alabama Education Association and supports the Common Core education initiative; and that he pleaded guilty in 2016 for driving under the influence of alcohol and tried to use his influence as a county commissioner to get out of it.

“This race is going to get negative,” Gray said.

Gray said Elliott was forthright about the DUI — which occurred when he was coming home from a charitable fundraising event — from the start of his campaign, apologizing to voters for his lack of judgment.

“If he wanted to get out of it, no one would know about it,” he said. “We did all our polling months ago. I’m very comfortable with it. Chris has atoned for it.”

Gray also said Elliott has never voted for a tax increase. He only voted in favor of a referendum to give Baldwin voters an opportunity to raise property taxes for the school system — a proposal that voters rejected.

To Brown, the explanation rings hollow.

“If you look at David Northcutt’s mailings, he’s against taxes and won’t be beholden to special interests,” Brown said. “That’s all Chris Elliott seems to be advocating.”

The race has featured attack ads run against Northcutt by a north Alabama dentist. “Please DO NOT vote for Dr. David Northcutt for the Senate,” one ad reads.

That dentist, Dugald McMillan III, has suggested that Northcutt has violated privacy laws by sending campaign solicitations to dental clients.

The ads prompted Northcutt to file a complaint with Secretary of State John Merrill’s office, claiming that it is illegal because the dentist did not file a campaign finance report identifying his donors.

Brown said McMillan and others involved in the state dental association are disgruntled because Northcutt tried to change the group’s older practices and shake things up.

“That’s what David’s going to do if he goes to Montgomery,” he said.

@BrendanKKirby is a senior political reporter at LifeZette and author of “Wicked Mobile.”

The governor’s office didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi must commit almost $35 million total over three years by Thursday to be eligible for the same amount in federal funds that would let Amtrak trains travel the northern Gulf Coast for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.

Officials say Louisiana and Mississippi have committed money, but Alabama is refusing.

Ivey’s office says she supports renewed rail service but isn’t committing money to the project.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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The General Services Administration program transfers computers and related equipment that the government doesn’t need directly to schools and nonprofit organizations at no cost.

The indictment alleges that Mays obtained $22 million worth of computer equipment and sold it.

He registered in the name of a church school in Dwight and told school officials he would refurbish the equipment he obtained for them.

Mays does not have a listed phone number and it was unclear whether he has an attorney.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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“It is misguided to blame President Trump or Attorney General Sessions for enforcing the law,” Marshall said in a statement to Yellowhammer News.

“We are a nation built upon the rule of law, and we cannot — and should not — ask the Executive Branch to enforce the law according to the whims of public opinion or the media on any given day.”

Marshall added that only Congress can enact or amend federal immigration law – something he said went undone before Trump became president and Sessions became attorney general.

“Democrats had control of the White House and Congress and took no action,” Marshall said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, I believe Republicans have a real chance to secure our borders and clean up our immigration laws.”

Yellowhammer News reached out to Marshall’s opponent in the GOP primary run-off, former Attorney General Troy King, for his perspective and did not receive a comment at the time of publication.

Rachel Blackmon Bryars is managing editor of Yellowhammer News

They also chided Sessions for using biblical scripture to defend the policy, saying it runs counter to the church’s doctrine.

Sessions also was blasted in a separate letter signed by 75 former U.S. attorneys from both parties, who want Sessions to end the family separation policy at the border.

Their letter, published Monday on Medium, said the policy results in families and children being greeted “with unexpected cruelty at the doorstep of the United States.”

“Traumatizing children by separating them from their parents as a deterrent for adult conduct is, in our view, sufficient reason to halt your policy,” they wrote, adding that the legal work required to prosecute misdemeanor illegal entry cases takes away from more significant offenses like terror-related plots, corruption and human and drug trafficking.

“As former U.S. attorneys, we know that none of these consequences — nor the policy itself — is required by law.

Rather, its implementation and its execution are taking place solely at your direction, and the unfolding tragedy falls squarely on your shoulders.”

The hundreds of United Methodist Church pastors and parishioners said holding thousands of young children in mass incarceration facilities and directing staff members to take children from their parents violates the Methodists’ Book of Discipline.

Addressing “church friends” in a speech last week, Sessions said: “I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes. Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves.

Consistent, fair application of the law is in itself a good and moral thing, and that protects the weak and protects the lawful.”

The Rev. David Wright, who spearheaded the complaint against Sessions, told USA Today that he hoped Methodist pastors could get Sessions to see the harm he is doing to immigrant children and persuade him to change his mind.

“My ideal outcome is that his pastors in church leadership who know him will speak with him,” he said, “and that in those conversations he will be challenged to think through the level of harm he is causing and have a change of heart — which is about as Methodist as you can get.”

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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In the same post, he called liberalism a “mental disorder.”

The post went viral. McCain tells al.com he has since lost his job with a band, plus $3,000 in future performance fees and three solo shows.

McCain says he was only expressing his opinion that he wants to protect the United States’ borders at any cost.

A Mexican restaurant was one of the venues that canceled a McCain show.

The manager says he’s an immigrant and has a diverse clientele, and he feared McCain’s presence would hurt business.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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Because they’re graduate transfers, both are eligible to play for Tennessee this fall. Kennedy has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

London has one season left.

Kennedy tweeted a picture of himself in a Tennessee uniform on Saturday with the message, “A new approach to an old dream.”

London had announced on social media in March that he was transferring to Tennessee.

Kennedy played a total of 10 games for Alabama as a reserve center over the 2016 and 2017 seasons after redshirting in 2015.

Kennedy and London join former Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst as graduate transfers on Tennessee’s roster.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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Louisiana has agreed to supply about $9.5 million, while Mississippi agreed to $3 million and is considering much more, said Knox Ross of the Southern Rail Commission, which is promoting the project.

But Alabama hasn’t promised any money toward the project, he said, and time is running out.

“If we don’t do it we’ve left money on the table, which would be very unfortunate,” said Ross.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s office issued a statement saying she supports efforts to restore passenger rail service on the coast but isn’t committing state funding.

An Alabama representative on the Southern Rail Commission, Jerry Gehman, said Ivey’s words don’t do anything to move the project forward.

“That’s good for the ink and paper it’s written on. But it does nothing … to make it a reality,” said Gehman.

Amtrak suspended service east of New Orleans along the Gulf Coast after Katrina, which heavily damaged rails, crossings and other infrastructure in 2006.
Ross said the current effort is the most serious one yet to revive passenger rail in the region.

Supporters see the New Orleans-to-Mobile proposal as a first step toward expanding Amtrak service elsewhere on the coast, Ross said.

The proposed train would run twice a day each way, stopping at cities on the Mississippi coast, he said.

Mississippi’s costs for the project are higher than those of the other states because “that’s where the tracks are,” he said.

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is considering a request for $14.7 million over three years for capital costs, but a spokesman said no decision has been made.

The project can move forward if Alabama doesn’t contribute, Ross said, and actual costs could be less.

The eastbound train would simply stop at Pascagoula, Mississippi, rather than continuing into Alabama, he said.

“If we get Mississippi to commit we can move forward without Alabama,” said Ross.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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