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Alabama Reflector
Autauga-Prattville Public Library Board settles lawsuit with former director Andrew Foster
The Autauga-Prattville Public Library and former Director Andrew Foster said Thursday they had settled a lawsuit over the director’s firing in March. Members of the library board announced the agreement in a joint news release with Foster. According to the statement, Foster will drop his claims and not return to his position, while the board […] The post Autauga-Prattville Public Library Board settles lawsuit with former director Andrew Foster appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Workers at Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance reject union after months-long campaign
Workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance Friday voted to reject a union after a months-long campaign to organize the plant. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which oversaw the election, said 2,045 workers (44%) voted for the union, while 2,642 workers (56%) voted against it. The results, the first setback for organized labor after […] The post Workers at Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance reject union after months-long campaign appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Missed care, fewer patients: Rural families and clinics feel Medicaid cuts
This story originally appeared on Stateline. Rural children and families are having to skip vital health treatments and even ending up in the emergency room, while already struggling rural clinics are losing more patients, as states cull their Medicaid rolls. The process began in April 2023, when pandemic-era rules that prohibited kicking people off Medicaid […] The post Missed care, fewer patients: Rural families and clinics feel Medicaid cuts appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama reading assessments show 4,800 third graders could be held back
Nine percent of Alabama’s third graders could be held back after testing below grade level for reading, State Schools Superintendent Eric Mackey said in a Thursday afternoon press call with reporters. Preliminary data from reading assessments, the first under the state’s 2019 Literacy Act, show 4,800 students scored below grade level. Under the law, the […] The post Alabama reading assessments show 4,800 third graders could be held back appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
State board adopts new policies tying Alabama library funding to book restrictions
Libraries that do not restrict access to materials deemed sexually inappropriate by the Alabama Public Library Service Board could lose state funding under rules adopted by the APLS Board on Thursday. The changes, recommended by Gov. Kay Ivey but pushed considerably further by a board member who also chairs the Alabama Republican Party, come amid […] The post State board adopts new policies tying Alabama library funding to book restrictions appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Brown v. Board litigants, family mark anniversary as Biden decries ongoing school inequality
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education this week while recognizing that the full potential of the decision “remains unfulfilled.” Friday marks 70 years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional in […] The post Brown v. Board litigants, family mark anniversary as Biden decries ongoing school inequality appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Medicare should include dental coverage, dentists tell U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — Dentists from throughout the country urged Congress to include dental coverage in Medicare during a hearing Thursday, saying that fewer than half of beneficiaries visit a dentist each year. The panel of four dentists told the U.S. Senate Help, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that other changes are needed as well to reduce […] The post Medicare should include dental coverage, dentists tell U.S. Senate panel appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal
WASHINGTON — Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections — even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal. “American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep […] The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
OB-GYN: Hospital conversions in rural Alabama could undermine maternal care
Dr. Max Rogers said the board of Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) thinks he’s a “broken record” for sounding the alarm on maternal health outcomes in the state. Each time he raises the issue, Rogers, an OB-GYN based in Clarke County, brings a different perspective to warn the board about worsening outcomes in rural […] The post OB-GYN: Hospital conversions in rural Alabama could undermine maternal care appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Housing boom in most of the US could ease shortage, but cost is still a problem
This story originally appeared on Stateline. Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the country are trying to create more affordable housing. The United States has added almost 5 million housing units since 2020, most heavily in the South and most of them single-family homes, making a housing shortage look conquerable in much of the nation. Still, even more […] The post Housing boom in most of the US could ease shortage, but cost is still a problem appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Why did Alabama ban ranked choice voting?
Republican lawmakers this spring approved SB 186, sponsored by Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, prohibiting ranked choice voting in the state. Gov. Kay Ivey signed it on Friday. But outside civilians and military residents living overseas, no local government in Alabama uses ranked choice voting. No county uses ranked choice voting, according to the Association of County […] The post Why did Alabama ban ranked choice voting? appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
New federal rule will overhaul transmission planning as electric grid strains
A divided Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday issued a long-awaited overhaul of how regional electric transmission lines are planned and paid for, a move cheered by clean power groups but blasted by a conservative commissioner who said it was driven by “special interests” and exceeds the commission’s authority. The commission’s final rule on transmission […] The post New federal rule will overhaul transmission planning as electric grid strains appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
SC church to unveil Harriet Tubman sculpture commemorating raid freeing 700 slaves
This story originally appeared on South Carolina Daily Gazette. A historic Black church in South Carolina will unveil a sculpture of Harriet Tubman on the 161st anniversary of the raid she led that freed more than 700 slaves from Lowcountry plantations. The June 1 unveiling of the sculpture, which is eight years in the making, […] The post SC church to unveil Harriet Tubman sculpture commemorating raid freeing 700 slaves appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections
Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain. In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But […] The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Federal judge suggests accelerated deadlines in Alabama abortion prosecution lawsuit
A federal judge Wednesday suggested earlier deadlines to submit briefs for a lawsuit aimed at stopping Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall from prosecuting those who help Alabamians seek out-of-state abortion care. U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson’s suggestion came as both plaintiffs and the attorney general’s office agreed that a period of discovery is not […] The post Federal judge suggests accelerated deadlines in Alabama abortion prosecution lawsuit appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs first grade readiness bill
Gov. Kay Ivey Wednesday signed a bill that requires students to complete kindergarten or an equivalent assessment to go to first grade. HB 113, sponsored by Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, passed the Legislature earlier this month after years of stalling in the Senate. Ivey in a statement Wednesday called it “a strategic and thoughtful approach […] The post Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs first grade readiness bill appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts’ worries grow
Louisiana Republican state Rep. Kathy Edmonston believes no one ought to be required to vaccinate their children. So, she wants schools to proactively tell parents that it’s their right under Louisiana law to seek an exemption. “It’s not the vaccine itself, it is the mandate,” Edmonston told Stateline. “The law is the law. And it […] The post As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts’ worries grow appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
CNN sets first Biden-Trump presidential debate for June 27 in Atlanta
WASHINGTON — CNN announced on Wednesday morning that it will host a debate between President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at the network’s Atlanta studios on June 27. CNN said there would be no audience present for the debate and moderators will be announced later. A second debate will be hosted […] The post CNN sets first Biden-Trump presidential debate for June 27 in Atlanta appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama State Board of Education approves literacy coursework change
The Alabama State Board of Education Thursday adopted a new literacy coursework for Science of Reading for teacher preparation programs in the state. The change, approved on a unanimous vote, comes after years of a state focus on literacy scores, especially in the lower grades. State Superintendent Eric Mackey said the standards would apply to […] The post Alabama State Board of Education approves literacy coursework change appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
How Alabama used restrictive deed covenants to ward off flood claims from Black residents
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here. SHILOH COMMUNITY, Ala.—Their land is bound forever. The deeds of three homeowners—Pastor Timothy Williams, Aretha Wright and Page Jones—all living in the historically Black Shiloh community […] The post How Alabama used restrictive deed covenants to ward off flood claims from Black residents appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
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The Alabama Reflector is an independent nonprofit website covering politics and policy in our state. We look at the problems affecting Alabamians, and search for solutions. We connect readers with the decisions made in the hallways of the State House and try to give a voice to those outside it. We write stories about people in power and men and women on the margins. We hope to reflect what our home is, and what it could be. Alabama Reflector is an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Reflector retains full editorial independence.
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