Alabama's Gulf Coast governor's mansion is vacant this Memorial Day. And, for that matter, every other day.
The 50-year-old house and land are worth $1 million, but the state hasn't repaired the building since it was damaged by a hurricane 18 years ago.
Fixing the mansion could present a political risk amid current debates over tax increases and spending cuts, and Gov. Robert Bentley doesn't need the house because he owns property nearby.
So the 7,500-square-foot governor’s mansion sits with boarded-up windows on a lot overlooking the beach.
Neighbors see the state-owned house as an eyesore and want it fixed. Governor Bentley tells The Associated Press the state is considering options.
The land was originally donated to the state of Alabama in 1962 under a contract that bars any sale of the property.
Alabama is remembering our military veterans who gave their lives on this Memorial Day.
There will be a ceremony at the Alabama National Cemetery in Birmingham. Nearby American Village will have family activities throughout the day. Visitors will be able to meet actors playing George Washington and Patrick Henry and watch a reenactment of a Purple Heart ceremony, among other things.
American Village spokeswoman Melanie Poole says people who attend these events will come away feeling very patriotic.
“This is just a great family event. We encourage you to come; bring your children, your grandchildren. Help them learn about our shared history as Americans and tell the stories of our veterans and honor, remember, and thank those who have served.”
The Memorial Day holiday is also expected to help the economy along Alabama’s gulf coast. Rental bookings are outpacing last year. 2014 was a record breaking tourism year with an estimated six million visitors to Alabama beaches.
Three Alabama veterans who received the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War will be honored today by the U.S. Postal Service.
A commemorative stamp sheet featuring forty eight living Medal of Honor Recipients who served in Vietnam will be dedicated today in Washington, D.C.
One of the recipients being honored is retired Air Force Colonel Leo Thorsness of Madison. Thorsness is a former President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. He says there’s one thing all the recipients of that prestigious award have in common.
“Every Medal of Honor recipient, and I know them all, every one of them will tell you, ‘We all know people who were as or more deserving than we.’ I think the way I view it – we wear this for all those who can’t, and all those who served. It’s a great honor.”
Thorsness earned his Medal of Honor in April 1967. He engaged five Russian MIG fighters to protect two downed crew members, despite being critically low on fuel. Shortly after that mission took place, Thorsness was shot down and spent six years as a prisoner of war.