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Drought Continues, Abortion Lawsuit

      

More than one million Alabamians are  hoping to put a dent in the current drought.  The northern half of Interstate 20/59 have not had rain in a few weeks, which is causing trouble for farmers and their crops.

Brian Fuchs is a climatologist with the national drought mitigation center at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  He says the increasing temperatures can bring storms to the area but there’s a catch…

“Even though you get that instability with the warmer temperatures, you also ramp up demand.  So we may see the increase in precipitation, but it may be offset as plants, animals, humans start needing and using more moisture as we hit that 90 degree threshold.”

Some relief is coming.  Forecasters predict showers and storms in the top half of the state over the next few days.

The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging two new Alabama abortion restrictions, one banning clinics near schools and another banning a common second-trimester abortion procedure. 

The complaint filed Thursday said the location restriction would force two of the state's five abortion clinics to close.

Alabama lawmakers voted earlier this spring to ban abortion clinics within 2,000 feet of a public K-8 schools. They also banned a commonly used second-trimester abortion procedure known as dilation & evacuation.

ACLU attorney Andrew Beck said the laws are unconstitutional restrictions designed to prevent women from accessing abortions.

The filing in Montgomery federal court seeks to amend an existing lawsuit over a requirement that clinic backup doctors have hospital admitting privileges.

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Professionals at the University of Alabama’s Digital Media Center are getting an award to hang on their wall, and two students will soon join them. The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics named UA the winner of its Technology Leadership Award. Justin Brandt leads Crimson Tide Video Productions. He says getting this kind of attention helps him do certain things…

“You know, recruit new students, because it gets us out there. Helps us recruit new staff, because sometimes if you’re in a national spotlight like this, with an award, you’re able to attract different people and things like that.”

The Alabama Associated Press also named two student interns in the APR newsroom as finalists in the very first Alabama AP college journalism awards. Josh Hollis’ entry is a feature called “escape the room.” Sarah Sherrill is a finalist for her story “bloody Sunday.”

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