Republican House Speaker Mike Hubbard has pleaded not guilty to ethics charges that he used his public offices to enrich himself. APR's Stan Ingold has more.
Hubbard entered the plea in a court filing earlier today. He also waived a Thursday arraignment that would have been his first courtroom appearance. The defense is asking the attorney general's office to produce a wide range of material, including witness statements. Defense lawyer Mark White says he will also seek hearings regarding the proceedings of the grand jury that indicted Hubbard. The powerful Republican was indicted last month on 23 charges accusing him of using his public offices to obtain business for his companies and to reap other financial rewards. Hubbard's lawyer also asked to push back the December trial date citing the complexity of the case.
A new national study says Alabama has the lowest rate in the South for children without health care coverage. A study by the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University says 4.3 percent of Alabama's children didn't have health coverage in 2013. Other Southern states ranged from slightly more than 5 percent to 11 percent. The national average was 7.1 percent. Alabama ranked 10th best among the states. The study found that Alabama had nearly 11,000 fewer uninsured children in 2013 than in 2011. The director of the Georgetown Center says Alabama is the star of the South when it comes to making sure children have the health care they need to succeed. The main sources of coverage in Alabama were private insurance, Medicaid and ALL Kids.
A theatrical tradition of a different kind continues at the University of Alabama tomorrow. The latest edition of what’s known as Guerilla Theater will take place at the Moody Music Hall on the Tuscaloosa campus. Volunteers put on a ten act variety show where they go on stage to sing, dance, act, or whatever they choose. The ground rules say each performance has to be tasteful and no nudity is allowed. Guerilla Theater is sponsored by the Alpha Psi Omega fraternity. Program spokeswoman Alaina Boukedes says it’s often a sell out…
“We have such varied acts and it’s pretty good quality because we take pride in Guerilla Theater and want to put on a good show.”
Organizers say the line for tickets at the last performance wrapped around the theater and seventy people had to be turned away. This story was by APR student reporter Ray Allen who’s part of a journalism class being mentored by the APR news team.
