The Alabama House of Representatives has delayed debate on a series of GOP-backed tax bills aimed at solving the state's General Fund Budget shortfall.
Yesterday, leaders in the legislature chose not to debate that series of tax bills that have divided Alabama’s Republican party. House Rules Chairman Mac McCutcheon says the budget bills are still being worked on.
The main piece of legislators’ new revenue plan is a 25-cents-per-pack cigarette tax increase.
Some Republican legislators have voiced their opposition to raising taxes in order to generate new revenue. Guntersville Republican Will Ainsworth said he campaigned on no new taxes and plans to stick by that pledge.
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley has cautioned that lawmakers are "running out of time" to shore up the General Fund Budget in this legislative session.
The U.S. oil industry is challenging new rules aimed at reducing the risk of catastrophic accidents involving crude moved by rail.
The American Petroleum Institute petitioned the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block a requirement that railroad tank cars known to fail be phased out or upgraded.
The petition also challenges a requirement for more advanced braking systems on fuel-hauling trains.
A train in Aliceville caught fire in 2013, dumping almost three million gallons of crude oil. It was one of at least 24 oil trains that have been involved in major fires or derailments in the past decade in the U.S. and Canada.
Environmental groups say the new rules don't go far enough. They are considering their own legal challenge.
Four Alabama police officers who died in the line of duty will be honored in Washington D.C. today.
Their names will be etched into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial during a candlelight vigil tonight.
Bradley Kendrick is the President of the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police. He says incidents like those in Baltimore and Ferguson have strained relations between the public and the police. But he says most officers are trying to do the right thing.
“The departments are being asked to do a lot of things these days, especially smaller departments. It’s just part of the job, I guess. And that’s what we do as police officers, we try to keep our communities safe so our children can grow up in a safe community and a safe place to live.”
Fallen law enforcement officers from California, New York, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, and New Jersey will also be included on the memorial during tonight’s ceremony.
The superintendent of a central Alabama school district says officials are planning to expand a program that offers free dinner to local children under age 18.
Fairfield City Schools Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin says two of the district’s schools started participating in a pilot nutrition program offering free dinner to local children last month. The program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Gonsoulin says demand has been very high and that nearly a third of the district's students are considered homeless according to federal guidelines. He says the program is set up to make sure no child goes hungry.
The district is planning to expand that program to all four of the city's schools. District officials are also considering expanding a mentorship program where volunteers can come and chat with students while they eat. Older students have been using that mentorship program to earn community service hours and to pay for things like prom tickets.