Officials with the Alabama Department of Corrections say two of the state’s prisons are on lockdown after inmates began refusing to complete assigned jobs.
A statement from the department says inmates at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore and the Elmore Correctional Facility first refused to help staff prepare breakfast on Sunday, then failed to report to assigned jobs on Monday.
The inmates are describing the strike as a coordinated act of civil disobedience in protest of the living conditions in Alabama’s prisons. The Department of Corrections says they have not received any demands or a specific reason for the walkout.
The department says both facilities are secure.
Two violent inmate uprisings were reported at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility within several days in March. In both incidents, inmates took control of a dormitory. At the Elmore County prison, one inmate fatally stabbed another during a fight last month.
The Huntsville Police Department is hosting a memorial service for officers killed in the line of duty throughout the department’s history.
The ceremony is the inaugural event in what officers hope will become a yearly remembrance.
The service will take place at the Fallen Officers Memorial. The memorial was made possible by community donations and depicts two officers paying their respects to the fallen.
Lieutenant Stacy Bates is the Public Information Officer for the Huntsville Police Department. He says the memorial service is a way for the department to reach out to families of late officers.
“It’s also a way to kind of be there and support the families of these officers. Even the ones that were killed back years and years ago still have descendants and relatives that still have somewhat of an impact knowing that they had a relative that was killed in the line of duty. So this is a way to honor that, to be there for those family members and let them know that they’re not forgotten.”
The ceremony is open to the public and will begin at five o’clock tomorrow evening.
The Alabama Music Hall of Fame is unveiling a new bluegrass exhibit tomorrow.
The exhibit was designed by David Boley, president of the Alabama Bluegrass Music Association. It features instruments and photos of bluegrass inductees to the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame is working to educate people about the history of bluegrass in Alabama.
Dixie Griffin is the manager of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. She says the exhibit is part of a large celebration.
“May is Bluegrass Month, and so we thought it would be a great time to open up this great exhibit. We will have the exhibit here for several months, and throughout that time, we’ll have special events around the bluegrass genre of music.”
The exhibit will open with a ribbon cutting at noon tomorrow.
Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler will seek a court order to force Governor Robert Bentley to testify regarding potential misuse of state funds.
Governor Bentley failed to appear at Zeigler's office yesterday following a summons from the state auditor. Zeigler says an obscure piece of state code gives him the power to compel any state official to testify under oath.
Zeigler says he will seek pro bono legal representation or will fundraise to pursue the matter in civil court.
Governor Bentley has apologized for making inappropriate remarks to a senior female political adviser, who has since resigned. He denies any misuse of his office.
The Governor says the Alabama Ethics Commission is the appropriate venue for Zeigler's complaints. Zeigler has also filed a complaint with that commission.