Alabama's unemployment rate is down to 6 percent. The preliminary jobless rate announced Friday represents the state's best unemployment numbers in more than six years. But the state is still slightly above the U.S. unemployment rate of 5.8 percent.
Governor Robert Bentley's office says the November jobless rate is an improvement from October, when the rate was 6.3 percent. It's also better than the numbers a year ago.
Shelby County has the state's lowest unemployment at 3.8 percent, and Wilcox County has the worst joblessness at 12.2 percent.
A community group in Montgomery will take part in a White House to improve community policing. APR’s Pat Duggins has more on the announcement…
President Barack Obama is inviting the leader of an Alabama nonprofit to join a newly created task force on community policing. Bryan Stevenson is director of the Montgomery based Equal Justice Initiative. The statement from the White House says Stevenson has been chosen to serve on the Task Force on twenty first Century Policing. The president created the eleven person committee by executive order. Philadelphia Police Chief Charles Ramsey and George Mason University criminology professor Laurie Robinson are the co-chairs of the group. White House officials say the group's creation is part of an effort by the Obama administration to strengthen trust between law enforcement and citizens. White House officials say the task force will prepare a report and recommendations that will be presented to the president.
An adoptive family here in Alabama will be getting some national attention tonight. The CBS television network is airing a program called A Home for the Holidays. One family that will be spotlighted is headed by Denver and Susan Nolin. They adopted a fifteen year old girl after seeing her picture on the website of a Birmingham non-profit group called Heart Gallery Alabama. Development Director JoycelynHeywood says the internet is their way to putting families together with children needing adoption…
“We have a website where we put pictures of children that are available for adoption. We have photographers who volunteer to take our children’s pictures. And we put them on our website along with their video.”
Heywood says the Nolin’s story is especially important since they adopted a fifteen year old. She says most adoptive families want babies, so placing older children is tougher.
