The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals all but ensured gay marriage in Alabama yesterday.
The court announced that they will not act on any appeals until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on same-sex marriage nationally.
In Alabama, that means judges can begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses on Monday, assuming the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't issue a stay before then.
The appellate court ruling also affects Florida and Georgia. In Florida, same-sex marriages will continue as they have since January 5th. In Georgia, it will prevent appeals for a case currently before a federal district judge there.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a national ruling by the end of June.
Veterans will be honored next month with a festival at the Mobile Aeroplex. The brand new event is called Aerofest and will be combining several events into one major festival.
Dave Glassman is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marines and President of Aerofest. He says two existing festivals will be joining Aerofest.
“...an arts festival that has been going on for 10-11 years in the downtown Mobile area and they have relocated, it’s called Arts Alive, and they will be a major component of Aerofest. Also, LA Gumbo festival which is also a very established food type festival and that too will be coming to Aerofest.”
Glassman says they are expecting around 30,000 people to attend what they hope will become an annual event. The non-profit festival will take place in March.
Due to the ongoing argument surrounding lethal injection, an Alabama legislator suggests the state bring back the electric chair.
Senator Cam Ward’s proposal would let Alabama use the electric chair for executions if the state cannot get the drugs needed for a lethal injection. Alabama switched from the electric chair to lethal injection in 2002 but has not executed an inmate since 2013 because of a drug shortage.
Despite the state seeking to resume executions with a new drug combination, death row inmates challenge the new procedure as cruel and unusual punishment. The Alabaster Republican’s proposal, which was filed ahead of the March 3 legislative session, would also let the state use the electric chair if the lethal injection process is ruled unconstitutional.
A mental health care provider in Alabama will be ending service next week.
A statement released on Alabama Psychiactric Services' website reveals that the company will shut down on February 13.
Officials say the company is closing because of a decline in insurance funding and a change in the reimbursement model for behavioral health services. Hundreds of employees will be out of work and tens of thousands of patients will have to find new health care providers. Alabama Psychiactric Services plans to help their patients with that transition.
Alabama Psychiactric Services has clinics in ten cities throughout Alabama, including Birmingham, Florence, Mobile, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa.
Some APS psychiatrists are reportedly planning on opening their own practices.