Cole to be deposed
District 10 Rep. David Cole is scheduled for a deposition in a couple of weeks regarding the challenge to his election. He reportedly was unsuccessful before the Alabama Supreme Court earlier and is making another appearance related to the deposition. You might remember right before the election in November, reports surfaced of Cole not actually living in District 10, the district he was elected to represent. The Libertarian candidate in the District 10 race, Elijah Boyd, filed a lawsuit that has been making its way through the courts.
No sign of The Times
Most recently it was the print edition that’s gone; now it’s the name on the building. The familiar Huntsville Times/AL.com sign stretching over the corner of the building on West Side Square in Downtown Huntsville is coming down. The Huntsville Times moved into the office on Huntsville’s Courthouse Square in 2013, after shutting down its decades-old operations on South Memorial Parkway. It boasted more than 50 employees over two floors in the former Central Bank Building, at the time. The staff was reportedly down to two employees using the 12,000 square-foot office before Butler Snow took over the space directly across from the Madison County Courthouse.
‘Rebates are dead’
Despite half-hearted efforts to keep the promise of rebates to taxpayers alive, the word in Montgomery is “rebates are dead.” On Thursday, the Alabama Senate approved a record $8.8 billion Education Trust Fund budget which included a $100 rebate – slashed from the $400 pushed by Gov. Kay Ivey. It was only six weeks ago Ivey proposed a $400 tax rebate per tax filer, $800 for working families.
‘Glock switches’ on guns in Dadeville shooting
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has confirmed that “Glock switches” were used in the Dadeville shooting that left 4 dead and 40 injured. The attachments to semi-automatic pistols are illegal under federal law and mayors in Alabama are pushing to crack down on them. A bill that would give state law enforcement more sentencing power is quietly advancing in the Legislature.
Birmingham-Southern bailout
The controversial bailout of private Birmingham-Southern College is in the mix with current education budget talks as a standalone bill introduced by Sen. Jabo Waggoner. The $30 million proposal would float B-SC cash at a critical time as it struggles to keep its doors open for the fall semester.
A cookie contestation
A heated debate could be cooking in the Alabama Legislature. This week a bill was filed to name an official state cookie. HB421 seeks to name the Yellowhammer Cookie as the official Alabama cookie. According to the bill, the Yellowhammer Cookie originated in Montgomery prominently features peanuts and pecans, which are “crops of historical and agricultural significance to the State of Alabama.” It’s undeniably a palatable proposal. However, we hear the molasses cookie contingent won’t go down without a fight.
Have a rumor or rumbling to share? Email alloway@256today.com.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our email newsletter to have all our smart stories delivered to your inbox.
