Off The Record: The latest rumors and rumblings in Alabama
Coach clears round one; Doug Jones’ lawsuit isn’t done yet
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville’s campaign for governor got a whole lot of momentum this week, not from a smash hit rally or a big endorsement – but from a low-level circuit court judge in Montgomery County. Judge Brooke Reid’s dismissal of the lawsuit filed (effectively by Doug Jones and his longtime friend and lawyer Barry Ragsdale) by two military veterans to get the state courts to kick Tuberville off the ballot over residency issues – he has been fighting for as long as the residency requirement would take to kick in – bears some real significance.
Court watchers say the case is likely to be appealed by the plaintiffs, and likely to wind up in the Alabama Supreme Court. But after the outcome and tone of Reid’s ruling this week, that’s expected to be yet another venue for the question of where Coach calls home to be put to bed. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if the state’s tallest bench already has their opinions written.
TIF 9 passes, but the county’s still salty about it
Huntsville’s $220 million TIF 9 sailed through the City Council unanimously Thursday night. The Madison County vote a week earlier? Less breezy. Word around the courthouse is commissioners held their nose to sign off, forgoing decades of downtown tax growth while trying to fund their own $100 million courthouse. The city’s peace offering: $5 million to renovate the old federal courthouse for county offices. Simmer accordingly.
Nobody wanted District 4’s school board seat … besides Ryan Renaud
Huntsville’s District 4 school board seat went up for grabs this year, and the line to run for it was exactly one person long. Ryan Renaud qualified, nobody else did, and the city council made it official Thursday: he’s back on the board. Districts 2 and 3 somehow scrounged up actual competition ahead of August 25; District 4 apparently couldn’t be bothered.
Birmingham has a ‘Reverend Lamp’ problem
There may be a bit of a cult situation down in Birmingham. A traveling ministry with a leader known as “Reverend Lamp,” whose followers (reportedly nationwide) believe he is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. The group has been coined “More Than a Profit/Prophet” by Lamp himself – and apparently set up shop with an encampment in Birmingham’s Collegeville neighborhood… No formal intervention has yet been made by the city, but reported they are aware of the situation. Classic Birmingham.
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