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Articles from the August 1, 2024 edition


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  • Attorney General Marshall Announces Court of Criminal Appeals Upholds Murder Conviction in Etowah County

    Guest Writer|Aug 1, 2024

    (Etowah, Ala.)-Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the capital murder conviction of Lonterry Orlando Harrison, 23, of Gadsden. Harrison was convicted in the Etowah County Circuit Court on October 24, 2022. The evidence at trial showed that the victim, A. J. Huff, was with a group of friends when he received a text message that someone wanted to buy marijuana from him. The victim drove to the Starnes Park Apartments to complete the sale....

  • What are the biggest bargains for international travel?

    Stacker, Sheeka Sanahori|Aug 1, 2024

    Traveling abroad can be an expensive proposition. But with international travel rates up and economic factors favoring American travelers, many global destinations are more affordable than domestic travel for U.S. jet-setters—especially now. Four years after international travel ground to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 285 million tourists in the first quarter of 2024 traveled internationally, 97% of 2019 levels, according to the United Nations. That metric results from a strong...

  • Rolling the dice: How sports betting tax revenue is impacting states across the US

    Stacker, Mike Taylor, Data Work By Karim Noorani|Aug 1, 2024

    The American sports betting boom is a freight train hurtling down the track. Despite increasing calls for regulation, there's no sign it will slow down as states in on the action continue raking in absurd sums. With climbing revenue, tax revenues climb too. According to the American Gaming Association, in the first quarter of 2024, gamblers wagered a record $36.86 billion on sports, creating $3.33 billion in revenue—and $804.5 million in tax revenue. Sports betting behemoth New York tops the l...

  • Madison County GOP Announces Candidate Campaign Kicko8 Event

    Alabama Republican Party

    The Madison County Republican Party is thrilled to invite the public to our upcoming Candidate Campaign Kickoff event, scheduled for Saturday, August 17th, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event will be held at Black Patch Distilling Co., located at 500 Lanier Road, Suite 3C, Madison, AL 35758. \ Congressman Dale Strong and Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl will be our special guests, delivering keynote speeches at 2:00 p.m. This event marks a significant moment as we gather to rally su...

  • The most hurricane-vulnerable counties in 2024

    Stacker, Sav Maive|Aug 1, 2024

    Which U.S. counties are most likely to be impacted by hurricanes? With a hectic hurricane season forecasted for this summer, LawnStarter ranked 2024's most hurricane-vulnerable counties. The rankings considered hurricane risk assessments and anticipated financial loss from hurricanes according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It also included the past 10 years of historical storm data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and access to national...

  • The world is farming more seafood than it catches. Is that a good thing?

    Stacker, Frida Garza for Grist|Aug 1, 2024

    A new report from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, has found that more fish were farmed worldwide in 2022 than harvested from the wild, an apparent first. Last week, the FAO released its annual report on the state of aquaculture — which refers to the farming of both seafood and aquatic plants — and fisheries around the world. The organization found that global production from both aquaculture and fisheries reached a new high — 223.3 million metric tons of anima...

  • Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest Opens September 3

    Guest Writer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|Aug 1, 2024

    The 2025 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest will begin accepting entries at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, September 3, 2024. The contest is a joint project between the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) and the Alabama Tourism Department. The deadline to enter is October 31, 2024. The 2025 photo contest will focus on traditional photography techniques and the use of handheld cameras. No cellphone, smartphone, game camera, or drone photography will be chosen as winning photos for...

  • Alabama's unemployment rate is lower than the national average at 2.8%

    Brandon Moseley|Aug 1, 2024

    A poorer than expected July jobs report sent stocks lower last week as investors fears of a spring recession increased. Alabama went opposite the national trend and total unemployment dropped from 2.9 percent in June to 2.8 percent in July. There was no noticeable improvement however in Alabama's labor force participation rate. It held steady in July. Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington announced today that Alabama's labor force participation rate for July remains at 57.5...

  • Rep. Rex Reynolds Named 2024 Alabama 310 Legislator of The Year

    Guest Writer|Aug 1, 2024

    MONTGOMERY, ALA – Rep. Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville) has been named the 2024 Legislator of the Year by the Alabama 310 Association. Established by Alabama Act 310, 310 Boards are public, non-profit corporations that play a crucial role in providing free mental health and substance abuse services. The 19 faculties, spread across the state, operate at no cost to the 5,000 plus patients they serve. Rep. Reynolds, who serves as House General Fund Chairman, has prioritized funding mental health c...

  • Sewell tours newly completed UAB Medical West Hospital

    Brandon Moseley|Aug 1, 2024

    August 16, 2024 Bessemer, AL – Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL07) toured the newly completed UAB Medical West Hospital. Rep. Sewell was joined by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Rural Development Dr. Basil Gooden, USDA State Director for Rural Development Nivory Gordon, and UAB Medical West CEO Keith Pennington. The newly completed UAB Medical West Hospital in Bessemer, Alabama was made possible in part by a $360 million USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan that R...

  • Average home sale price in the U.S. nears $1 million in higher-priced housing markets

    Stacker, Jaclyn DeJohn, CFP|Aug 1, 2024

    While the median sale price of U.S. homes is just shy of $421,000 in Q1 2024, homes in some areas more than doubled that average. These expensive places may prevent hopeful first-time homebuyers from investing in the area, making renting – or even moving to a less expensive area – a better alternative. In some cases, high wages and demand keeps the pressure up on a lackluster supply of homes. With this in mind, SmartAsset ranked the 100 largest metro areas based on the average home sale pri...

  • Why is a Roth IRA better than a traditional one for beneficiaries?

    Stacker, Kaili Killpack|Aug 1, 2024

    In a recent episode of her "Women & Money" podcast, personal finance expert Suze Orman provided key insights into the benefits of inheriting a Roth IRA compared to a traditional IRA, emphasizing how the former can simplify the lives of beneficiaries. One listener had a question about the best strategy for an inherited Roth IRA, asking for clarification on whether it was best to wait until the 10th year to withdraw funds to allow the money to grow tax-free for that entire period. Orman confirmed...

  • With AWF Cook-Off Win, 12-Year-Old McGlynn Claims Another Title

    David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|Aug 1, 2024

    Although it took two tiebreakers, 12-year-old Bryson McGlynn of Opelika was once again crowned a champion for his age-defying culinary skills. Last December, McGlynn won the Gordon Ramsay Master Chef Junior competition, which aired on Fox in May. Last weekend, McGlynn was crowned champion of the Alabama Wildlife Federation's Wild Game Cook-Off State Finals at Millbrook. Cooking for the Loosen Your Black Belt Bunch team that advanced to the finals after winning the Tri-County regional competition...

  • UAH researcher wins 2024 ORAU Powe Junior Faculty Award to explore novel method of synthesizing ammonia with potentially global implications

    Russ Nelson, UAH Research writer|Aug 1, 2024

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AUG. 16, 2024) – Dr. Agnieszka Truszkowska, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, has won the 2024 Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award. The national honor is a one-year $5,000 commitment aimed at enriching the research skills and professional growth of young faculty members at ORAU member institutions. Truszkowska's research f...

  • Tuberville says that Walz has a radical vision for America

    Brandon Moseley|Aug 1, 2024

    On Friday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) penned an op-ed in National Review in which he denounced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz – the presumptive Democratic nominee for Vice President as having a radical vision for Alabama. Tuberville said that no amount of media spinning for the Democrats can cover up Walz's record as a dyed-in-the-wool leftist. Tuberville highlighted Governor Walz's inexplicable inaction when leftist rioters attacked the city of Minneapolis in the wake of the G...

  • Is It Appropriate To Raise Our Hands In Worship?

    Michael J. Brooks|Aug 1, 2024

    “The National Congregations Study of Expressive Worship,” in cooperation with Duke University, published some interesting research findings about American worship. In summary, worship has become more expressive in recent years. Those who raise their hands in the worship of God (churches, synagogues and mosques) are numbered in more than 62 percent of our congregations, up from around 25 percent in 1998. I can’t remember people raising their hands in my boyhood church, or in most of the churc...

  • Palmer introduces Lulu's Law

    Staff Writer|Aug 1, 2024

    On Friday, Congressman Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) introduced Lulu's Law to the U.S. House of Representatives. Lulu's Law is named after Lulu Gribbin of Mountain Brook, Alabama, who is recovering after being attacked by a shark earlier in this summer. Only 90 minutes prior to Lulu Gribbin and McCray Faust being attacked, another woman was attacked by a shark just a few miles away. Lulu's Law would codify the ability for authorities to quickly deploy wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) to the public if s...

  • Ukraine invades Russia

    Brandon Moseley|Aug 1, 2024

    Last week, tired of the stalemate that has become the Russia-Ukraine War, President Volodymyr Zelensky did a strategic end around that that Russians were unprepared for and invaded the Kursk region of Russia itself. The ill prepared Russian troops they encountered there were largely new conscripts serving their mandatory year of military service and surrendered en masse. Ukraine has occupied 386 square miles of Russia – the first time a foreign power has invaded Russia itself since the German Ar...

  • Tuberville says that Kamala is a communist

    Brandon Moseley|Aug 1, 2024

    August 18, 2024 - On Friday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) said that Vice President Kamala Harris's economics plans shows that she is telling American people that "she's a communist." Last week Vice President Kamala Harris (D) – the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States unveiled her economic plan – imposing price controls on food, energy, and other consumer goods – while subsidizing down payments for first time home buyers. Senator Tuberville denou...

  • Katie Britt announces that Birmingham receives $4.2 million grant for a real time crime center

    Staff Writer|Aug 1, 2024

    WASHINGTON, D.C., August 19, 2024 – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) announced that the City of Birmingham will receive a $4.2 million congressionally directed spending grant to expand the reach of its Real Time Crime Center. This congressionally directed spending was secured by Senator Britt in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, which passed the Senate and was enacted into law on March 9, 2024. The award was formally announced by the Department of Justice just this week. The City o...

  • Governor Ivey Makes Appointments to Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Board

    Governor's Press Office|Aug 1, 2024

    MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Monday announced her recent appointments made to the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences (ASHS) Board. The newly established Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, a legislative priority of Governor Ivey, will offer Alabama students in all 67 counties a high school experience that will train them to enter an in-demand medical career post-graduation or after continued higher education learning. "The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences will help more A...

  • U.S. Senator Katie Britt Commends U.S. Congressman Gary Palmer for Introducing House Companion to Lulu's Law

    Staff Writer|Aug 1, 2024

    WASHINGTON, D.C., August 19, 2024 – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) commended U.S. Congressman Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) for introducing Lulu's Law in the U.S. House of Representatives. Senator Britt wrote and introduced Lulu's Law in the Senate. The bill is named in honor of 15-year-old Lulu Gribbin from Mountain Brook, Alabama who was attacked by a shark while visiting the Alabama Gulf Coast. Their legislation, which is cosponsored by the entire Alabama House delegation, would codify s...

  • Democratic National Convention begins today

    Brandon Moseley|Aug 1, 2024

    The Democratic National Convention begins today Democrats from across the nation are in Chicago today to begin their national convention and formally nominate Vice President Kamala D. Harris and Tim Waltz as their 2024 presidential ticket. President Joseph R. Biden (D) will speak tonight to formally hand off the torch to Harris. Biden had been the presumptive nominee just four weeks ago; but was forced to withdraw by powerful Democratic elites, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi...

  • Where did Tim Walz go to college?

    Stacker, Margaret Attridge|Aug 1, 2024

    As governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz relied on his experience as a former high school teacher and football coach to champion education in his home state. Now, he may have the opportunity to impact education policy from the White House as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' running mate. Harris on Aug. 6 picked Walz, 60, as her choice for vice president, according to The Associated Press. As BestColleges reports, Walz, who earned a bachelor's degree from Chadron State College in...

  • When will a speeding ticket show up on insurance?

    Stacker, John Davey|Aug 1, 2024

    There's not much worse than seeing police car lights in your rearview mirror as you're being signaled to pull over. A speeding ticket with a hefty fine is a financial pain that you can no doubt do without. If you've recently received a speeding ticket, you may be wondering whether this will affect the average car insurance rates you pay with your insurance company. The short answer is that you may not necessarily see an increase at all, although there are some circumstances where you will....

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