Alabama top stories in brief

• Birmingham Southern College has filed a lawsuit against Alabama’s treasurer’s office, alleging that the treasurer is using a program established to help colleges and universities struggling financially, to settle a grudge with ServisFirst Bank. Additionally, attorneys for BSC wrote that the treasurer’s office appeared to be planning to cause the school to fail by delaying implementing the program until BSC was unable to continue operating. In a letter to BSC, State Treasurer Young Boozer said that the college did not meet the minimum requirements for receiving a loan from the program. A lawyer for the attorney general’s office has said the state will file a motion to dismiss the case. During this year’s legislative session, Alabama legislators passed a bill to create the Distressed Institutions of Higher Education Revolving Loan Program, which would lend money to institutions of higher education in financial distress, like BSC. The bill was pushed by legislators that wanted to prevent BSC from closing, and the $30 million in funding for the program was expected to go primarily to BSC. 

• The Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission has said that they intend to seek $3.1 million from lawmakers in the spring. The commission receives part of its funding from fines and fees in the state. Representatives from the commission say that increasing funds from the legislature would allow them to direct all of the funds they gain from fines and fees toward the victims of crime. 

• Last week, Gov. Kay Ivey set the date for the execution of Casey McWhorter, who was convicted of the 1993 murder of Edward Lee Williams. The execution is set to occur between Nov. 16 and 6 a.m. on Nov. 17. 

• The closing of Monroe County Hospital’s labor and delivery department on Nov. 15 marks the third announcement this month of a labor and delivery department closing. Both Princeton Baptist Medical Center and Shelby Baptist Medical Center are set to close their departments after Oct. 24. These closures mean that both Shelby and Monroe County will no longer have birthing centers within their boundaries, and those seeking maternity care will have to drive out of their county to receive it. 

• With 20 days left to qualify for either party, Alabama’s newly redrawn 2nd Congressional District has no candidates. After being redrawn by a court-ordered special master to give Black Alabamians a better chance at electing the candidate of their choice, District 2 is expected by most to flip from Republican to Democrat control. While no candidates have officially been announced, several democratic political figures have expressed interest in running. 

Our articles you might have missed

• In last week’s Roundup, we covered criminal charges being brought against state legislators, a judge dismissing a lawsuit filed by a company against the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, new statues being placed for famous Alabama women and Alabama farmers increased usage of the work visa program. 

• We’ve released the second episode of From Dusk to Dawn, “Decisions and deadlines.” In it, we dig into our personal experience with publishing stories, how we decide what to cover and how we handle responses from articles we write. You can check out the transcript on our website or listen to the episode on Spotify. 

• In the latest edition of The Alabama Ramble, travel columnist Wesley Miller returns to Wetumpka Alabama, where he sees more art, peers into Alabama’s past and, of course, samples more of Wetumpka’s unique food options. 

Announcements

• We’ve decided to make our event calendar free for everyone starting this Monday! We’ll let everyone list events on our calendar for free until May 31, 2024. 

Events this week

• Alabama Invitational: An exhibition featuring work created by current and former Alabama artists in the mediums of sculpture, glass, photography, painting and textiles produced by artists originally from or currently based in Alabama. View more details on our event calendar. 

• If you’re interested in having your event advertised on our calendar, you can submit events here. 

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