Happy Monday everyone!
With elections just around the corner, make sure you know where your polling place is so you can exercise your civic rights! If you aren’t sure, you can look up your polling place online.
Alabama top stories in brief
- Representative Terri Sewell announced that the USDA is investing $34,781,800 to increase internet service access throughout Lowndes County.
- A flu outbreak has forced Marshal County School District to move to virtual classes starting Nov. 7 until Nov. 10. A tweet from Marshall County Schools cites concerns over both staff and student flu numbers, and explains that due to staff shortages, they are unable to operate. Marshall is not the first Alabama school district to go virtual due to the flu this fall, and the Alabama Department of Health is urging everyone older than 6 months to get the flu vaccine.
Alabama’s ever-evolving prison crisis
Since the U.S. Department of Justice sued Alabama in 2020 for the men’s prisons violating the U.S. constitution, Alabama has faced a barrage of criticism levied against its department of corrections.
Recently, Stacy Lee George, a former correctional officer at Limestone Correctional Facility and a former candidate for governor, held a press conference to outline some of his concerns with the ADOC.
The largest issue George brought up was staffing, which he said has had a serious impact on everyone’s safety including both guards and inmates. Among other things, George said that low staffing meant that Limestone had been unable to provide medical attention for many of their inmates in a timely manner.
George also spoke on the fact that the number of approved paroles have been falling for years.
As of September, according to a monthly report by the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, 4002 hearings had been held, with a total of 409 granted. One of the main reasons for the low approval rate is a 2018 incident where a parolee named Jimmy O’Neal killed three people.
“There’s 20 or 30,000 people in Alabama prisons right now saying we don’t have hope now because of what one man done,” George said. “I’m glad that God didn’t judge me because of what one man done. I’m glad that God above didn’t judge me because of one man making a mistake.”
Important midterm election news
- There are a total of 10 amendments that will be on the ballot Nov. 8. Additionally, there will be a vote to reorganize the current state constitution, which has been in effect since 1901. A full breakdown of the individual amendments can be found here.
- Amendment one on the ballot is known as “Aniah’s law” in reference to Aniah Blanchard who was abducted and killed in 2019. Ibraheem Yazeed, who was out on bond after holding two men at gunpoint, has been charged for Blanchard’s death. If passed,individuals charged with a violent felony could be denied bail by judges after their hearing. The bill has received largely bipartisan support, and has been endorsed by the mayors of Alabama’s 10 largest cities, as well as Aniah’s family.
There are opponents of the bill, however, who fear that the amendment will negatively affect due process. The opponents of the bill are just as bipartisan as their counterparts, and include The Southern Poverty Law Center and The Alabama Policy Institute. Jefferson County Judge David Carpenter tweeted: “Giving the government the authority to hold you indefinitely before trial is a bad idea. It’s a power that will be abused. A lot. And this is coming from one of the people who will have that power.”
Stories you might have missed
- In August, Governor Kay Ivey announced more than $26 million in grants to help expand high speed internet access in rural communities. A total of nine counties are set to benefit from these grants.
- A recent report from the ACLU of Alabama said 17% — a total of 148 bills — introduced by the state legislature in 2022 would make it easier to arrest, convict or sentence Alabamians to prison.
Updates on The Sunrise News
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