Alabama top stories in brief
- An Alabama Department of Corrections officer has been charged with the murder of Rubyn James Murray, an individual incarcerated at Elmore Correctional Facility, where the officer worked. Two incarcerated individuals were also charged with murder for the death of Murray. The officer charged is now being held at Elmore without bond until his trial. According to Alabama Appleseed, Murray had served 19 years of his 20 year sentence, which he was given after robbing a convenience store for $125 in 2004.
- State Senator Tim Melson, R-Florence suffered from a cardiac event while visiting South Korea with other lawmakers. A public Facebook page has been established by Melson’s family to provide updates on his condition. A post made on the morning of July 31 said that while the senator was currently still on a ventilator, his condition was improving.
- A lawsuit has been filed against Dr. Steven Stokes, the chair of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. The lawsuit filed last Tuesday references a law that banned any members of AMCC being current public officials and alleges that Stokes cannot serve on the commission because he was serving as a trustee for the University of South Alabama when he was appointed in 2021.
- Carlee Russell, who gained national attention after her apparent kidnapping this month, has been charged with false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. Both charges are misdemeanors. On July 13, Russell called 911 and a family member to report seeing a child on the highway. She disappeared for two days, then reappeared claiming that she had been kidnapped. Last week, a statement was released by Russell’s attorney admitting that she was never kidnapped and that there had been no child.
- Ownership of the Elba Hydroelectric Power Dam is in the process of being transferred over to The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit with the mission of conserving “the lands and waters on which all life depends.” TNC intends to remove the dam to allow Gulf sturgeon to reach their native spawning grounds. The project is expected to boost ecotourism in the region.
Gov. Kay Ivey calls for more participation in the labor force
In an op-ed published in Alabama online newspapers, Gov. Kay Ivey said that the state needed to shift its focus to improving labor participation.
Currently, Alabama has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, something Ivey has pointed towards several times over the last few months. The same, however, cannot be said for Alabama’s labor participation.
Labor force participation is based on the number of individuals in the state over 16 that are currently working, while the unemployment rate is based off the number of individuals that currently are searching for jobs. Currently, Alabama has a labor participation of 57.4%, tying with New Mexico for the state with the third lowest total labor participation. The lowest point Alabama has ever had for labor participation was 55.4% in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While labor force participation remains low, the number of online job ads in the state have risen by 10.9% since June last year, according to the Alabama Department of Labor.
Currently, according to the department of labor, there are around 50,000 Alabamians currently looking for jobs. The department of labor reported over 120,000 job ads posted online.
In her op-ed, Ivey expressed a desire to assist more Alabamians in making their way into the workforce.
“A key part of our workforce development efforts is identifying barriers that exist for those on the sidelines who want to work but cannot,” Ivey said. “Maybe that is childcare. Maybe that is transportation. Maybe that is simply difficulty in shifting from a reliance on government programs to employment.”
Ivey said she intends to fix this by focusing on giving more Alabamians the opportunity to gain education opportunities after high school.
Our articles you might have missed
- Last week’s roundup covered the disagreement between Alabama Republicans and Democrats on whether the new district map approved by the legislature fulfilled the court order to create a second majority Black district.
- As we grow older, it’s easy to lose our childlike wonder and curiosity towards the world. In the latest edition of The Breathing Room, managing editor Hannah Irvin talks about the importance of curiosity and the benefits of being curious about the world.
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Upcoming articles
This month’s edition of The Alabama Ramble comes out this Friday! It features a tour of downtown Wetumpka, Alabama, and includes some great food, delicious coffee and amazing art. You can read past Rambles on our website.
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