Get the Daily News Digest in your inbox each morning. Sign Up

Daily News Digest – August 21, 2019

Good morning!
So, where do you stand? Are you a Chick-Fil-A purist or does Popeye’s really have them beat on the chicken sandwich ? (In Cloverdale we know that Bud’s chicken sandwich is undefeated, btw.)
Here’s your Daily News for Wednesday, August 21.

1. New Tuberville poll shows his lead climbing.

  • A new internal poll from the Tommy Tuberville campaign shows the former Auburn football coach growing his lead in the U.S. Senate race.
  • A new survey from Erick Iverson’s Moore Information Group shows Tuberville capturing 33% of the vote among likely Republican voters. Congressman Bradley Byrne was at 17%, former Chief Justice Roy Moore was at 15% and Secretary of State John Merrill was at 13%.
  • See the full poll results, including geographic and demographic breakdowns, HERE.

 

 

2. Marriage rules changing next week.

  • Getting married soon? No? Me neither.
  • But for those that are, a new law impacting Alabama marriage licenses is soon going into effect.
  • The Alabama Legislature this spring did away with marriage licenses issued by probate judges. Instead, starting Aug. 29, couples will get a marriage certificate form, have it notarized, and then take it to the probate judges within 30 days. Judges will record the marriages. Ceremonies are not required.
  • But, some probate judges are saying the new law isn’t all that clear and could use some clarification.
  • For instance, do both parties have to come into the court and deliver the notarized document? If not, and you just had to deliver the document, could marriages be coerced?
  • “So they can fill it out somewhere else and then just deliver it, which can create some problems,” Lauderdale County Probate Judge Will Motlow told ADN.
  • “We like to see people down here, we want to make sure the person is of sound mind and make sure the person doesn’t appear to be under duress. Without having to appear and without having a minister solemnize the wedding, you run more of a risk of something like that happening.”
  • Currently, a couple wanting to get married has to appear together with some form of identification to obtain a license.
  • That is one of the questions the judges are hoping will be answered by an official opinion from the Alabama Attorney General before the law goes into effect.
  • The Attorney General’s office this week said the opinion isn’t ready to be issued to the public yet.
  • Read the full story from ADN’s Caroline Beck HERE.

 

3. Van Smith wins in HD 42 primary.

  • Van Smith has won the Republican primary election in House District 42 without a runoff.
  • A special election was held to fill the vacancy created by the passing of former State Rep. Jimmy Martin.
  • Smith is an Autauga County Commissioner. House District 42 includes portions of both Autauga and Chilton Counties, but the majority of the vote is in Chilton County.
  • Smith won with 55% of the vote. He’ll face Democratic nominee Kenneth Allison on November 5.
  • Read more from the Advertiser’s Marty Roney HERE.

 

4. Payroll tax cut?

  • President Donald Trump is considering a proposed temporary payroll tax cut and indexing the inflation on capital gains taxes to stimulate faster growth and stave off an economic recession.
  • The White House maintains that the U.S. is not headed for a recession, though many economists say a correction in the markets is inevitable.
  • Trump faces something of an inflection point on a U.S. economy that appears to be showing vulnerabilities after more than 10 years of growth. Factory output has fallen and consumer confidence has waned as he has ramped up his trade war with China. In private, Trump and his advisers have shown concern that a broader slowdown, if not an outright recession, could arrive just as he is seeking reelection based on his economic record.
  • The president has long maintained that the burden of the tariffs is falling solely on China, yet that message was undermined by his statements to reporters Tuesday prior to a meeting in the Oval Office with the president of Romania.
  • “My life would be a lot easier if I didn’t take China on,” Trump said. “But I like doing it because I have to do it.”
  • Full story HERE.

 

5. Skip Tucker: He’s in the Jailhouse Now.

  • Skip Tucker is back this week with a unique column about Alabama’s prisons.
  • Skip recently found himself in a doctor’s office with some prison guards and inmates, and the conversation that ensued was really quite something.
  • Always the newsman, Skip got to writing, and his column paints a vivid and scary picture of life on the inside.
  • Here’s an excerpt:
“…I watched closely. The kid’s smile remained fixed but tightened some at the corners, like he’d sniffed a bad smell. You don’t get processed the way he did for stealing small potatoes. He wasn’t going away for an overnight stay. 
“Only the really bad ones seem to be able to do that.
“’Listen,’ the guard said, leaning in ever closer, “I’ve been doing this a long time. When I walk onto that floor sometimes my hair stands on end. I’ve seen people swallow razor blades to get away from the bad ones for a while. Chew ’em up and swallow ‘em.’
“I eased into the conversation with, “What’s the main reason people go to jail?” It’s a no-brainer and would be a hands-down homerun for the first responder on Family Feud. 
“Counting me, there were seven people in the waiting room. In chorus, “Drugs!” Directly or indirectly. All agreed. From theft to murder, drugs are the constant.
“I said, ‘I guess some addicts are worse than others.’
“The officer laughed. It was not a pleasant laugh. “Let me tell you how bad it is…”
  • Read Skip’s full column HERE.

 

 

Headlines.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – In the Weeds w/ Rep. Martha Roby
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Tuberville increases lead in new internal poll
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Probate judges seek clarification on new marriage law
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – US prisons chief removed from position after Epstein’s death
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Skip Tucker: He’s In The Jailhouse Now
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – $700M rebuilding of Birmingham interstate on schedule
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump acknowledges China policies may mean US economic pain
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Daily News Digest – August 21, 2019
AL.COM  – Former Alabama superintendent opening state’s largest charter school
AL.COM  – Mobile County official vows to remove I-10 toll project from transportation plans
AL.COM  – Builders say first Space Launch System rocket won’t launch until 2021
AL.COM  – Hepatitis A at outbreak levels in Jefferson County; 326 cases reported in Alabama
AL.COM  – Check out view from above Mazda Toyota plant construction in Huntsville
AL.COM  – The Good Earth: Alabama’s first green burial ground
AL.COM  – Columnist Kyle Whitmire: Doulas are the good guys, y’all
AL.COM  – Jessi’s law removes all parental rights from people convicted of rape, incest
AL.COM  – Huntsville housing market heating up as jobs pour in
AL.COM  – Columnist Roy Johnson: Public housing residents deserve added security now. What’s the delay?
Montgomery Advertiser – Mayor Todd Strange unveils proposed 2020 budget
Montgomery Advertiser – Inmates swelter in uncooled prisons during heat wave
Montgomery Advertiser – Smith wins House 42 GOP primary without runoff
YellowHammer News – Aderholt’s advice for Alabama’s 2020 U.S. Senate candidates: ‘Make it very clear that they’re supportive of the president’
YellowHammer News – Georgia-based Colonial sues contractor over Alabama spill
YellowHammer News – Ivey to toll detractors: ‘Nobody wants to pay for anything — We just always want the benefits’; Calls for other ‘reasonable solutions’
Dothan Eagle – Chancellor man requests preliminary hearing in elderly abuse case
Dothan Eagle – Animal overpass will give wildlife safe crossing over California freeway
Dothan Eagle – In Alaska, a 50-year-old message in a bottle from a Soviet navy captain washes ashore
Tuscaloosa News – Pickens County chief deputy charged with theft and evidence tampering
Tuscaloosa News – Girl bound on freeway was being taken to rehab, CHP says
Tuscaloosa News – Dealer donates new SUV to husband of El Paso shooting victim
Decatur Daily – Trees, traffic lights down; thousands lose power in Decatur stor
Decatur Daily – Controversial ambulance service ordinance approved
Decatur Daily – Somerville feeling brunt of 911 consolidation, rate hike
Times Daily – Billy Reid Shindig expands to second day of music in Wilson Park
Times Daily – Group seeks grant for Village School improvements
Times Daily – LST travels through Shoals
Gadsden Times – City takes next step for East Gadsden intersection change
Gadsden Times – Local businesses gather for annual Chamber expo
Gadsden Times – Colbert County lawyer guilty of jury tampering
Anniston Star – UPDATED: Pedestrian struck, killed while walking along I-20
Anniston Star – Hobson City gets $30k federal grant for water surveys
Anniston Star – Court starts jury selection for man charged with killing teacher
Troy Messenger – Sheriff: Recent crime highlights need for stricter sentencing
Troy Messenger – Troy numbers released
Troy Messenger – Fayson steps up to lead CHHS
Andalusia Star News – SES fifth graders use Tiger TV as hands on learning project
Andalusia Star News – Alabama medical marijuana commission holds first meeting
Opelika-Auburn News – Opelika police investigating burglary of area business
Opelika-Auburn News – Auburn City Council prepares to discuss preservation of historic home
Opelika-Auburn News – Police reports from Aug. 20
Daily Mountain Eagle – Knight to lead state economic development association
Daily Mountain Eagle – Jasper man arrested for Cullman County theft
Daily Mountain Eagle – Officials address primary, runoff confusion
Trussville Tribune – Springville Council holds public hearing for amended zoning
Trussville Tribune – Man indicted for grabbing girl in Trussville, arrested in Pell City in similar incident
Trussville Tribune – Pickens County Chief Deputy facing theft, tampering charges
Athens News Courier – Annual pet-food drive honors Sasha Dison
Athens News Courier – Annual fair is back with thrill rides and carnival eats
Athens News Courier – Kittens in storm drain ‘example’ of ongoing problems
Sand Mountain Reporter – Snead State student begins aviation career
Sand Mountain Reporter – Peoples Independent Bank introduces mobile app
Sand Mountain Reporter – Alabama sets new record low unemployment rate, breaks 3 additional employment records in July
WSFA Montgomery – Baptist Health opens center for addiction recovery
WSFA Montgomery – Van Smith wins GOP primary for state House District 42 seat
WSFA Montgomery – Kittens hurt from improper hazardous materials disposal in north Alabama
Fox 6 Birmingham – Homicide investigation underway in Southtown section of Birmingham
Fox 6 Birmingham – Illegal trash dump found at Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve
Fox 6 Birmingham – Do the feds recommend setting your thermostat to 78 in the summer?
WAFF Huntsville – #StroudStrong: WAFF 48′s Allen Stroud talks cancer treatment, going bald
WAFF Huntsville – Man arrested in alleged Walmart gift card scam in Boaz
WAFF Huntsville – Rain chances picking up at end of week
WKRG Mobile – Scattered thunderstorms, Tropical Storm Chantal not to affect land
WKRG Mobile – BREAKING: Woman charged with murder, booked into jail overnight
WKRG Mobile – Police activity at Hounds Run Apartments in Theodore
WTVY Dothan – Dothan High students take in changes on day one
WTVY Dothan – Downtown Ashford moves forward with redevelopment
WTVY Dothan – Hepatitis A outbreak reported in Jefferson County, Alabama
WASHINGTON POST  – Trump confirms he’s considering a payroll tax cut amid mounting economic concerns
WASHINGTON POST  – Trump tells NRA chief that universal background checks are off the table
WASHINGTON POST  – Trump says any Jewish people who vote for Democrats are showing ‘great disloyalty’ or ‘lack of knowledge’
WASHINGTON POST  – Ransomware attacks are an expensive threat to city and state governments. They won’t ebb anytime soon
NEW YORK TIMES  – Why Can’t We Teach Slavery Right in American Schools?
NEW YORK TIMES  – A Brief History of Slavery That You Didn’t Learn in School

 

Front Pages (images link to newspaper websites, which you should visit and patronize)

Get the Daily News Digest in your inbox each morning.

Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Web Development By Infomedia