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Daily News Digest – January 14, 2019

Presented by Azimuth

 

Good morning! Here’s your Daily News for Monday, January 14, 2019.

 

1. It’s Inauguration Day!

  • Kay Ivey will be sworn in for a full term as governor today. After “steadying the ship of state” the last two years, Ivey now says she wants to “keep Alabama growing.”
  • The festivities have already been going for a few days, both with the coastal celebration Saturday and various parties over the weekend.
  • Today begins with a prayer service at 8:15 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Downtown Montgomery.
  • The swearing-in ceremony at the Alabama Capitol begins at 10:00 a.m. and could last a few hours.
  • Ivey, Lt. Gov-elect Will Ainsworth, Attorney General Steve Marshall, Treasurer-elect John McMillan, Secretary of State John Merrill, Agriculture Commissioner-elect Rick Pate, and Auditor Jim Ziegler will all take the oath of office and give speeches.
  • The Inaugural Parade is scheduled to begin at noon and go down Dexter Ave. (Parking/Access Legend below)
  • You can watch live online via WSFA.
  • Read more about what to expect policy wise in the new term from Kim Chandler HERE.
  • And don’t miss this great story from Jeff Poor, who found Ivey’s high school yearbook and specifically a “prophesy that foretold her being elected governor.

 

2. Birmingham officer killed.

  • One Birmingham police officer was killed and another critically wounded in a shooting early Sunday as the officers questioned two people suspected of trying to break into cars.
  • Two suspects are in custody, one of whom was shot and is receiving medical treatment.
  • Sgt. Wytasha Carter, 44, is Birmingham’s first police officer killed in the line of duty in more than 14 years.
  • Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith said the officers had approached the two suspects just before 2 a.m. outside a downtown Birmingham nightclub, after a plainclothes officer spotted one of them checking door handles on cars parked outside the venue. Smith said one suspect opened fire after being confronted by the officers.
  • “This is one of the roughest hours of your career,” Smith said.
  • “There’s not a chief, not an officer that ever wants to have to deal with this. This is a very difficult thing for the family, very difficult for the department.”
  • Carter began his law enforcement career in 2002 as a correctional officer with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and worked for two other police departments before transferring to the Birmingham department. He was promoted to sergeant in February 2018.
  • Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin called for prayers from the community.
  • “Join me in praying for the family of the Birmingham Police officer killed early this morning, and the officer who is currently in the hospital. They were shot while serving and protecting our city,” Woodfin said.
  • Read more about the shooting HERE.
  • Better still, read Al.com Crime Reporter Carol Robinson’s more thorough and updated account HERE.

 

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3. Shutdown turns snowy.

  • A snowed-in Washington, D.C. is preparing to welcome back Congress for its first full legislative week of the new term.
  • (Before I go any further, you should check out this great twitter thread from Majority Leader Aide Don Stewart of Capitol Hill dogs playing in the snow.)
  • It may be a new week, but the question is the same: how long will the shutdown last.
  • Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is now encouraging President Trump to reopen the government for “like three weeks” to allow for negotiations with Democrats to continue.
  • Democratic Sen. Chris Coons said that would be a “great place to start” and that Democrats could be open to “a responsible, modern investment in technology that will actually make us safer.”
  • Meanwhile, in the House, the Democratic Majority is expected to continue passing individual appropriations bills reopening parts of the government piece-by-piece. They aren’t expected to go anywhere in the Senate.
  • Read more HERE.

 

4. Human trafficking awareness.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and many Alabama public officials are speaking out to help more people understand just what a problem it is in this country.
Attorney General Steve Marshall released some sobering statistics:
  • Human trafficking is second only to drug trafficking as the largest criminal industry in the world;
  • More than 27 million victims are enslaved worldwide;
  • The average age for a labor or sex slavery victim is 12 years old;
  • Alabama’s interstates – specifically I-20, I-85, I-10 and I-65 are major transport routes for human trafficking.
In Tuscaloosa, county, city and university law enforcement agencies are coming together to form a task force to combat human trafficking in West Alabama.
Tuscaloosa Police Captain Darren Beams , who heads the task force, said in 2018 police made 100 arrests after placing fake ads for prostitution on the internet. Talk about sobering.
Rep. Martha Roby , who has long advocated for cracking down on human trafficking in Congress, reports that some positive action is also being taken from a federal standpoint .
She highlights four bills that have recently been signed into law that seek to strengthen international standards, authorize new funding to fight sex and labor trafficking, provide better resources for victims, and establish better collaboration between agencies for bringing traffickers to justice.
Read her full column on the subject HERE.

 

 

5. Matthew Stokes: Three cheers for charter schools.

 

  • Alabama Daily News Columnist Matthew Stokes is encouraged.
  • Specifically, Stokes is heartened by the recent effort to proliferate charter schools in Montgomery and Birmingham.
  • Why? Not because charters are a cure-all to local or state education woes, but because they are one more tool in an ever-expanding toolbox and Alabama leaders are finally choosing to use them.
  • He credits State Superintendent Eric Mackey and State Sen. David Burkette for showing the kind of political courage not often seen in Montgomery.
  • Here’s an excerpt:
“Alabama’s long-awaited foray into school choice through charter schools and accountability scholarships corresponds with the proliferation of a simple A through F school grading system by which parents and communities can better evaluate how their schools and school systems are performing. Combined, these reforms can be a powerful motivator, especially in areas where schools have struggled or not performed as well as the community expects.
“When parents have both the knowledge about how their child’s school is performing and the awareness that other options now exist, they begin to be in the driver’s seat for demanding better opportunities.” 
  • Read Matthew’s full column HERE.

 

Headlines.

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama police officer killed, another wounded in shooting
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Barr as attorney general: old job, very different Washington
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to be sworn in for first full term
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Congress returns to same question: When will shutdown end?
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Matthew Stokes: Three cheers for charter schools
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Martha Roby: The fight against human trafficking goes on
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – West Alabama officers form task force to fight human trafficking
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Weekend Digest – January 13, 2019
AL.COM – Robert Bentley expected to attend Gov. Kay Ivey’s inauguration
AL.COM – Kay Ivey inauguration: Alabama governor to take oath of office today
AL.COM – Robert Bentley expected to attend Gov. Kay Ivey’s inauguration
AL.COM – Slain Birmingham officer Sgt. Wytasha Carter ‘wanted to make a difference’.
AL.COM   – What’s next for embattled Alabama HS basketball star Maori Davenport?
AL.COM – From Birmingham and beyond, condolences for slain police officer
AL.COM – ‘Larry Langford was my hero’: Hundreds attend as former Fairfield, Birmingham mayor lies in repose
MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – Robert Bentley plans to attend Kay Ivey inauguration
MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – All-American junior safety Thompson becomes 6th Alabama underclassmen to declare for draft
MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – Alabama jr. LB Mack Wilson to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft
YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – Ivey comments on ‘heartbreaking’ murder of Birmingham police officer, Sgt. Wytasha Carter
YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – Controlling the price of drugs
YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – One police officer killed, another critically wounded in Birmingham shooting
BIRMINGHAM WATCH – First Class in More Than Name Only: Why Alabama’s Preschool Program Is Best in the Country on National Standards
LAGNIAPPE – Former State Rep. Randy Davis seeks leniency in corruption case.
LAGNIAPPE – Columnist Rob Holbert: Alabama Ground Zero for political trickery.
LAGNIAPPE – Columnist Jeff Poor: Revisiting Harper Lee
DOTHAN EAGLE – Answer Man: Original Houston County courthouse too small for growing county
DOTHAN EAGLE – All-American junior safety Thompson joins the Alabama underclassmen declaring for NFL Draft
DOTHAN EAGLE – Government Oversight: Should hospital boards be public or private?
TUSCALOOSA NEWS – DON NOBLE: Research yields insight into assassination efforts
TUSCALOOSA NEWS – PEOPLE’S PHARMACY: Naltrexone helps overcome hair-pulling compulsion
TUSCALOOSA NEWS – Violent crime up in Tuscaloosa in 2018
DECATUR DAILY – Walls come tumbling down at downtown Decatur landmark
DECATUR DAILY – First Presbyterian challenged to build upon past at marker dedication
DECATUR DAILY – Mayor’s proposal: If Decatur residents toss it, city will pick it up
TIMES DAILY – Brown sworn in as new Colbert County judge
TIMES DAILY – Colbert man indicted for attempted arson
TIMES DAILY – Tranquil week early on, precipitation expected later
ANDALUSIA STAR NEWS – AHS band’s inaugural parade plans detailed
ANDALUSIA STAR NEWS – Interactive program teaches about finance
ANDALUSIA STAR NEWS – January movie, message all about football
TROY MESSENGER – Photos: Davenport returns to the court
TROY MESSENGER – SHE’S BACK: Maori Davenport returns to court
TROY MESSENGER – Troy woman killed in wreck on U.S. Highway 231
THE ANNISTON STAR – Webster’s Chapel crash kills pregnant woman
THE ANNISTON STAR – Look Back … to a special reason to fight, 1944
THE ANNISTON STAR – Travel travails: Anniston council revisits familiar fiscal debate
GADSDEN TIMES – New, different faces in different elected places for the new year
GADSDEN TIMES – Hokes Bluff couple’s hot rod to be highlighted at auction
OPELIKA-AUBURN NEWS – Police reports from Jan. 14
OPELIKA-AUBURN NEWS – By federal law, hospitals post procedure prices
OPELIKA-AUBURN NEWS – Auburn roars back to form in first SEC win over rival Georgia
CULLMAN TIMES – Toyota executive: Tariffs will raise costs, drive up prices
CULLMAN TIMES – Recreational fishing rules to be overhauled under new law
CULLMAN TIMES – Alabama police officer killed, another wounded in shooting
SHELBY COUNTY REPORTER – Registration now open for Helena Miracle League’s inaugural sporting clay tournament
SHELBY COUNTY REPORTER – Roads, bridges discussed at first Shelby County Chamber event
SHELBY COUNTY REPORTER – CMS student selected for piano master class
THE MADISON RECORD – Local Knights of Columbus present check to MCS at school board meeting
THE MADISON RECORD – ‘The sun will come out’ for Columbia’s ‘Annie Jr.’
THE MADISON RECORD – Cameron Harris Makes Comeback For James Clemens Basketball
DAILY MOUNTAIN EAGLE – RUFF Furball set for next month
DAILY MOUNTAIN EAGLE – BamaCarry to hold state event again in Jasper
DAILY MOUNTAIN EAGLE – Orlando bound: Cordova cheerleaders win state title
NEW YORK TIMES – Pentagon Officials Fear Bolton’s Actions Increase Risk of Clash With Iran
NEW YORK TIMES – Trump Threatens to ‘Devastate Turkey Economically’ if It Attacks Kurds
NEW YORK TIMES – Trump Confronts the Prospect of a ‘Nonstop Political War’ for Survival
WASHINGTON POST – Trump invokes one of the worst Native American massacres to mock Elizabeth Warren
WASHINGTON POST – Revelations about Manafort’s 2016 interactions with Russian associate show special counsel’s intense focus on Russia contacts
WASHINGTON POST – The Trailer: Will Sanders’s 2016 supporters rally behind him this time?
USA TODAY – Critics’ Choice Awards: 8 moments you missed, from Lady Gaga to Chrissy Teigen
USA TODAY – Top Democrats warn Trump against obstruction ahead of Michael Cohen’s public testimony
USA TODAY – Poland mayor stabbed onstage at charity event, fights for life
POLITICO – Kaine blasts Trump ‘temper tantrum’
POLITICO – Trump threatens Turkey with economic devastation
POLITICO – Pentagon recruits rejected scientist for massive pollution fight

 

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