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Daily News Digest – June 28, 2019

1. Woman indicted on fetal homicide law

  • Alabama caught the nation’s attention again yesterday after Marshae Jones was indicted with charges of manslaughter when she was shot in the stomach while being five months pregnant which resulted in her loosing the pregnancy.
  • But an Alabama prosecutor hasn’t decided yet if they will actually prosecute Jones.
  • Ebony Jemison, the girl who shot Jones was not indicted after a police investigation determined Jones started the fight and Jemison fired in self-defense.
  • The indictment stated Jones did “intentionally cause the death” of “Unborn Baby Jones by initiating a fight knowing she was five months pregnant.”
  • The office of District Attorney Lynneice O. Washington said there has been no decision on whether to pursue the case against Jones. Washington’s office said in a statement they “feel sympathy for all the families involved, including Mrs. Jones, who lost her unborn child.”
  • You can read more about the case HERE and what other women’s rights groups had to say from AL.com’s Abbey Crain HERE.

2. Call the AL Midwife

  • The newly-formed Alabama State Board of Midwifery issued their first licenses this year and now there are nine licensed certified professional midwives, which is nine more than the state had for over 40 years.
  • Prior to a 2017 law change that created the board and licensing rules, the only type of midwives who were allowed to practice in the state were certified nurse midwives, who are registered nurses that work in hospitals alongside obstetricians.
  • Currently, 33 other states have recognized CPMs and allow them to practice midwifery, but there are still restrictions on what midwives can do in Alabama.
  • Midwives want to be able to practice within the full scope of their training and abilities but still feel like they can’t do that in Alabama.
  • Those who opposed the original 2017 licensing law still say they have issues with midwives being allowed to practice in the state. Sen. Larry Stutts, who is an obstetrician himself, says mothers are at risk when they deliver outside a hospital.
  • The Medical Association of Alabama, was also against the law and thinks that the new regulations the state midwifery board has put in place go beyond the parameters of that law.
  • You can read my full write up about the state of midwives in Alabama HERE.

3. AL’s Gerrymandering Case

  • The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday on rejecting partisan gerrymandering claims in North Carolina and Maryland will effectively end similar federal lawsuits in several states. But it isn’t likely to stop other cases challenging congressional or state legislative districts on different grounds or in different venues.
  • The high court’s 5-4 majority ruling said federal courts have no role in trying to resolve what it described as “political questions” — specifically, whether voters’ rights are infringed when politicians of one party manipulate district lines to make it easier for them to win elections.
  • While shutting the door to political gerrymandering claims in federal court, the Supreme Court nonetheless affirmed its authority to consider racial gerrymandering lawsuits.
  • One of those states that still has a case pending is from Alabama and deals with racial gerrymandering
  • A trial is scheduled for Nov. 4 on a federal lawsuit alleging the U.S. House maps approved in 2011 by the state’s Republican-led Legislature and GOP governor illegally limit the voting influence of black residents.
  • The lawsuit filed by eight African American voters and the Alabama Black Legislative Caucus is backed by a national Democratic redistricting group.
  • A judge ruled in March that if the districts are eventually ruled unconstitutional, the state cannot be forced to redraw them for the 2020 elections because the plaintiffs waited too long before filing their lawsuit in 2018.
  • Read more about the pending cases HERE.

4. Documents released over execution procedure

  • Newly unsealed Alabama Supreme Court filings in an Alabama death penalty case show the continuing disagreement between inmate attorneys and the state over the effectiveness of the sedative midazolam in shielding prisoners from pain during lethal injections.
  • The portions of the court filings, which were previously blacked out, detail the views of medical experts testifying on behalf of death row inmate Christopher Lee Price, who was executed last month, and for the state of Alabama.
  • The arguments are similar to those made in previous court fights in Alabama and elsewhere over the use of the drug in executions.
  • The documents were made public in their entirety after justices on Monday granted a request from NPR and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to make the court filings public without having portions blacked out.
  • Price had unsuccessfully sought a stay from the high court as he argued that the state’s lethal injection process is unconstitutionally painful. Price was executed last month after justices said the execution could proceed.
  • You can read more about the court documents HERE.

5. AP News Briefs.

Lawyer asks for speed up for Moore defamation case
  • A woman who accused Roy Moore of having an inappropriate relationship with her while she was a teenager and he was in his 30s is asking a judge to resolve Moore’s defamation lawsuit against her as he begins his campaign for U.S. Senate.
  • Lawyers for Debbie Wesson Gibson filed a motion this week saying Moore’s lawsuit is frivolous and should be dismissed.
  • They said they believe Moore will use it as a “political prop” in his campaign.
  • After losing the 2017 Senate race amid misconduct allegations, Moore sued Gibson and others who said Moore pursued romantic and sexual relationships with them when they were teens and he was in his 30s.
Connecticut-based electrical company coming to Alabama
  • A Connecticut-based electrical and electronic product manufacturer is closing two plants resulting in the loss of nearly 200 jobs.
  • The Hartford Courant reports that Hubbell Inc. will shut down plants in Newtown and Bethel by the end of the year as it shifts work to factories in other parts of the country.
  • Work at the Newtown facility will move to Puerto Rico and work in Bethel is transferring to Alabama.
  • The company says in a statement that this decision is part of “an ongoing operational efficiency initiative.”
  • About 140 employees will lose their jobs in Newtown. Hubbell said it will continue to retain more than 650 jobs in the state and maintain its Shelton headquarters.
  • The company posted revenue of $4.5 billion in 2018.
Attack-Squirrel owner arrested after chase
  • The Alabama man made famous recently after denying feeding methamphetamines to his so-called “attack squirrel” he considered a pet has been arrested.
  • The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter that 35-year-old Mickey Paulk was caught Thursday night following a chase in which he rammed an investigator’s vehicle.
  • Authorities had been seeking Paulk on multiple felony warrants unrelated to the squirrel named “Deeznutz,” made infamous after police said they were warned about a meth-fueled, trained attack squirrel.
  • Paulk told The Associated Press last week that he was working on a plan for turning himself in to authorities. But authorities said he was booked into the Lauderdale County Jail after fleeing a motel on a stolen motorcycle.

Headlines.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Midwives Can Now Practice in Alabama but Still Face Obstacles

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama woman charged in fetal death, her shooter goes free
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Redistricting cases press on, even after high court ruling
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Unsealed court filings center on midazolam dispute
AL.COM – Alabama pays $525,000 to settle Collier-Bentley case; with legal fees total hits $1 million.
AL.COM – Alabama pays $525,000 to settle Collier-Bentley case; with legal fees total hits $1 million.
AL.COM – Case against Marshae Jones brings ‘personhood’ back to spotlight.
AL.COM – In Alabama, protecting the LGBTQ community has become a ‘very local issue’.
AL.COM – Alabama Community College System gets $12 million grant.
AL.COM – Columnist John Archibald: Marshae Jones indictment is complex; Alabama hypocrisy isn’t.
AL.COM – Contributor James McClintock: Climate change is killing our coastal gulf fisheries.
AL.COM – Contributor Kimberly Cook: Fighting for our children: The dangers of teen vaping.
AL.COM – Columnist John Archibald: Researchers: How to beat Russian trolls.
Montgomery Advertiser – Montgomery airport lands grant for $1M upgrade
Montgomery Advertiser – Prisoner escapes Montgomery work site near Northern Boulevard
Montgomery Advertiser – Prattville police search for missing man
YellowHammer News – South Alabama’s hurricane experts forecast the 2019 season
YellowHammer News – Shelby applauds Senate passage of critical national defense act with provisions benefitting Alabama
YellowHammer News – Vocational rehabilitation services strives to narrow employment gap for Alabamians with disabilities
Dothan Eagle – Woman accused of Enterprise burglary was out of jail on bond in Houston County
Dothan Eagle – Good or bad? Cell phone paradox causes difficulties in forming school policies
Dothan Eagle – Wiregrass legislative delegation discusses state budgets, recent session
Tuscaloosa News – Alabama woman charged in fetal death, her shooter goes free
Tuscaloosa News – Family disappointed in dismissal of case
Tuscaloosa News – One dead in Cottondale shooting
Decatur Daily – Online sales taxes: Morgan to add more SROs; Hartselle, Decatur undecided about where to use new revenue
Decatur Daily – Somerville man jailed on drug charges after raid
Decatur Daily – US labor secretary visits Calhoun to announce apprenticeship grants
Times Daily – Authorities ID driver of cabin cruiser in boating accident
Times Daily – July 18 public hearing to discuss Tennessee RiverLine project
Times Daily – Possible sewage spill referred to district attorney’s office
Gadsden Times – Wiggins team brings GP boat to Guntersville HydroFest
Gadsden Times – Supreme Court allows partisan districts, blocks census query
Gadsden Times – DeKalb Sheriff’s office shoots down ’11 bodies’ story
Anniston Star – Council votes against immediate city manager search
Anniston Star – No contract in sight, Calhoun schools chief financial officer retires
Anniston Star – Air ambulances save lives, but can come with sky-high costs
Troy Messenger – Housing development approved off Trojan Parkway
Troy Messenger – Proposed ordinance defines unsafe homes, clarifies process
Troy Messenger – JCA to host ‘Challenge 14’ juried art show
Andalusia Star News – Owners of Magnolia Jane want to provide southern hospitality
Andalusia Star News – City utilities conducting regular water tests
Andalusia Star News – Best Western Opp Inn earned a national distinction
Opelika-Auburn News – Lee County Sheriff’s Office searching for residential armed robbery suspects
Opelika-Auburn News – Atlanta man arrested, charged in connection to 2018 Auburn business burglary
Opelika-Auburn News – Police reports from June 27
Daily Mountain Eagle – Firms hired to help secure sewer grant
Daily Mountain Eagle – Dates announced for annual rabies clinic
Daily Mountain Eagle – Water plant battling algal bloom
Trussville Tribune – 2 new buildings approved for downtown Trussville
Trussville Tribune – 19-year-old killed, 4 injured in 3 vehicle crash in Cullman County
Athens News Courier – ALEA: Probe into Wheeler death ongoing
Athens News Courier – Wayfair workers protest furniture sale to detention center
Athens News Courier – Trade, climate change, Iran focus as G-20 leaders meet
Sand Mountain Reporter – Crossville Health and Rehabilitation therapy team named ‘Team of the Year’
Sand Mountain Reporter – ACCS receives $12 million grant | State’s academic institutions can expand apprenticeships, workforce development programs
Sand Mountain Reporter – APD to offer free child ID kits at Farmers Market

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