Good morning!

The Alabama Daily News team had a great time at the Alabama Press Association’s annual conference this weekend. Thank you to Felicia, Brad, Jaclyn and the APA team for hosting a great conference and congrats to all the award winners!

Here’s your Daily News for Monday, June 28.

1. State making progress to reach 500,000 newly credentialed workers by 2025

• Alabama leaders say 45% of the state’s workforce now has an educational certificate or degree beyond high school, representing progress in the goal of adding 500,000 newly credentialed people to the workforce by 2025 despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gov. Kay Ivey in 2018 ago set the ambitious 500,000 goal as part of her “Success Plus” initiative, which if accomplished would bring the level of work-age Alabamians with post high school training or degrees from about 43% in 2016 to 60% by April 30, 2025.
• Ed Castile, deputy secretary of the Workforce Development Division in the Alabama Department of Commerce, told Alabama Daily News the pandemic has even helped in some respects in reaching the half million goal.
• “Oddly enough, it hurt us, but then it helped us,” Castile said. “The sad news is a lot of people lost their jobs, but that helped us a little bit by getting people into programs to give them a credential which added them to our numbers. But it also got them a job that could also not be so affected by something like the pandemic.”
• Read more from Caroline Beck HERE.

2. Former Alabama congressman Sonny Callahan dies at 88

• Former U.S. Rep. H.L. “Sonny” Callahan, who represented south Alabama in Congress for 18 years, has died. He was 88.
• Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said that Callahan died peacefully in his sleep during the night.
• Callahan served as a representative to the U.S. Congress from 1985 to 2003, representing the state’s 1st District on the Alabama coast.
• “Without question, Sonny’s service to Alabama and to America was unrivaled. He was one of south Alabama’s most beloved public servants, and his legacy of helping others stands out as just one of his many wonderful qualities,” Ivey said in a statement.
• “Our state and nation have lost a giant of a man. My thoughts and prayers are extended to Sonny’s family, friends and longtime staffers,” Ivey said.
• Read more from Kim Chandler HERE.

3. How does moratorium affect high-vacancy Alabama?

• A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month.
• The Alabama Association of Realtors successfully challenged the order in federal court, arguing those who own rental properties also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.
• Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords.
• Alabama has long had one of the country’s more open rental housing markets. Vacancy rates were about 16% before the pandemic, far above the 7% national average. But numbers suggest rents are increasing.
• Read more on how this situation will affect Alabama from Kim Chandler HERE.

4. Bipartisan infrastructure deal appears back on track after Biden walk-back

• A bipartisan deal to invest nearly $1 trillion in the nation’s infrastructure appeared to be back on track Sunday after a stark walk-back by President Joe Biden to his earlier insistence that the bill be coupled with an even larger Democrat-backed measure in order to earn his signature.
• Speaking on Thursday moments after fulfilling his hopes of reaching a bipartisan accord, Biden appeared to put the deal in jeopardy with his comment that the infrastructure bill would have to move in “tandem” with the larger bill.
• “If this is the only thing that comes to me, I’m not signing it,” Biden said then of the infrastructure bill. “It’s in tandem.”
• By Saturday, Biden was seeking to clarify those comments, after his top negotiators Steve Ricchetti and Louisa Terrell worked to assure senators that Biden remained enthusiastic about the deal.
• “My comments also created the impression that I was issuing a veto threat on the very plan I had just agreed to, which was certainly not my intent,” Biden said in a statement.
• “It would be good for the economy, good for our country, good for our people. I fully stand behind it without reservation or hesitation.”
• Read more from Zeke Miller HERE.

5. US airstrikes target Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq

• The U.S. military, under the direction of President Joe Biden, carried out airstrikes against what it said were “facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups” near the border between Iraq and Syria, drawing condemnation from Iraq’s military and calls for revenge by the militias.
• Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the militias were using the facilities to launch unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq. It was the second time the Biden administration has taken military action in the region since he took over earlier this year.
• Kirby said the U.S. military targeted three operational and weapons storage facilities on Sunday night — two in Syria and one in Iraq.
• He described the airstrikes as “defensive,” saying they were launched in response to the attacks by militias.
• Read more HERE.

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – State making progress to reach 500,000 newly credentialed workers by 2025

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Former Alabama congressman Sonny Callahan dies at 88

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – How does moratorium affect high-vacancy Alabama?

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Bipartisan infrastructure deal appears back on track after Biden walk-back

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS -US airstrikes target Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Some expressed concern about road safety at fatal wreck sit

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Hughes pleads guilty to perjury, ethics charge

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Bargainers say have policing ‘framework,’ but issues remain

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Bill banning medical treatment of trans youth back in 2022 session

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Harris to visit US-Mexico border

AL.COM – Is Alabama returning to the office?: Alabama cities are returning to the office at a faster clip than major metro areas in the U.S

AL.COM – Infrastructure deal back on track after Biden walk-back

AL.COM – New handicap-accessible boat dock opens at Alabama state park

AL.COM –  Case files on 1964 Mississippi civil rights killings made public

AL.COM – UAB studying new antidepressant based on party drug

Montgomery Advertiser – Photos: 4th Annual Gun Island Chute Cup paddleboard race at Riverfront Park

Montgomery Advertiser – Stand-up paddleboard competition returns to Montgomery

Montgomery Advertiser – Dismukes indicted: Charge stems from alleged theft of flooring from former employer

Decatur Daily – Personnel Board recommends pay raises for Decatur Police

Decatur Daily – 90-employee Automatic SMP, in Decatur since 1948, to shut down

Decatur Daily – Reports: Alabama higher ed relies more on tuition, less on state support

Times Daily – COVID-19 UPDATE: Delta variant a threat to the state and the Shoals

Times Daily – Where can you watch a fireworks show on the 4th?

Times Daily – Bill banning medical treatment of trans youth back in 2022 session

Anniston Star – Concert in new venue brings back old-time gospel comfort

Anniston Star – Juneteenth ’21 in Zinn Park celebrates freedom from bondage

Anniston Star – Attorneys attempt to prove McClellan veteran chemical exposure

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – One person injured in overturned 18-wheeler accident in Birmingham

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – UAB officials say hearing loss possible after COVID-19 infection

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Montgomery high school student creates bird farm

Tuscaloosa News – Separate job fairs scheduled for West Alabama employment opportunities

Tuscaloosa News – PHOTOS: Judge John England Jr. honored with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major Awd.

Tuscaloosa News – Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church First Sunday In New Building

YellowHammer News – State of Alabama funds South Alabama’s tick study

YellowHammer News – $33 million renovation of long-vacant Birmingham building set to begin next month

YellowHammer News – Google awards $5 million grant to Tuskegee University

Gadsden Times – Petting zoo fire still painful memory; city taking its time on how to move forward

Gadsden Times – Community Action continues disaster relief program appointments

Gadsden Times – WHEN HARRY MET … Kathy Ford

Dothan Eagle – The Latest: Spain, Portugal further restrict UK travelers

Dothan Eagle – New coronavirus rules enacted for Moscow restaurants

Dothan Eagle – Pandemic-era Mobile World Congress tech fair kicks off

Opelika-Auburn News – The Latest: Spain, Portugal further restrict UK travelers

Opelika-Auburn News – US airstrikes target Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq

Opelika-Auburn News – Cesar Chavez’s legacy lives on in Biden’s staff, Oval Office

WSFA Montgomery – Montgomery high school student creates bird farm

WSFA Montgomery – Ivey attends ribbon cutting for new T-Pier at Roland Cooper State Park

WSFA Montgomery – Vacation Bible schools return after COVID-19 pandemics peak

WAFF Huntsville – 4th of July: Where to see fireworks in the Tennessee Valley

WAFF Huntsville – Community screening of ONCE A HERO to raise awareness about PTSD

WAFF Huntsville – 101-year-old Louisiana veteran receives Purple Heart

WKRG Mobile – Japan ups health controls as Olympic athlete tests positive

WKRG Mobile – Wimbledon returns after 2020 COVID cancellation

WKRG Mobile – Owners in collapsed Florida condo building were about to start paying $9 million for major repairs

WTVY Dothan – Press Release: Jackson County Sheriff’s Office searching for carjacking suspect

WTVY Dothan – Panama City Beach Balloon Glow returns

WTVY Dothan – Alabama judge gets called to jury duty

WASHINGTON POST – Trump Organization attorneys given Monday deadline to persuade prosecutors not to file charges against it

WASHINGTON POST – U.S. targets Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Syria strikes

WASHINGTON POST – A nursing student came to the U.S. to afford her thesis fee. She stayed at Champlain Towers.

NEW YORK TIMES – Crossing the Red Line: Behind China’s Takeover of Hong Kong

NEW YORK TIMES – Possible Failure Point Emerges in Miami-Area Building Collapse

NEW YORK TIMES – Covid Live Updates: mRNA Vaccines May Offer Lasting Protection, Study Finds

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Post-Covid-19, World Risks Having to Pay Off ‘Immunity Debt’

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Stock Futures Waver After S&P 500 Record

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Persistent Advance in Stocks and Commodities Shows Investor Confidence