Jul 08, 2024

Welcome back. Hope you had a great weekend -- and Fourth of July, if you're just returning.

A reminder: If you've missed any weekday editions of this newsletter (or you've found editions in your junk folder), add us to your safe senders list so we'll always be delivered to you.

As always, thanks for reading,

Ike Morgan

Looking for the podcast? Click here or check other options below.

Help is still wanted by Alabama employers. Increasingly so, by some measures.

AL.com's Hannah Denham reports that in May there were 80,000 active online ads for jobs in the state. That was 1.3% higher than the month before, and it amounts to 16 job ads for every 1,000 Alabamians.

Those in the running for math-intensive jobs know that 16 is 1.6% of 1,000. When you have a low unemployment rate and that many competing open jobs, it can make be challenging for those who are trying to hire. Which may be why most of the job ads don't list experience as a mandatory qualification.

Almost half the ads were coming from the Birmingham and Huntsville metro areas. 

In May you could expect some bump from seasonal hiring in the hospitality field. But healthcare was also pushing the surge, along with Huntsville's growth.

More specifically, who's doing the hiring? Here are the employers who had the most ads posted in May:

An Alabama state senator is recovering after a personal watercraft crash last Thursday, reports AL.com's Carol Robinson.

Garlan E. Gudger, a Cullman Republican, was operating a Sea-Doo on Smith Lake when he was hit from behind by another Sea-Doo driven by his son, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

He was airlifted to UAB Hospital with three fractured vertebrae, six fractured ribs and a punctured lung. He had surgery and spent the weekend in the Intensive Care Unit.

Gudger, who's 49 years old, on Sunday thanked medical staff and people who helped him at the lake in his first public statement since the incident. He was still in the ICU but had been able to walk.

“The physical recovery will be a difficult one for our family," he said in the statement.

Gudger was first elected to the state senate in 2018.

When Baldwin County Sheriff Hoss Mack retires later this year, he'll become the director of the Alabama Sheriff's Association, reports AL.com's John Sharp.

Mack made the announcement in a memo.

Mack's been the sheriff in Baldwin since 2007. He didn't say exactly when he's going to step down, but when he does, Gov. Kay Ivey would presumably appoint a replacement until the next election.

The Alabama Sheriff Association's director position has not exactly been revolving door. Jimmy Lambert took the job in 2022, but before that Bobby Timmons held the position for 47 years.

You might've seen the bumper sticker or t-shirt that says something like: "Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenient store, not a government agency."

Well, how about a vending machine?

No, firearms aren't being sold in vending machines, at least as far as I know. But there have been a couple of grocery stores in Alabama with vending machines that dispense ammunition, reports AL.com's William Thornton.

American Rounds is the marketer. They were located at Fresh Values in Tuscaloosa and Pell City, although the one in Tuscaloosa was removed. The American Rounds CEO said the decision to remove was based on sales volume.

The way these machines work is you insert a photo ID and it scans your face to make sure you are who you say you are. And that, of course, you're old enough to buy ammunition.

Saturday was the 30th anniversary of the release date of the movie "Forrest Gump," if you can believe that.

You might remember that Gump wore No. 44 for the Alabama Crimson Tide. During at least part of Gump's fictional career at Alabama, the real-life No. 44 was worn by Mickey Andrews, a Daleville native who coached Livingston University to an NAIA national title before the years he spent as Florida State's defensive coordinator under Bobby Bowden.

Incidentally, a couple years ago Tom Hanks said a possible sequel had been brought up but only briefly before it was scrapped. Author Winston Groom wrote another novel, 1995's “Gump & Co.”

“Kamala Harris will probably be the candidate running against Donald Trump. That will be interesting.”

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, on Fox News in a discussion on recent speculation over President Joe Biden's cognitive state. Biden has said he's fine and that he will continue his re-election bid.

You can find “Down in Alabama” wherever you get your podcasts, including these places:

We appreciate you for taking the time to read today. Hope you're able to check back soon. Meantime, reply to this email with any suggestions you might have.

If you're so inclined, we'd love it if you'd forward to friends who might be interested in reading. (And if you're someone who's been forwarded this newsletter, we encourage you to subscribe and get this in your inbox every day.)