Sep 26, 2023

Today we have new proposed Congressional district maps, raises coming to teachers' paychecks, work restarting on a new bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, and people taking issue with baptisms on campus and a picture of a 1916 Confederate veterans reunion.

Also, see how others did on yesterday's news-review quiz.

Thanks for coming back.

Ike Morgan

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Special Master Richard Allen delivered three federal-court-ordered Alabama congressional district maps on Monday's deadline, reports AL.com's Mike Cason.

The Alabama legislature passed redrawn districts back in July after its periodic redistricting was deemed "likely in violation of the Voting Rights Act" by the courts. A three-judge district court had ordered the map feature a second "opportunity zone" for Black voters, meaning that they wanted two districts in which Democrats could run competitive races. The Legislature's map raised District 2's Black population from 30 percent to 40 percent, but the judges said that wouldn't fly.

The state has asked the Supreme Court for a stay. Meanwhile, the federal district court tasked Allen with drawing up three proposals.

All three take a completely different approach to drawing up Lower Alabama, with Districts 1 and 2 stretching all the way across the state horizontally so that District 1 covers Alabama's entire state line with Florida, and District 2 pulls in heavily Black counties across the southern Black Belt from the Mississippi line to Georgia.

The proposals take the Black voting age population to 48-50 percent in District 2. According to the data used, they give the "Black preferred candidate" -- which, translated, means the Democrat in most elections -- more than an 8-point advantage in elections according to voting history.

Alabama public and community-college educators: There ought to be a little something extra in your paychecks on Oct. 1, reports AL.com's Trisha Powell Crain.

An across-the-board two-percent raise will be in effect, and bonuses and stipends will be going out to some over the subjects they teach or whether their schools are considered challenging or difficult to staff.

An example of that is the $6,000 signing bonus in Bessemer for teachers who are certified in math, science, English or special education.

Y'all don't spend it all in one place.

An activist in Birmingham for the 60th anniversary of the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church has persuaded the Tutwiler Hotel to remove a 1916 photo from a Confederate veterans reunion there, reports AL.com's Alaina Bookman.

The Washington D.C.-based activist said he didn't know whether it was safe to react to the photo and wondered if the veterans in the photo were Klansmen. He wants a public apology from the hotel.

The hotel's general manager said the photo was removed on Sept. 18.

Work has restarted on a two-lane bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores, reports AL.com's John Sharp.

Work had been shut down since May as the bridge has been the target of a legal case claiming ALDOT Director John Cooper negotiated in bad faith for an alternative plan that included expanding a toll bridge a mile away.

The work on the new bridge was able to restart after the Alabama State Supreme Court rejected a request from the company that owns the Foley Beach Express toll bridge in Orange Beach to have its case reheard.

The latest pushback from the Freedom From Religion Foundation targeting public expressions of faith in Alabama has gathered some attention from around the state and on national media, as has the event itself.

According to previous AL.com reports, thousands attended a Unite Auburn service at Auburn University's Neville Arena on Sept. 12, followed by baptisms at a pond outside. Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze, men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl and baseball coach Butch Thompson were reported to be there, among others.

A video of Freeze helping baptise freshman safety Sylvester Smith was shared far and wide.

Since then, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a letter to Auburn University, criticizing it for the event at a public university, calling it unconstitutional.

Gov. Kay Ivey responded this past Friday in a post on social media. “As Governor, I can assure you that we will not be intimidated by out-of-state interest groups dedicated to destroying our nation’s religious heritage.”

The conservative news show Fox and Friends also joined the backlash against the backlash against the event. Co-host Pete Hegseth called the Freedom From Religion group "anti-faith" and "anti-Christian."

“It is my intent to offer comfort and tribute in words and music for the rest of my life. I’m just slow getting up to speed. Jimmy would be laughing at me (or IS laughing) for dragging my feet."

Mac McNally, CMA-winning musician, prolific songwriter and longtime member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer band, on Buffett's Sept. 1 passing.

Here's how readers did on yesterday's review quiz:

Which school system ranked tops in the nation for improvement in math scores from 2019-2021?

Mountain Brook City Schools 37%

Piedmont City Schools (CORRECT) 34%

Madison City Schools 24%

Saraland City Schools 5%

Which university was the highest-ranked Alabama school on U.S. News & World Report's 2024 rankings of best colleges?

Auburn University (CORRECT) 52%

Samford 18%

UAB 18%

University of Alabama 13%

The Alabama Department of Corrections has seen a reversal of the net loss of correctional officers since March, when ...

wages were increased. 81%

hours were decreased. 16%

the dress code was relaxed. 2%

prisoners signed a pledge to improve their behavior. 1%

Sports Illustrated's first campus resort is planned for ...

Tuscaloosa. 79%

Auburn. 9%

Mobile. 9%

Troy. 3%

This past week marked 97 years since Lurleen Burns Wallace was born. The community college that bears her name has a campus in...

Andalusia. 47%

Dothan. 29%

Florence. 19%

Scottsboro. 6%

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