When we think about Independence Day, our thoughts may naturally turn to places like Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, the cities where our founders first gave life to the idea of America nearly 250 years ago. But Alabama has a role in this story as well. If Philadelphia is the birthplace of America, Alabama is where our nation was reborn. Thousands of foot soldiers put their lives on the line in places like Selma, Lowndes County, Birmingham, Montgomery, and all across our state to fight for our country to finally live up its ideals and become a true representative democracy. It can be a painful chapter of our history to think about, but it feels more pressing now than ever to think about people like Claudette Colvin, a 15 year old who refused to give up her seat on a bus just a few short months before Rosa Parks’ stand. To think about John Lewis, Fred Shuttlesworth and Martin Luther King, organizing nonviolent campaigns every bit as tactically brilliant as anything conceived by a military general. To remember that in freedom movements around the world, in places like South Africa, Ireland, and Tiananmen Square, protestors have sung out choruses of “We Shall Overcome.” Because they recognize the power that everyday Alabamians had in shaping the future of their nation. People who, in times of turbulence and peril, dedicated themselves to changing their communities. And instead it changed the world. It's a holiday week and Ike Morgan is off, so I sure appreciate you reading and listening. John Hammontree |
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Fourth of July weather update |
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Air temperatures will rise into the mid-90s for much of Alabama both today and on Thursday. Combine that with higher humidity levels and it will feel much hotter. The heat index, or “feels like” temperature, will peak at between 105 and 110 degrees today for most of Alabama. At the coast there will be a low risk for rip currents on Independence Day, but that will change over the weekend, when the forecast risk will rise to high and swimming in the Gulf will be discouraged. As far as rain goes, look for scattered rain and storms statewide today. Look for rain chances to be highest in the morning. That rain could push inland during the daytime hours, according to the weather service. Not everyone in the rest of the state will get rain, and chances will decrease after sunset -- and hopefully in time for fireworks shows. |
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Transplant Games come to Birmingham this weekend |
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The Transplant Games, which feature competitions with athletes who have had organ transplants, will be held in Birmingham with events beginning Friday and continuing through Wednesday, July 10, at the BJCC and some other venues in the metro area. The Transplant Games is a national, festival-style event that features about 3,000 athletes competing. The event promotes organ donation and celebrates organ donors and transplant recipients, donor families, individuals on the waiting list, caregivers and transplant professionals. There are more than 40,000 organ transplants a year in the United States, and the Transplant Life Foundation is hoping to set a new record of more than 50,000 this year, he said. “There’s 115,000 people in the United States on the waiting list for an organ, and roughly 15 to 17 of them will die every day because an organ was not available for them,” Bill Ryan, president and CEO of the Transplant Life Foundation said. More than 7,000 people are expected to attend the games that will be staged primarily at the BJCC. Events are free to the public. |
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Lawsuit challenging Alabama’s gender-affirming care ban for minors put on hold |
U.S. District Judge Liles Burke Tuesday once again put a hold on a lawsuit challenging Alabama’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors while the U.S. Supreme Court mulls a similar case from Tennessee. In a three-page order, Burke said the hold was necessary “given the risk that the Supreme Court may well change the governing standard of review.” That lawsuit, United States v. Skrmetti, deals with whether a Tennessee law which prohibits all gender-affirming medical treatments for minors violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. The court added the lawsuit to its 2024-25 docket last month. A decision could come in June 2025. The plaintiffs in the Alabama case and the Justice Department sought a stay after the Supreme Court took up the Tennessee case. The Alabama ban makes it a felony — punishable by up to 10 years in prison — for doctors to treat people under 19 with puberty blockers or hormones to help affirm a new gender identity. Burke issued a temporary injunction in May 2022 to block Alabama from enforcing its ban on the treatments, a decision that came after a three-day hearing in a lawsuit filed by parents of transgender children. Burke wrote that the law was likely unconstitutional. The U.S. Department of Justice intervened in the case on the side of the parents. |
Looking for a last minute Fourth of July activity? |
Ready for a sparkling Independence Day? Celebrations are planned throughout the state to help you have a red, white and blue holiday. Mary Colurso has 25 events you won’t want to miss this week. |
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