August 13 Morning Newscast
August 13, 2012, Morning Newscast
A majority of the Jefferson County Commission is set to vote tomorrow to close inpatient care at Cooper Green Mercy Hospital by Oct. 1. The Birmingham News reports that no plans are in place for how the sick or poor will get care or how hospitals that treat them will get reimbursed.Business groups, medical professionals, state lawmakers and community activists are calling on the County Commission to rethink whether to end inpatient care at Cooper Green Mercy Hospital. On Friday, the city of Birmingham filed a lawsuit to prevent closure of the inpatient care unit. The Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) urged the commission to avoid a quick decision that would create a climate of confusion, distrust and anxiety. Friday, The BBA called on the County Commission to define and articulate a clear plan for indigent care before voting to end inpatient services.
Alabama lags in incentives for solar power. The Birmingham News reports that across the country, solar energy is spreading, spurred by falling prices for equipment, environmental sensitivity and generous incentives from governments and utilities. Tennessee, Florida and Georgia all have solar power arrays running and future projects are in the works. Alabama, on the other hand, finishes at or near the bottom in solar surveys. Traditionally, there hasn’t been much interest in solar power in Alabama because it was an expensive technology, the state was relatively poor and power was cheap. However, in more recent years, some other states have created a variety of tax incentives to encourage the installation of solar, in addition to those offered by the federal government. But Alabama is not one of those states. Currently there are only 27 residential customers of Alabama Power selling solar electricity back to the grid.
SELMA, Ala. (AP) — A new monument being built to honor Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest is stirring up controversy in Selma. Todd Kiscaden with Friends of Forrest tells WAKA-TV the group decided to make improvements to the monument after a bust of Forrest disappeared from the monument in March. But state Sen. Hank Sanders, a Democrat from Selma, says Forrest was the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and he wants construction stopped. Kiscaden says Forrest was a Confederate hero who led the efforts to defend Selma against Union troops during the Civil War and should be honored. The theft of the bust earlier this year wasn’t the first time the monument has been damaged. It was vandalized soon after it was dedicated in October 2000.
Class-action lawsuit filed after the Potomac sewage spill
A class-action lawsuit has been filed after part of a decades-old sewer line in Maryland collapsed in January, sending raw sewage into the Potomac River. After weather delays, repair work has resumed.
Kennedy Center president departs – months before the art complex’s scheduled closing
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump announced Friday afternoon that Richard Grenell is leaving the Kennedy Center. The arts complex is scheduled to close in July for renovations.
Judge blocks DOJ’s criminal probe of Federal Reserve, blasting it as political
A federal judge has put the brakes on a criminal probe of the Federal Reserve, saying it was part of an improper campaign by the Trump administration to pressure the central bank into cutting interest rates.
A cholesterol test you’ve never heard of is now recommended to prevent heart disease
The test can help assess your lifetime risk for cardiovascular disease. That, along with earlier treatment for high cholesterol, is part of new doctors' guidelines.
And the Oscar goes to — wait, why is it called an Oscar?
The Academy Awards officially adopted the "Oscars" nickname in 1939. But who is Oscar, and who started calling them that? We may never know. But here are four enduring legends to consider.
TSA workers miss a full paycheck, while travelers keep paying airport security fees
Many TSA workers received no money in their paychecks Friday as the partial DHS shutdown drags on. Fees paid by airline passengers keep piling up, even as airport security officers work without pay.
