August 14 Morning Newscast
August 14, 2012, Morning Newscast
The Birmingham school board must accept the authority of state officials who took over the system in June. That includes a directive NOT to fire superintendent, Craig Witherspoon. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Houston Brown (photo above) ruled yesterday that school board President Edward Maddox and his allies must stop interfering in a state takeover of the school system and keep Craig Witherspoon as city superintendent during that time. The Birmingham News reports that in his ruling, Judge Brown wrote that Maddox’s micromanagement has put the district’s accreditation in peril and could have led to a funding loss that would have shut down the school system if the state had not intervened. Brown ruled the June 26 state takeover was valid under the Alabama Constitution and state law and that the Birmingham board’s vote on July 17 to fire Witherspoon after a 60-day leave violated board policy, the superintendent’s contract and a state directive.
Brown also ruled that Maddox and his supporters “failed to cooperate and collaborate in good faith” with state intervention officials..
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Democratic Party will hold a hearing Friday in Birmingham on disqualifying Harry Lyon as the party’s nominee for chief justice.
Lyon says Party Chairman Mark Kennedy ordered the hearing for him to show why he shouldn’t be disqualified. Kennedy’s order says Lyon has violated party bylaws, including one that says people are entitled to honest and ethical government. Lyon said he expects to be kicked off the November ballot because party officials want to name someone else to take on the Republican nominee, Roy Moore. He said the party never expected Moore to win the Republican nomination against two opponents, and now the party wants to change candidates. Friday’s hearing does not involve a complaint from a Huntsville voter about Lyon not filing campaign finance reports on time.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A prominent business group, the Business Council of Alabama, has voted to support approval of a proposed constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot Sept. 18. The amendment would permit the removal of nearly $146 million a year for three years from a state trust fund for use in balancing the state General Fund budget. BCA President William Canary said Alabama is in a “predicament because of a sustained, ongoing failure of leadership,” but imminent hardship will occur if the constitutional amendment is not approved. Canary said BCA would like to see the Legislature pass a bill requiring the money to be repaid in the future to the Alabama Trust Fund.
Hungary’s oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation
Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles.
A military exercise drawing together 19 nations and 35,000 forces begins in Australia
The largest-ever war fighting drills in Australia is underway and expected to attract China's attention. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a joint exercise between the U.S. and Australia.
Trump marks anniversary of assassination attempt at the FIFA Club World Cup final
The president joined the players on the field after the match to present PSG players with their runner-up medals and hand Chelsea their championship trophy.
Wildfire destroys a historic Grand Canyon lodge and other structures
A park official said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing were among the 50 to 80 structures lost.
Jannik Sinner wins Wimbledon, Italy’s first singles champion
Italy's Jannik Sinner defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to win his first Wimbledon title. Sinner is the first Italian to win the tournament.
Senate committee details failures by Secret Service in preventing Trump shooting
The Senate Homeland Security Committee said the Secret Service's "lack of structured communication was likely the greatest contributor to the failures" at the Pennsylvania rally last summer.
