August 17, 2012, Morning Newscast

Carol Garrison, President of the University of Alabama at Birmingham will step down.
In a statement, Garrison (photo above) thanked faculty, staff and students and says it has been an honor and privilege to serve as president of UAB. She writes that she will quote: “begin a new chapter in my life”. Garrison, was named president in July 2002, and came to UAB from the University of Louisville where she was acting president.
Garrison will continue serving until an interim president is named. The Birmingham News reports that according to UA System trustees, Ray Watts, vice president for medicine and dean of the UAB School of Medicine, is likely to be named interim UAB president, but no final decision has been made. The News also reports that trustee Paul Bryant Jr., has asked fellow trustee John McMahon to chair the search committee that will identify candidates to succeed Garrison.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is holding a public hearing about crackdowns on illegal immigration in Alabama and other states. The panel will meet in Birmingham on Friday to hear from both supporters and opponents of the laws. Speakers include Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who’s pushed for such measures nationwide, and Republican state Sen. Scott Beason of Gardendale, a sponsor of Alabama’s law. Critics of the measures are on the agenda, but they’re complaining that members of what they call hate groups are being allowed to participate. Alabama is among the states that have passed laws clamping down on illegal immigrants. The U.S. Supreme Court gutted parts of Arizona’s law, which is a national model, but other sections were allowed to stand.

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Federal railway officials are providing $100,000 to study the possibility of passenger train service linking Mobile, Montgomery and Birmingham.
The Federal Railroad Administration said Thursday it is earmarking the money in response to an application from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. Amtrak used to run passenger trains linking the three cities, and the study will look at restoring the service. Amtrak’s Crescent route runs through Birmingham as it connects New Orleans and New York..