August 20 Morning Newscast
August 20, 2012, Morning Newscast
Republicans and Democrats from across the country will start streaming into the south later this week for their national presidential conventions. The Republican Convention gets underway a week from today in Tampa. The Democratic Convention follows on its heels in Charlotte. Used to be the “Solid South” was a political fact, benefiting Democrats for generations and then Republicans, with Bible Belt and racial politics ruling the day. But demographic changes and recent election results reveal a more nuanced landscape now. Barack Obama won both Florida, North Carolina and Virginia four years ago – propelled by young voters, non-whites and suburban independents. Each state is in play again, with Republican Mitt Romney needing to reclaim Florida and at least one of the others to reach the White House.
Alabama Public Television has a new executive director. The Alabama Educational Television Commission has voted to hire broadcast veteran Roy Clem (pictured above). Clem is the former general manager of ABC 33/40 and currently manages WVUA/WUOA at the University of Alabama. He’s expected to start his new job in early September. Clem replaces Allan Pizzato, who was fired in June in what the commissioners describe as a change in direction for the network. Pizzato is suing saying the commission violated the state’s open meetings law when it met to discuss his job. Pizzato and some commissioners were at odds over a push for Christian-themed programs on the public network..
It’s alligator hunting season on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and hunters bagged 17 gators in the opening night. The Mobile Press-Register reports that Chris Williams of Hoover checked in the first gator. Williams told the paper it’s the first time he’s hunted alligators. Seven of the alligators that were caught were longer than 11 feet. One was longer than 12 feet, and another was over 13 feet.
‘We’re in a holding pattern’: Home sales and building slump in the face of uncertainty
Would-be homebuyers are finding lots of reasons to wait.
Word of the Week: How ‘pride’ shifted from vice to a symbol of LGBTQ empowerment
The word pride has shifted over the millennia, from being first used to describe one of the seven deadly sins in Roman Catholic theology to becoming a global symbol for LGBTQ strength and empowerment.
In a county that backed Trump, people depend on Medicaid and are conflicted about cuts
Medicaid plays a vital role in many rural communities that favored President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. But residents still seem open to Republican plans to cut perceived waste in the program.
U.S. stops scheduling visa interviews for foreign students
The State Department has halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students while it prepares to expand the screening of their activity on social media, officials said.
Ex-police chief sentenced for rape and murder escaped prison disguised as prison guard
Law officers searched Arkansas' rugged Ozark Mountains for an ex-police chief and convicted killer who escaped prison by impersonating a guard and walking out through a gate a guard opened for him.
Noem urges Poles to elect Trump ally as CPAC holds its first meeting in Poland
The Conservative Political Action Conference held its first meeting in Poland on Tuesday, just days before a presidential election between a liberal mayor and a conservative backed by President Trump.
