September 3 Morning News
September 3, 2012, Morning News
A group of Bessemer residents wants their courthouse to stay open. The Birmingham News reports that the group called “Saving Bessemer” plans to meet tomorrow morning on the steps of the local justice center to let their views be known. Jefferson County officials are considering the possibility of moving the courthouse to an empty mall. But the group wants the courthouse to remain in downtown Bessemer.
U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers have reportedly reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract covering more than 16,000 workers at domestic facilities, including one in Fairfield, Alabama. U.S. Steel says the talks covered health care for retirees and other issues. The union says members will vote after reviewing details over the next few weeks. The two sides had been negotiating since June on a contract to replace the existing pact, which expired Saturday.
It’s been 81 years since nine black teenagers were convicted of raping two white women, one of whom later recanted her story. But only one of the nine Scottsboro Boys (pictured above) was pardoned of his rape convictions before the men died. Now a push is on by the Scottsboro Boys Museum and others to make sure that happens for the other eight. Governor Robert Bentley says he would like to see a pardon, but state law doesn’t allow him to issue them. The state parole board says its rules don’t allow posthumous pardons. Two legislators are working on resolutions saying the state considers the names of the Scottsboro Boys cleared.
Visitors to some Civil War anniversary events are hearing another long-silenced sound amid the cannon fire. It’s music from 19th-century minstrel shows, performed not in blackface but in uniform. Some re-enactors have formed camp bands to play music that soldiers enjoyed hearing around battlefield campfires. Groups such as the 2nd South Carolina String Band pride themselves on their accurate impressions — right down to the exaggerated black dialect of songs with inescapably racist overtones. The musicians say they don’t mean to offend. Critics say they should help listeners understand how the demeaning songs also helped popularize the banjo, an instrument with African roots.
The White House is deporting people to countries they’re not from. Why?
The administration argues the men's home countries won't take them — but lawyers say getting sent to a country like South Sudan could lead to more persecution.
Trump says he will withdraw nomination of Musk associate Jared Isaacman to lead NASA
In a post on social media late Saturday, Trump said he was withdrawing Isaacman's nomination after a "thorough review" of the tech billionaire's "prior associations."
Hamas seeks changes to Gaza ceasefire proposal but US envoy calls it ‘unacceptable’
Hamas said it was seeking last minute changes to a 60-day ceasefire plan backed by the U.S. and approved by Israel. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff dismissed the changes as "totally unacceptable."
The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder will meet in the NBA Finals
It would be the first NBA title for either of the two energetic fan bases and their exciting young teams. The Thunder, led by newly minted league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is the early favorite.
Skulls once subject to racist study in Germany are laid to rest in New Orleans
A memorial and jazz funeral honored 19 Black Americans, whose remains were recently repatriated from Germany where they were used for racial research in the late 1800s.
‘We all are going to die’: Sen. Ernst offers bleak response to grilling over Medicaid
The Republican senator offered a glib response to constituent questions at a town hall regarding cuts to Medicaid under the Trump-endorsed One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
