State: Closing 15 ABC Stores Will Save Money
The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board says it’s shutting down 15 state-owned liquor stores to save money. The agency announced the cuts late Thursday as a way to cope with a $5.5 million reduction in funding from the state operating budget.
All but two of the 15 stores being closed or consolidated are in south Alabama. Three are located in the state capital of Montgomery.
Officials say the 15 stores had combined total sales of about $11 million last year, but their total operating income was just $170,000.
The store closings are just one part of a reduction in state services based on the tight budget approved by legislators.The state is also closing 31 driver’s license offices, five state parks and as many as 19 National Guard armories.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongly deported to El Salvador, is back in the U.S. to face smuggling charges
Abrego Garcia will face criminal charges for allegedly transporting migrants without legal status around the country, according to a Justice Department indictment.
With an eye to the World Cup, Trump signs executive order on drone risks
The risks of drones have been underscored by Russia's drone strikes in Ukraine, and Ukraine's surprise drone strikes that destroyed some aircraft deep within Russia, the White House said.
DHS memo details how National Guard troops will be used for immigration enforcement
The memo obtained by NPR says troops would be used in activities, including in "night operations and rural interdiction," as well as "guard duty and riot control" inside detention facilities.
Court fees can pile up. An effort to make a more effective system stalls after Trump administration cuts
Court fines and fees are meant to hold people accountable. But for many, they lead to debt, arrest, and a cycle that’s hard to break. A project that started in Birmingham aimed to make the system better. But recently, the Trump Administration cancelled an effort to expand the research.
On Japanese Breakfast’s melancholic record, Michelle Zauner might be ‘the happiest’ she’s ever been
Zauner joins us to talk about some of the themes behind For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women).
South Korean maestro Chung will be the first Asian to head Italy’s famed La Scala
Myung-Whun Chung will be one of the first non-Italians to take the post of music director at Milan's famous opera house.
