State Auditor Says Governor’s Mansion Restoration “Poor Stewardship” of BP Funds
State Auditor Jim Zeigler is accusing Governor Robert Bentley of misusing oil spill money from BP. In a statement released today, Zeigler says a reporter and photographer from the New York Times are in Alabama looking into Bentley’s use of $1.8 million of BP money to restore the governor’s mansion at the Gulf in Baldwin County. The property has been abandoned since 1997 after suffering hurricane damage.
Bentley spokeswoman Jennifer Ardis says the money the governor is putting toward repairing the mansion was left over from a $25 million BP grant. That was one of two $25 million grants BP issued the state in 2010. Ardis says the governor plans to use the Fort Morgan beach house to showcase the Gulf Coast, and promote economic development.
State Auditor Jim Zeigler says that’s nonsense.
“That’s a pretty good story,” he says. “I don’t think the people of Alabama are buying it and I don’t think the people of the Gulf Coast who were affected by the oil spill will buy that.”
Zeigler says it’s poor stewardship of money that should’ve gone toward cleanup and to businesses affected by the oil spill.
Jim Ziegler's Facebook Page
The 7,500-square-foot gubernatorial mansion that wasn’t repaired after Hurricane Danny in 1997.
New ‘Hunger Games’ prequel reminds that sometimes past truths aren’t visible
Sunrise on the Reaping recounts the 50th annual Hunger Games, telling the story of Haymitch Abernathy. It's themes and events conjure images of today's U.S. political climate.
At 83, Martha Stewart celebrates gardening with her 101st book
Martha Stewart talks gardening, wanting to be "one of the girls" and her 101st book with NPR Morning Edition host Michel Martin.
In the Missouri Ozarks, residents struggle to rebuild after tornadoes
Twisters that tore through Union County, Missouri killed 6 people. One couple survived against incomprehensible odds in a trailer obliterated by the storm.
‘Segregated facilities’ are no longer explicitly banned in federal contracts
The Trump administration cut a clause from federal contracting rules that had been on the books since the 1960s: Companies are no longer explicitly prohibited from having segregated facilities.
This is why Canada has plenty of eggs — and the U.S. doesn’t
While the U.S. grapples with an egg shortage caused by avian flu, eggs remain plentiful and affordable in Canada. There are reasons for that, including that egg farms there tend to be smaller.
Trump says he’s ending Secret Service protection for Biden’s adult children
President Trump said he was ending "immediately" the Secret Service protection details assigned to Democrat Joe Biden's adult children.
