Gov. Ivey to Touch on the Census, Prisons and Education in State of the State Address
Governor Kay Ivey will discuss the 2020 census, Alabama’s prison crisis and education in her State of the State Address on Tuesday. Ivey offered the preview during a speech Friday at the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama’s annual meeting in Birmingham.
Ivey calls this year’s federal census “make or break” for Alabama and says everyone needs to respond when the census count begins April 1st. Alabama is at risk of losing a congressional seat because it has not grown as fast relative to other states. The census also determines funding for an array of government programs.
“This is a critical time and the outcome will affect the future of our state and every citizen,” Ivey says. “Leave no stone unturned.”
Ivey mentioned Alabama’s ongoing prison crisis. Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice threatened a federal lawsuit because of violence and overcrowding in state prisons. The Alabama Department of Corrections is under a court order to increase staffing in the next few years. Prison staff numbers are far below recommended levels.
A prison study group set up by Ivey issued recommendations this week. The governor is also pursing a plan to build three new, larger prisons and close most others. She says that will “transition our facilities from being warehouses to rehabilitation.”
Ivey says education is a high priority for her administration, but lamented Alabama’s often poor showing in state rankings.
“It seems to me we’ve just gotten complacent and accustomed to being at or near the bottom,” Ivey says. “But our children are suffering from this. We need to get energized about fixing the education system.”
Ivey encouraged those at the meeting to vote in favor of a constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot March 3rd. Under the amendment, members of the state school board would be appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate. Board members are currently elected.
Ivey will give her State of the State Address Tuesday evening at 6:30. WBHM will carry that speech live.
As deadline for Trump’s colleges compact looms, schools signal dissent
Of the original nine schools that received the Trump administration's Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, the majority have indicated they are not planning on signing.
Centrist Rodrigo Paz wins Bolivia’s presidential runoff, topping right-wing rival
Centrist senator Rodrigo Paz won Bolivia's presidency with 54% of the vote, ending 20 years of rule by the Movement Toward Socialism party amid economic turmoil.
Trump announces tariffs and an end to U.S. aid to Colombia amid clash over drug trade
The U.S. will slash assistance to Colombia and enact tariffs on its exports because the country's leader, Gustavo Petro, "does nothing to stop" drug production, President Donald Trump said Sunday.
Sam Rivers, bassist and founding member of Limp Bizkit, dies aged 48
"Sam Rivers wasn't just our bass player — he was pure magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound," Limp Bizkit said in a social media post Saturday.
Israel strikes Gaza as both IDF and Hamas accuse each other of breaching ceasefire
The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday it responded after "terrorists" attacked troops operating in the Rafah area with gunfire and an anti-tank missile. Hamas said it was unaware of the clashes.
Masked thieves steal ‘priceless’ jewels from the Louvre museum
France's Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, called the heist "a major, highly organized operation" that lasted just seven minutes. Authorities were still drawing up the value of the stolen items.
