No more DEI, 80 years to ID vet, gambling bill update: Down in Alabama

By

Alabama passes wide-ranging bill banning college DEI programs, training

After days of lengthy debate, an effort to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Alabama state institutions will now head to the governor’s desk.

The bill, SB129, authored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, asks for sweeping changes or cancellations to state agencies and public colleges that currently fund DEI offices and programming. It is not clear yet whether the bill will force some state colleges, which support a combined $16 million in diversity spending, to lay off staff.

The bill bans any program that “advocates for a divisive concept.” It also would prohibit higher education institutions from allowing individuals to use a restroom that is different from their sex as assigned at birth.

The House of Representatives passed an amended version of the bill on March 7. The Senate approved the changes Tuesday afternoon on a 25-4 vote. It will now head to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk; if signed, changes go into effect Oct. 1.

Tuesday evening, the ACLU of Alabama called the legislation a “blow for the activists, students, and everyday Alabamians” who protested the bill and others throughout the legislative session.

Public colleges also are preparing for changes on campuses. In a message to students and faculty Tuesday evening, presidents of the University of Alabama System’s three campuses said leadership and legal counsel are working to determine what actions the campuses will need to take to ensure their programs are in compliance with the law, if the bill is signed by Ivey.

Remains of Alabama soldier killed in WWII positively ID’d nearly 80 years after his death

The remains of Noah C. Reeves, an Alabama man who was killed during World War II, were declared “non-recoverable in 1951 following several investigations.

But in 2022, his remains were positively identified -- nearly 80 years after Reeves, a 26-year-old Army private, was reported killed in action in Germany on Dec. 6, 1944, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Tuesday.

The Moulton resident, who was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battlion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division in the European theater during World War II, was fighting German forces near Vossenack, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when he was reported killed in action on Dec. 6, 1944.

But members of Reeves’ unit were unable to recover his body from the Germans before fighting resumed, and his remains were unaccounted for after the war.

Reeves was originally declared “non-recoverable” in 1951.

His name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery along with others missing from World War II.

In light of the identification, a rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Alabama lottery, gambling bill not likely to advance this week

A plan for an Alabama lottery and other state-regulated gambling apparently will not advance in the Legislature this week.

Rep. Chris Blackshear, R-Phenix City, the House sponsor of the plan, said the House is in the early stages of reviewing the extensive changes the Senate made to the legislation two weeks ago. Lawmakers returned to Montgomery on Tuesday after taking last week off.

Blackshear’s bills, which passed the House Feb. 15, would allow voters to decide whether to authorize a lottery, legal sports betting, and up to 10 casinos.

The Senate version, approved on March 7, kept the lottery but does not include sports betting.

It is up to the House to decide whether to concur with the Senate plan or send the legislation to a conference committee to try to arrive at a compromise that both chambers can approve.

Why did Coca-Cola Bottling clear 105 acres next to Interstate 20/59?

Bulldozers this past week have been clearing 105 acres south of the Tallapoosa Street exit, moving dirt and knocking down trees on a highly visible site east of W.C. Patton Park along Interstate 20/59.

Travelers headed east out of downtown Birmingham can’t miss all the activity.

What’s going on?

That land is owned by Coca Cola Bottling Co. United-Central LLC in Birmingham, which currently operates from a distribution center at 4600 East Lake Boulevard overlooking the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport.

Coca Cola Bottling United has continued to upgrade its facilities on East Lake Boulevard but has run out of room there.

The property between 40th and 42nd St. North at 4000 Richard Arrington Boulevard (formerly 10th Ave. North) was from 1914-1997 the campus of Stockham Valves and Fittings, a company founded in Birmingham in 1903 that became one of the nation’s largest producers of valves and pipe fittings for heavy industry.

The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday voted to vacate the right of ways on the property so Coca Cola Bottling could consolidate its property.

Coca Cola Bottling is not yet announcing details of what may be built there on the property.

More in Alabama:

Listen to the podcast:

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.