WVAS Local

   A major fundraiser is taking place at Alabama State University. ASU’s Mighty Marching Hornets Band will be performing in the 2019 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. Funds are needed for that endeavor, so boosters of the band are asking alumni, supporters and members of the public to make contributio

  Governor Kay Ivey is warning that Alabama’s auto industry could be harmed if tariffs are imposed on U-S goods around the world. In a departure from President Donald Trump on the issue of trade, Ivey says import tariffs like those supported by the president would hurt the state. She asserts that import duties could cause retaliatory tariffs that would increase the cost of items made in Alabama and sold in other countries.

   The latest endeavor by the Equal Justice Initiative opened to the public Wednesday. A new café and book store is now operating next to the EJI’s Legacy Museum on Coosa Street in downtown Montgomery. Starbucks is a component of the café along with baked goods from Little Red Cupcake. The bookstore contains books on racial history and social justice. Kiara Boone with EJI says the hope is that people will return from the Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Museum and gather in the bookstore and café. The Café is open daily from 7:30am to 6pm.

   According to the latest U-S Drought Monitor, the moderate drought conditions that had existed in Central Alabama have come to an end. Rainfall totals during the past two weeks reached three to five inches across that part of the state with higher amounts in localized areas. The rain significantly improved the dry conditions that had been present. The report also indicates that soil moisture values are running near normal for Central Alabama, though periodic rainfall will be needed to maintain near or above normal levels.

   State Schools Superintendent Eric Mackey weighed in yesterday on the accreditation report given to Montgomery Public Schools earlier this week. Mackey labeled the review by accrediting agency AdvancED as “one of the worst he’s ever seen.” 

   The accrediting body AdvanED made its presentation to the Montgomery County Board of Education yesterday as it revealed to the board that the system’s status has been changed to “under review.” A six-member team has been reviewing the Montgomery County Public School System for several months as well as compiling the report presented yesterday. In that report it is revealed that 31 performance standards were measured in 3 categories. Those categories are Leadership Capacity, Learning Capacity and Resource Capacity.

   Alberto is now a subtropical depression as it plows through Alabama today. For several hours this morning the storm spilled copious amounts of rainfall on the state. Flash flooding occurred in several counties earlier this morning.  A flash flood watch does remain in effect until this evening. The saturating rainfall coupled with strong winds has resulted in trees toppling over – and that means downed power lines.  Alabama Power Company says at one point today almost 12-thousand residents were without electricity in Central Alabama.

   No relief in sight from recent heavy rains and in fact, a tropical system in the western Caribbean bears watching in the coming days. Flash flooding has been a problem in several southeastern states this week including Lee County, Alabama. Emergency management officials there say at least two bridges have collapsed and several roads were barricaded because of the high water. 

   An agreement between the Alabama Education Association and the State Department of Education means that Chisolm Elementary in Montgomery is going to be open for at least the next five years. Because of that change in the intervention plan for Montgomery County Public Schools, the rezoning informational meetings that were going to begin tomorrow night will be rescheduled. The community meetings to provide information on the new zones are now scheduled for May 31st at Park Crossing High School, June 4 at Carver High School and June 7 at Lee High School.

   The city of Montgomery is set to honor a significant figure in the civil rights movement this afternoon. Mayor Todd Strange and other community leaders are holding an event to recognize 80 year old Bruce Carver Boynton of Selma. Boynton, a black man, was arrested in 1958 for sitting in the whites-only section of a bus station restaurant. His conviction and appeal led to the Supreme Court case that ended racially segregated travel in the U-S and inspired the Freedom Rides movement.