North Carolina has become the 40th state to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, after the state House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill backed by the Democratic governor. This marks the end of a decade-long debate and will provide health insurance to roughly 600,000 additional low-income residents. The expansion is expected to have a positive impact on the state's economy, and advocates in Alabama are urging lawmakers to take advantage of the federal incentives to expand Medicaid.
Posts tagged as “Alabama”
Daniel P. Watson, a 28-year-old man from Pell City, Alabama, has been arrested and charged with four counts of murder in shootings across two Alabama counties. Two victims have been identified in St. Clair County, while two victims in Jefferson County were found dead in a car Monday night. Watson is being held at the St. Clair County Detention Center and the investigation into the shootings is ongoing.
Norfolk Southern train derailed Thursday morning in Calhoun County, Alabama, hours before company CEO Alan Shaw was due to testify to lawmakers about a February 3rd derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Approximately 30 cars derailed, but there were no reports of injuries or hazardous material leaks. Norfolk Southern is currently working with local officials to investigate the cause of the incident.
Residents of Springfield, Ohio were asked to shelter in place on Saturday after a Norfolk Southern cargo train derailed, downing large high tension power lines and knocking out power to some homes. Firefighters and the county hazmat team responded to the scene and officials said there was no indication of any injuries or risk to public health. Norfolk Southern is currently investigating the cause of the derailment and restoring power to affected homes.
On the 58th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" march in Selma, Alabama, President Joe Biden called for new voting protections, noting that the right to vote is still under attack. He pointed to the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act over the years as a major factor in the erosion of voting rights and called for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Biden also highlighted the need for a new voting rights act to protect against discrimination, emphasizing that the right to vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democratic society.
Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky declared a state of emergency on Friday evening as a large storm system moved through the South and Midwest, causing significant damage, leaving thousands without power, and resulting in at least 10 deaths. In Kentucky, four weather-related deaths were reported in four different counties, and Mayor Greg Fischer urged residents to stay off the roads and to be prepared for power outages. The storm system is expected to move out of the region by Saturday evening, but the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the Northeast, with up to a foot of snow expected in some areas.
After 45 years of searching, the remains of Auburn University student Kyle Clinkscales, who disappeared in 1976, have been identified. The remains were found inside his 1974 Ford Pinto in a creek in Cusseta, Alabama, and were positively identified by the Troup County Coroner's Office after DNA analysis. The Troup County Sheriff's Office has asked anyone with information about the case to contact them, providing closure to Clinkscales' family and friends.
The family of Anthony Don Mitchell, a mentally ill man who died in an Alabama jail, has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was kept naked in a concrete cell and may have been placed in a freezer or other frigid environment. The lawsuit states that an emergency room doctor who tried unsuccessfully to revive Mitchell wrote that hypothermia was the ultimate cause of his death. The family is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.