A proposed constitutional amendment to fund Alabama National Guard armories from state trust fund money is too close to call. Nearly complete but unofficial returns show Amendment 2 got 50.4 percent of the vote Tuesday. But the lead of 7,810 votes out of more than 920,000 cast made the outcome too close to call. The amendment would let 50 million dollars from the Alabama Trust Fund be used for constructing and maintaining armories. The Association of County Commissions of Alabama opposed the measure. It says the proposal would have a devastating effect on revenues that counties get from the fund. Supporters say the amendment is vital because the Guard needs new and updated facilities.
Alabama will be sending someone new to congress from the 6th congressional district. That race has come to a close and unofficial results have Republican Gary Palmer as the winner. Palmer and Democrat Mark Lester squared off to replace retiring Republican representative Spencer Bachus. Palmer says his district has some different challenges than others in the state…
“We’ve gone through a lot of issues in Jefferson County with the bankruptcy and i think we’ve turned a corner on that. The city of Birmingham is doing well. We’ve got a lot of work to do, there hasn’t been a major project in district 6 in over a decade but we’ve got tremendous assets in infrastructure that we can utilize.”
Big issues in the race included health care, immigration and the economy. The sixth district was declared by the National Journal as one of the safest GOP seats in the country and it was the only open congressional race in the state.
Viewers of the television business show Alabama, inc. will include a name and voice that may be familiar to listeners of Alabama Public Radio. Shelley Stewart of Birmingham runs the advertising firm O-2 ideas. APR listeners first met him last year during the national award winning documentary civil rights radio. In 1963, Stewart was a radio disc jockey who put code words into his broadcasts to signal the start of a protest called the children’s march. He says despite the racism of the time, he wouldn’t have started his ad firm anywhere else…
“It takes both the black and the white keys on the piano to play the Star Spangled Banner. So, I didn’t hesitate looking at the big picture and do a business for all Americans and beyond.”
Pat Duggins' profile of Shelley Stewart can be heard tonight at ten on Alabama, Inc. on your local Alabama Public television station.
