A special election will be held in Limestone County today to fill a vacant state representative seat.
Democrat Henry White and Republicans Ronnie Kaufman, Danny Crawford, Mike Cricillis, Jerry Hill, and Chris Seibert are all running in the District 5 election.
John Merrill is Alabama’s Secretary of State. He says the special election is necessary due to an unfortunate circumstance.
“The Special Election in Limestone County is being held unfortunately due to the untimely death of my former colleague State Representative Dan Williams from Athens, and when Representative Williams passed away, it created a vacancy.”
Voters have until 7:00 tonight to cast their vote. The results will be posted online at AlabamaVotes.gov.
Students will be voting today and tomorrow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
They will be deciding on whether or not to increase the student activity fee on campus by $25. The money would help fund three recently reinstated sports programs.
Garrett Stephens is the USGA President at UAB. He says a show of solidarity is important.
“It shows everyone who watched this situation unfold, showing them that the students are willing to take ownership and take account of sports and overall student experience at UAB. So it sends a strong message and shows students are on board to support the three sports.”
Stephens says the student body is excited to have the football, bowling and rifle programs back. In the past, the student body was criticized for not backing the school’s athletic programs.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is leading a trial study to improve blood pressure control in the rural Southeast.
Officials say UAB has been given a $9.4 million grant to address high blood pressure and associated health concerns in a region spanning eastern Texas to Maryland. The trial is expected to focus on low-income minorities in rural areas. UAB officials say the University of North Carolina and East Carolina University will help administer the program.
The trial will include practice facilitation, which is aimed at structural changes to improve the quality of care, and peer coaches to help build positive relationships with health care providers.
Organizers say the study will involve 80 primary care practices across the region, with 25 African-American patients at each practice.
Hundreds of members of Alabama's law enforcement community are gathering in Montgomery for an annual meeting today.
The Attorney General's Law Enforcement Summit will be held later today at Frazer United Methodist Church.
Attorney General Luther Strange's office says the main topic of the gathering will be fighting drug abuse through education, communication and collaboration between the state’s police agencies.
The summit will also include a session about protecting students from misconduct by teachers.
The attorney general's office says 667 officers are registered to attend the summit. The meeting will include a commemoration of officers who've died in the line of duty.