Alabama
Lawmaker stalls dozens of contracts in Alabama liquor board dispute: ‘Classic bureaucrat double speak’
An Alabama lawmaker on Thursday temporarily put on hold dozens of state agency contracts because of what he said were delays by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to implement a law passed in 2023.
Sen. Chris Elliott, a Republican from Baldwin County, said the bill, which he sponsored, was intended to allow employees at businesses that serve liquor to complete the ABC Board’s Responsible Vendor Program online.
Elliott said the ABC Board has not adopted the rules to allow the online training.
A spokesman for the ABC Board said online training is already taking place.
But Elliott disputed that and said the ABC Board’s rules contradict the 2023 law.
“It’s very frustrating for the Legislature, an entire branch of government, to be ignored by the bureaucracy,” Elliott said.
“We’ve passed this piece of legislation. We have communicated with the ABC Board about what the legislative intent was, communicated by phone call or in person, in writing what the intent was.
“And some 18 months later, we still have no rules promulgated by the bureaucracy that is charged with doing it,” Elliott said.
Elliott released a copy of a letter he wrote to the ABC Board in September. The letter said the 2023 law was intended to remove barriers for businesses to participate in the Responsible Vendor Program.
Elliott‘s comments came at Thursday’s meeting of the Legislature’s contract review committee. The committee, which meets monthly, reviews state agency contracts and asks representatives of the agencies questions.
Any member of the committee can delay contracts for up to 45 days. But the committee cannot permanently block or kill a contract.
The ABC Board did not have any contracts on the committee’s agenda on Thursday. Elliott said he put a hold on all the other agencies’ contracts to put pressure on the ABC Board to implement the law.
Dean Argo, manager of government relations and communications for the ABC Board, issued a statement in response to Elliott’s comments.
Argo said online training for the Responsible Vendor Program is allowed and has been taking place for some time.
“The 2023 law by Sen. Chris Elliott did not require the ABC Board to promulgate rules or change any existing rules,” Argo said.
“A private association approached the ABC Board three months ago and requested that several rules regarding the online training presentation be clarified to benefit its members.
“The ABC Board agreed to do (so) because the clarifications did not impact whether or not online training was offered. However, there was disagreement over how incorrect answers offered online were processed.”
Argo said the ABC Board plans to consider the rule change at its meeting next week.
“During its regularly scheduled meeting on October 17, 2024, the Board asked staff for some additional research on what other states are doing regarding online RVP Training,” Argo said. “The proposed rule modification is on next week’s (November 14, 2024) agenda.”
Elliott said Argo’s statement was misleading.
“The statement from the ABC Board is the type of classic bureaucrat double speak that frustrates small business owners and their representatives alike,” Elliott said in an email.
Elliott cited an ABC rule that says: “The format of the course of instruction shall include face-to-face training and question and answer opportunities.”
“This is obviously not conducive to online training,” Elliott said. “To say otherwise is just wrong.”
Sen. Billy Beasley, D-Clayton, a member of the Contract Review Committee, opposed Elliott’s decision to hold up all the contracts.
“I think it’s unfair to the agencies that come here and present their case and have a blanket objection to any of the contracts being approved,” Beasley said.
“I’d like to move that we rescind the senator from Baldwin County’s request. If he wants to object and hold ABC, that’s his prerogative. But I don’t think we need to hold everybody else.”
Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, said he understood Beasley’s point. But Pringle said the committee has always operated under the rules that one lawmaker could hold contracts without consent from other members.
“One member does have a right to hold every contract,” Pringle said. “And that’s just kind of the way this committee works.”
Elliott said his purpose is to put pressure on the ABC Board to implement the 2023 law. He said he would lift his hold on contracts when the board adopts the rules for the law.
“I’m hoping that this fairly dramatic step here will get their attention,” Elliott said. “And I’m hoping to provide a little bit more incentive to them and pressure all the people in this room to deal with this issue as they should.
“This has been something that’s been going on for months and months. We pass laws and the governor signs them, and we expect them to be enacted by the executive branch.”
The Alabama Responsible Vendor Program is a voluntary program for licensees that sell and serve alcohol. To be certified, businesses must train all employees who sell and serve alcoholic beverages on topics such as Alabama liquor laws, legal age determination, civil and criminal penalties, and risk reducing techniques.
“Obviously, I represent an area that‘s very heavy in the restaurant and hospitality world, they want to have more people responsibly trained to be servers,” said Elliott, whose district includes Baldwin County’s Gulf Coast beaches. “That’s a good thing for them. It’s a good thing for their insurance.
“And so why the ABC board is not moving forward on this, I don’t know. I’m thinking they’re going to get the message after today.”
The contract review agenda included 60 contracts with a total cost of about $80 million.
Alabama
16-year-old 'Baby Driver' actor dies after fall from moving vehicle in Alabama
ATLANTA – Hudson Meek, a rising teen actor best known for his role as “Young Baby” in the 2017 Atlanta-filmed blockbuster Baby Driver, has tragically passed away at the age of 16.
Meek died on Saturday from injuries sustained after falling from a moving vehicle in his hometown of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, according to multiple sources. The Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that he suffered blunt force injuries in the incident, which occurred last Thursday on the 1900 block of Canyon Road. The circumstances surrounding the accident remain under investigation by the Vestavia Hills Police Department.
Meek’s family shared the heartbreaking news on his Instagram account, writing, “Our hearts are broken to share that Hudson Meek went home to be with Jesus tonight.”
Hudson Meek was a graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and had a blossoming career in the entertainment industry. In Baby Driver, filmed and set in Atlanta, he portrayed the younger version of Ansel Elgort’s main character in the Edgar Wright-directed action film. His talents extended to appearances in NBC’s Found, the MacGyver reboot, and voice acting roles. Alongside his brother, Tucker Meek, he also appeared in the 2014 Lifetime movie The Santa Con.
Meek’s obituary highlighted his passion for acting and his love for working on set, saying, “He absolutely loved spending time on set and having the chance to learn the names and stories of every member of the cast and crew.” Several of his projects are set to be released in 2025.
READ THE OBIT
J Pervis Talent Agency, which represented Meek, paid tribute on Instagram: “Hudson was an extraordinary young talent, whose dedication, passion, and promise shone brightly within our industry. Over the past 10 years, he contributed so much to the spirit of our agency, and his loss leaves a void that will be deeply felt by all of us.”
Baby Driver (2017) is a stylish action-crime film directed by Edgar Wright. The movie revolves around Baby, a young and talented getaway driver with a passion for music. Played by Ansel Elgort, Baby uses his carefully curated playlists to drown out the tinnitus he developed from a childhood car accident and to synchronize his driving, making him one of the best in the business.
Baby works for Doc, a mysterious crime boss played by Kevin Spacey, who organizes heists with rotating crews of criminals. Baby is reluctantly tied to Doc due to a debt, but he dreams of leaving the criminal world behind. His plans are further solidified when he meets Debora, a kind-hearted waitress played by Lily James, and the two begin to imagine a future free from crime.
However, Baby’s path to freedom is complicated by a dangerous heist crew and escalating tensions with volatile criminals like Bats (Jamie Foxx) and Buddy (Jon Hamm). As the stakes rise, Baby must use his driving skills, quick thinking, and determination to protect Debora and escape the life of crime once and for all.
Alabama
Alabama quadruplets out of NICU and home for Christmas
AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) – When Becca Bryant found out she was pregnant, she was excited to add a fourth child to her family. What the family didn’t expect is it wouldn’t just be adding a fourth kid, but also a fifth, sixth and seventh.
The quadruplets – Kali, Koen, Laney and Lennon – were born premature at 23 weeks and four days.
Because of their early birth, they had to spend five to six months in the neonatal intensive care unit. The last one was brought home on Dec. 10, just weeks before Christmas.
“We get closer to Christmas and our last one’s still in the NICU, and I’m like come on, come on, come on, let’s go home, let’s go home,” Bryant said. “So now that we’re all here, I’m so excited. I cannot wait to get all of them in front of the tree and take a picture.”
Having three more kids than you’re expecting is sure to put a financial strain on any family, but the community has made sure the Bryant family has all of its needs covered.
“We are very blessed to say that we have not bought a single diaper yet, and we’ve had people send gift cards, and we’ve had people send cash,” she said. “We wouldn’t make it without that.”
The parents are also getting much-needed help from their older kids.
“Once they started trickling home, they were all excited, and they just couldn’t wait. They wanted to hold them, they wanted to help, they wanted to get their clothes, they wanted to do their bottles, and they still want to do all that stuff,” said Bryant.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 148 sets of quadruplets or higher-order births in 2023. That’s the lowest number since it started collecting data in 1998.
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Alabama
South Alabama adds Samford wide receiver transfer Brendan Jenkins for 2025
South Alabama on Wednesday picked up its first transfer portal commitment of the current cycle, from former Samford wide receiver Brendan Jenkins.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Jenkins caught 89 passes for 888 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons with the Bulldogs, and was Southern Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023. A native of Hochston, Ga., he has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
South Alabama has a major need at receiver, with four seniors among its top five pass-catchers in 2024. First-team All-Sun Belt selection Jamaal Pritchett has used up his eligibility, as have Salute to Veterans Bowl Most Valuable Player Jeremiah Webb, tight end DJ Thomas-Jones and No. 4 receiver Shamar Sandgren (though it’s now possible Sandgren could return next season after a recent NCAA ruling involving former junior-college transfers).
Devin Voisin, who caught 34 passes this past season, is expected to return for a seventh year at South Alabama in 2025 after receiving a medical redshirt following an early-season knee injury in 2023. Also eligible to return are Anthony Eager (10 catches, 2 TDs as a redshirt freshman in 2024), program veteran Keyshawn Woodyard and a host of less-experienced receivers including Micah Woods, Noah Toster, Jeremy Scott and Jerrian Graham.
South Alabama is expected to add a number of other portal transfers before spring semester classes begin on Jan. 13. The transfer portal closes for new entries on Dec. 28, though a player already in the portal by then may commit to or sign with his new school at any time.
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