A prefilled bill with the Alabama Legislature could change a gun law in Alabama. This bill would require a person to have a permit to carry an assault weapon on them or in a vehicle and they would need a permit to purchase or acquire an assault weapon. In 2023, Alabama no longer required gun owners to obtain a permit after the Permit-less Carry Law went into effect. WAFF TV notes that anyone 19 or older, who can legally possess a firearm, can carry an assault weapon openly or concealed without a permit, background check, or safety training.
A south Alabama representative has refiled a bill that would require unemancipated minors to receive parental consent for vaccinations. Under current Alabama law, minors aged 14 and above can consent to their own medical treatments without parental approval. The new bill would mandate written consent from a parent or legal guardian before any minor can be vaccinated, except in cases where the minor is living independently. In an interview with the Alabama reflector, the bill’s sponsor Rep. Chip Brown said concerns grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that this is not “necessarily a COVID bill” but a “vaccination bill that deals with parental rights.”
As many as 1,800 Alabama third graders will repeat the grade because they aren’t reading well enough to move on to fourth grade. State superintendent Eric Mackey made that announcement Thursday. Alabama’s literacy law says that if students can’t read well by the end of third grade, they will be held back. AL.com reports Spring test results showed 4,800 third graders did not reach the required benchmark. Those students were given a chance to attend summer camps, boost their skills and test again. Just over 3,000 third graders took the test again during the summer, and just over thirteen hundred passed the benchmark. Numbers will be finalized in September.
The Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing the application for a water quality permit for a proposed quarry in the Belle Mina community. Alabama Department of Environmental Management spokesman Ron Gore told the Huntsville Times that a decision on the air pollution and water quality applications for the permits for the planned quarry off Mooresville Road is weeks, “may be months” away. ADEM is deciding whether to issue air pollution and water quality permits to construct and operate the quarry. The EPA outlined concerns in a letter to ADEM last spring.
Huntsville Animal Services is trying to make room in the shelter for more animals. They are asking the public to help clear the shelter through its “Elect to Adopt” campaign. This campaign is part of the larger nationwide “Clear the Shelters” initiative, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. To celebrate, HAS is waiving adoption fees on most adult pets to help reduce the number of animals in the shelter and find them homes. You can find adoptable cats and dogs on the Huntsville Animal Services website, www.huntsvilleal.gov/environment/animal-services.
Huntsville International Airport continues to break records this summer in the number of passengers and cars in the parking lots. The airport recorded 135,000 - 147,000 monthly passengers over the past two months. WAFF TV reports that on June 26, the airport broke their all-time daily record of occupied parking spots. Almost 90% of parking spots were full. A planned overflow parking lot will add around 300 additional parking spaces once it is complete.