Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling has offered to step down from his position a year early in exchange for an end to protests outside his home and comments about his performance at council meetings. The Decatur Daily received audio recordings of meetings held Monday and Wednesday between Bowling, the widow of Steve Perkins and grassroots activist groups. Perkins was shot and killed by Decatur Police officers on Sept. 29. WAFF TV reports Bowling explained in the audio recording of Monday’s meeting that Jacob Ladner, city council president, would automatically become the new mayor after he steps down. However, this could be voted against by the city council.
Convicted sex offenders could not be first responders under legislation pre-filed in the Alabama Legislature. State law already prohibits sex offenders from working in schools, child care centers or other businesses that cater primarily to children. Rep. Kerry Underwood, R-Tuscumbia, says the law needs to be amended to cover first responders, including those at volunteer fire departments. Alabama Daily News reports violation of the law would be a Class C felony, but the legislation does not hold employers liable for hiring offenders. The Alabama Association of Volunteer Fire Departments wants the bill to become law.
According to AAA, domestic travel for the upcoming Labor Day weekend is up 9% from last year. WHNT TV reports the Alabama Department of Transportation will have no interstate lane closures throughout the state during the holiday weekend. AAA recommends you travel back before 10 a.m. Monday to avoid heavy traffic.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville announced the official activation of its Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps operating location this week. A news item from UAH says this is the first Air Force or Space Force ROTC program of its kind in the U.S. Available to freshmen and sophomores, the program will allow scholarship and non-scholarship cadets to live as regular college students while pursuing their degrees. Once they graduate, they will be commissioned in the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force.
An early mockup of NASA's now-retired winged orbiter, Pathfinder was returned to its position at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center this week. Workers using two heavy-lift cranes raised Pathfinder — without its wings and main engines — 80 feet off the ground to its mount atop an external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters. Space.com reports the horizontal display is one of only two such displays in the world; the other, at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, features space shuttle Endeavour.
Huntsville city officials held a ribbon-cutting Thursday for the new downtown Transit Center. The $14.6 million center includes 14 bus bays, a 3,800-square-foot lobby building with a ticket counter and waiting area. The Huntsville Times reports most of the funding came from a Federal Transit Authority grant. The center opens Sept. 3, along with a new route to south Huntsville.
The Huntsville Ghost Walk resumes this weekend. Tours will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, and again at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Afterwards, tours will resume the regular schedule of Fridays and Saturdays in September and October. WHNT TV reports that this year, there will be Sunday tours in October in addition to Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets and information are at www.huntsvilleghostwalk.com.
Jazz in the Park 2024 is set to kick off on September 1 and 2, marking the start of Huntsville Music Month. This year’s lineup features smooth jazz artists from around the world playing in Big Spring Park. In addition to the headliners, each concert will also feature an opening and pre-opening act. A news item from Downtown Huntsville Inc. says the diverse lineup showcases a range of instruments, genres, and both local and regional talent.