Alabama Archives - The Michigan Star

Amazon Workers Will Redo Union Vote After First Election Ruled Illegal

January 13, 2022January 12, 2022 Michigan Star Staff

Amazon employees in Bessemer, Alabama, are set to hold a second union vote after the first election was deemed illegal, a federal labor agency said Tuesday.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that workers at the Bessemer warehouse would vote again on whether to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) on Feb. 4. The second vote comes almost a year after the first election in which Amazon employees overwhelmingly rejected the proposal to join the RWDSU.

Following the unsuccessful unionization bid, labor organizers demanded a new vote, alleging that Amazon improperly placed the election ballot box on company property, which the union argued was a form of intimidation. The union also alleged that Amazon threatened warehouse workers with messages saying the facility might close or they might lose benefits if the union vote succeeded.

Judge Removed After Allegedly Calling Colleague Names, Making Employee Take Diet Pills, Using Fake Facebook Accounts to Threaten Litigants

December 21, 2021December 20, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

Jefferson County, Alabama, Judge Nakita Blocton was removed from her job after numerous accusations of abuse against employees, colleagues and litigants while reportedly under the influence of Phentermine or other prescription drugs.

Blocton was accused of calling another judge a “fat bitch” and “Uncle Tom,” according to the judgment of the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.

One employee accused Blocton of forcing her and others to take Phentermine, a diet pill, to “pep” them up after working late in a complaint to the Alabama Judiciary.

Student Government Nominee ‘Canceled’ over Social Media Posts Expressing Conservative Values

August 23, 2021August 22, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

A junior nominated for a position on Auburn University’s student government was successfully shot down because he expressed Christian and conservative beliefs on social media.

Stephen Morris was nominated for the position of chief justice of Auburn University’s Student Government Association. To his surprise, at the session where his nomination was to be taken up, held remotely over video, several members of the student senate strongly opposed his nomination.

Alabama Becomes Latest State to End $300 Unemployment Bonus

May 12, 2021May 11, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

Alabama will soon cease participating in the federal government’s unemployment insurance program that grants out-of-work Americans an extra $300 per week, the state’s governor said.

Republican Gov. Kay Ivey announced that the state would withdraw from the coronavirus relief program by June 19, 2021, arguing that the $300 in additional weekly payments was incentivizing people not to look for jobs. She suggested that the labor shortages reported in states across the country have been caused by the unemployment boost.

“As Alabama’s economy continues its recovery, we are hearing from more and more business owners and employers that it is increasingly difficult to find workers to fill available jobs, even though job openings are abundant,” Ivey said in a statement.

Alabama A&M Shutters Confucius Institute

May 3, 2021May 2, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

Alabama A&M University in Huntsville is the latest school to close its Confucius Institute.

According to a press release from Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), the university’s board “voted to close their Confucius Institute and end their relationship with the Communist Chinese Party.”

“Confucius Institutes are nothing more than Communist Chinese Party propaganda and spying units,” said Rep. Brooks. “For nearly a year, I, and other patriotic Alabamians have called on Alabama A&M University and Troy University to close their Communist Chinese Party-controlled Confucius Institutes.”

13 States Sue Biden Administration, Demand Ability to Cut Taxes

April 4, 2021April 3, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey

Thirteen states sued President Joe Biden’s administration over an American Rescue Plan provision prohibiting states from cutting taxes after accepting coronavirus relief funds.

The 13-state coalition argued that the provision included in the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package preventing states from cutting taxes if they accept relief from the federal government is unconstitutional. The coalition, led by Republican West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday evening in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

“Never before has the federal government attempted such a complete takeover of state finances,” Morrisey said in a Wednesday statement. “We cannot stand for such overreach.”

Mo Brooks to Make Major Announcement Monday in Huntsville

March 22, 2021March 21, 2021 Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL-05) is scheduled to make what he calls a major announcement regarding his future Monday. This, according to a press release that Brooks and his staff emailed late last week. Brooks also promoted the event on Twitter.

21 States Sue Biden Admin for Revoking Keystone XL Permit

March 22, 2021March 21, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

A group of red states sued President Biden and members of his administration on Wednesday over his decision to revoke a key permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, The Hill reported.

The lawsuit is led by Montana and Texas, and backed by 19 other states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Alabama Senate Passes Bill Criminalizing Trans Surgeries, Puberty Blockers for Minors

March 5, 2021March 4, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

The Alabama state Senate voted Tuesday to criminalize performing gender transition surgeries or hormone therapy on minors who identify as transgender.

Under the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, doctors would be prohibited from treating Alabama minors with hormone therapy, surgery, or puberty blockers “intended to alter the minor child’s gender or delay puberty.”

Rep. Mo Brooks Calls for Investigation After U.S. Army’s Chaney Pickard Sends Race-Baiting Email, Labels ‘MAGA’ Slogan and More ‘White Supremacy’

July 13, 2020July 13, 2020 Michigan Star Staff

by Debra Heine The U.S. Army sent an email to its military and civilian members after the Fourth of July that included a graphic that claimed innocuous words and phrases like “colorblind,” “all lives matter” and the Trump Campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” are evidence of “white supremacy.”…

Alabama City Removes Confederate Statue Without Notice

June 5, 2020November 9, 2020 The Associated Press

Alabama’s port city removed a statue of a Confederate naval officer early Friday after days of protests over the police killing of George Floyd, with the mayor saying the monument was a “potential distraction” to focusing on the city’s future.

Sheriffs Across the Country Are Refusing to Enforce Unconstitutional Stay at Home Orders

May 18, 2020May 18, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Dozens of sheriffs across the country are refusing to enforce stay-at-home orders because of their unconstitutional nature.

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Alabama Abortion Ban

October 30, 2019October 29, 2019 Michigan Star Staff

A federal judge temporarily blocked the passage of Alabama’s abortion ban Tuesday.

Republican Introduces Bill to End Secrecy of Impeachment Inquiry, Says Dems Are Conducting Inquiry in ‘Capitol Basement’

October 17, 2019May 21, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL-05) introduced a bill Wednesday demanding that impeachment-related work be “done in an open setting and in public view.”

Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks Joins Leahy Live in DC to Discuss a Potential 2022 Senate Run and the Impeachment Inquiry

September 26, 2019September 26, 2019 JCarr

On Wednesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – live from the nation’s capitol Leahy spoke to Congressman Mo Brooks about some Alabama football his aspirations to run for a Senate seat in 2020.

American Inventor Series: Mary Anderson, Inventor of the Windshield Wiper

September 26, 2019May 21, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

On August 14, the Northwest Ohio Classical Academy (NOCA) opened in Toledo for the 2019-20 school year. It is the culmination of five years of effort on behalf of a group of parents who were not satisfied with the current school options available to them.