State House seat, Britt in the spin room: Down in Alabama

Replacing Rogers

It's sad when it happens, but every so often, a local election needs to be held to fill a vacant Legislative seat because a lawmaker has moved from the State House to the Big House.

That's happening today in parts of Birmingham, where state Rep. John Rogers left his Alabama District 52 seat after pleading guilty to charges in a kickback scheme, reports AL.com's Joseph D. Bryant .

This election may have snuck up on some folks, and not just because it's ball season and a very loud presidential campaign season. A Republican candidate entered the race pretty late in the game, after the primaries.

Meanwhile, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin aide Kelvin Datcher won the Democratic primary in a runoff. He has experience as a staffer for local officials and said he's a supporter of public education, greater affordable housing and community development, and expanding access to healthcare.

He'll be facing Republican Erskine Brown Jr., a retiree working as a caregiver who said he wants to increase benefits for seniors and add support for healthcare and education.

Brown's dad, Erskine Brown Sr., was a Democratic political operative and member of the BJCC Authority Board.

Britt's debate role

Earlier this year, there was a brief time when speculative lists of potential Donald Trump running mates were including U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Enterprise. She was even called on to deliver the GOP response to President Biden's State of the Union Address.

The running-mate buzz died out, and Trump ultimately selected Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio. But when Vance meets Democratic counterpart Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at tonight's debate, Britt will be in the spin room to give her take on Vance's performance, reports AL.com's Howard Koplowitz .

If you're not familiar with the purpose of surrogates in the spin room, here are some things you won't hear:

"I was hoping my guy would have a little more energy tonight."

"Wow, our opponent is a lot sharper than I've given him credit for."

"At least they weren't as bad as the presidential candidates."

No, you won't hear those things. From either side.

Britt will join Republican Congressional colleagues and Trump surrogates to make the case that Vance got the best of Walz tonight. In addition to this role and the State of the Union reaction, she also had a speaking spot at the Republican National Convention in July in Milwaukee.

National Guard to North Carolina

The Alabama National Guard has deployed search-and-rescue units to North Carolina as the state continues to struggle with the crisis caused by flooding in the wake of Hurricane Helene, reports AL.com's Mike Cason . Flood damage, people searches, food and water distribution and communication all remain big problems in the western part of the Tarheel State.

Gov. Kay Ivey's office said Alabama's Fatality Search and Recovery Team includes 11 airmen, a chaplain and a chaplain's assistant.

Well over a hundred fatalities have been reported across six states, and The Associated Press reported that the White House estimated up to 600 people were still unaccounted for as of yesterday afternoon.

Some places and people are so tough to get to in western North Carolina, the AP also reported that one man was using his mules to deliver supplies .

Doing business down south

A ranking of states from the national publication Area Development puts Alabama at No. 8 in the nation in doing business, reports AL.com's William Thornton .

Six southern states placed in the top 10.

I'll highlight some of the subcategories that helped Alabama place so high:

Alabama placed third in workforce training programs (the Alabama Industrial Development Training program was cited), third in the overall cost of doing business, and third also in favorable regulatory environment. And the state placed fifth in Business Incentives Programs. Our state also scored well on the availability and cost of energy, site readiness programs and access to qualified labor.

Georgia was the top state overall in the rankings. Mississippi was 15th.

"It wasn't over no game. ... We were arguing over who shot me and he hit me in the head where I'd got shot."

Emanuel Tolbert III, testifying at his murder trial regarding witnesses' claims that he killed Kealend Amad Pickens during an argument over the 2021 Alabama-Texas A&M game.

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Over in Georgia

A judge struck down the state's ban on abortions after six weeks, reports The Associated Press .

A Georgia Attorney General's Office spokesperson said the AG will appeal the decision to the Georgia Supreme Court.

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