Latest news with #AlabamaNationalGuard
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Military members, local authorities train in earthquake response exercise
FORT STEWART, Ga. (WSAV) — At Fort Stewart Tuesday, soldiers and local authorities simulated the aftermath of an earthquake. Around 700 participants from military, state and local agencies are participating in Patriot 25. The National Guard sponsored exercise aims to support domestic readiness and interagency coordination following a natural disaster. Over two weeks, they have worked on simulating the aftermath of a 6.9 magnitude earthquake, and their response. The exercise was focused on search and rescue support, readiness, teamwork and communications. 'We hope that the skills that we practice constantly never need to be utilized but we are there as part of that contingency plan,' Lt. Col. Damon Denzin, Alabama National Guard said. 'We constantly exercise a variety of natural and manmade disasters. As I mentioned before, this is an earthquake. We've done floods, we've done hurricanes, and we practice those things as real as possible so that when the bell rings we are able to respond and take care of the citizens of this country.' Training locations spanned across Georgia, including Savannah, Fort Stewart and the Guardian Center in Perry. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
On This Day, March 20: Sarin attack on Tokyo subway kills 14
March 20 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was published. In 1854, in what is considered the founding meeting of the Republican Party, former members of the Whig Party met in Ripon, Wis., to establish a new party to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. In 1963, a volcano on the East Indies island of Bali began erupting. The death toll exceeded 1,500. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the Alabama National Guard to provide security at a planned civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery the next day. Earlier marches turned violent and deadly, but the third march was considered more of a success both in terms of safety and in spreading the message of the right to vote for black Americans. In 1976, San Francisco newspaper heiress and kidnapping victim Patty Hearst was convicted of bank robbery. Hearst served 22 months in prison and eventually was granted a full pardon. In 1987, the U.S. government approved the sale of AZT, a treatment, but not a cure, for AIDS. In 1995, 12 people were killed, and more than 5,000 made ill in a nerve-gas attack on the Tokyo subway system. A 13th victim died a day later and a 14th in 2008. The perpetrators, members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, were executed in 2018. In 1996, the world learned of "mad cow" disease from a British government report questioning the safety of beef in Britain. In 1997, the Liggett Group, fifth-largest U.S. tobacco company, agreed to admit that smoking was addictive and caused health problems and that the tobacco industry had sought for years to sell its products to children as young as 14. In 2001, five days after explosions destroyed one of its support beams and killed 11 people, the largest oil rig in the world collapsed and sank off the coast of Brazil. In 2003, U.S.-led coalition forces begin military operations in Iraq. The Iraq War officially ended In 2004, after narrowly escaping assassination the day before, Chen Shui-bian was re-elected president of Taiwan with about 50 percent of the vote. In 2007, former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan was hanged in Baghdad for his part in the 1982 deaths of 148 Shiites. In 2010, the first eruption of a volcano in southern Iceland since the 1820s forced the evacuation of 450 people, but there were no reports of injuries or major property damage. In 2016, President Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba since 1928 after normalizing relations between the two countries. In 2019, the Walt Disney Co. officially completed its $71.3 billion purchase of a large chunk of 21st Century Fox. In 2024, the Biden administration released a finalized new Environmental Protection Agency rule regulating vehicles that leans heavily on significant increase in electric and hybrid vehicles on the market in eight years. Less than a year later, the Trump administration announced a rollback of dozens of EPA regulations, including those seeking to reduce vehicle emissions.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama lawmakers introduce bill to fight veterans suicide
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — S.A.F.E.R. stands for 'Strong Ammunition and Firearms to Enhance Resilience.' It's an initiative working to fight veterans suicide. It's made up of the Alabama National Guard, lawmakers, and others. They've worked to introduce the Houston Hunter Bill in the House and Senate. 'I know that this bill could've saved his life,' said Michelle Tumlin, mother of Houston Tumlin. 'We watched his struggles. Me as a mom, I watched his struggles for about four years.' You might know him as Walker Bobby, Will Ferrell's son in the movie Talladega Nights. A bill is named for her son and Hunter Whitley, who both lost their lives to suicide. Tumlin said it would've saved Houston's life. 'I know that this is important. And, I will do whatever I need to do to try to help,' she said. 'If this bill passes, like I say, it's gonna save lives.' Pinson City Council considers ordinance that would raise pay of next mayor, council That bill would allow veterans to store their guns while they seek help from peers and mental health professionals. Sen. Keith Kelley (R-Anniston) is carrying the bill. He said it's personal. 'There's nothing wrong with needing help,' he said. 'This provides an access to have a little bit more time to get that help. And I think that's critical.' Gun stores could enter into agreements with owners to store firearms. The bill would give these stores legal protection if they do. Brian Selke with the Alabama Law Enforcement Alliance for Peer Support said it would help first responders too. 'The average public doesn't see line of duty deaths, officer involved shootings, traumatic calls,' he explained. 'And we're people. We're normal humans that situations wear on us.' Col. Todd Wheeler, resiliency director for the State of Alabama, said it provides an extra layer of safety. 'In working together, we send a clear message. We value their service, and their lives.' The Houston Hunter Bill has been introduced in the Senate, and the House. It will be taken up in committee before heading to the floor in both chambers for a vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
