Latest news with #Givhan
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Greenberg: 'Long-term solutions' being considered to curb rowdy crowds on Bardstown Road
Mayor Craig Greenberg said June 5 that more long-term solutions are being considered to deal with unruly crowds that have shut down Bardstown Road for two consecutive weekends. Greenberg's comments followed a meeting among business owners and residents in the Highlands neighborhood to discuss what can be done after hundreds of people flooded the area around Bardstown Road and Grinstead Drive, blocking traffic and disturbing neighbors in the early morning hours. 'We want Bardstown Road to remain a thriving commercial corridor with great shops, great businesses, bars, with restaurants, with great different types of residents living all around us well, and that's where we're headed,' Greenberg said. Greenberg was reluctant to reveal what long-term courses of action were discussed at the June 5 meeting. He said some of the solutions he was considering 'could be happening at the state level' and others would require Metro Council approval, but that he was not considering forcing bars to close earlier at this time. 'I don't want to get too far ahead of that, because we still need to research some of them,' he said. Highlands Commerce Guild President Aaron Givhan said June 5 that one suggestion he's heard from residents is a mandatory 2 a.m. closing time for bars. 'They want quiet in their neighborhood,' Givhan said, 'And that is a fair request.' The Highlands Tap Room on Bardstown Road is one bar that closes at 4 a.m., but it recently came to a voluntary agreement with city officials to temporarily close its doors at 2 a.m. on the weekends to curb disturbances in the neighborhood. For some bars and businesses like Taco Bell, the 2-4 a.m. window is cash bearing, Givhan said, giving them a 'true financial reason to be open.' He added he was concerned that if the rules change for one bar, they would have to change for all bars in Jefferson County. 'The resolution is working together to calm things down,' he said. 'As long as the businesses remain in an acceptable, law-abiding demeanor, there is no reason to punish them, and that's where the guild comes in. We are not into punishment.' Discussion of reform in the Highlands came to a head when hundreds of people swarmed the intersection of Bardstown Road and Grinstead Drive in the early hours of the morning Memorial Day weekend. LMPD made no arrests on that occurrence, but when a crowd amassed again the following weekend, officers arrested three people for disorderly conduct. After the events on Memorial Day weekend, Councilman Ben Reno-Weber, whose district includes the Highlands, promised increased police presence in the neighborhood. Business owners were encouraged by LMPD to file Trespass Enforcement Request Forms, which authorize officers to address trespassing without an on-site complaint. Sergeant Matt Sanders said that LMPD plans to be in the area from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday night, with mounted patrol stationed on the street to discourage crowds from forming. This story may be updated. Reach reporter Molly Gregory at msgregory@ This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Greenberg talks possible solutions for late-night crowds in Highlands
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate passes bill authorizing Alabama Statehouse demolition
The Alabama Legislature has meet in the current Statehouse -- the old Highway Department Building -- since 1986. Amid deteriorating conditions in the current Statehouse, Alabama is pursuing what would be the nation's first new State Capitol in nearly 50 years. (Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Senate passed a bill Thursday authorizing the demolition of the Alabama Statehouse. SB 279, sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, gives the Alabama Legislature permission to tear down the current building after relocating to the new Statehouse, anticipated in 2026. The bill passed unanimously and heads to the House for consideration. 'This is the one that deals with the destruction of this fine building right here,' Givhan said to the Senate body. Givhan said the legislation provides processes for liquidating property that won't be used in the new Statehouse. The bill states that parts or materials of the current building 'may be reused, recycled, upcycled, sold, or disposed of, as determined by the Legislative Council in a manner that is fiscally responsible.' The bill would also allow the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to sell furniture that won't be used in the new building to 'members and employees of the Legislature.' 'It just deals with that,' Givhan said. The bill passed without discussion. Lawmakers have used the current Statehouse, the old Highway Department building originally intended as a temporary space during Capitol renovations, since 1986. Problems like mold led to the 2023 decision to build a new facility, which will be the nation's first new statehouse since 1977. The bill moves to the House for consideration SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate committee approves bill to demolish Statehouse
The Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama as seen on July 10, 2023. A Senate committee last week approved the demolition of the building after work is complete on a new Statehouse, expected to be occupied next year. (Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector) An Alabama Senate committee unanimously approved the demolition of the Alabama State House last week. SB 279, sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, allows the Alabama Legislature to demolish the current State House once the lawmakers and staff have moved into the new Statehouse, expected to take place in 2026. Givhan told the Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee that he did not know when the demolition would happen or how much it would cost, although the expense would come from the General Fund. 'This destruction is going to have to be paid for, in full, by Alabama taxpayer money,' chair of the Senate General Fund Committee Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Legislature has occupied the current Statehouse, the old Highway Building, since 1986. The building, meant to be temporary to allow renovations to the Alabama State Capitol to proceed, has mold and other issues that led the Legislature in 2023 to approve construction of a new facility. When completed, the Statehouse will be the first new one built in the nation since 1977. Givhan, seemingly joking, said there could be a raffle for people to participate in the demolition, but that would be determined later. 'We may also raffle off tickets to get people with sledge hammers, like you used to do with old cars to beat them up a little,' he said. 'This gives us the right to do that.' The bill also allows the clerk of the house and the secretary of the senate to sell furniture that will not be used in the new building. Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, carries a companion bill in the House, which has yet to be seen in the House State Governmental Affairs Committee. Givhan's bill will now be considered by the full Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill giving workers' compensation to education employees stalled in Alabama House committee
Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville (right) speaks to Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence on the floor of the Alabama Senate on March 6, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Givhan's bill that would give public education employees workmen's compensation was stalled in the House Ways and Means Education Committee on March 19, 2025.(Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) A bill to extend workers' compensation benefits to public education employees stalled in an Alabama House committee last week. SB 1, sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, would allow full-time employees at public schools who are injured on the job to use accrued sick leave for recovery. According to the State Department of Education, public education employees earn one sick day per month. The benefit would go into effect as soon as it is passed and signed by Gov. Kay Ivey. Givhan said at a Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee meeting in February that the legislation is his top priority. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'So many people are surprised to learn that our state education employees do not have workers compensation coverage for on the job injuries,' he said on Feb. 12. 'I did want SB 1 status for this bill.' As originally filed, the legislation did not create a funding source for the benefit. The bill now creates the Public Education Employee Injury Compensation Trust Fund in the State Treasury with a startup cost of at least $15.6 million. The House committee unanimously adopted a Senate floor amendment from February that added community college employees and specified the processes for claiming the benefit. Republicans in the House Ways and Means Education Committee last week pushed for the bill to be carried over due to concerns about the differences between the proposed benefit for educators and the existing benefit for state employees. Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, said he is supportive of the bill, but still needed more time to understand the legislation. 'I would like this to have time to have those discussions in depth rather than trying to rush into something,' Faulkner said. Faulkner also mentioned he is working on an amendment to clarify sections of the legislation on the appeals process and how it relates to physicians. Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, also supported carrying the bill over because the committee did not have the full bill. 'We can't even look at how the amendment fits in here because we only have four pages of the bill and so that to me is another reason I also would like to second the amendment just to carry it over for one more meeting,' she said. Democrats on the committee pushed for a vote. Rep. Kelvin Lawrence, D-Hayneville, said educators have gone without the benefit for too long. 'I don't know of any other profession in the state of Alabama that doesn't offer workman comps to their employees,' Lawrence said. Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile agreed with Lawrence. She said the legislators could use this week to work out concerns with the legislation. The Legislature is out this week and will reconvene on April 1. 'We can get those answers and go ahead and get this bill moving,' she said. Givhan sponsored a similar bill last session that passed the Senate but did not come out of the House. House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, a member of the committee, advocated for a vote. 'We've been dealing with this issue for a couple years now. If we're getting down to the finish line and deciding that we want to delay this and stand in the way of progress and opportunity for our educators, then shame on us,' Daniels said. 'We talk about how important this is, but our actions are not showing that.' Chairman Danny Garrett, R-Decatur, carried the bill over without a vote. 'I just want to you know appreciate the comments of everybody, but I kind of reject the idea that this is something we have to do today with a gun to our head,' Garrett said. Garrett said the bill will be 'first up' when the Legislature returns. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate committee approves teachers' injury compensation bill
Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, listens to Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman speak in the chamber on Feb. 4, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The Alabama Legislature began its 2025 session on Tuesday. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama Senate committee Wednesday approved a bill that would expand workmen's compensation to Alabama teachers. SB 1, sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, creates the Public Education Employee Injury Compensation Program to prevent teachers from paying out-of-pocket for injuries occurring on the job. The bill also creates a governing board and a trust fund. The bill does not create a revenue source for the trust fund. A fiscal note attached to bill estimates the total cost of the program at $14.9 million a year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'I think it's very important and it's my top priority,' Givhan said. Givhan sponsored a similar bill last session that passed the Senate but did not come out of the House. The senator said he worked with Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, to try to address the chamber's concerns, which mainly focused on mirroring language currently used for state employees' workers compensation. State employees currently receive compensation for on-the-job injuries. 'We did move more towards the model that the state employees have in terms of language set up in there,' Givhan said. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, commended Givhan for bringing the bill again, saying it is long overdue. However, he said he wanted a bill that would give teachers sick leave upon hiring. Currently, teachers accumulate one sick day per month of employment, according to the State Department of Education. 'We've got a shortage of teachers,' Smitherman said. 'We're still trying to keep people in the profession and you know, and when you ask somebody to come out their pocket to pay for all those things.' The bill now goes to the full Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
