Latest news with #PassportFair
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Yahoo
Portion of Monk Road closing for drain replacement
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — A section of Monk Road in Baldwin County will be closed for drain repairs. Passport Fair coming to Mobile (one day only) According to an advisory from the Baldwin County Highway Department, the portion of Monk Road between County Road 3 and Greeno Road will be closed beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 30, and ending at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 1, in order to replace a cross drain. Drivers are encouraged to take the suggested detour, shown on the map below: Weather delays could affect the projected closure dates, the release said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Alabama Department of Environmental Management's Mobile office renamed after retiring director
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — The Alabama Department of Environmental Management is renaming its Mobile office after retiring director Lance LeFleur. Passport Fair coming to Mobile (one day only) LeFleur has been the ADEM director since 2010. His tenure began early due to the explosion on April 20, 2010, at the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform, which killed 11 people, injured 17 others, and caused the spill of over 200 million gallons of oil. 'I was in Mobile preparing to turn over my business to others when the governor's office called and said, 'You're starting tomorrow,'' LeFleur said. 'I went to a meeting at the nearby Coast Guard headquarters, and I didn't know anyone in the room — not the Coast Guard officials, not any of the mayors, or any of the other state and federal officials involved. I didn't even know anyone at ADEM at the time.' LeFleur returned to Mobile Wednesday for his final visit as ADEM director. Gov. Ivey sent a letter to the Alabama Environmental Management Commission in February to authorize the commission to name the Mobile office after LeFleur. He was also credited for being instrumental in getting the Mobile office built. 'While your task of identifying Director LeFleur's successor is of utmost importance to the state, I believe it is fitting and warranted to properly acknowledge, celebrate, and memorialize Lance's achievements and service to Alabama,' Gov. Ivey wrote. A ceremony on Wednesday unveiled the new sign reading LeFleur's name. Several state and local officials spoke at the event, including AEMC Chair A. Frank McFadden, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, RESTORE Council Executive Director Mary Walker, and ADEM Field Operations Division Head Scott Hughes. Other guests included AEMC members, area mayors, Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council members, representatives for U.S. Senator Katie Britt, and environmental groups and businesses. 'I want to thank the great partners who contributed to making this building possible — first and foremost the Governor's Office,' LeFleur said. 'Also, the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council, the federal RESTORE Council, ADCNR, the City of Mobile, and many others. 'Volleyball Jesus' sculpture removed in Gulf Shores, search begins for new home 'While it is a tremendous honor that the building bears my name, ideally, it should carry the names of all the many people who made it possible,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis Herman, a Mobile, Alabama native, dies at 77
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Mobile native and former United States Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman has died. She was 77. Alabama Forestry Commission warns of fungal disease infecting pine trees Herman was the first African American to serve as the U.S. Labor Secretary. She served in the role from 1997-2001 under the Clinton administration. Herman also served under the Clinton administration as an assistant to the president and the director of the Office of Public Liaison. 'Hillary and I are deeply saddened by the loss of Alexis Herman, our friend of nearly fifty years,' former President Bill Clinton said. 'Alexis was gifted in so many ways….' 'Throughout her career, Alexis worked to empower women and strengthen families in her roles at Coca-Cola, Toyota, the Urban League, and the National Council of Negro Women where she worked alongside her mentor Dorothy Height,' Clinton said in a statement. 'She also lent her considerable political skills to our presidential campaigns, and those of Jesse Jackson and John Kerry. 'In every effort, she lifted people with her unfailing optimism and energy. We'll miss her very much. Our hearts and prayers are with her family and all who loved and admired her. Passport Fair coming to Mobile (one day only) In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Herman director of the Women's Bureau. She was 29 when she accepted the position, making her the youngest person ever to serve in it. As director of that bureau until 1981, Herman was credited with urging Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola to hire more women in their corporate offices. After leaving office in 2001, she worked as an executive with Coca-Cola and Toyota, while also being active with advocacy organizations such as the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and the National Urban League. 'When I decided to join President Obama's campaign, I called Alexis Herman, because she had worked on several presidential campaigns,' Rep. Shomari Figures (AL-District 2) said. 'When seeking out opportunities in the White House, I called Alexis Herman, because she had worked in the White House multiple times. And when considering a run for Congress, I again called Alexis Herman. Not because I had known her my entire life but because she could advise on levels that few people could. 'She was a fighter for civil rights and women's rights, a giant in DC political circles, especially amongst Black women, and an all-around dynamic woman,' Figures said. Alabama's first dog dies; Gov. Kay Ivey reflects on her 'great friend' 'Born and raised in Mobile, she came of age with a generation of Black people who all went on to break through color barriers and become the 'firsts' of many things throughout their careers.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
2 Fairhope men accused of holding couple at gunpoint to retrieve AR-15: police
FAIRHOPE, Ala. (WKRG) — Two Fairhope men are accused of holding a couple at gunpoint Thursday to retrieve a firearm, according to police. Alabama inmate escapes from Mobile work release According to a Fairhope Police Department Facebook post, Cullen Michael Kerr and John Harold Taber Montesano were arrested. They are accused of first-degree burglary. The post said a couple on Twin Beech Avenue called police Thursday around 9 p.m. to report Kerr and Montesano came to their home with handguns. They told police Kerr and Montesano threatened them at gunpoint and entered the home to retrieve an AR-15 Kerr had given to one of the victims. 'It remains unclear whether the weapon was a gift or a loan,' the post said. Passport Fair coming to Mobile (one day only) Police arrested Kerr during a traffic stop, and Montesano was arrested Friday morning. They are both being taken to the Baldwin County Correctional Center, according to the post. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Pensacola man charged with child cruelty, false imprisonment
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — A Pensacola man has been arrested and charged with child cruelty and false imprisonment, has learned. 'Volleyball Jesus' sculpture removed in Gulf Shores, search begins for new home According to an Escambia County Sheriff's Office arrest report, officers were called to a Pensacola business on April 16 in response to two children who said they were restrained and beaten. Officers on the scene said two girls had come there to seek help, telling people that they had been tied to a chair by someone known to them and hit with a switch and belt. According to the arrest report, the girls said they had been suspended from school, and when they got home, the man made them sit in chairs and tied them there with green packing tape. He then began hitting them on their bare feet and legs with what they described as a small stick, the report said. When the stick broke, he allegedly began using a belt. Escambia County to replace Pensacola Beach's Toll Plaza with archway One of the girls broke free and ran from the house, and the man allegedly chased them. While he was trying to catch the first girl, the second girl broke free and also left the home, according to the report. The girls ran to the nearest business and asked for help, the report said. They were taken to the hospital for a check-up. Officers found the accused man at his home, where he reportedly admitted to everything the girls said, telling officers he was trying to punish them to keep them from getting in trouble again, according to the report. Ray Anthony Benjamin, 67, was arrested and charged with two counts of cruelty toward a child and two counts of kidnapping and false imprisonment. Passport Fair coming to Mobile (one day only) He was taken to the Escambia County Jail and given no bond, under Florida State Domestic Violence Statute, the report said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
