Economists from UA and Auburn Work with AEA Tax Attorneys to Prove How Much Sales and Income Tax Has Been Lost Due to the BP Oil Spill
WSFA (Montgomery) – Aug. 11
…Hubbert says economists from the University of Alabama and Auburn are working with an AEA tax attorney to prove how much sales and income tax dollars the state lost because of the spill…
County schools’ metal detector policy may change
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 12
… Rebecca Howell, an assistant professor in the University of Alabama’s department of criminal justice, said the majority of U.S. schools don’t use metal detectors. The ones that do, she said, mostly use handheld wands rather than stationary detectors, which are mostly employed by urban schools with a history of violent crimes occurring on school grounds… Howell said metal detectors have proven effective, even though some schools nationally are decreasing their use. He said metal detectors and random searches could make students fearful and anxious. “Schools that have metal detectors in place do confiscate fewer weapons than when they don’t have them,” Howell said. “That implies that there is a deterrent there, that being that students bring less weapons to school when metal detectors are in place. “But the magnitude of how many fewer weapons are brought hasn’t been determined,” she said. “It’s kind of like not knowing what you didn’t catch. Also, the research is unclear whether metal detectors and searches can prevent a well-planned or purposefully planned incident like the Columbine (High School massacre) from happening.” Howell said having metal detectors in schools won’t guarantee that a school’s occupants will be safe from harm by metal weapons. She said how safe students and faculty or staff will be mostly dependent on the people operating the metal detectors.
“The metal detector system is only as fail-safe as the people operating them,” she said. “If people aren’t using them, or if they’re not being used in the right way, then they don’t work.”…
Opinion: New safe driving lobby against texting, distractions
Huntsville Times – Aug. 12
… Armed with a new data-collecting program, the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety found that 1,466 wrecks in Alabama over the past 13 months involved drivers distracted by cell phones and other electronic devices. While 1,466 crashes account for only a fraction of the state’s crashes, that’s 1,466 accidents that may have been avoided had the driver been paying closer attention to the road…
Health leaders: Smoking, obesity top priority for Jefferson County
Birmingham News – Aug. 12
All of Jefferson County needs to come together to solve the community’s daunting health problems, county health officer Michael Fleenor told a group of health and medical professionals Wednesday…Also at the conference:…Alan Blum, a doctor and director of the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society at the University of Alabama, tackled the continuing problems of smoking.