Firebrand Alabama Republican Collides With Ethics Law He Espoused
New York Times — Oct. 31
For a time, it seemed that Michael G. Hubbard and the prosecutors were waging parallel wars. Both aimed their fire at the state’s political establishment: Mr. Hubbard, as a state representative and chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, by focusing intently on defeating the Democrats who controlled the State House until 2010, and federal anticorruption prosecutors by launching a fusillade of investigations. But this year, on his way to another easy re-election as the most powerful politician in Alabama, Mr. Hubbard and the law collided. On Oct. 20, Mr. Hubbard, 52, was arrested after a grand jury returned a 23-count indictment, partly on the basis of an ethics law he had championed, accusing him of using his positions as party chairman and speaker of the House to steer thousands of dollars’ worth of business to companies in which he had a financial interest. Mr. Hubbard has vehemently denied the charges … Richard C. Fording, a professor of political science at the University of Alabama, pointed out that several of the charges against Mr. Hubbard were based on the ethics law that critics had found too broad. “It’s more ridiculous than that,” Professor Fording added. For the many legislators who have benefited from Mr. Hubbard’s fund-raising, changing the law may itself be illegal under the law’s definition of a conflict of interest.
Whole Grains: Be a Label Reader to Decipher What is in Your Food
Lakeland Ledger (Fla.) – Nov. 3
Most people would agree that “whole grain” is a healthier choice, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that at least half of all the grains you eat are whole grains. But how does that translate onto a grocery list? … Sheena Quizon Gregg, is a registered dietitian and nutritionist, the assistant director of health education and prevention at the University of Alabama, and the author of the blog afilipinofoodie.com. Gregg says to look at the ingredient list on the food label. “Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. Whole grain products will typically list whole-wheat flour or stone-ground wheat as one of the first ingredients on a list,” said Gregg. “If a product is labeled as “wheat bread” but lists “refined flour” as a top ingredient it is not likely to be a whole grain.”
New College professor earns literary award
Crimson White – Nov. 4
In two weeks, Ellen Spears, assistant professor in New College, will receive her Arthur J. Viseltear Prize for her recent book, “Baptized in PCBS: Race, Pollution and Justice in an All-American Town.” Spears said when the award announcement came out in August, she was in shock. “I was so excited to hear that I was even considered for this award, and to find out that I won was an amazing feeling,” Spears said. Every year the American Public Health Association’s Medical Care section decides on a published book that stands out and represents the medical community well. Spears’s book takes readers back to the mid-1990s in Anniston, Alabama, where residents began a fight against the agrochemical company Monsanto over the dumping of PCBs in the city’s working-class west side. “In my book I explore the causes and various implications of environmental inequalities, showing how Civil Rights Movement activism undergirded Anniston’s campaigns for redemption and justice,” Spears said.
Freshwater Studies Center at University of Alabama gets new director
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 3
A University of Alabama biology professor has been named the next director of the Center for Freshwater Studies in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences. Alex Huryn replaces Amy Ward, professor emeritus of biological sciences. Huryn is a freshwater ecologist who has served on the Center for Freshwater Studies executive committee. He plans to focus on fostering multidisciplinary collaborations among junior faculty. The center provides an interdisciplinary approach to research, education and outreach and includes 34 faculty from different colleges with expertise in biogeochemistry, biodiversity, conservation, ecology, geochemistry, geography, geology, hydrology, water policy/law and water resources management.
Norwegian-French quartet, University of Alabama trio to perform at free concert
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 3
The University of Alabama’s Sonic Frontiers concert series will feature a Norwegian-French quartet in a remote, real-time performance Wednesday during a free concert on campus. The quartet Dans les arbres will perform at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Colo., simultaneously with UA’s Dewar/Feeney/Hopson Trio at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Moody Music recital hall via a high-speed Internet connection for a Telematic concert. Telematic concerts use the web to connect artists in real-time for collaborative projects in multiple communities. The Wednesday performance is presented by Sonic Frontiers, the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs music department and the Peak FreQuency Creative Arts Collective.
A Study in Motion (Photo gallery)
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 4 (Print edition only)
Student dancers at the University of Alabama perform a dance piece titled “Savage,” choreographed by fellow student Shaun Leary, during a rehearsal Sunday at Morgan Hall Auditorium on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa. Dance Alabama performances are slated today through Thursday at 7 p.m. and Friday at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for faculty, staff and seniors, and $4 for students.
Smith Gallery presents Southern Constellations
App State News – Nov. 3
Smith Gallery at Appalachian State University presents Southern Constellations, an exhibition of select works from artists participating in the Southern Constellations program at the Elsewhere Museum in Greensboro. Southern Constellations is curated by Jennie Carlisle and Cyrus Smith. It will be on view through Nov. 18 in the gallery located in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts … About the Artists: Andrew Raffo Dewar is a composer, soprano saxophonist, ethnomusicologist, educator and arts organizer. He is an assistant professor in the experimental, interdisciplinary New College at the University of Alabama, co-director of the university’s Creative Campus arts and culture initiative and founding artistic director of UA’s Sonic Frontiers concert series for innovative and experimental music.
Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger begins 21st year
Crimson White – Nov. 4
Nine hundred thousand people – 19 percent of the population – live below the poverty line in Alabama, and 90,000 a month depend on the West Alabama Food Bank in nine West Alabama counties. Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger, an annual six-week food campaign leading up to the Iron Bowl, raises awareness of food insecurity by donating nonperishable food to the West Alabama Food Bank. Alabama competes with Auburn, who donates to the East Alabama Food Bank, covering 13 counties. The campaign started in 1994, and Alabama has won nine of the 20 contests. Around 3 million pounds of food have been donated to Alabamians since its inception. Over the past five years, the title of winning school has gone back and forth. Alabama is the reigning 2013 champion, donating 299,398 pounds of food last year, providing seven months and two weeks worth of food to the food bank. This year’s goal is 300,000 pounds. All donations from the communities and the universities from Oct. 13 to Nov. 21 count toward the weighted total. “The true purpose is to feed people,” said Courtney Thomas, director at the Center for Sustainable Service and Volunteerism. “The main reason we do this food fight is to end food insecurity in the state of Alabama.”