The Alabama Legislature has started a three-month session that will lead into this year's elections. House Speaker Mike Hubbard and Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey gaveled both chambers into session a few minutes after the appointed time on Tuesday. Senators and representatives also gathered to hear Gov. Bentley outline his goals in the State of the State address.
Graduation Rate
Alabama's state school superintendent said the graduation rate for the Class of 2013 rose to a record 80 percent. Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice announced the figure during budget hearings with Alabama legislators Tuesday. Bice said the graduation rate has risen from 72 percent for the Class of 2011 to 75 percent for the Class of 2012 and now to 80 percent, which is the highest figure ever recorded in the state. The state school board has set a goal of getting the graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020.
Fair Proceeds
A check for $240,000 was presented to the Kiwanis Club of Montgomery Tuesday by organizers of the Alabama National Fair. The civic group sponsors the fair each year and then donates the proceeds to various charities in the area. Fair President Bob McGaughey said the 2013 Alabama National Fair was one of the best financially in its 60 year history. The fair also took in 27,000 pounds of food to be donated to the Montgomery Area Food Bank.
ASU Cancer Research
Alabama State University was recently awarded an $84,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to combat cancer. The grant money will be used to purchase a specialized instrument in identifying the behavior of cancer cells. ASU's Associate Biology Professor, Dr. Manoj Mishra said students who train on the flow cytometry instrument will be valuable to potential employers in the Pharmacy industry and the Biomedical field.