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March is Women's History Month!

WVAS Local News

The Alabama Legislature returns today and Democrats are vowing to slow down any legislation pending before the House and Senate.  The slow down tactics began in earnest last week after the Republican majority approved legislation that would provide private school tax credits.  But the bill remains on hold pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by the Alabama Education Association. 

Edmund Pettus Bridge

A famous bridge in Dallas County is now on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma was among 13 sites in the U.S. named as national historic landmarks Monday by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the Director of the National Park Service, Jonathan Jarvis.  The Edmund Pettus Bridge gained international recognition as the site where civil rights marchers were attacked by law enforcement officers on March 7, 1965.  The day became known as "Bloody Sunday." 

Proposed Retirement

The Montgomery County Commission voted Monday to send a local bill to the Alabama Legislature that would allow commissioners to participate in the Alabama Retirement System.  The proposed constitutional amendment was approved on a 3 to 2 vote.  The three democrats voted in favor while both republicans voted no.  If the legislation is approved, it would still need to be passed by voters in the next general election.  According to the Retirement Systems of Alabama, more than 50 of the state's 67 counties allow elected officials to collect retirement benefits. 

Vaccine Gap

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, African-American seniors are 30 percent less likely to get flu or pneumonia vaccines than white seniors.  The could lead to  more frequent hospital visits and even deaths.  Mark Thompson is an Epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control in Alabama.  He says overall seniors are not getting vaccinated at the rates the CDC would like.  Thompson says one step being taken to get more seniors vaccinated is getting family members involved.