Helen Keller Statue in the US Capitol

According to the Birmingham News, a statue of Alabamian Helen Keller will be placed in the new Capitol Visitors’ Center in October.  Her statue will replace that of Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry – that statue will be moved to Samford University.

I’m slated to visit DC this fall, for a meeting of the Federal Depository Library Council.  If I see the statue, I’ll take some pics & post!

Update, 2009-09-23:  Senator Shelby’s office has issued a press release indicating that the Senate had approved the resolution allowing for the statue to be placed in the Capitol. The statue will be unveiled October 7, 2009.

Update, 2009-09-24: The resolution is Senate Concurrent Resolution 41.

Cahaba River featured in Smithsonian Magazine

Alabama’s Cahaba River gets a bit of attention in the August issue of Smithsonian Magazine.  According to the article, the Cahaba is “one of the most biologically diverse places in the nation.”  The article touches on the restoration of the river, as well as the incredible diversity of its flora and fauna; it also mentions the Alabama sturgeon, an endangered species that has recently been in the news.

Voting and Registration in November, 2008

Today the Census Bureau released data on the number of citizens registered to vote (as well as those who actually did vote!) in November 2008.  According to the data, there were 3,404,000 citizens of voting age in Alabama, of which 2,438,000 (roughly 69.7%) were registered to vote.  Of these, 2,126,000 (roughly 60.8%) actually voted in the November 2008 election.  Additional data breaks down the voters of each state by race, sex, and Hispanic origin.  Much more data is available for the United States as a whole, including marital status, educational attainment, and duration of residence.

The Census Bureau releases similar data every two years, so if you want to compare the election of November 2008 to those of November 1998, 2000, etc., that data is available.  The Bureau has also scanned historical publications, so that researchers can access data from 1965 to 1996.

Population Growth in Alabama

Recently the Census Bureau released updated population estimates for incorporated places and minor civil divisions. The data, which can be downloaded in a spreadsheet, gives population estimates from July 1, 2000, to July 1, 2008, which is really nice for determining estimated population gains or losses.  The Bureau estimates that Alabama has gained over 214,000 residents since the last decennial census, in 2000.  In this area, Northport has gained more than 3600 residents, and Tuscaloosa more than 12,000.  [My hometown, Rock Hall, MD, is estimated to have grown by 90 residents - which means that before long, I won't be able to say that it has a population of less than 1500.]

In other Census news, the U.S. Counties database has been updated. From the press release: “New and revised data items include 2008 age, sex, race and Hispanic origin; 2006births, deaths and infant deaths; 2007 Census of Agriculture; 2008 civilian labor force; 2007 personal income and earnings; 2007 total employment by industry; and 2008 building permits.”

Connecting Alabama

Included in the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, aka the stimulus bill) was a directive to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create the National Broadband Plan and deliver it by February 2010.  The goal of the plan is “to ensure that all people of the United States have access to broadband capability”  One of the first steps that the FCC has taken is to establish a website, broadband.gov, where you can read more about broadband (including what it is!) as well as some strategic planning points for making broadband more available in rural areas.   The site also includes news releases and reports related to the National Broadband Plan – although right now there does not appear to be a mechanism used to notify interested parties when new material is posted.

Here in Alabama, Governor Riley has not been waiting for the federal government to do something about broadband in rural areas – but the state will take advantage of funds appropriated to ARRA initiatives.  In May of last year, he signed Executive Order 42, establishing a Broadband Initiative in the state.  And in January of this year, he established the Connecting Alabama initiative.  Recently a website was launched, which provides information about broadband availability in Alabama, and includes maps of broadband availability in the entire state, as well as by county.  The site is definitely a work in progress, and many pages indicate that more content will be coming soon.  However there is a nice compilation of Frequently Asked Questions about the intiative, and users can take a ’speed test’ to determine how fast their Internet connection is.

As a depository librarian responsible for serving people throughout the state, I will be very interested to see the results of these initiatives – and how they help other libraries serve their communities.  The Connecting Alabama initiative is supposed to be completed in 2011; the National Broadband Plan is due in February 2010.

Transportation & the Federal Stimulus

Lately, as I’ve driven around Alabama (and other states) I’ve run into road construction (no real surprise there!)  and I’ve noticed large signs that detail the funding for the “road improvement” projects – including the money from the federal and state governments.  When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (aka the federal stimulus bill), he indicated that there would be money for a variety of projects, and that money would make an impact  on local economies.

Alabama has established a website, recovery.alabama.gov, which I’ve previously written about.  Last week, Governor Riley announced that more than $527 millioin in stimulus money will be going towards 309 transit and aviation projects in the state.  The Alabama Department of Transportation has detailed information on its website about the particular projects, and the amount of funding allocated to them.  For instance, $580,000 has been allocated to the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport in order to rehabilitate its runway.  A map of the planned highway projects is available, in addition to a listing of projects by county.

As stimulus funds continue to make their way to Alabama, I’m going to try & provide more information here.  In case I’m not as up-to-date as you’d like, the best resource is the recovery site that the state has set up – and that includes more detailed information on grants, deadlines, etc.

Happy Independence Day!

Well, it’s not for two more days – but I’m betting that you won’t be reading this on Saturday, July 4th!

This fourth of July marks the USA’s 233rd year of independence from Great Britain.  As you might imagine, there are a variety of government resources surrounding this topic! For instance, if you’d like to learn more about the history of the 4th, you can visit the Library of Congress’ “Today in History: July 4th” site; the National Register of Historic Places’ “Teaching with Historic Places – Independence Day Lesson Plans”; or visit the National Archives’ site to view the founding documents themselves or read why we should really be celebrating our independence today, the 2nd.

In case you’re still looking for ideas as to what to do, check out the list of Alabama’s Fourth of July Celebrations.  Here in Tuscaloosa, the July Jubilee will be held at Sokol Park; Tannehill State Park in McCalla will have a parade and celebration, along with their annual Alabama Art Casting Iron Pour (aka, Sparks at Dark).

If you’ve already made your plans, here are some government resources to help you have a safe and enjoyable Independence Day:

• Fourth of July is Independence Day (USA.gov)
• Independence Day Celebrations and Programs in the National Park Service – 2009 (there is one Alabama event listed)
• Drills for the Grill (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Barbecue and Food Safety (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Fireworks (Consumer Product Safety Commission; includes a list of states that do/do not allow various types of fireworks, as of June 1, 2009)
• Celebrate Safety – Prevent Fireworks-Related Injuries (CDC)
• Focus on Fire Safety: Fireworks (U.S. Fire Administration)
• Troopers Work to Ensure a Safe Fourth of July (AL Department of Public Safety)