by Anna Barrett, Alabama Reflector
April 28, 2025

Alabama arts programs may face up to $1 million in cuts if the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts funds for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

The Alabama Council of the Arts said earlier this month it is anticipating cuts at the federal level soon. They said that representatives from DOGE were scheduled to visit NEA offices.

“Any cuts to federal funding for state partnerships would directly impact our grant programs, reducing our available funds by up to $1 million annually,” Executive Director Elliot Knight said in a statement Wednesday.

According to the Council, the NEA makes up 15% of its budget with the rest coming from the Alabama Legislature through the Education Trust Fund (ETF). The 2026 ETF received approval from the House on Tuesday, which included an $85,000 increase from the current budget and Gov. Kay Ivey’s 2026 recommendation.

The Council awarded $14.7 million in grants over the last five years, according to the statement. Knight also said the Council uses 100% of its federal funds for grants.

“Public funding for arts and creativity is a high-return investment that ensures all Alabamians have access to arts programming,” Knight said.

The federal cuts would have to be approved by Congress.

“Please help us make sure that all members of Alabama’s Congressional delegation understand how Alabama workers and communities will be negatively impacted by the cuts to NEH and IMLS grants and potential cuts to NEA grants,” Knight said.

According to the statement, Poetry Out Loud is one program funded with federal dollars. The national arts education program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. Knight said this is one of the programs that would be impacted by NEA cuts.

“The arts are more than just an expression of beauty; they are a driver of innovation, contributing to Alabama’s economic growth and global competitiveness,” he said.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Potential federal cuts could impact Alabama arts programs appeared first on alabamareflector.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This content leans center-left as it emphasizes concerns about potential federal budget cuts to arts funding, highlighting the negative impact such cuts could have on community programs and economic growth. It presents the arts as valuable public investments and calls for action to protect funding, a stance commonly associated with progressive or liberal advocacy for government support of cultural and educational programs. However, it remains fairly neutral in tone without overt political rhetoric or partisan criticism, placing it closer to a moderate progressive viewpoint.

SUMMARY: Tributes are pouring in for Alexis Herman, the former U.S. labor secretary and Mobile native, who passed away at 77. A longtime friend, Sheila White, shared cherished memories, recalling their childhood together and Herman’s early determination to succeed. Herman made history as the youngest head of the Labor Department’s women’s bureau under President Carter and later became the first African American woman to lead the Labor Department under Clinton. White emphasized Herman’s commitment to fairness and kindness, stating her legacy should focus on equality for all. The news of her passing transformed a day of celebration into profound grief.

Tributes are rolling in to honor the life of former U.S. Labor Secretary and Mobile native Alexis Herman.

Source

by Tim Henderson, Alabama Reflector
April 27, 2025

This story originally appeared on Stateline.

The number of births in some Western states that are adding new housing rose last year, reversing losses the year before in many cases, according to new federal statistics released Wednesday.

Increases from 2023 to 2024 were highest in Colorado (4.5%), Idaho (3.8%), Utah (3.6%), Washington state and Nebraska (each 2.6%). Births increased around 2% in West Virginia, South Dakota, North Carolina, Montana, Rhode Island and South Carolina.

Almost all those states had decreases in births the previous year, and many have been building housing rapidly since 2023. Idaho, North Carolina and Utah have issued enough building permits in 2023 and 2024 to add about 4% to their housing stock, the highest in the nation.

Melissa Kearney, an economics professor at the University of Maryland who specializes in families and fertility, said there could be a link between homebuilding and more babies.

“It is quite possible that increased access to home ownership, coming from a reduction in the price of houses in places that are building more houses, could meaningfully increase birth rates,” Kearney told Stateline in an e-mail.

Many of the other states with increases in births are also seeing building booms: Colorado, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota and Washington state are all set to add more than 2% to housing stock based on permits issued in 2023 and 2024, according to a Stateline analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey data.

Building permits can take up to two years to translate into finished houses and apartments, but they indicate which states are most willing to allow new housing that can boost population, tax receipts and the workforce. In Colorado, Denver County is set to add almost 10,000 housing units and in Idaho, Ada County, which includes Boise, could add 11,200 units based on building permits.

Nationally births were slightly higher in 2024 than the year before, by about 1%, according to provisional federal numbers from the National Vital Statistics System within the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The fertility rate also increased slightly, but it remains below the “replacement level” needed to keep the population stable — 2.1 children for each woman over her lifetime.

All the increase nationally was in births to Hispanic and Asian mothers, with births continuing to decline for Black, American Indian and white mothers. Births to teenagers and women ages 20-24, in sharp decline since 2007, continued to drop last year, while births increased for women 25 and older.

The number of births dropped most in states struggling with stagnant population: falling about 4% in Louisiana, 3% in Mississippi, and 2% in New Mexico and New Hampshire. All those states had little or no population growth between mid-2023 and mid-2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Stateline reporter Tim Henderson can be reached at thenderson@stateline.org.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Fast-building states get more babies appeared first on alabamareflector.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The content primarily presents factual information about birth rates and housing trends in various states without overt emotional appeals or ideological framing. It references data and expert opinions from a range of sources, primarily an economics professor, and focuses on statistical shifts rather than promoting specific policies or political agendas. The presentation is straightforward and largely neutral, making it more aligned with centrist reporting. The emphasis on empirical data also contributes to a balanced perspective, avoiding the polarization typically found in more biased narratives.