Page 102 - Bobby Singleton News Today

The decision to temporarily withdraw staff from post-Brexit check duties at Larne Port has been defended. Mid and East Antrim Mayor Peter Johnston said the measure involving “12 young staff members” was “erring on the side of caution”, adding the council has an “extremely low threshold for risk when it comes to our staff”. Appearing before the Stormont agriculture committee, he told MLAs: “As mayor, I am confident that by the end of today’s session the committee will have absolu...

Peter Johnston made the comment in relation to the temporary withdrawal of staff from post-Brexit checks at Larne Port.

The mayor of Mid and East Antrim said he feels “badly let down” by police in events around the withdrawal of staff from post-Brexit checks at Larne Port. Peter Johnston said council chief executive Anne Donaghy “almost had to chase to the chief constable’s office with a begging bowl” for a threat assessment. “On one hand we are given this impression there is no threat, everything is fine, but on the other hand we had almost 3,000 additional police hours put down to Larne Port, we ev...

Alabama Senate delays vote on curbside voting ban, passes other election bills Updated Apr 22, 2021; The Alabama Senate considered a slate of Republican-backed election bills today, including one that would ban curbside voting. The Senate set aside the curbside voting bill at the request of the Republican senator who was speaking for it after Democratic senators raised objections and no agreement could be reached. The bill could be brought back later in this session, which resumes Tuesday. Cur...

Curbside voting ban stalls in Alabama Senate as other voting bills pass The Montgomery Advertiser 1 hr ago Brian Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser The Alabama Senate on Thursday passed a number of election-related bills that, among other items, narrow the timeframe for absentee ballot applications and ban voting out of state.  But a measure to ban curbside voting stalled after Democrats in the chamber pushed back, saying it would make it more difficult for pregnant women and those...

Updated / Thursday, 15 Apr 2021 19:17 The point of entry inspection points at ports including Belfast (pictured) are required under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol Permanent facilities for post-Brexit checks at Northern Ireland ports will not be operating before 2023, Stormont Assembly members have been told. The senior official in the department responsible for the construction said the delay was due to ongoing uncertainty over the volume of regulatory inspections that will be requ...

Alabama Senate passes GOP-backed bill to block federal gun control laws Updated 11:35 AM; The Alabama Senate has passed a bill that would make it a crime for state and local officials to enforce any new gun control laws or regulations from the Biden administration or Congress. The bill, by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, is one of several bills in the Legislature that are aimed at blocking enforcement of any new federal gun control measures. Similar laws are being proposed in other states. Th...

BBC News By Conor Macauley Published image captionThere has been a halt on construction of permanent port facilities The timeframe for permanent facilities to operate the Irish Sea border has slipped by two years, a Stormont committee has been told. They are now not expected to be built before 2023. The agreement of the executive will also be needed, potentially complicating the process of approval. Earlier this week it emerged that a Whitehall minister had written to the DUPs agriculture minis...

Alabama lawmakers pass bill to ban transgender athletes from public school teams AL.com 2 hrs ago Mike Cason, al.com A bill to prohibit Alabama public schools from allowing students to compete on athletic teams that conflict with the gender on their original birth certificate has moved closer to becoming law. The legislation is similar to bans in other states, including Florida and Mississippi. The bill by Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, has had support from Republicans a...

Alabama Senate approves bills for lottery, casinos AL.com 2 hrs ago Mike Cason, al.com © Mike Cason | mcason/al.com The Alabama Senate works on legislation to allow voters to decide whether to allow a lottery and casinos in Alabama. The Alabama Senate has approved legislation to allow voters to decide whether to have a lottery and casinos. The main bill, a constitutional amendment by Sen. Jim McClendon, a Republican from Springville, passed by a vote of 23-9. Tonight’s vo...