Servers that run Jefferson County’s financial software have crashed, leaving the county unable to pay bills process revenue until the problem is fixed, Barnett Wright reports in the Birmingham News. As part of its austerity measures, the county has restricted spending on capital and infrastructure, including computers. While many of its servers are far out of date, the county has delayed replacing them in the face of the its financial crisis. Meanwhile, the county’s information technology department has lost about 30 employees to cuts and attrition. The county has gotten one server running again, but it remains to be seen how long it will take to get the SAP accounting software reinstalled and operating.
http://youtu.be/2QawmSulAiY
A Birmingham patrolman, Curtis Thornton, has been charged with arson related to a string of fires in Warrior and is the lead suspect in 14 arson cases in the city of Birmingham.
The Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School has had its share of good national rankings already, and now it has another to add to the list. Newsweek’s list of America’s Best High Schools put the school at number six. You can see the complete list of best high schools here, and you can read about Newsweek’s methodology for its rankings here.
http://youtu.be/Ek5Is1xFDHk
The day after the Alabama Legislature failed to pass a rescue bill for Jefferson County, Commission Carrington has some tough words for several Jefferson County lawmakers, in particular Rep. Jim Carns, who failed as a county commissioner to achieve many of the reforms the current commission has made. Carrington recalls Vestavia Voters with Vision, a political group that ousted incumbents in his hometown, and says it’s time for county voters to do the same for their lawmakers in Montgomery.
