Who’s hiring, lawmaker in ICU, ammo vending machines: Down in Alabama

Help wanted

Help is still wanted by Alabama employers. Increasingly so, by some measures.

AL.com’s Hannah Denham reports that in May there were 80,000 active online ads for jobs in the state. That was 1.3% higher than the month before, and it amounts to 16 job ads for every 1,000 Alabamians.

Those in the running for math-intensive jobs know that 16 is 1.6% of 1,000. When you have a low unemployment rate and that many competing open jobs, it can make be challenging for those who are trying to hire. Which may be why most of the job ads don’t list experience as a mandatory qualification.

Almost half the ads were coming from the Birmingham and Huntsville metro areas.

In May you could expect some bump from seasonal hiring in the hospitality field. But healthcare was also pushing the surge, along with Huntsville’s growth.

More specifically, who’s doing the hiring? Here are the employers who had the most ads posted in May:

1. Walmart: 1,059 ads
2. Huntsville Hospital: 923 ads
3. UAB Medicine: 845 ads
4. The University of Alabama at Birmingham: 707 ads
5. Auburn University: 574 ads
6. Baptist Health: 511 ads
7. Taco Bell: 496 ads
8. USA Health: 432 ads
9. The University of Alabama: 424 ads
10. Jack’s Family Restaurants: 416 ads

Lawmaker in ICU

An Alabama state senator is recovering after a personal watercraft crash last Thursday, reports AL.com’s Carol Robinson.

Garlan E. Gudger, a Cullman Republican, was operating a Sea-Doo on Smith Lake when he was hit from behind by another Sea-Doo driven by his son, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

He was airlifted to UAB Hospital with three fractured vertebrae, six fractured ribs and a punctured lung. He had surgery and spent the weekend in the Intensive Care Unit.

Gudger, who’s 49 years old, on Sunday thanked medical staff and people who helped him at the lake in his first public statement since the incident. He was still in the ICU but had been able to walk.

“The physical recovery will be a difficult one for our family,” he said in the statement.

Gudger was first elected to the state senate in 2018.

Hoss’s career

When Baldwin County Sheriff Hoss Mack retires later this year, he’ll become the director of the Alabama Sheriff’s Association, reports AL.com’s John Sharp.

Mack made the announcement in a memo.

Mack’s been the sheriff in Baldwin since 2007. He didn’t say exactly when he’s going to step down, but when he does, Gov. Kay Ivey would presumably appoint a replacement until the next election.

The Alabama Sheriff Association’s director position has not exactly been revolving door. Jimmy Lambert took the job in 2022, but before that Bobby Timmons held the position for 47 years.

I’ll take a box of shells and ...

You might’ve seen the bumper sticker or t-shirt that says something like: “Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenient store, not a government agency.”

Well, how about a vending machine?

No, firearms aren’t being sold in vending machines, at least as far as I know. But there have been a couple of grocery stores in Alabama with vending machines that dispense ammunition, reports AL.com’s William Thornton.

American Rounds is the marketer. They were located at Fresh Values in Tuscaloosa and Pell City, although the one in Tuscaloosa was removed. The American Rounds CEO said the decision to remove was based on sales volume.

The way these machines work is you insert a photo ID and it scans your face to make sure you are who you say you are. And that, of course, you’re old enough to buy ammunition.

A Gump-versary

Saturday was the 30th anniversary of the release date of the movie “Forrest Gump,” if you can believe that.

You might remember that Gump wore No. 44 for the Alabama Crimson Tide. During at least part of Gump’s fictional career at Alabama, the real-life No. 44 was worn by Mickey Andrews, a Daleville native who coached Livingston University to an NAIA national title before the years he spent as Florida State’s defensive coordinator under Bobby Bowden.

Incidentally, a couple years ago Tom Hanks said a possible sequel had been brought up but only briefly before it was scrapped. Author Winston Groom wrote another novel, 1995′s “Gump & Co.”

Quoting

“Kamala Harris will probably be the candidate running against Donald Trump. That will be interesting.”

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, on Fox News in a discussion on recent speculation over President Joe Biden’s cognitive state. Biden has said he’s fine and that he will continue his re-election bid.

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