Montgomery:The Southern Poverty Law Center and an employees’ union have reached a collective bargaining agreement providing pay raises, expanded benefits and a $20 an hour minimum wage to workers at the nonprofit. The agreement, coming after nearly two years of often tense negotiations, represents a milestone for the nonprofit, which has waged legal fights against racial discrimination and for workers rights for five decades but has long faced allegations of internal discrimination against minority employees, especially for leadership roles. In a joint statement Monday, SPLC President and CEO Margaret Huang and Cet Parks, the executive director of Washington-Baltimore News Guild Local 32035, TNG-CWA, which represented SPLC employees, said the contract could “be a catalyst for economic and racial justice in the South and beyond.” The contract covers about 250 employees. The nonprofit’s 2020 990 form, the most recent one available, said SPLC employed 475 people on Oct. 31, 2020. Huang said in a statement in March that SPLC had “nearly 400” employees. Messages seeking more recent numbers were sent to SPLC on Monday morning. The SPLC did not voluntarily recognize the union, and hired a law firm that specialized in “union avoidance” strategies. But nearly 76% of the SPLC’s employees voted to organize in December 2019.

Alaska

Anchorage: More than 530 wildfires have burned an area the size of Connecticut in Alaska this year and the usual worst of the fire season lays ahead. Although there has not been much property damage, some residents have been forced to evacuate and one person was killed – a helicopter pilot died last month when he crashed while attempting to carry a load of equipment for firefighters. Recent rains have helped but longer-term forecasts are showing a pattern similar to 2004, when July rains gave way to high-pressure systems, hot days, low humidity and lightning strikes that fueled Alaska’s worst fire year. In 2004, the acreage burned by mid-July was about the same as now, But by the time that fire season ended, 10,156 square miles were charred.

Arizona

Tucson: A pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries after being struck by a train Sunday, authorities said. Police said the incident occurred about 10:30 a.m. The name and age of the injured person haven’t been released yet. Police said they are investigating the incident and so is Union Pacific. The spokeswoman for the railroad company said the crew was not injured in the incident and train traffic has resumed in the area.