Story SpiderLocal Coach Remembered After Being Killed in Car Wreck
It was an emotional night for students who gathered to remember Coach William Casaday.
Mother of Wandering Child Arrested
The mother of a little girl who was found wandering down the side of a busy highway has been arrested.
Man charged with animal cruelty after allegedly shooting neighbor's dog
A 52-year-old man was arrested Tuesday and charged with animal cruelty after Mobile County sheriff’s deputies said he shot a neighbor’s dog in Wilmer. WILMER, Ala. -- A 52-year-old man was arrested Tu ...
Pigskin Pickins'
Read full story for latest details.
Correction
Read full story for latest details.
Purse reported stolen at Pic N Sav
Read full story for latest details.
Veterans Day ceremony today
Read full story for latest details.
WKRG
Amazon.com Title Defending Pedophilia Sparks Boycott Call
- Amazon.com was selling a self-published guide that offers advice to pedophiles, and that has generated outrage on the Internet and threats to boycott the retailer.
An e-book that was for sale on Amazon.com that appeared to defend pedophilia has sparked hundreds of angry user comments and threats to boycott the online retailer unless it pulled the title.
A listing for "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child-Lover's Code of Conduct" was no longer available on Amazon.com late Wednesday.
Before then, more than 2,000 users had commented on the title. The lion's share deplored its publication and vowed to boycott Amazon until it removed the self-published title from the site, and at least two Facebook pages have been dedicated to boycotting Amazon because of the book.
The stated content appears to violate two of Amazon's content guidelines for digital publication.
The author of the controversial tome said he publised it to address what he considers unfair portrayals of pedophiles in the media.
"True pedophiles love children and would never hurt them," Phillip R. Greaves II said in a phone interview with CNN on Wednesday.
When asked if the self-published e-book was a "how-to manual," he said, "there are certain parts that are advisory," which set out lines that should not be crossed.
"Penetration is out. You can't do that with a child, but kissing and fondling I don't think is that big of a problem," he said.
The Pueblo, Colorado, man told CNN that he has not had sexual contact with a child as an adult, but did when he was a teenager. He also said he "was introduced to oral sex when I was 7" by an older female but did not provide specifics.
In the title's Amazon.com product description, Greaves described it as "my attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles that find themselves involved in them, by establishing certian [sic] rules for these adults to follow.
"I hope to achieve this by appealing to the better nature of pedosexuals, with hope that their doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps liter [sic] sentences should they ever be caught," he said.
Most users who commented on the title said they deplored its publication and vowed to boycott Amazon until it removed the title.
"It is ILLEGAL to molest children, and for Amazon to promote such is insane. I'm an abuse survivor, and am OUTRAGED Amazon would choose to promote this nonsense. I will not be purchasing anything from your website until this is removed," one user wrote in a comment echoed by others.
Others lamented they could not give the book less than "one star" in submitting their reviews, saying they would shop elsewhere during the holiday season.
"Cannot believe that Amazon is selling this. I was in the middle of placing my whole Christmas shopping order when I saw something about this. After reviewing it, I have canceled my order from Amazon and am encouraging all of my friends not to order from Amazon because they are choosing to sell this book. I will not be purchasing anything from Amazon until they agree to quit selling this book," another user said.
Amazon did not return CNN's requests for comment, but one user posted what it said was Amazon's response to an e-mail the person had sent.
"Let me assure you that Amazon.com does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts; we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions."
"Amazon.com believes it is censorship not to sell certain titles because we believe their message is objectionable."
The company's website provides content guidelines for titles sold through its Digital Text Platform Program. The guidelines say publishers are expected to conduct proper research to ensure that titles are in compliance with all local, state, national and international laws.
"If Amazon Digital Services, Inc. determines that the content of a Title is prohibited, we may summarily remove or alter it without returning any fees. Amazon Digital Services, Inc. reserves the right to make judgments about whether or not content is appropriate," the guidelines state.
Pornography, offensive material and "titles which may lead to... illegal activity" are among the prohibited content listed in the guidelines.
What Amazon deems offensive, "is probably about what you would expect" the guidelines state, without elaboration, except to say that, "Amazon Digital Services, Inc. reserves the right to determine the appropriateness of Titles sold on our site."
A few Amazon.com users defended the author's right to free speech, and a discussion on the site titled "Why Amazon is Right" delved into the constitutional implications of the controversy.
"While I think 99.9 percent of us object to pedophilia (even though I think this particular book was a publicity stunt/joke), I think we can all agree that we don't want someone else censoring a subject matter that we may be interested in. Religion, atheism, homosexuality, etc. are some subjects that spring to mind ... and they have been censored in the past until we realized that it's best to let all information in (even if we don't like some of it), rather than allow some authority or individual decide what we can and can't know about based on their own opinions or motivations," one user wrote.
The author has three other titles on Amazon.com under his name. They are available on the e-reader, Kindle, and all were published within the last week.
Greaves described himself as a former nurses' aid and in-home health care provider who is retired and on disability for "manic depression." He said he first began writing as a child and hopes to continue doing so full time.
But conspiracy theories over the book abound, with commenters citing it as a publicity stunt, a hoax, or perhaps a law enforcement sting.
"People... Relax... This book is obviously promoted by Amazon per request of FBI in order to track down and catch pedophiles. This book is obviously a bait for the sickos that are lurking around out there trying to prey on our children."
Mother Arrested After 5 Year Old Wanders Away
PENSACOLA, Florida - Child found wandering around Gulf Beach Highway Tuesday.
Escambia County Sheriff's Deputies have arrested a 26 year old enlisted member of the Navy on child neglect charges.
They said it started when a citizen told them they found a five year old girl named Sharia Starr wandering around around Gulf Beach Highway and Bartow Avenue around noon Tuesday.
Late Wednesday night, deputies said they arrested 26 year old Alisha Jefferson.
They said investigators called Jefferson to her home on Gulf Beach Highway Wednesday night.
Deputies said investigators questioned her and said she admitted to leaving her child unattended Monday morning while working at the Navy hospital.
Jefferson was booked in the Escambia County Jail and held on a $25,000 bond.
Fairhope’s Domino Delivers Player of the Week Performance
FAIRHOPE, Alabama - Chase Domino accounts for 3 touchdowns in Pirates playoff win. See this week's presentation.
Chase Domino is ready for round two of the playoffs against 3rd ranked Davidson. Last week, in round one, he led his team to big win over Theodore. Domino was 13 of 18 passing.
Baldwin Co. Commission Approves Job Cuts
BAY MINETTE, Alabama - Baldwin County Commission approves reduction in force just minutes after new commissioners take oath.
Baldwin County commissioners approved a county-wide "reduction in force" just moments after two new commissioners were sworn in this morning. Commissioner Bob James sponsored the resolution which could ultimately cost 60 county employees their jobs. James says the job cuts would save the county two million dollars.
Long-time commissioner Charles' "Skip" Gruber was the only commissioner who voted against the reduction in force...in fact, Gruber voted against the other commissioner's ideas on much of the entire meeting agenda.
The commission also voted to restructure employee contacts, reduce the amount of county vehicles employees take home and is considering posting all employee salaries on the county's website.
The commission wants department heads to submit money-saving ideas and a possible list of positions up for elimination under the reduction in force resolution.
New Commission Reworks Budget
BAY MINETTE, Alabama - After Wednesday's county commission meeting, the Baldwin County budget doesn't look anything like it did before.
After Wednesday's county commission meeting, the Baldwin County budget doesn't look anything like it did before.
"We need to be working everyday to get our financial house in order in this county. Today is the first step in trying to do that," says newly sworn in commissioner Tucker Dorsey.
In a matter of minutes, funding for six agencies traditionally funded by the county saw all or half of this years appropriation taken away. Among them, the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter of the Red Cross. "Times are hard everywhere and we understand that. To make it more difficult for us to provide services for the people who really need services is hard for me to understand," says director Diane Clewell.
18 thousand dollars that would have gone to train an emergency response person will now have to be found elsewhere.
The Baldwin County Heritage Museum also saw funding slashed from 30 thousand to 15 thousand dollars. And on the eve of Veterans Day, Battleship Park that had been allotted 20 thousand dollars was cut to 10 thousand dollars. Something that didn't sit well with resident Joe Davis. "I think gentlemen that is not good timing and its hardly the kind of savings that is going to impact other projects."
But commissioners didn't see it that way, "It's difficult there are a lot of changes we campaigned on and ran on that I campaigned on and ran on and this is just the first step move toward those changes," says Dorsey.
Feeding The Children
BAYOU LA BATRE, Alabama - Did you know that the number of children living in poverty in Alabama could fill Bryant Denny Stadium more than three times?
Did you know that the number of children living in poverty in Alabama could fill Bryant Denny Stadium more than three times?
Feed the Children and Tri-Coastal Community Outreach handed out boxes of food, supplies and fresh loaves of bread Wednesday in Bayou La Batre.
Two semi-trucks have been traveling across the country and giving out food in cities that have been greatly affected by the economy and oil spill.
Only 800 families were chosen but there were a whole lot more who needed help as well.
Organizers say they are not surprised.
"We've seen the need since the recession began. We've seen our numbers creep up anywhere from 20 to 25 new families every single week. So no, it wasn't a surprise and I look for it to get even worse," said Tri Coastal Community Outreach Executive Director Carolyn Thompson.
The food pantry at Tri-Coastal Community Outreach in Grand Bay has given out more than 500,000 pounds of food and supplies so far this year.
Send us Pictures of Local Veterans!
GULF COAST - Every November 11th, we take time to honor the men and women who served our country in the armed forces. This year, we want to feature local veterans in our newscasts. Send us their picture on our Facebook Page!
Send us a picture of your loved one who served. News 5 wants to include as many pictures as we can in our newscasts all day Thursday.
Just log on to Facebook and post it on our WKRG Fan Page. If you're not on Facebook, this would be a great time to sign up. Once you have an account, search for the WKRG Fan Page and hit "Like".
We'll take your pictures and incorporate them into our newscasts, as well as feature them on Facebook for our online fans to see.
Judge Eases Restrictions In Ala. Bingo Probe
MONTGOMERY, AL - A federal judge has eased restrictions on the 11 people indicted in Alabama's electronic bingo investigation.
A federal judge has eased restrictions on the 11 people indicted in Alabama's electronic bingo investigation. U.S. Magistrate Judge Terry Moorer lifted a requirement Wednesday that had forced the defendants to record their conversations with elected officials and candidates and turn over those recordings weekly to federal agents.
The judge also said the defendants can talk to potential witnesses in the case as long as they do not discuss the indictment. He said the defendants can talk to potential witnesses about the case if their defense attorneys are present and it's part of trial preparations.
Two of the defendants, state Sen. Quinton Ross Jr. of Montgomery and lobbyist Tom Coker, had sought the revisions because they said earlier restrictions prohibited them from doing their jobs.
Blue Angels Homecoming Shows This Weekend
PENSACOLA, FL - The Blue Angels will close the 2010 season at their annual Homecoming Air Show aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, will close the 2010 season at their annual Homecoming Air Show aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 11, 12 and 13.
Prior to the world famous Blue Angels F/A 18 Hornet performances, the Blues’ C-130 Hercules transport known as “Fat Albert” will thrill the crowd with its short field take-off and low level passes.
Civilian and military aircraft will be performing extraordinary aerobatics throughout the day with the gates opening at 8 a.m. and shows starting at 10 a.m.
In addition to the scheduled Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows, there will be a night show beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday the 11th only. Aircraft will light up the sky with full afterburner and pyrotechnics.
Admission and parking for all shows is free.
Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With Bicycle
BREWTON, AL - Alabama State Troopers are investigating a crash involving a bicycle and a motorcycle that claimed the life of an Escambia County man.
Tuesday morning at 6:25 am, Alabama State Troopers responded to investigate a crash involving a bicycle and a motorcycle that claimed the life of an Escambia County man.
The crash occurred on U.S. 29 approximately 13 miles north of East Brewton. Dennis Leroy Carter, 49, of Brewton was traveling north when the 1979 Yamaha motorcycle he was riding collided with a bicyclist. Justin T. Payne was traveling north on his Huffy bicycle when Carter struck him from behind.
Carter was thrown from his motorcycle and was pronounced dead at the scene. Payne was taken to D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital where he was treated for his injuries. State Troopers continue to investigate.
Drivers Ed Teacher Killed In Head-On Collision
BAY MINETTE, Alabama - State Troopers say William Casaday drove into oncoming traffic on his way to work at Escambia County High School and hit a pickup truck head-on.
Students and staff at Escambia County High School are mourning the loss of a teacher.
William Casaday, who taught Drivers Education/PE and coached the girl's softball team, was killed Wednesday morning in a head-on collision.
State Troopers say the 30-year-old Casady was traveling north on Phillipsville Road around 6:40 a.m. His Hyundai Elantra drove into oncoming traffic and hit a pickup truck. Casady was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected. Baldwin County Coroner Stan Vinson pronounced him dead at the scene.
The driver of the pickup, 17-year-old Timothy Bush, was transported to North Baldwin Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Witnesses Subpoenaed In Nodine Murder Trial
GULF SHORES, Alabama - Attorneys met for more than two hours Wednesday morning reviewing evidence in the murder trial of ex-commissioner Steve Nodine.
Attorneys met for more than two hours Wednesday morning reviewing evidence in the murder, stalking and ethics trial of ex-Mobile County Commissioner Steve Nodine.
Baldwin County District Attorney Judy Newcomb and Dennis Knizley, Nodine's attorney, went through the evidence at the Gulf Shores Police Department.
Three attorneys are among the dozens of witnesses subpoenaed to testify in the trial, according to court records.
Mobile County Attorney Jay Ross, ex- Mobile County Attorney Mark Erwin and defense attorney Matt Green were issued subpoenas last week.
Nodine's ex-wife, Kimberlee Nodine, was also subpoenaed.
Nodine, who pleaded guilty last month to a federal charge involving using drugs while possessing a gun, is accused of killing his long-time mistress, Angel Downs.
Downs, a Baldwin County realtor, was found shot in her head in the driveway of her Gulf Shores condo on Mother's Day.
Nodine, who is not expected to testify in the trial, has denied killing Downs.
Little Girl Found Walking Down Highway
PENSACOLA, Florida - The Escambia County Sheriff’s office needs your help to find the 5-year-old girl's parents.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for the parents of a 5-year-old girl found wandering down a highway.
On Tuesday, the little girl seen pictured above was found walking on Gulf Beach Highway and Bartow Avenue. That's south the Naval Hospital and north of NAS Pensacola.
View Larger Map
The girl says her name is Sharia Starr and that her mother’s name is Alicia. But deputies have not been able to track her parents down and no one has reported her missing.
If anyone knows the identity of this child’s parents, please contact the Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit at 850.436.9620.
Chizik Refuses To Address Latest Allegations
AUBURN, Alabama - ESPN reported that Cam Newton and his father, Cecil, each had a phone conversation with a Mississippi State recruiter and acknowledged a pay-for-play arrangement.
All Auburn coach Gene Chizik would say Wednesday about Cam Newton is that the star quarterback will start for the second-ranked Tigers against Georgia on Saturday.
Chizik declined to answer questions about an ESPN report that Newton told a Mississippi State recruiter that his father wanted him to go to Auburn because "the money was too much."
Citing unidentified sources, ESPN reported late Tuesday that Newton and his father, Cecil, each had a phone conversation with a Mississippi State recruiter and acknowledged a pay-for-play arrangement.
Chizik offered a passionate defense of Newton on Tuesday, calling a report about cheating accusations when Newton was at Florida "pure garbage."
Cleveland Browns rookie cornerback Joe Haden said Newton isn't worried about the allegations being leveled against him. Haden lived with Newton for 1 1/2 years and considers his former roommate when the two were at Florida his best friend.
Haden spoke to the Heisman Trophy hopeful on the phone for an hour on Tuesday night. Haden said Newton, who has been accused of cheating while he was with the Gators, "is not letting this stuff get to him too much. He said, 'Joe, I got a plan and everything is going to work out for the best.'"
Haden believes Newton is only being targeted because he's playing so well this season.
Smoking Chimpanzee Rescued From Zoo
ANSAR, Lebanon - The chimp learned to smoke when a restaurant made him serve hookahs to clients. He was later transferred to a zoo where he smoked cigarettes to entertain visitors.
An animal rights group rescued a 12-year-old chimpanzee from a zoo in Lebanon where he lived alone in a cage, smoking cigarettes to entertain visitors.
Omega was flown to a sanctuary in Brazil, where he will live with other chimps for the first time in his life.
Jason Mier, director of Animals Lebanon, told reporters that the chimp had learned to smoke when a restaurant made him serve hookahs, or waterpipes, to clients.
"He was used in a restaurant, he was serving waterpipes to customers trying to get people to come to this restaurant. I am sure they thought it was funny to have this chimpanzee in there walking around," said Mier.
Mier said Omega was transferred to a zoo in the southern Lebanese town of Ansar between three and five years old when he became "a little aggressive" and too big for the restaurant owners to handle him.
"He has been in the zoo for the last 10 years and it's very miserable in that he has never seen another chimpanzee in 10 years. He hasn't climbed a tree, he hasn't walked on grass. He is just in a small metal cage, completely alone, so it is a very sad situation. It was nice to be able to do something for him," said Mier.
Bond Set for Officer Charged with Child Porn Poss.
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi - Bond has been set at $150,000 for a former Ocean Springs police officer charged with six counts of possession of child pornography charges.
Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd says 46-year-old Lee Leonard was arrested Tuesday. He says Leonard resigned Oct. 14 during an internal investigation by Ocean Springs police. Jackson County Judge T. Larry Wilson during a hearing Wednesday set bond at $25,000 for each of the six counts.
Authorities say Leonard was returned to jail but they would not say where. Byrd says deputies seized computers from Leonard's home. He says had numerous movies and photographs depicting images of boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 10 in sexual situations.
What To Do About The Flu?
MOBILE, Alabama - Flu season is here and many of you may be wondering if you should get the vaccine this year.
Flu season is here and many of you may be wondering if you should get the vaccine this year. You may remember the H1N1 Swine Flu scare last year. There was a vaccine shortage at first. Then, once we got enough vaccine in, most Southerners didn't get it. For a lot of people, fear of the vaccine kept them from getting the shot. Much of that vaccine had to be thrown away because it expired. We asked a local doctor his advice. Dr. Darren Waters recommends it and says the vaccine is safe. This year, the H1N1 and regular Flu vaccines are combined into one shot, "usually we see the Flu peak some time in January, February really starts hitting us pretty hard. Definitely recommend you get vaccinated, anybody 6 months of age or older you are recommended to get vaccinated. The vaccine recommendations have changed for children 8 and under so please consult your health care advisor for that cause they have changed," said Dr. Waters. That change for kids 8 and under is if your child did not get an H1N1 vaccine last year, they will have to get two shots this year, a month apart.
Sex, Drugs More Common In Hyper-texting Teens
ATLANTA - The study's authors aren't suggesting that "hyper-texting" (120 texts or more/day) leads to sex, drinking or drugs, but say it's startling to see an apparent link between excessive messaging and risky behavior.
Teens who text 120 times a day or more - and there seems to be a lot of them - are more likely to have had sex or used alcohol and drugs than kids who don't send as many messages, according to provocative new research.
The study's authors aren't suggesting that "hyper-texting" leads to sex, drinking or drugs, but say it's startling to see an apparent link between excessive messaging and that kind of risky behavior.
The study concludes that a significant number of teens are very susceptible to peer pressure and also have permissive or absent parents, said Dr. Scott Frank, the study's lead author.
"If parents are monitoring their kids' texting and social networking, they're probably monitoring other activities as well," said Frank, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Frank was scheduled to present the study Tuesday at a meeting of the American Public Health Association in Denver.
The study was done at 20 public high schools in the Cleveland area last year, and is based on confidential paper surveys of more than 4,200 students.
It found that about one in five students were hyper-texters and about one in nine are hyper-networkers - those who spend three or more hours a day on Facebook and other social networking websites.
About one in 25 fall into both categories.
Hyper-texting and hyper-networking were more common among girls, minorities, kids whose parents have less education and students from a single-mother household, the study found.
Frank's study is billed as one of the first studies to look at texting and social networking and whether they are linked to actual sexual intercourse or to other risky behaviors.
"This study demonstrates that it's a legitimate question to explore," said Douglas Gentile, who runs the Media Research Lab at Iowa State University.
The study found those who text at least 120 times a day are nearly three-and-a-half times more likely to have had sex than their peers who don't text that much. Hyper-texters were also more likely to have been in a physical fight, binge drink, use illegal drugs or take medication without a prescription.
Compared to the heavy texters, the hyper-networkers were not as likely to have had sex, but more likely to have been involved in other risky behaviors like drinking or fighting.
A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that about half of children ages 8 to 18 send text messages on a cell phone in a typical day. The texters estimated they average 118 texts per day. That study also found that only 14 percent of kids said their parents set rules limiting texting.
Other studies have tied teen texting to risky or lewd behavior. A Pew Research Center study found that about one-third of 16- and 17-year-olds send texts while driving. And an Associated Press-MTV poll found that about one-quarter of teenagers have "sexted" - shared sexually explicit photos, videos and chat by cell phone or online.
The latest survey did not ask what students texted or what they discussed on social networks.
One suburban Cleveland student said her texts involve non-sexual small talk with friends, homework assignments and student council bake sales.
"I text with my mother about what time I need picked up," said Tiara Freeman-Sargeant, a 14-year-old Shaker Heights High School freshman. She said she sends and receives about 250 texts a day.
Talking on the phone just isn't appealing to some teens, said her classmate, Ivanna Storms-Thompson.
"Your arm gets tired, your ear gets sweaty," said Ivanna, who also doesn't like the awkward silences.
Like her friend, Ivanna said she mostly gets A's. Whether kids who text do well in school or behave in a crazy, risky way is coincidental, she said.
"It depends on who you're talking to and whether they have their priorities straight," she said.
---
Online:
Conference: http://www.apha.org/meetings/
Sea Lions are Making a Splash!
MOBILE, Alabama - Today was opening today of the brand new show at the Exploreum, and it was a huge crowd-pleaser!
Sea lions are making a real splash in Downtown Mobile. Today was opening day of the brand new Sea Lion Splash show at the Exploreum. Hundreds of school children from Mobile and Baldwin counties came out for the first show this morning and had a chance to see "Kim and Rose" the sea lions in action. The children were thoroughly entertained at the sea lions that could balance balls, dance, and even shoot hoops. Lucas Lambert, a second grader at Spanish Fort Elementary, really loved it. "I thought it was amazing. I thought it was the best show I have seen in my life."
Sea lion Head Trainer, Gala Rogacheea, says the sea lions love performing for a crowd. "They love it. They always get a treat, no matter what they do, if they clap or smile, they always get their treat." Rogacheea adds there is also an educational component to the show. The children learn the difference between a sea lion and a sea. They also learn the importance of recycling.
If you want to catch Kim and Rose for yourself, they'll are performing daily at Mardi Gras Park through November 21st. That's right across the street from the Exploreum. You can catch them Monday through Friday at 9AM, Noon, and 3:30PM. Saturday there are four shows...10AM, Noon, 2PM and 3:45PM and on Sunday there are three shows...11AM, 1PM, and 3:30PM.
If you would like more information, click here.
Graphic Warning Labels For Cigarettes
RICHMOND, Virginia - The Surgeon General's Warning is about to get a major makeover. The FDA wants to put pictures of dead bodies and diseased lungs on the top half of each cigarette package
Corpses, cancer patients and diseased lungs: These are some of the images the federal government plans for larger, graphic warning labels that will take up half of each cigarette package.
The images are part of a new campaign announced by the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday to reduce tobacco use, which is responsible for about 443,000 deaths per year.
"It acts as a very public billboard because you all of the sudden are reading something about lung cancer from that pack behind the cash register, whereas before you were just reading 'Marlboro,' " said David Hammond, a health behavior researcher at the University of Waterloo in Canada, who is working with the firm designing the labels with for the FDA.
The share of Americans who smoke has fallen dramatically since 1970 from nearly 40 percent to about 20 percent, but those declines have stalled recently. At the same time, the average cost per pack has gone from 38 cents to $5.33.
About 46 million adults in the U.S. smoke cigarettes, and so do with 19.5 percent of high school students.
The new prevention plan is part of the law passed in June 2009 giving the FDA authority to regulate tobacco, including marketing and labeling guidelines, banning certain products and limiting nicotine. The law doesn't let the FDA ban nicotine or tobacco entirely.
"Today, FDA takes a crucial step toward reducing the tremendous toll of illness and death caused by tobacco use by proposing to dramatically change how cigarette packages and advertising look in this country," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a news release. "The health consequences of smoking will be obvious every time someone picks up a pack of cigarettes."
The FDA is proposing 36 labels for public comment, which include phrases like "smoking can kill you" and "cigarettes cause cancer," but also feature graphic images to convey the dangers of tobacco use. (Click here to see all the proposed images)
The agency will select the final labels in June after reviews of scientific literature, public comments, and results from an 18,000-person study. Cigarette makers will then have 15 months to start using the new labels.
The new warning labels are to take up half of a pack - both front and back - of cigarettes and contain "color graphics depicting the negative health consequences." Warning labels also must constitute 20 percent of advertisements.
In recent years, more than 30 countries or jurisdictions have introduced labels similar to those proposed by the FDA. The U.S. first mandated the use of warning labels stating "cigarettes may be hazardous to your health" in 1965.
While it is impossible to say how many people quit because of the labels that have been introduced, Hammond said every source of evidence suggests that the labels do spur people to quit.
Meanwhile, Reynolds American Inc., parent company of the nation's second-largest cigarette maker, R.J. Reynolds, is reviewing the labeling plan. But spokesman David Howard said the legality of the new labels is part of the lawsuit filed by the company, Lorillard Inc. and others pending in federal appeals court.
The tobacco makers in the suit had argued the warnings would relegate the companies' brands to the bottom half of the cigarette packaging, making it "difficult, if not impossible, to see."
Anti-tobacco advocates are applauding the federal campaign and the new warning labels.
"This is going to stop kids from starting to smoke ... and it's going to give smokers a strong incentive to quit smoking," said Patrick Reynolds, the grandson of R.J. Reynolds and executive director of the Foundation for a Smokefree America. Reynolds' father, brother and other relatives died from smoking-related illnesses.
It remains to be seen how well the scare tactics will work.
"I don't think they're going to be a deterrent at all for people who already smoke. Most people start smoking when they're young, and I don't think they're going to think about the effects," said 27-year-old Zak Hoffman, who has been smoking since age 14.
Gov. Riley Promises Action Now
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Gov. Bob Riley says a special session with the newly elected Legislature would allow the new Republican majority to send a message that they meant what they promised about ethics laws during their campaigns.
Riley told The Huntsville Times' editorial board Tuesday that voters don't want to wait until March or April for a special session to give subpoena power to the State Ethics Commission, rein in lobbyist spending on public officials and ban transfers of campaign contributions between political action committees.
He said that's why he's looking at a special session before the change of governors in January. He said he's negotiating with Gov.-elect Robert Bentley and legislators about enacting some of
the strongest ethics laws in the country.
Riley said the faster that the new legislators act, then the more credibility they get with voters.
Bank Robbers Red Handed But Not Caught
PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania - CAUGHT ON CAMERA Surveillance video shows the dye pack explode as two men who robbed a bank run across a busy highway with the cash.
Police in Pennsylvania are hoping to catch two bank robbers red handed.
The suspects robbed a bank Friday in Plymouth Township. As they made their get away, the dye pack exploded. Surveillance video shows the pink cloud trailing behind the bandits as they run across a busy highway.
The dye pack should have stained their hair, clothes, and hands at the very least.
Actress Betty White Made Honorary Forest Ranger
WASHINGTON, D.C. - White, known for her roles on "The Golden Girls" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," said that as a young girl she wanted to be a forest ranger, but women weren't allowed to have the job.
Betty White has had countless roles over her award-winning career, but now she has a gig she's always wanted: "Forest Ranger."
The actress known for her roles on "The Golden Girls" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was made an honorary ranger Tuesday by the U.S. Forest Service. White, 88, said that as a young girl she wanted to be a forest ranger, but women weren't allowed to have the job.
On Tuesday, the Forest Service presented her with a badge and a ranger's Stetson hat, which she donned during a ceremony at the Kennedy Center. When Smokey Bear arrived mid-ceremony, White gave him a big bear hug and later asked to take the Forest Service mascot with her. She settled for a toy Smokey with its own small hat.
"Wilderness is harder and harder to find these days on this beautiful planet, and we're abusing our planet to the point of almost no return," White said. "In my heart I've been a forest ranger all my life, but now I'm official."
White said some of her first memories as a child are riding in front of her father on a horse into the High Sierras. They would stay for three weeks and never see "another two-legged soul," she said. The family also went camping in Yellowstone National Park. White said her teachers eventually asked that she write essays on topics other than Yellowstone.
The Forest Service began in 1905, but very few women were employed during the early years. Today, women make up 38 percent of the Forest Service's workforce.
White, who recently won an Emmy for her guest-hosting stint on "Saturday Night Live," is in Washington for a ceremony to honor comedian Tina Fey, who is receiving the nation's top humor prize.
"It's a formal affair," she said. "Would it be all right if I wore the hat?"
Caught On Camera: Deer Jumps Over Police Car
KNOXVILLE, Iowa - A police officer was driving through a residential area when a deer ran up to his car. The officer was able to stop just as the deer jumped over it.
A daring deer made a leap of faith.
A police officer was driving through a residential area in Knoxville, Iowa when a deer ran up to his car. The officer was able to stop just as the deer jumped over it and then pranced away between a couple of houses.
The deer wasn't cited for jaywalking.
Officers don't know the animal's identity but she could be called "Jane Doe."
Man Shot During An Armed Robbery
MOBILE, AL - Mobile Police say a man was shot after being robbed Tuesday night on Farnell Drive.
Mobile Police say a man was shot after being robbed Tuesday night on Farnell Drive. It happened at 8:20pm. Investigators say the 18 year old victim was at Farnell Drive at Hartwell Drive when an unknown white four-door vehicle stopped in front of him.
Police say an unknown black male got out of the car, pointed a gun at him, and told him to give him everything he had. After he gave the suspect his money, he ran and the suspect fired several shots at him. The victim was struck in the left leg. He was transported to USA Medical Center, and treated for a non-life threatening injury.
The suspect was described as a black male, approximately 5’06-5’08, 160lbs – 180lbs, medium complexion, wearing a short sleeve black T-shirt, black pants, and black shoes. The subject was seen getting into the backseat of a white small four-door traveling north on Farnell Drive from Hartwell Drive.
If you know anything about this case, call Mobile Police.
Report: Newtons Admit Pay For Play In Phone Talks
AUBURN, Alabama - According to ESPN, a Mississippi State recruiter says Cecil Newton told him before Cam committed to Auburn that it would take "more than a scholarship" for his son to attend Mississippi State.
ESPN is reporting on its website that Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and his father each had a phone conversation with a Mississippi State recruiter that acknowledged a pay-for-play arrangement for the prized recruit.
One of the recruiters said Cecil Newton told him before Cam Newton committed to Auburn that it would take "more than a scholarship" for his son to attend Mississippi State. An
unidentified source told ESPN that another recruiter received a phone call from an emotional Cam Newton after he committed to the Tigers, when he said his father selected Auburn for him because
"the money was too much."
The NCAA is reviewing the recruitment of Newton, a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Marine Life May Suffer Long After Public Forgets Oil Spill
LINDSAY PETERSON - While the public has moved on from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, scientists and fisheries managers worry it may have sparked a cascade of events that will lead to the collapse of entire Gulf species.
While the public has moved on from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, scientists and fisheries managers worry it may have sparked a cascade of events that will lead to the collapse of entire Gulf species.
It happened to the herring after the Exxon Valdez oil spill 20 years ago. But marine scientists meeting in Sarasota this week say Gulf creatures at risk could be spared if private and public agencies pool their knowledge of the effect of the oil and the state of the Gulf before the BP blowout.
"This is extremely important at this stage of the game," said William Hogarth, dean of the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida.
The government plans to collect billions from BP in fines, but scientists and fishery managers who want some of that money will have to back up their protection and restoration plans with hard data, he said.
Representatives from more than 25 research and fishery management organizations gathered Monday and Tuesday at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. They came from Canada and a dozen states, including Maine, Oregon, Louisiana and Mississippi.
USF, Mote and the National Wildlife Federation sponsored the meeting.
They plan to recommend a unified effort to study and manage the effects of the oil disaster as it ripples through the Gulf's marine web.
The Deepwater Horizon blowout on April 20 was clearly a disaster, but it's also an opportunity, said Michael Crosby, Mote senior vice president.
He called it a "wakeup call and an opportunity for us to begin to work together to bring together all of the information that is out there in a scientific way."
There's plenty of research going on, Crosby said, but no one's focusing it or organizing it to see the broader picture.
"We're calling, and there's urgency, for very applied research" to guide restoration efforts, Crosby said. "We need to act sooner, not later, not 10 to 20 years downstream."
It's crucial "that we make sure research is very focused on getting answers and providing information that will be focused on restoring the Gulf of Mexico."
Analyzed as a whole, the data could tell researchers if certain species are at risk, and public officials could act, imposing catch limits, for instance, to avert the loss, Hogarth said.
The group has realized this week, however, that some creatures may be past the point of saving.
Some Gulf species — certain sharks, for instance — were in trouble from overfishing when the Deepwater Horizon well blew, and the effects of all that oil in the water may have pushed them to their tipping point, Hogarth said.
A major concern of the group is that government agencies and BP aren't sharing all the data they're collecting in the Gulf.
John Hammond, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation, said he understood the need for caution as the government assesses the extent of the damage and assigns blame. But the research data "should be shared with the general public and it should be shared with organizations prepared to act now."
The group will not produce formal recommendations until January, Crosby said.
But he said the members are likely to ask that a single group be established as a clearinghouse for all Gulf research related to the oil disaster and that it be based in the Gulf region.
"We all seem to be in favor of this," Hogarth said. "It's not trying to take anybody's authority away, but to try to be better coordinated."
Group members also agree that the fines collected from BP should come back to the Gulf, Crosby said.
"It's just common sense that the fines for the impact on this Gulf oil spill would come back to aid those impacts, as opposed to vanishing into the treasury of the United States of America."
Report: White House Altered Drilling Ban Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. - An inspector general says the White House edited a report about the administration's moratorium on offshore oil drilling to make it appear that scientists and experts supported the idea of a six-month ban on new drilling.
An inspector general says the White House edited a report about the administration's moratorium on offshore oil drilling to make it appear that scientists and experts supported the idea of a six-month ban on new drilling.
The Interior Department's inspector general says the changes resulted "in the implication that the moratorium recommendation had been peer reviewed." But it hadn't been.
Still, the report said the administration did not violate federal rules because it had offered a formal apology and already publicly clarified the nature of the expert review.
The Web site Politico was first to report the inspector general's findings. The Associated Press on Wednesday obtained a copy of the report, which has not been publicly released.
Stranded Cruise Passengers Stuck on Spam Diet
CBS/AP - Guests on Luxury Ship Carnival Splendor on Military Rations as Mexican Tugs Pull Stricken Vessel To San Diego.
The former fun seekers of the Carnival Splendor are cruising again - but just barely.
In a scenario likely none of its more than 3,000 passengers pictured when they were planning their seven-day jaunt on the Mexican Riviera, the disabled cruise liner was being towed to San Diego by tugboats, and instead of a lavish seafood buffet they were subsisting on rations delivered by military helicopters.
After two days adrift, the ship began moving again Tuesday night when the first of several Mexican tugboats arrived. The 952-foot vessel was expected to arrive in San Diego on Thursday night, Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement.
The ship was 200 miles south of San Diego and about 44 miles off shore when an engine room fire Monday morning killed its power and set it adrift.
No one was hurt, but the nearly 4,500 passengers and crew were left without air conditioning, hot water, cell phone or Internet service. The ship's auxiliary power allowed for working toilets and cold water.
With no refrigeration on board, the ship ran out of food Tuesday, forcing passengers to trade elaborate dinners for relief supplies that are a little more basic, CBS News correspondent Priya David reports.
U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopters were ferrying supplies including Spam, crab meat, croissants and Pop Tarts to the ship from the USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier that reached the Splendor after it was diverted from training maneuvers to help. Thousands of pounds of food had been delivered by Tuesday night.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican Navy also sent resources to the ship.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Kevin Metcalf told CBS' "The Early Show" on Wednesday that, at its current pace, the ship was still expected to arrive in San Diego by Thursday evening.
Speaking to CBS from Alameda, Calif., Metcalf added that no injuries had been reported, and that Coast Guard and Navy personnel were onboard the cruise ship to monitor the health and safety of the passengers.
The tugboats were originally set to take the Splendor to Ensenada, Mexico, but the cruise line changed its plans and will attempt to have it towed to San Diego, where hotel and flight arrangements would await the passengers, Carnival said.
If the process moves too slowly, it may still be taken to Ensenada, the statement said.
Toni Sweet, of San Pedro, California, was frustrated when she couldn't reach her cousin, Vicky Alvarez, aboard the ship. She said she called her cell phone and did not get an answer.
"We know everything is fine, but we're just worried," Sweet said. "She was nervous about going on a cruise ship even before this happened and now with this, I don't think she'll ever go again."
Carnival spokeswoman Joyce Oliva said the ship's command is able to communicate with outsiders on a backup system.
Carnival Corp.'s stock was down about 1 percent Tuesday.
The situation will be costly for Carnival, which is refunding passengers, offering vouchers for future cruises and may have to dry dock the ship if the damage is extensive.
"We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we sincerely thank them for their patience," Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said in a statement.
Accidents like the engine-room fire are rare, said Monty Mathisen, of the New York-based publication Cruise Industry News.
The last major cruise accident was in 2007 when a ship with more than 1,500 people sank after hitting rocks near the Aegean island of Santorini, Mathisen said. Two French tourists died.
"This stuff does not happen," he said. "The ships have to be safe, if not the market will collapse."
Pet named “Pensacola” Up for Adoption
MOBILE, Alabama - Our Pet of the Week from the Mobile SPCA is an Alabama puppy, but she is warm and loving like Florida Sunshine!
Our Pet of the Week from the Mobile SPCA is a young lab mix named Pensacola. All of the puppies in her litter are named after Florida cities, but they were born in Alabama. She is playful and loving, and looking for a good home.
Pensacola's adoption fee is $100. She is spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated.
If you are interested in adopting Pensacola, call the Mobile SPCA at (251)633-3531.
Facebook Firing
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Feds: Woman illegally fired over Facebook remarks
(AP) - Federal authorities say a Connecticut woman was illegally fired from her job as an emergency medical technician after she posted disparaging remarks about her boss on Facebook.
The National Labor Relations Board alleges that the woman's comments are protected speech under federal law that allows employees to discuss their jobs and working conditions with
co-workers.
The case could set a precedent as more workers use social networking sites.
A spokesman for American Medical Response of Connecticut says the employee was fired because of complaints about her work. But the company defends its policy prohibiting workers from depicting the company in any way on the Internet.
An administrative law judge is expected to hear the case in January.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Really Wrong Number
CLARENCE, N.Y. - Looking for drugs, NY man calls cops by mistake
(AP) - A New York man looking to buy drugs misdialed and got the sheriff's "Crime Stoppers" line instead.
Erie County Sheriff's Detective Alan Rozansky says he got a call around noon Monday and answered with his usual "Crime Stoppers." The caller apparently didn't hear that and told Rozansky he was
looking "to score" drugs.
Rozansky told WIVB-TV that he was surprised but played along and arranged a meeting with undercover officers. The officers didn't arrest the caller but used him as an informant to lead them to
another transaction taking place down the road.
There, police arrested a 35-year-old woman trying to sell her prescription painkillers to a Buffalo man.
The careless caller is off the hook for now.
Jaguar Assistant Keeping Eye On Auburn
MOBILE, Alabama - Kurt Crain coaching linebackers at South Alabama. See Randy Patrick's report.
South Alabama goes for its 10th win of the season Thursday night when they host Arkansas Montecello at Ladd Peebles Stadium.
News 5 Great Toy Drive
MOBILE, Alabama - WKRG News 5 Toy Team has kicked The Second Annual Great Toy Drive into high gear!
WKRG News 5 Toy Team members Mel Showers, Rose Ann Haven, and Jessica Taloney met up with Richard Greene and Shane Adams of Trax tires to buy the first large load of toys for children this holiday season.
They all met at Toys R Us in Mobile and picked out stuffed animals, electrical toys, musical instruments, and bikes for needy children.
Trax Tires participated in last year's Great Toy Drive. Shane Adams says the response was "Absolutely amazing. We had truck load after truck load of people just bringing in toys that we had never seen before and it really makes us feel good. It's for a good cause, and hopefully we can double it this year".
WKRG News 5 is looking for more people to participate in The Great Toy Drive. From small groups to individuals, everyone is invited.
For more information, just send an email to toys@wkrg.com and WKRG News 5 will email you all the details.
Mobile’s Veteran of the Year
MOBILE, Alabama - Colonel Pat Downing says he accepts Veteran of the Year with pride representing all veterans.
Career Army Officer and former Green Beret Pat Downing will be honored Thursday, Veteran's Day, as the Mobile Bay Area Veteran of the Year. Downing says he gladly accepts the honor, as it was meant that the Veteran of the Year would represent all veterans.
Downing served two tours in Vietnam in the mid and late '60's. He moved to various posts around the world including Germany, Alaska, Honduras, Panama and Saudi Arabia. He and his family moved so many times his wife swore their home in Mobile would be their last.
Since retiring from the Army in 1996, Downing has worked for the University of South Alabama at the Brookley Campus. And he has also been instrumental with Honor Flight South Alabama, with the all important job of training the guardians who accompany WWII Veterans on their trip to see their memorial in Washington.
Downing has also acquired what may well be the best and definitive answer to the question, 'What is a Veteran?'
"A Veteran is someone, active duty, discharged, retired or reserve, who wrote a blank check to the United States of America for an amount up to, and including, their life."
What Will Happen If Prichard Dissolves?
PRICHARD, Alabama - If Prichard dissolves as a city, Mobile County will be picking up the slack. But the services the county provides will be nothing like what Prichard offers.
If Prichard dissolves as a city, Mobile County will be picking up the slack.
But the services the county provides will be nothing like what Prichard offers.
Prichard City Council member Earline Martin-Harris is leading the effort to dissolve Prichard.
She believes everyone will be better served with the county and will have better resources.
Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood says that's not necessarily true.
"The county is not in the garbage business. As far as I know we don't have any intentions of getting into the garbage business. So then the people in Prichard will then need to have to find a private hauler who would come in individual house holds who have to pay for that. Most of the people who live in unincorporated areas that are not in cities have volunteer fire departments that respond in the event of a fire. That's what happens when you're not inside a city," said Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood.
Martin-Harris says right now she's just getting feedback from the town hall meetings and will present her findings to the state legislature next Spring.
Her goal is to get a referendum, asking the people of Prichard whether they want to dissolve or not.
Incoming Commissioner Wants To Cut Baldwin County Jobs
BAY MINETTE, Alabama - Baldwin County Commissioner-elect Bob James wants to cut 60 county jobs...a move he says will save the county two million dollars.
There could be political fireworks at Wednesday's county commission meeting in Bay Minette. When Commissioner-elect Bob James is sworn in Wednesday morning, he'll immediately ask the commission to cut 60 county jobs...a move James says would save the county two million dollars.
A reduction in force isn't the only controversial issue James has put out on the table. James wants to eliminate take-home county cars, post all employee salaries on the county's website, eliminate all current employee contracts and revisit the budget.
Commission chairman Charles "Skip" Gruber says he will NOT vote for a reduction in force.
News 5 will be at the commission meeting Wednesday.
Search for Oil Continues from Air and Ground
ORANGE BEACH, Alabama - A month into BP's "Deep Clean" of Baldwin County beaches and the search for oil continues from the air and on the ground. Orange Beach officials have taken on the task of making sure BP is doing what they say they are when it comes to deep cleaning the beaches and they are doing it from the air and the ground.
"I'm not much of a flyer to tell you the truth But Sean Brumley has done it practically all summer long and now into the fall, tracking the BP oil spill before it impacts Baldwin beaches.
"Its been fun, its been scary, its been heart breaking all at one time," he says peering out of the window of a Cessna as we fly along the coast line. The number of flights have been cut back from twice a day to twice a week. The focus of the flights have shifted as well.
"We're still looking for oil, that's number one. Number two, document beach clean up what they've done. We've got before pictures of what the beach looked like and once it's done get after shot pictures after clean up or during clean up we're still taking shots of the beaches"
From the air you can see the different crews scattered from one end of Pleasure Island to the other. But on the ground something else is going on, spot checks.
"Layers is what we're kind of actually looking for and seeing if there is mats or something there," says Rick White with the Public Works Department of Orange Beach.
The city of Orange Beach has a crew drilling four foot holes, at randomly selected locations, where the beach has been cleaned and where it hasn't.
"Actually we've been kind of surprised," White says, "its been pretty clean. There might be a little bit of sheen here or something but its nothing really massive that we've found so far. But all in all its been pretty good."
But they are still looking. From the ground and the air. Making sure Alabama beaches are exactly the way they used to be.
The flights will continue through the winter. They are not sure how colder temperatures will affect the oil that we know is still in the water. The flights are being paid for through a grant from BP.
Run-Off To Replace Murdered Sheriff
LUCEDALE. Mississippi - Voters in George County have narrowed the field of candidates to two in the race to replace Sheriff Garry Welford.
George County voters have narrowed the field of candidates from eleven to two in the race to replace Sheriff Garry Welford.
Chief Deputy Tony Keel and Bobby Fairley were the top vote getters in last week's election. The two will face each other in a run-off on Nov. 23.
Welford was killed in July will trying to apprehend a fleeing suspect. Welford was throwing down spike strips when he was struck by a truck. Investigators say Brandy Williams, 18, was the driver and Christopher Baxter, 24, was a passenger, who was wanted by police for not showing up for a court appearance.
Williams and Baxter are both charged with capital murder.
News Five caught up with the candidates to replace Sheriff Welford today. Watch the video to see their interviews.
Chickasaw Council Approves Tax Increase
CHICKASAW, Alabama - But, it is not as much as the mayor wanted.
Chickasaw City Council members voted to increase sales taxes Tuesday night to make up for a $200,000 budget shortfall.
But one person had strong words for the mayor for supporting an increase.
The meeting began with 90 year old Raymond Griffin questioning Mayor Byron Pittman on why any sales tax increase was necessary.
Griffin asked, "Have you all took into consideration what this tax increase that you all are fixing to put on is going to do? Well, have you?"
Pittman answered, "You asked me a question. Yes, sir. This has not been an easy decision. This is something we've been discussing."
But Griffin said, "You're going to kill any new business that comes here. Any businesses that are here, you're going to run them out."
Then, Griffin wondered if he and others could vote on the proposal.
He asked, "Are we going to have a chance to vote on it?"
Pittman said, "No, sir. It has to be a referendum vote."
Then, Griffin said, "In other words, you're just going to push it on us whether we like it or not."
Later, there was a comment that upset city workers in the room.
Griffin said, "The people here working, that you got working, don't do nothing."
Afterward, a city worker who said he hasn't got a pay raise in four years answered Griffin.
He said, "Now, Mr. Griffin, I just totally disagree with you. We really do work around here. You probably might not see it, but, I know I do all I can."
When it came time to vote, the one percent increase failed on a three to three tie.
Then came a new motion to approve a half cent sales tax increase.
It passed, six to nothing.
Pittman said, "I would prefer to have the one cent increase, but, if all I can get is a half cent, then, we'll just have to work with that and do the best we can."
Even with the half cent increase, the mayor said the city may have to make some cuts, but no layoffs.
Oil-Blocking Berm To Be Reduced In Dauphin Island
DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. - A berm put in place to shield oil from Dauphin Island will now scaled back.
Dauphin Island is cutting down a four-mile long sand pile that was built to keep oil away from beaches on the coastal barrier island south of Mobile.
Officials said Tuesday the berm will still be 4- to 6-feet-tall after the work. It's currently as tall as 10 feet in places, making it difficult for visitors to get to the water.
Workers built two long berms over the summer to protect Dauphin Island from oil pollution. One runs beside a road, the other is closer to the water. Workers will begin later this week reducing the shore-side berm, which was finished in mid-July around the time the blown-out well was capped.
The second long sand pile will remain. The project is anticipated to take about 60 days.
Fatal Accident In Mobile
MOBILE, Ala. - A single vehicle accident early Tuesday morning claims the life of a man from Irvington.
Alabama State Troopers are investigating an early morning crash that killed a man from Irvington.
It happened on Padgett Switch Road about 5 miles north of Bayou La Batre. Troopers say 52 year-old Roy Miller was killed when his Jeep Wrangler veered off the road and flipped over in a ditch.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Virus Hitting Hard
MOBILE, Alabama - It may be flu season but there is something else going around that's making people very sick.
It may be flu season but there is something else going around that's making people very sick. Greater Mobile Urgent Care has been packed with patients lately. Dr. Darren Waters says they're seeing a lot of Gastroenteritis. It's not the flu but a lot of people call it the stomach flu because you have vomiting, diarrhea, body aches and fever. It's very contagious and it seems to be hitting harder this year, "it's pretty bad depending on who has it. People present with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. When you are really young or really old certainly it can hit you a little bit harder. The danger of this virus or these viruses are basically dehydration. I mean if you are young and healthy you are going to do fine, you're going to feel bad for a couple of days but you will do fine. If you are elderly and you can't take in fluids or you're a child and you can't take in fluids you run the risk of getting dehydrated and you can get pretty sick," said Dr. Waters. A flu vaccine won't protect you against Gastroenteritis. But, Dr. Waters still recommends that anyone 6 months and older get the flu shot. There are some changes this year for kids 8 and under. If they didn't get an H1N1 vaccine last year, this year they will have to get two shots a month apart. The H1N1 and regular flu vaccine are combined into one shot this year.
President Bush Credits Gov. Riley For Phrase
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - In his book released Tuesday, Former President George W. Bush credits Governor Bob Riley for the phrase "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" that later haunted him after Hurricane Katrina.
Former President George W. Bush says a phrase that haunted him after Hurricane Katrina - "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" - was from a statement of praise he had just heard from Alabama Gov. Bob Riley.
In his new memoir, Bush says he asked Riley and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour if they were getting the federal support they needed when he met with them on the coast. He says Riley told him that FEMA director Mike Brown is "doing a heck of a job."
Bush repeated the phrase, using his nickname for Brown. He says he never imagined it would become so infamous as critics of Brown's performance used it as a club.
Riley spokesman Jeff Emerson said Tuesday the president often reminded Riley good-naturedly that Riley had said it first.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Bachus: “Sarah Palin Cost GOP Control of Senate”
WASHINGTON D.C. - A leading House Republican says Sarah Palin cost the GOP control of the Senate. Questioned about those comments on Tuesday, a spokesman for Rep. Spencer Bachus said the remarks had been taken out of context.
Bachus, in line to become chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said last week that the Senate would be in Republican hands if not for losses by long-shot tea party candidates endorsed by the former Alaska governor. "Sarah Palin cost us control of the Senate," the Shelby County Reporter quoted the Alabama lawmaker as saying.
Bachus spokesman Tim Johnson said the congressman was expressing a widely held belief that stronger Republican candidates could have won in Delaware and Nevada. Johnson said Bachus was "extremely complimentary" of Palin and the tea party.
Falsely Jailed Man Dies 1 Month Out of Prison
CBS/AP - Bobby Ray Dixon Spent 30 Years Behind Bars, Falsely Accused of Murder, Only To Have Cancer Kill Him One Week After Release.
A Mississippi man who spent more than 30 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit has died less than a month after his name was cleared in the case, the Associated Press reports.
Bobby Ray Dixon died Sunday from cancer. He was 53. Jerry Dixon says he's glad his brother lived long enough to see himself cleared by DNA evidence in the 1979 rape and murder of a Hattiesburg woman.
In September, a circuit judge set aside the guilty pleas of Bobby Ray Dixon and another man in the slaying of Eva Gail Patterson after the Innocence Project New Orleans filed a petition on their behalf. The judge is expected to rule later on a posthumous petition for a third man, Larry Ruffin, who died in prison in 2002.
Dixon had been released from prison in August on a medical release given inmates who have a terminal illness, reports The Clarion-Ledger. He had been receiving chemotherapy for advanced lung cancer and a brain tumor.
In interviews, Dixon said that not only did he have no idea what the victim looked like, but that police had beaten and coerced him into confessing to the crime.
The Innocence Project reports that 63 confessions like Dixon's have been proven false through DNA around the country since 1990.
Upon official exoneration for his crimes, Dixon told the press, "I was done wrong. I know that."
Ex-CEO Says BP Unprepared For Oil Spill
LONDON - Tony Hayward says the contingency plans were inadequate and "we were making it up day to day."
Former BP PLC chief Tony Hayward says the company was unprepared for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, forcing it to improvise solutions, and that evaporating credit took it close to financial disaster.
In an interview with the BBC to be broadcast Tuesday, Hayward says the contingency plans were inadequate and "we were making it up day to day."
An April 20 explosion aboard a Gulf oil rig killed 11 workers and kicked off the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Hayward said BP was "not prepared to deal with the intensity of the media scrutiny." He left his post last month after taking much of the flak for BP's poor public handling of the disaster.
He said BP had found itself unable to borrow on capital markets during the spill crisis, threatening its finances.
The interview will air at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday (Mobile time) on the BBC in Europe. After it airs, you can watch it on the BBC iPlayer
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Mom Tries To Sell Her Newborn
BRADENTON, Florida - Police say Stephanie Fleming teamed up with her mom to sell her 8-week old son for $30,000. She planned to use her share to buy a new car.
Police have arrested a woman accused of trying to sell her 8-week old son.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says 22-year-old Stephanie Fleming, her mom Patty Bigbee and Lawrence Works, approached a third party last month about buying Flemming's son for $75,000. The potential buyer then called police.
FDLE agents arrested Bigbee and Works on Friday when they met the buyer in Daytona Beach and agreed to sell the baby for $30,000.
FDLE say Fleming and Bigbee discussed the selling price and how the money would be split. Investigators say Fleming was going to get $9,000 from the sale and planned to purchase a new vehicle.
Fleming was charged with one count of Principal to Illegal Sale or Surrender of a Child. Her bond was set at $50,000. She is currently being held in the Manatee County Jail.
The infant remains in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Gov. Riley: “Oil Spill Claims Process ‘Extortion’”
MONTGOMERY, Alabama - Governor Bob Riley calls the oil spill claims process "extortion" and says he's waiting for answers to questions raised in a letter to claims czar Ken Feinberg.
Riley said Monday he's concerned that underpayments by Feinberg's Gulf Coast Claims Facility will force businesses to sign away prematurely the right to sue BP.
Amy Weiss, a spokeswoman for Feinberg, responded to questions about Riley's criticisms by saying, "Mr. Feinberg just received Gov. Riley's letter and will respond in due course." Riley's letter asks for the total number of claims filed and the number paid in full. It also asks the number of claims asking more than $100,000 and paid in full.
Riley asked whether people working for the claims facility are paid based on number of claims handled or amount of payments authorized. (AP)
Auburn AD: Cam Newton Cheating Allegations “Sad”
Associated Press - Athletic Director Says QB Eligible Despite "Unfortunate and Sad" Reports that He Faced Expulsion for Cheating at Florida.
Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs says the allegations against Tigers quarterback Cam Newton are "unfortunate and sad" and reiterated that Newton is eligible both academically and athletically.
Jacobs said Monday the "rumors" seem designed toward "tearing down the reputation" of Newton, who Jacobs says has done "everything we've asked him to do." Jacobs says discussing the academic records of a student violates federal privacy law and declined to disclose Newton's academic history.
Foxsports.com reported Monday that Newton had faced possible expulsion from Florida for academic cheating before transferring to Blinn, a junior college in Texas. The report also says that Newton was caught cheating three times and was to appear for a hearing in front of Florida's Student Committee during the spring semester of 2009.
Meanwhile, Florida coach Urban Meyer said he didn't leak any information about Newton's academic record in Gainesville.
Meyer adds that no one on his staff would have leaked confidential academic information, calling it a "ridiculous claim and simply not true."
Meyer said "for anyone to think that I or anyone on our staff may have leaked information about private student records to the media doesn't know us very well. It's a ridiculous claim and simply not true."
Press StoriesBaldwin County commissioners vote in sweeping changes
BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Soon after two new Baldwin County commissioners took the oath of office today, they began voting on sweeping changes and new hires that had never been discussed in an open meeting, they confirmed.
BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Soon after two new Baldwin County commissioners took the oath of office this morning, they began voting on sweeping changes and new hires that they confirmed had never been discussed in an open meeting. In a meeting that lasted more than six hours, the County Commission eliminated the legal department, environmental planners, cut roughly 60 employees and its own contingency funds in what newly elected commissioners Tucker Dorsey and Bob James called following the mandate of voters. Most of the votes passed 3-1 with Commissioner Charles "Skip" Gruber saying he was "blindsided" by several items placed on the agenda by the other three commissioners without any input from him. Commission Chairman Frank Burt defended the actions, saying he had consulted with the Alabama attorney general, the Association of County Commissions of Alabama and other legal advisers and found all the actions were legal. Burt said Dorsey and James participated in discussions before they were technically elected to office, so there was no Open Meetings Law violation. Commissioners voted to reduce the county’s workforce, saving $520,000 and, after eliminating the legal department, hired law firm Blackburn and Conner to serve as county attorney. While the legal department cost the county about $85 an hour, officials said, the new firm will be paid $225 an hour, but officials expect they will work fewer hours. Danny Blackburn and David Conner said they would recuse themselves from several cases in which their clients have sued the county and would allow other attorneys to do county work when there was a conflict. Conner said he would continue to act as a lobbyist for private Baldwin County Sewer Service and the city of Spanish Fort so long as there was no conflict with county business. The commission hired Mobile firefighter Melvin Stringfellow to serve as the county Emergency Management Agency director. Commissioners shifted more than $800,000 in contingency funds to drainage projects, as well as some $500,000 from employee layoffs switched to public safety or road projects. Commissioners cut about $100,000 more, reducing by half the allocations to Battleship Park and the Baldwin County Heritage Museum. They eliminated money earmarked for Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, Baldwin County Housing Alliance and the American Red Cross. Later, commissioners said they would reinstate the $18,000 Red Cross item if Mobile County matched the allocation. In response, the Red Cross office said it was considering closing the south Baldwin office. Officials estimated the budget cuts could translate into some 60 jobs eliminated countywide.
Man charged with animal cruelty after allegedly shooting neighbor's dog
A 52-year-old man was arrested Tuesday and charged with animal cruelty after Mobile County sheriff’s deputies said he shot a neighbor’s dog in Wilmer.
WILMER, Ala. -- A 52-year-old man was arrested Tuesday and charged with animal cruelty after Mobile County sheriff’s deputies said he shot a neighbor’s dog in Wilmer.
The dog was shot in the neck but survived, sheriff’s spokeswoman Lori Myles said.
Daniel Scott Harris turned himself into authorities Tuesday afternoon and was released on $750 bail, according to Myles.
According to Myles, a neighbor of Harris filed a complaint that Harris had shot their dog, and after Harris initially denied involvement, deputies started an investigation and took out a warrant against him.
He will appear in Mobile County District Court Friday morning, according to jail records.
Driver injured, arrested after leading Mobile police on chase
A man who police said fled during a traffic stop this evening led officers on a half-mile chase through Midtown that ended in a wreck and the man’s arrest, Mobile police said.
 Joseph FieldsMOBILE, Ala. -- A man who police said fled during a traffic stop this evening led officers on a half-mile chase through Midtown that ended in a wreck and the man’s arrest, Mobile police said.
Spokesman Officer Christopher Levy said Joseph Lee Fields, 23, was charged with two felonies and received five traffic citations in relation to the chase.
He was charged with felony eluding police and felony leaving the scene of an accident, and was ticketed twice for running stop signs and once each for no registration, no insurance and driving with a suspended license, Levy said
Fields was first stopped about 5 p.m. by a motorcycle officer at Hunter and Williams streets, just south of Murphy High School, Levy said.
Fields was being ticketed for a stop sign violation, Levy said, when the officer was told there was a felony warrant for him out of Baldwin County charging first-degree theft of property.
The motorcycle officer called for backup, and Levy said Fields drove away on South Street, passed Murphy High School and ran the stop sign at South and Dauphin streets, striking a car with two people inside.
The occupants of the struck car did not require medical treatment, Levy said. He said Fields then fled on foot but was caught shortly afterward.
Fields was taken to Mobile County Metro Jail after treatment for minor injuries at the University of South Alabama Medical Center, Levy said.
Commission: Alabama coastal communities must unite to recover
SPANISH FORT — Wrapping up three nights of public meetings seeking input on how Alabama’s Gulf Coast can rebound from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the head of the governor’s commission to map out that recovery said Wednesday that residents must be united, and added that he has a feeling that they are.
 (Press-Register/G.M. Andrews)Col. Steve Roemhildt, left, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, points to a portion of a display story board as he talks with facilitator Jamie Miller, right, as Lt. Col Daren Payne (cq), far left, and Russ Lea, a member of the Environmental subcomittee, far right, listen during the final of three public meetings of the Coastal Recovery Commission of Alabama at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center Nov. 10, 2010 in Spanish Fort, Ala. SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Wrapping up three nights of public meetings seeking input on how Alabama’s Gulf Coast can rebound from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the head of the governor’s commission to map out that recovery said Wednesday that residents must be united, and added that he has a feeling that they are.
"We as a region need to speak with one voice and not fight each other," said Ricky Mathews, director of the Coastal Recovery Commission of Alabama and publisher of the Press-Register. "We may be fighting other states, and fighting Washington."
The Gov. Bob Riley-appointed commission plans to write a report by Dec. 15 with ideas on how the state should spend billions of dollars that it could receive from federal fines levied against BP PLC, which owned the oil well. The commission won’t actually decide how to spend the money, but it will present hundreds of suggestions from the community, Mathews said.
Some of the more obvious ideas that have come up so far, Mathews said, include: tackling rising coastal insurance costs; restoring the beaches; keeping tourists and consumers informed about the conditions of the beaches and the safety of seafood; rebuilding oyster reefs and helping the seafood industry recover.
The Wednesday night meeting, held at the Five Rivers Delta Resource Center on the Causeway, was not as emotional as a Monday meeting in Orange Beach or a Tuesday meeting in Bayou La Batre, according to some who attended all of them. That could be because the attendees’ livelihoods weren’t as directly impacted by the spill as those in the communities southward.
About 100 people attended the Causeway meeting, compared to about 150 in Bayou La Batre and 300 in Orange Beach.
Comments from the crowd ranged from questions about how the money would be disbursed, to what would happen if Alabama doesn’t get any of the money; from whether Alabama would promote environmentally friendly "green" rebuilding, to what can be done about bacteria in the water.
"Some communities have a lot more negative impact from this spill than others," said Mobile Mayor Sam Jones. "But the city of Mobile as well as all cities around us are all affected."
Jones said the commission provides a "tremendous opportunity" to come up with ways to help the entire region.
Sheila Hodges, chairman of the board of Meyer Real Estate in Gulf Shores, said she and others could "feel the anguish in the room" during the meetings in Orange Beach and Bayou La Batre. "It depends on which community you’re from, how much you feel it."
But, she said, the next disaster that strikes — such as a hurricane — might have a different epicenter, so it’s good that the region as a whole is talking and coming up with ideas.
She likened the work of the commission to what she and the leaders of her four biggest competing real estate firms in South Baldwin County did in the first couple of weeks after the spill began. They met together and then met with BP to talk about what needed to be done to help all of them.
"When this is all over, we’ll compete all over again. That’s good and healthy for us," she said. "But I don’t know how any of us five would have survived if we didn’t come together. The time for us as a community to talk is now."
Sports Academy fetes Marine Corps anniversary to mark start of toy drive
A crowd of about 50 gathered at the United States Sports Academy on Wednesday afternoon for a party — replete with cake and punch — in honor of the U.S. Marine Corps’ 235th anniversary and to kick off the annual Toys for Tots campaign.
The event got the ball rolling with a bunch of toys for the drive.
 (Press-Register/Victor Calhoun)The United Sates Sports Academy recognized the Marine Corps' 235th anniversary and kicked off its annual campaign as a Toys for Tots dropoff point Wednesday Nov. 10, 2010. DAPHNE, Ala. — A crowd of about 50 gathered at the United States Sports Academy on Wednesday afternoon for a party — replete with cake and punch — in honor of the U.S. Marine Corps’ 235th anniversary and to kick off the annual Toys for Tots campaign.
The event got the ball rolling with a bunch of toys for the drive.
The Sports Academy has been involved with the Toys for Tots program for about two decades, said academy President Thomas P. Rosandich.
"It is one of the finest things that we see here at the academy," he said.
Last year, the academy collected about 5,000 toys for area youngsters through the program started by the Marine Corps Reserve. The academy is one of numerous area drop-off points in the campaign.
"We were worried because of the economy," Rosandich said. Still, residents opened their hearts with an outpouring of toys, and Rosandich said he hopes this year’s drive will at least equal last year’s collection.
Cal Walters, commandant of the Mobile Marine Corps League, thanked the academy for its support through the years, and said he was excited about Wednesday’s festivities.
"This is just a wonderful occasion to bring Marines out, to bring the public out and to roll out Toys for Tots," Walters said.
Dr. Barry Booth of Montrose was the guest of honor during the ceremony, in recognition for his dedication to Honor Flight, a program that transports World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice.
"It’s just an honor to be here to represent Naval personnel who served with the Marine Corps," said Booth, a dentist in Spanish Fort for 45 years.
Booth, who will turn 70 in a few weeks, was a Naval dental officer assigned to the Marines in Vietnam.
Wednesday’s festivities recognizing the Marine Corps’ anniversary included a cake-cutting ceremony with a Mameluke sword.
Booth received the first piece. The second piece went to 82-year-old Horace T. "Bubba" Jackson of Mobile, the oldest former enlisted Marine present.
That piece was then passed on to the youngest enlisted Marine there, Sgt. Steve Traywick, 26, of Birmingham, who is assigned to the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company in Mobile.
Dauphin Island fire chief recovering after blaze; fundraiser for him continues
Boot drives will be held in west Mobile this weekend and the next to make up for Brad Cox’s uncovered medical expenses and potential pay loss.
 (Press-Register/Mike Kittrell)This photo shows the aftermath of a fire on Dauphin Island on October 5, 2010. Dauphin Island volunteer fire chief Brad Cox, who was injured in the fire, is slowly recovering; boot drives are being held to make up for his uncovered medical expenses and potential pay loss.Brad Cox, the Dauphin Island volunteer fire chief who was seriously injured in an early October blaze, remained at Mobile Infirmary West Thursday afternoon as area firefighters planned to raise funds for his recovery, said the chief’s father. Boot drives will be held in west Mobile this weekend and the next to make up for Cox’s uncovered medical expenses and potential pay loss. Cox, who is also a full-time Mobile Fire-Rescue fire medic, has been forced to use his vacation and sick time during his recovery because "he wasn’t working for our department when he was injured," Mobile Fire-Rescue spokesman Steve Huffman said. Cox will likely run out of paid leave by the end of December, Huffman said. Mobile Fire-Rescue employees have been told that "if you’re willing to donate your vacation and sick time, you can do that to keep him on the payroll." Though Cox is covered through a health insurance plan with Mobile Fire-Rescue, Huffman said, "there will still be medical bills he has to pay." Cox also is receiving workers compensation through the Mobile County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments, which provides coverage to each of Mobile County’s registered volunteer fire departments, according to former association President Bill Hunter. Cox was moved from the University of South Alabama Medical Center to Mobile Infirmary West this week, said his father, William Cox. He is being treated in the infirmary’s "long-term facility," William Cox said, and it was unclear Wednesday how much longer his son would remain there. "He’s doing very well," William Cox said. "He’s going to need major physical therapy and as he moves along, they’ll know when he’s ready to go home." Boot drives to benefit Cox will be held at Springdale Boulevard at Dauphin Street, Schillinger Road at Airport Boulevard and U.S. 90 at Three Notch Road. The boot drives will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Sunday and Nov. 19, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 20.
Theodore man remains jailed on rape charges in Oklahoma
Theodore man faces rape charges in Oklahoma, accused of being involved with a teenager he met online.
MOBILE, Ala. -- A Theodore man remained in the Tulsa County, Okla., jail Wednesday, charged in the rape of a 14-year-old Missouri girl he met online, Tulsa police officials said.
Christopher Alan Virden, 25, was arrested and charged with second-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child, according to Tulsa County Jail records.
Officials said Virden met the girl online and traveled to McDonald County, Mo., where he picked her up Friday, Officer Jason Willingham, spokesman for the Tulsa Police Department, said Wednesday.
Willingham said Virden took the girl to a hotel room in Tulsa, police said.
In Missouri, “the victim’s stepfather flagged down a police officer and said that his stepdaughter had become involved with Virden and gave them (their) location,” Willingham said.
Tulsa police found the girl and held her until her parents arrived to pick her up, Willingham said. The exact location where she was found was not available.
Virden was arrested Monday at 4:15 p.m. at a residence in the 1600 block of Poplar Avenue in Broken Arrow, Okla., a suburb of Tulsa, said Maj. Mark Irwin, spokesman for the Broken Arrow Police Department.
Virden was also charged with interfering with a child; endangering the welfare of a child; and being a fugitive from the law from McDonald County, Mo., officials said.
Virden faces a Nov. 18 court date on the rape charge in Tulsa, Willingham said.
McDonald County sheriff’s officials would not discuss the case “because we are dealing with multiple jurisdictions,” said Detective Lorie Howard.
On April 30, 2007, Virden was charged in Mobile with second-degree rape involving a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl, according to Press-Register archives. Online court records showed the Mobile rape case was dropped in August of that year.
Virden gave Tulsa authorities an address on Creel Road in Theodore, according to the Tulsa jail records.
Tomorrow's forecast today for coastal Alabama: Warmer temps continue
Thursday: Patchy fog early, otherwise mostly sunny. Highs in the mid- to upper 70s. Lows in the low 40s to mid-50s. Chance of rain 5 percent or less.
 Heat map from NOAA, taken Nov. 10, 2010.Today's high was 75. The record for Nov. 10 is 81, recorded in 1988. Tropical outlook: Tropical formation is not expected in the next 48 hours. The Atlantic hurricane season ends Nov. 30. Thursday: Patchy fog early, otherwise mostly sunny. Highs in the mid- to upper 70s. Lows in the low 40s to mid-50s. Chance of rain 5 percent or less. Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid-70s. Lows in the low 40s to low 50s. Chance of rain 5 percent or less.
(For a complete forecast, see Thursday's Press-Register. For other Alabama weather news, visit al.com/weather.)
Jimmie Gardner chosen as Prichard police chief
Interim Prichard Police Chief Jimmie Gardner has been tapped as the city’s official top-cop beginning Monday, according to a news release from the city.
PRICHARD, Alabama -- Interim Prichard Police Chief Jimmie Gardner has been tapped as the city’s official top-cop beginning Monday, according to a news release from the city. Prichard spokeswoman Latoya Veal said Gardner, who has been serving as interim chief since December, will be sworn in at 10 a.m. Monday at Prichard City Hall. According to the release, Gardner has worked for the Prichard police for five years, and served as assistant police chief before he stepped in as interim chief.
Motorcyclist killed after colliding with bicyclist north of Brewton
A motorcyclist was killed Tuesday night after colliding with a bicyclist in central Escambia County, Alabama State Troopers said.
BREWTON, Ala. -- A motorcyclist was killed Tuesday night after colliding with a bicyclist in central Escambia County, Alabama State Troopers said.
Spokesman Trooper Greg Eubanks said 49-year-old Dennis Leroy Carter was riding a 1979 Yamaha motorcycle on U.S. 29 about 13 miles north of East Brewton at 6:25 p.m. when he struck 16-year-old bicyclist Justin T. Payne from behind. Eubanks said Carter lost control of the motorcycle after the collision and was thrown from the vehicle. Carter was pronounced dead at the scene, and Payne was taken to D.W. McMillian Hospital, Eubanks said.
Both victims are from Brewton. The crash occurred near the Dixie community close to the western end of Conecuh National Forest.
Head-on collision kills Escambia County High School head softball coach
Students at Escambia County High School mourned the loss of a beloved coach who perished this morning in a wreck in northern Baldwin County.
 (Courtesy Escambia County High School)William CasadayAn Escambia County High School coach and driver’s education teacher was killed in a head-on collision this morning in northern Baldwin County as he was on his way to school. He was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from his car, according to a news release from Trooper Greg Eubanks. Baldwin County Coroner Stan Vinson and Alabama State Troopers said William Marion Casaday, 30, of Summerdale, was northbound on Phillipsville Road, near Bay Minette. Casaday’s Hyundai Elantra veered into the southbound lane and struck a Ford F-250 pickup truck, Vinson said. The wreck occurred at 6:35 a.m., and Casaday was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:13 a.m. His body was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for autopsy, Vinson said. The driver of the pickup truck, Timothy Andrew Bush, 17, of Bay Minette was taken to North Baldwin Infirmary with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Eubanks. Casaday served as head softball coach at Escambia County High in Atmore for the last four seasons. He also coached football for four years, but not this fall, according to Mark Heaton, the school’s athletic director and football coach. The school learned of Casaday’s death just after the day began, and additional counselors and local ministers were brought in to help students deal with their grief, Heaton said. “The kids really liked him. They loved him,” Heaton said. “Anytime something like this happens, it’s very tough on a lot of people, and so many of these kids saw him like a parent or a brother. “He was a great guy, a funny guy. It’s a hard time for everyone here at the school.” Escambia County plays at Thomasville in the second round of the AHSAA Class 4A football playoffs on Friday. Heaton said the team will find a way to honor Casaday. A candlelight vigil was planned for Wednesday night at the school, according to Principal Zickeyous Byrd. Casaday was on the faculty for six years, and also taught physical education, Byrd said. He remembered Casaday as a man who would go the extra mile for his students, and said his death has left the school in shock. “Everyone was totally saddened. We’re continuing to work through it,” Byrd said Wednesday afternoon. “He was such an outstanding teacher as well as a coach. We just won’t be able to find anyone to replace him.” (Sports Reporter Josh Bean contributed to this report.)
Baldwin County Commission to proceed with controversial I-10 service road
BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Baldwin County Commissioners voted 3-1 today to proceed with planning on the Woodrow Lane service road along Interstate 10 in spite of dozens of area residents speaking in opposition.
BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Baldwin County commissioners voted 3-1 today to proceed with planning on the Woodrow Lane service road along Interstate 10 in spite of dozens of area residents speaking in opposition. On the day when new commissioners Tucker Dorsey and Bob James were sworn in, the service-road decision follows a slew of controversial issues, cost-cutting measures and appointments. The proposed service road would connect Bass Pro Shops in Spanish Fort to Woodrow Lane, which intersects Ala. 181 near the Eastern Shore Centre. An apparent gaffe on the agenda names the road "Palumbo Road" after Daphne City Councilman Gus Palumbo, an outspoken opponent of the project. The service road would link to a planned Baldwin County 13 interchange on I-10. The County Commission had committed $3.1 million to the road project. Developers initially pitched the road in 2007 when Mobile Infirmary was considering construction of a hospital there. Those plans fell through. Developers TimberCreek Land Co., Cypress Equities, the Alabama Department of Transportation and the city of Daphne added a combined $5.5 million to the project. Daphne withdrew support under blistering public protest. Under a tidal wave of Eastern Shore opposition, commissioners voted in April to kill the project in a 3-1 vote with Commission Frank Burt casting the lone dissent. Burt called the move a "grave mistake" at the time.
Several TimberCreek residents said earlier this week that they will fight any move to give the project new life in an area many characterize as environmentally sensitive. Alabama Department of Transportation Division Engineer Vince Calametti said Tuesday the state redesigned the planned I-10 interchange in the wake of the county’s April vote, and the service road project will not affect the state’s project either way. Protests started in normally quiet TimberCreek after March 1, when PGA golfer Rob Bradley bought 18 of the club’s 27 holes for $1.8 million. Sliced away from that deal were the other nine holes, the Magnolia Course. For that land, Bradley signed a 5-year lease. While the use of the 18 holes is restricted, falling under a conservation easement, the "lower nine" beside I-10 are zoned B-2 for business. The land still belongs to TimberCreek Investments, whose principals include Brewton timber magnate Richard Miller, who developed TimberCreek, according to property records.
Agenda names I-10 service road after project's outspoken opponent, Daphne Councilman Gus Palumbo
BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- In an apparent gaffe by Baldwin County staffers, an item appeared on today's county commission agenda that gave the name "Palumbo Road" to a proposed Interstate 10 service road at the south edge of one of TimberCreek's golf courses.
 Daphne Councilman Gus PalumboBAY MINETTE, Alabama -- In an apparent gaffe by Baldwin County staffers, an item appeared on today's County Commission agenda that gave the name "Palumbo Road" to a proposed Interstate 10 service road at the south edge of one of the TimberCreek subdivision's golf courses.
The name was apparently an ironic reference to Daphne Councilman Gus Palumbo, an outspoken opponent of the service road project.
During today's meeting, attorney Tom O'Hara pointed out the agenda item noting "Palumbo Road." Assistant Administrator and acting interim administrator David Brewer said that it was an error on his part. Brewer said he had submitted the copy to his staff, which then posted it in the public copy.
Opponents of the service road called the gaffe an insult to Palumbo and asked for an apology.
U.S. Supreme Court hears Alabama railroad case
The railroad company has sued the state, charging that a tax on diesel fuel discriminates against rail lines, thus violating special protections for the industry in federal law. Alabama maintains that the tax isn't discriminatory, because railroads pay the same rate 4 percent rate as most other taxpayers.
 (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts address students at the University of Alabama Law School in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Tuesday, March 9, 2010.
The court heard arguments for an hour in the CSX Transportation Inc. v. Alabama Department of Revenue case, which could impact millions of dollars in education money for the state, as well as tax policy across the country.
The railroad company has sued the state, charging that a tax on diesel fuel discriminates against rail lines, thus violating special protections for the industry in federal law. Alabama maintains that the tax isn’t discriminatory, because railroads pay the same rate 4 percent rate as most other taxpayers.
However, railroad competitors such as trucking and shipping companies, are exempt from that tax. Trucking companies are levied a 19-cent-per-gallon diesel tax. Shipping companies are not taxed on diesel fuel.
Alabama Solicitor General Corey Maze told the court that because the tax is “generally applicable” to most businesses and people purchasing diesel fuel, a few exemptions don’t make it discriminatory. The ability to offer tax exemptions to particular industries is an important power for states, he added.
“You can single out the railroads through exemptions” to other industries, Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out.
Maze said the question wasn’t whether other businesses were granted exemptions, but whether railroads were targeted as one, particular industry.
Roberts continued to challenge him: “What if there’s only two that pay it?”
Similarly, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked Maze how many out of 100 businesses could get such exemptions without the tax being discriminatory against the one railroad having to pay it.
“99? 98?” she asked.
Justices were perhaps equally as skeptical of arguments made on behalf of CSX by Washington attorney Carter Phillips. Phillips maintained that the law, which primarily bans discriminatory property taxes but also says states cannot “impose another tax that discriminates against a rail carrier,” was written broadly and applies to Alabama’s exemptions.
Such a view could prohibit states from giving tax breaks to any person or company, if railroads must also pay that tax, justices said.
Associate Justice Antonin Scalia said CSX has a “viscerally appealing case,” but a deeper look at the argument gives him concerns.
“If a state makes an exemption for widows over 85, and not for railroads, then the railroads win,” Scalia said.
Mobile Police searching for gunman who robbed, then shot victim
Mobile Police searching for gunman who first robs a man, then shoots at and injures the fleeing victim.
MOBILE, Ala. -- Mobile Police are searching for an armed robber who wounded a man Tuesday night, officials said today in a news release.
Police said that about 8:20 p.m. Tuesday, an 18-year-old man was walking at Farnell Dirve at Hartwell Drive when a white four-door vehicle stopped in front of him.
A man armed with a gun got out the left rear seat, pointed the gun at the victim and demanded money. Police said the victim gave the gunman his money and then ran. The gunman fired several shots at the victim, officials said.
The victim was struck in the left leg, officials said. He was taken to the University of South Alabama Medical Center where he was treated for a non life threatening injury, police said.
The robber is described as a black male with a medium complexion, between 5 feet 6 inches, and 5 feet 8 inches tall, between 160-180 pounds, last seen wearing a short sleeve black T-shirt, black pants, and black shoes, police said.
The robber got into the backseat of a white small four-door vehicle traveling north on Farnell Drive from Hartwell Drive, police said.
Anyone with any information about this matter is asked to call Mobile Police at 251-208-7211.
|
