Alabama health officials offered an update Wednesday on their preparations for any potential cases of Ebola in the state. Hospital staffs have been trained to identify and handle a patient with the virus. Infection Prevention Coordinator Patty Miller at Baptist Medical Center South says that goes for other health care providers as well. Governor Robert Bentley and State Health Officer Dr. Don Williamson also spoke at the briefing. Dr. Williamson says people at highest risk include those who travel to countries with active Ebola outbreaks. Governor Bentley says to this point, there are no confirmed or suspected cases of the Ebola virus in Alabama.
Gang Arrests
Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have arrested nine members of a Montgomery neighborhood gang have been arrested on drug and gun charges. The nine suspects ranging in age from 20 to 40 are all members of the Vineyard Gang, which authorities say operates in an area of the city known as the Vineyard, consisting of John Morris Avenue and Martin Patton Avenue. The U.S. Attorney's office says most of the arrests were for conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana, but there were also charges of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to the drug conspiracy.
Online Notification
State officials have unveiled a new online notification system that will alert crime victims if their offender is up for parole. The Alabama Crime Victim Automated Notification System was unveiled Wednesday. Assistant Attorney General for the Board of Pardons and Paroles Meridith Barnes says parole officers will likely enroll victims in the program. Barnes says anyone who wants to receive updates on a state Department of Corrections inmate will be allowed to sign up for the program. She says the program will notify victims 30 days ahead of a scheduled parole hearing.
First Book
Montgomery is preparing to distribute more than 500,000 books across Alabama and the Southeast over the next few weeks. "First Book" a national nonprofit agency, Montgomery Public Schools and the business community partnered to bring the "book bank hub" to the Capital city. Veronica Creech with "First Book" credits local businessmen Greg Calhoun of Calhoun Enterprises and Dr. Alfred Seawright of the Medical Place for providing much of the infrastructure. More than 200,000 brand-new books will be donated to local public schools, after school programs and daycare centers that work with underserved children.