Alabama lawmakers are due back at the Statehouse today for the final day of a special session. Legislators were unable to reach a deal to plug a $200 million dollar hole in the General Fund budget. On Monday, the state Senate narrowly approved a budget. Hours later, the budget proposal was rejected in the House by an overwhelming margin. The leader of Alabama Senate, Del Marsh, defended the deep cuts to some state agencies. GOP Senator Paul Bussman of Cullman said lawmakers have know for years about the revenue problems but have failed to act. Some legislators predict the governor will call another special session.
Deadly Stabbing
Police in Prattville have identified a man they say was fatally stabbed during an argument with his girlfriend. 19-year-old Remington Foradori was found lying on Strength Street suffering from stab wounds late Friday afternoon. He was taken to a hospital, where he died. Foradori's girlfriend, Vegas Contorno, who's also 19, was arrested Friday and charged with murder. She is being held in the Autauga Metro jail on $250,000 bond. Prattville Police Chief Mark Thompson said the couple have a 3-month-old son who was placed in state custody.
Child Abuse
Montgomery police are investigating separate cases that involved child abuse. A 23-year-old woman faces aggravated child abuse charges after a one-year-old girl was found with bone fractures, severe burns, facial and neck injuries and fingernail scratches. Police said 23-year-old Miriam Belser was arrested on Saturday.
In another case, a mother and her boyfriend are accused of exposing her two daughters, ages 13 and 10 to alcohol, marijuana and Xanax, a prescription drug. Montgomery police said 30-year-old Abby Burgans and 24-year-old Christopher Burgans, both of Carmichael Road, are each charged with reckless chemical endangerment of a child.
Missing Driver Found
The driver of a car that was found submerged in an east Montgomery pond was not injured. That's according to Montgomery Police who said the unnamed motorist was found in a different location Monday. Officers pulled the black Nissan Maxima from a pond in front of the Barrington Place Apartments on Atlanta Highway early Monday morning. No word from authorities about why the vehicle ended up in the pond.