Governor Robert Bentley says the state's General Fund budget will be the biggest problem before legislators next year. Lawmakers say they will have a hole of at least $200 million in the budget. The governor says he and lawmakers have been meeting about possible solutions. The governor said last week that legalized gambling, either with a lottery of compact with the Poarch Creek Indians, is on the table for discussion.
Warming Shelters
Advocates for the homeless in the greater Montgomery area opened warming shelters Thursday as the blast of Artic air arrived overnight in the Deep South. Officials at the Salvation Army on Maxwell Boulevard and the Friendship Mission West on Mobile Highway opened their doors and offered shelter and blankets to allow the homeless to get out of the cold.
Cellphone Tower
Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange is still hoping for a compromise between the residents of the Deer Creek subdivision and AT&T over a proposed cell phone tower. Residents are fearful that the 180-foot tower would decrease property values and impact people's health. AT&T want to build the tower on land near the east Montgomery subdivision, but the city's adjustment board has denied the request. The phone company has now sued the city in federal court. Mayor Strange hopes an out-of-court solution can be reached. A possible compromise would be for AT&T to shorten the tower to 160 feet and to camouflage the tower to blend in with existing trees. So far, residents are not happy with that solution.
Minton Charged
The Baldwin County man charged with killing his elderly stepfather and scattering his human remains in Magnolia Springs is scheduled to make his first court appearance this afternoon in Bay Minette. 55-year-old William Minton of Foley was arrested Tuesday evening in Millbrook. He's charged with murder in connection with the slaying of 87-year-old Kenneth Hood, also of Foley.