The Independence Day weekend is always one of the most heavily traveled periods of the year. State Trooper Corporal Jess Thornton says at the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency that means all hands on deck. Thornton says authorities will be watching for drunk drivers, aggressive drivers, speeders and those without seatbelts. Other troopers will be assigned to marine patrol watching for similar activity on Alabama waterways. The official holiday period runs from 12:01 Friday morning until midnight Sunday.
Moore Reprimand
A lawyer for Alabama's judicial system says he's been reprimand by Chief Justice Roy Moore for a letter he sent public officials blasting the U.S. Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling. Administrative Office of the Courts Legal director Winthrop Johnson emailed a letter to public officials Friday saying they are "ministers of God assigned the duty of punishing the wicked and protecting the righteous." Although Johnson's letter doesn't mention Governor Robert Bentley, Johnson apologized in an email to Bentley's legal adviser and said Moore, who has also spoken out against the court's ruling, didn't instruct him to send the letter.
Monument Movement
Officials in Birmingham have approved of removing a Confederate monument from of of the city's parks. WBRC-TV reports the Birmingham Parks and Recreation board voted during a Wednesday meeting to remove a Confederate monument from Linn Park. Board members are researching whether any legal barriers could prevent the removal of the monument.