A federal agency says drivers will get the slightest of breaks on gasoline prices this summer. The Energy Department said the national average prices is forecast to fall, but by just a penny to $3.57 per gallon between this month and September. The months when Americans do most of their driving. According to Triple A Alabama today, the national average price for regular is $3.61 a gallon, by comparison, the statewide average price for regular is $ 3.51 per gallon.
Truck Driver Identified
State Troopers have identified the truck driver who died early Tuesday morning in a fiery crash on Interstate 85 near Shorter. Troopers said 62-year-old Gerald Eugene Kress Sr. of Baltimore, Maryland, was killed when the tractor-trailer he was driving struck a guardrail and bridge rail. The 18-wheeler crashed into a creek at the 26 mile marker, about 3 miles north of Shorter. Troopers had to close the southbound lanes of I-85 South for most of Tuesday to allow crews to remove the wrecked 18-wheeler.
Dallas Pastor Charged
A Dallas County pastor accused of raping an underage family member is being held in the Dallas County Jail on a $250,000 bond. Dallas County Sheriff Harris Huffman said 47-year-old William Best was arrested Tuesday and charged with rape, sodomy and incest. Following his arrest, Best was fired as the pastor of Living Waters Worship Center in Valley Grande. Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson said he will ask a judge to set higher bond for Best.
Contract Killings
A man is being held in a northwest Alabama jail for allegedly carrying out nine contract killings in Central California, but he claims he's killed more than 40 people. Prosecutors say 51-year-old Jose Manuel Martinez has told investigators he carried out the crimes working as an enforcer for a drug cartel. Martinez is set to go to trial in June for a murder in Lawrence County.