Acting House Speaker Victor Gaston says he is declining a state security detail in order to save the state money. Gaston made the announcement Monday. Gaston said he was declining the security detail available to those in legislative leadership positions. The Mobile Republican said that will allow law enforcement officers to dedicate their time to more important duties "than chauffeuring me between Mobile and Montgomery." Gaston, who was elected speaker pro tem, took over the duties of House speaker earlier this month following House Speaker Mike Hubbard's conviction on ethics charges. The House will elect a new speaker the next time they are in session. Gaston has said he expects to be a candidate for the job but has not made a permanent decision.
Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.