Authorities say an Alabama girl died a day after she fell while trying to hang a swing in a tree. Blount County Sheriff's Officer Operations Commander Tim Kent says 13-year-old Alexsis Payne fell Friday evening. Kent says when she fell, the swing rope was looped around her and tightened around her abdomen, injuring her. Payne's family called 911 when they found her. She was taken to a local hospital and then airlifted to Children's of Alabama in Birmingham, where she died Saturday. Kent called the girl's death a tragic accident.
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.