A double dose of good news for Alabama's voluntary prekindergarten program Tuesday. First, the state's program received perfect marks in a national report for the 8th consecutive year. The National Institute for Early Education Research says Alabama met all its benchmarks for quality. Secondly, over 100 new grants were approved for the Pre-K program to expand into a total of forty counties. The commissioner for Alabama's Department of Children's Affairs Jeana Ross says the program is getting funding because it is getting results.
Anti-Discrimination Lawsuit
A national group plans to seek anti-discrimination laws to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin said Tuesday that the Washington-based group is spending $8.5 million for its "Project One America" in the three southern states. The three states do not have laws to protect people from being fired from a job or evicted from housing because of sexual orientation.
Investigation Continues
Alabama State University Police Chief Jim Grayboys said his department is working around the clock apprehend a suspect in a sexual assault that was reported on campus over the weekend. A female student is said to have been attacked near a residence hall on campus at approximately 11:15 p.m. on Saturday night. Grayboys urges people to be extra vigilant regardless of the circumstances or time of year. If you have information related to this case, you're asked to call the ASU Police Department at (334) 229-4400 or CrimeStoppers at 215-STOP.
Cheating Charges
Two north Alabama men are free on bond after being arrested on charges of cheating at a bass fishing tournament. Authorities say 45-year-old Robert Gallaspie of Boaz and 37-year-old Gary Lee Minor Jr. of Albertville are charged with tampering with a sporting event. The men turned in enough big bass to win a fishing tournament at Lake Guntersville last week. But officials say the men took the fish out of a hidden holding tank where they had been stored before the competition began. No word on whether the men have attorneys. Tournament organizers have barred the two from future competitions.