Hundreds gathered last night for the 59th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott at the First Baptist Church on North Ripley Street. Keynote speaker for the event was the Rev. Dr. Clarence P. Noble, pastor of the Greater St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Tuskegee. The commemoration was part of the Ralph D. Abernathy Civil Rights Lecture Series, sponsored by the Montgomery Improvement Association and the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University.
Wal-Mart Development
Plans for a Wal-Mart grocery store on Federal Drive are being discussed at this evening's Montgomery City Council meeting. The $10 million dollar project would go up on part of the closed Bonnie Crest Country Club property. A public hearing is schedule on the proposal at today's 5 o'clock meeting. A story in the Montgomery Advertiser quotes some residents in the area as opposed to the idea. Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange says the city wants to sit down with the developers to get a better picture of how the project would impact that part of the city.
Restitution Hearing
A federal judge has scheduled a restitution hearing next month in Montgomery for several people who pleaded guilty to participating in high-stakes dog fights. The people who pleaded guilty in the case received prison sentences ranging from two months to eight years. But U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins withheld ruling on restitution when he sentenced them last month. Now he's set the restitution hearing for Jan. 16th. The judge could consider the cost of veterinary care and boarding for more than 400 dogs that were seized in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. Animal welfare groups say it was the second largest dog seizure in U.S. history.
Montgomery Tree
Montgomery is holding its Christmas tree lighting ceremony this evening. The public is invited to come to Lister Hill Plaza across from city hall for the event, which will take place at 5 o'clock, just before the city council meeting. The city is placing another tee in the green space at the corners of Commerce and Tallapoosa Streets. That will be used for the celebration at the end of the Christmas parade on December 19th.