District Seven School Board Representative Beverly Ross has passed away, that's according to a statement from the Montgomery Public Schools System. Friends say she suffered a sudden illness this week and was hospitalized until her death Thursday afternoon. Ross was first elected to the Montgomery County Board of Education in 2004 and was re-elected in 2010. She served as board President from 2008 to 2010. She was also dean of students at Trenholm State Community College. Ross earned two degrees from Alabama State University. Funeral Services will be held this Saturday at noon at Resurrection Catholic Church on Forbes Road. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the American Heart Association.
VA Deputy Secretary
Its been nearly a year since the Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson visited the Central Alabama Health Care System in Montgomery Thursday. Gibson returned to the center where he was updated on its progress. Gibson told reporters the goal to improve access to care for veterans remains the same. Gibson says over the past year, improvements at the local campus include: decreasing wait times, increasing staff and streamlining job responsibilities.
Automotive Jobs
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley says an automotive parts supply company is planning to build a plant in Tuscaloosa. The governor said Samvardhana Motherson Group is planning a 700,000 square foot plant creating 650 jobs. Officials say construction is expected to begin this year and the facility will supply the Mercedes Benz U.S. International plant in Vance, Alabama.
Hurricane Danny
The first hurricane of the Atlantic Hurricane season has manifested itself just over a thousand miles east of the Windward Islands. While the storm is still days from encountering any land, Meteorologist Matt Grantham with the National Weather Service in Birmingham says it's the time of year to monitor tropical forecasts. Grantham says Hurricane Danny, at this point, is a minor storm. Currently Danny is moving west-northwest near 12 miles an hour. It should reach Puerto Rico in about five days.