The Alabama House of Representatives have voted to create a state database to enforce existing limits on payday loans. Birmingham Representative Patricia Todd called the creation of the database a good first step in the regulation of the payday loan industry. House lawmakers approved the bill Thursday on a 93-1 vote. It now moves to the Alabama Senate.
Capital Murder
The capital murder trial started Thursday for a Lee County man charged in a deadly shooting on a community college campus in Opelika. Twelve jurors and four alternates were seated Wednesday afternoon in the capital murder case against 37-year-old Thomas Franklin May of Opelika. May is charged in connection with the gunshot slaying of his mother-in-law, Brenda Watson, at Southern Union Community College in April 2011. He is also charged with attempted murder in the wounding of his estranged wife, their daughter and his wife's grandmother. May is using an insanity defense.
Commemorative Trek
Mary Boone, the widow of famed civil rights activist Reverend Richard Boone, finished her commemorative trek from Selma to Montgomery Thursday. Boone began her journey last Sunday after the culmination of the Bridge Crossing Jubilee. She says her motivation to finish was knowing she was honoring her husband and many others who devoted their lives to justice and equality. Boone was also able to raise funds for Alabama State University's National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African American Culture.
Teacher Arrested
Authorities in Coosa County say a teacher is accused of having sex with a student under the age of 19. The Alexander City Outlook newspaper reports that 38-year-old Jimmy Reed Nicholson of Goodwater was arrested March 11th. The Coosa County Sheriff's Office and the ABI launched the investigation after allegations surfaced about the alleged incident involving an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and a student. Nicholson posted a $50,000 bond and was released from the Coosa County Jail. At least ten other teachers have been arrested statewide in similar cases since 2011.