One of the nation's best known radio personalities is visiting the River Region today, an area he knows well. Tom Joyner, a native of Tuskegee, made a stop at the Creek Casino in Wetumpka last night where he greeted fans. Later today, Joyner and Alabama State University President Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd will hold a joint news conference on the ASU campus at 1 p.m. for a special presentation.
Suspicious Powder
Authorities converged on a truck stop in Hope Hull early Wednesday afternoon after employees opened a threatening not that contained a suspicious powder. The incident happened around noon at the Safeway Travel Center. The as yet to be identified substance was determined to be non-toxic. The truck stop, located off Interstate 65, was sealed off for several hours while a hazardous material squad along with other law enforcement personnel investigated the matter.
Suspect in Custody
Police is Selma say they have a murder suspect in custody. A lookout had been issued for 27-year-old Cedric Oliver, who turned himself in Wednesday. Oliver was being sought in connection with last Sunday night's slaying of 27-year-old Daniel Barnett, also of Selma. Selma Police Lt. Curtis Muhannad said Barnett was fatally shot on Johnson Street. Oliver was placed in the Dallas County Jail. He is scheduled to appear before a district judge today for a bond hearing. It was the 4th homicide in Selma this year.
Child Sex Abuse
A shocking case of child sex abuse, a northwest Alabama couple will spend hundreds of years in federal prison for sexually abusing and exploiting a child. Federal authorities say 34-year-old Patricia Ayers was sentenced to 1,590 years in prison, her 42-year-old husband, Andrew Ayers was sentenced to 750 years. The Florence couple pleaded guilty in June to having images and photos of adults engaged in sex acts with a female child between the time she was six and nine years old. A federal judge said only the maximum sentences as appropriate.
Casino Expanding
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians are expanding their casino in northeast Montgomery. Officials with PCI Gaming Authority say the $65 million dollar expansion at Creek Casino Montgomery will include three restaurants from the Beale Street Blues Company, including a B.B. King's Blues Club and restaurant, an expanding gaming area, and a five-story hotel and an event center. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2016.