The pastor and member of the congregation that wrestled a gun away from a man police say opened fired in an Alabama church are being praised as heroes. Selma police Lt. Curtis Muhannad says 26-year-old James Junior Minter is being held without bond in the shooting of his girlfriend, his infant son and the church pastor, Earl Carswell, who tried to intervene Sunday morning. Minter was arrested shortly after he opened fire during a church services at Oasis Tabernacle Church in Selma. Witnesses told police Minter entered the church and sat in the front row between his girlfriend and the baby. Minter then pulled out a handgun and started shooting. The pastor was taken to a local hospital for treatment, while the woman and baby were taken to a Birmingham hospital. The victims were in stable condition.
Bird Flu
The South was fortunate to escape the deadly bird flu virus that decimated poultry populations in the Midwest this spring. As wild birds begin their autumn migration, agriculture officials are making preparations for another potential outbreak. The latest measure being taken by some southern states is the barring or limiting of poultry shows at state fairs. State fairs in September and October often feature poultry displays. Some southern states are requiring young people who've worked for months to raise and qualify poultry at fairs to leave the chickens at home and create displays about their flocks or the poultry business.
Adoption Ruling
The Alabama Supreme Court has stuck down a lesbian mother's rights to visit her three adopted children, ruling it doesn't have to respect the Georgia adoption decree. Justices on Friday overturned a visitation order issued by a lower court. Justices say they believed a Georgia court erred in granting the adoption because there isn't a law there specifically allowing such second-parent adoptions. The couple had three children together and a court granted the non-biological parent's adoption in 2007.