The Senate Judiciary Committee narrowly approved a bill Wednesday to allow medicinal marijuana in Alabama. Committee members approved the bill on a 4-3 vote. It now moves to the Alabama Senate where even the bill's sponsor, Senator Bobby Singleton realizes he has work to do. The Democrat from Greensboro says the legislation would allow patients with certain medical conditions, including cancer and AIDS, to buy or grow a small amount of marijuana each month. Opponents say not enough is known about the effects of marijuana and that people risked harm by taking the drug as medicine.
Spice Arrest
Montgomery Police have charged a 32-year-old man with trafficking in "spice." Authorities arrested 32-year-old Desmond Wright on one count of trafficking synthetic marijuana or "spice." Court records show Wright was arrested Tuesday at his home on West Shades Valley Drive; officials searched the house and discovered 56 grams of "spice." He is being held at the Montgomery County Jail on a bond totaling more than million dollars.
Baby Giraffe
In honor of Earth Day, hundreds of visitors at the Montgomery Zoo were introduced to a baby giraffe named Connie. The four-week old calf debuted Wednesday at a news conference held by Mayor Todd Strange. Connie was named after an employee who has been working with the zoo for 22 years. Connie was born on March 23rd. She weighs about 22o pounds and stands just under 6 feet.
Closing Delay
Alabama parks scheduled to close next month will stay open a little while longer. Alabama State Parks Director Greg Lein says Gov. Robert Bentley has instructed him to delay closing four parks and two golf courses on May 1st. Earlier this month the park system announced plans to close as many as 15 of the state's 22 parks due to budget cuts. The park system is operated by user-generated revenue and by money form the state's General Fund. A 2016 draft budget would cut around $10.4 million in state funding from the park system. A statement from Lein says the park system will soon take "extreme measures" if new revenue isn't passed.