The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for much of north Alabama ahead of powerful storms moving toward the state. The watch area includes 17 counties. They're along a line extending from southwest of Tuscaloosa into the state's northeastern corner. The watch expires at 9 p.m. Monday, but forecasters say more watches and warnings are likely. The weather service says waves of severe storms are expected across north and central Alabama through Wednesday, bringing a high chance of tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, hail and flooding.
Free Speech
The Supreme Court is considering the free speech rights of government workers who claim they suffered retaliation for exposing official corruption. The justices heard arguments Monday in the case of Edward Lane, a former Alabama community college official who says he was fired after testifying at the criminal fraud trial of a state lawmaker. Lane is suing the former college president who fired him as well as the current presidents. The high court has previously ruled that the First Amendment protects public workers only when they speak out as citizens, but not in their official roles.
Guilty Pleas
A federal judge in Alabama has received the first guilty pleas resulting from a multi-state dog fighting investigation. Michael Martin of Auburn, Ala., and Jennifer McDonald of Fairburn, Ga., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Coody in Montgomery on Monday to enter their guilty pleas. Martin pleaded guilty to conspiracy and being a felon in possession of a firearm. McDonald pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Conspiracy carries a sentence of up to five years in prison and the firearm charge can bring up to 10 years. A total of 11 people have agreed to plead guilty in the four-year investigation into high-stakes dog fights held in Alabama and Mississippi. Most of them have plea hearings in Montgomery this week.