Department store operator J.C. Penney will close its store in Selma and 33 other stores cross the U.S. as it tries to turn around results. The news comes after J.C. Penney earlier this month said it was pleased with holiday results but declined to give sales figures. Penney said it will eliminate 2,000 jobs. All are related to the store closings.
Selma Cemetery
The protests of Selma residents weren't enough to keep city council from voting to give a one acre tract of land at a cemetery to a chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The Selma Times-Journal reports that city leaders decided to relinquish control of the the land in a 5-4 vote while residents protested during a meeting Tuesday. The vote ends a lawsuit filed against the city after leaders revoked a building permit for a memorial to Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. A settlement also requires the city to pay the company $100,000.
Open Meeting Law
Two GOP legislators have the backing of Governor Bentley in pursuing legislation to strengthen Alabama's open meetings law. The bill introduced Wednesday says Alabama's Open Meetings Act applies to the Legislature, legislative committees, committees and subcommittees of governmental bodies that exchange information among a quorum of members.
Montgomery Zoo
Montgomery Zoo officials have determined what cause the death of a 12-year-old Indian Rhinoceros last November. Zoo employees said Jeta the rhino died of sand colic, an ailment in the intestines that also occurs in horses. Another rhino, a 4-month-old calf named Ethan, died in October of unknown causes at the Montgomery Zoo.