Severe storms that raced through Alabama toppled a tree that fell on a mobile home, killing a woman. The storms also damaged buildings in several communities and knocked out power to thousands across the state. Walker County Coroner J.C. Poe says a tree fell on the mobile home about 25 miles northwest of Birmingham, killing a 75-year-old woman and injuring her husband. In Marengo County, the emergency manager reported to the National Weather Service that a roof was blown off a Laundromat on U.S. 80, just east of Demopolis on Monday. Elsewhere in the South, forecasters are warning resident along a wide arc including Georgia to brace for strong winds early today that could bring down trees and cause power outages and flooding.
DOC Lawsuit
A lawsuit has been filed against the Alabama Department of Corrections citing dangerous conditions at the St. Clair Prison in Springville. Montgomery-based Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit law firm, filed the lawsuit Monday in Birmingham Federal Court. Bryan Stevenson, EJI Executive Director, alleges that St. Clair Correctional Facility has inadequate security, unsafe conditions and poor leadership that have caused inmate violence to surge in recent months. The Equal Justice Initiative said six inmates have been killed at the prison in the past 30 months. A spokeswoman said state Corrections officials have not review the complaint.
Hyundai Expansion
A Hyundai supplier is expanding operations in Butler County. Hwashsin American is adding 50 new jobs as part of a $34 million dollar investment to expand its Greenville Facility by 100,000 square feet. Hwashsin executives said the new addition should be complete by the end of December. The Korean-based company manufactures body parts for the Hyundai Assembly plant in west Montgomery and Kia Motors plant in West Georgia.