Veterans Affairs statistics show new patients at the central Alabama system still have among the highest waits for mental health care. New patients seeking mental health care are waiting an average of 67 days. Only three systems in the country have higher wait times. Congresswoman Martha Roby says two months is far too long for a veterans to wait for care. She says that's longer than the 56 days reported in June audit that raised the alarm about wait times at VA facilities. Roby says she would like to see the system make better use of private health care providers.
Tax Credit
Slightly more than 70 families have so far claimed a new income tax credit designed to help move their children from a failing public school to a private one. The Alabama Department of Revenue says that parents of 71 students claimed the credit when they filed their 2013 state income tax returns. The 2013 tax year was the first under the Alabama Accountability Act. Revenue officials won't know how many people used the credit in 2014 until people file their taxes next year, but supporters of the law expect the number to grow significantly.
Ousted Pastor
A judge ruled that a Montgomery church properly fired its minister after he admitted having sex with married church members and not telling them he had AIDS. Circuit Judge Charles Price ruled Friday that the Reverend Juan McFarland did not have a lifetime appointment as pastor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery like he argued in court. The church voted to fire its minister of 23 years after he confessed from the pulpit that he has sex with married church members, didn't tell them he had AIDS, and had used illegal drugs.
Union Springs Fatality
State Troopers say a Union Springs man died after the care he was driving veered from the road and struck a tree in Bullock County. 27-year-old Anthony Williams was killed early Sunday morning when the Toyota Camry he was riding in left U.S 29 and hit a tree about five miles south of Union Springs. Troopers said Williams was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.