The Alabama Statehouse will be buzzing with activity today as legislators in the House and Senate return to Montgomery to resume a special session following a three-week long recess. Governor Robert Bentley wants lawmakers to fix a shortfall in the General Fund budget. He has proposed $302 million in taxes that includes a 25 cent per pack hike in cigarette taxes. Senate president Pro Tem Del Marsh of Anniston said Senate Republicans have developed their own plans to address the shortfall.
Inmate Search
Alabama prison officials say one of the two inmates who fled from the Red Eagle work release center in Montgomery late Friday night has been recaptured, while the other inmate remains at large. 32-year-old Jerry Walker was apprehended early Saturday morning at a Waffle House in east Montgomery. The state Corrections Department said Walker is serving a 20 year sentence for a 2008 conviction for receiving stolen property in Montgomery County. A second escapee, 27-year-old Mark Wilson remains at large. Wilson was also sentenced in 2008 to serve 25 years for an armed robbery in Montgomery County.
March Begins
Protest marchers today will embark on the third day of their planned 860 mile trek to Washington, D.C. as part of "America's Journey For Justice." Sponsored by the NAACP, the march is scheduled to cross through parts of Alabama, Georgia, South and North Carolina and Virginia before reaching the nation's capitol in mid-September. The multi-state march started in Selma. The NAACP will hold a rally this evening on the State Capitol steps. The event starts at 6:30 p.m.
Howard Dispute
A state legislator in west Alabama admits he shot out the tires on his ex-wife's car, but says he plans to plead not guilty to domestic violence charges. Representative Ralph Howard spent a night in jail over the incident. The Greensboro Democrat says he became enraged when his ex-wife refused to stay and talk with him about what he considered a serious issue involving their children's living arrangements. Yolande Howard said she called police after he shot two tires on her car. However, she said Friday that she wants the charges dropped against her former husband. She called the incident an argument that got out of hand and says Howard never threatened her.
Deadly Two-Vehicle Crash
Alabama State Troopers say a Mississippi man was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Macon County early Sunday morning. Troopers said 53-year-old Otto Lambert of Ellisville, Mississippi, died when the car he was driving was struck by a pickup truck. Troopers said Lambert was stopped on Interstate 85 at the 42 mile marker when the collision occurred Sunday morning at about 4:45 a.m. The driver and two passengers in the pickup truck were injured. The nature of their injuries has not been available.