WVAS Local

The advocacy group, Alabama Arise, has accused Payday and Title Loan businesses of engaging in predatory lending.  At a work session Tuesday, the Montgomery City Council discussed a proposed moratorium against Payday Loan stores.  City Councilman Charles Smith is leading the effort.  He said there are 89 such businesses in Montgomery and most concentrated along the Atlanta Highway. 

New Business

Montgomery Police say a bicycle rider was killed in a collision with a sport utility vehicle Monday night.  Police said 42-year-old Timothy Odom was taken to Baptist Medical Center South where he later died.  The accident occurred around 8:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of Mobile Road.  Police said the driver of the SUV was not injured.  It's the 11th traffic fatality in Montgomery this year. 

Successful Weekend

Organizers are calling today "National Voting Rights Day."  Its an effort to highlight the importance of the law.  Activities will be held in Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham and Huntsville and other cities across the nation.  State Senator Hank Sanders of Selma said efforts to stymie voter participation began soon after the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a key provision in the voting rights law.  It was on this day 48 years ago when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. 

National Night Out

There seems to be no in-between for Alabama farmers. After several years of drought, now the rainfall is torrential. While drought saps the land of moisture, copious rainfall has its own set of problems. Crops most adversely affected by the constant rain have been peaches, watermelons, tomatoes, blueberries squash and wheat to mention a few.

Private Schools

Alabama Power lifted an alert caused by a caused by a carbon dioxide leak at a nuclear power plant in southeast Alabama.  The utility said the alert was lifted Saturday morning, about five hours after it was first declared.  An Alabama Power spokesman said the carbon dioxide release was detected in an auxiliary building of the Unit 1 reactor at Plant Farley in Houston County.  The leak was contained.  It appears the gas came from a fire suppression system, thought no fires were detected.  No other equipment failures were reported.  No radiation was released. 

The state Department of Education is working with 10 pilot school systems to address barriers to learning and teaching and to re-engage disconnected students.  Department officials joined city and county superintendents Friday to present the Comprehensive System of Learning Supports design documents. 

Postal Worker Shot

Supermarket chains Winn-Dixie and Bi-Lo are recalling some ground beef because of the risk that the meat has been contaminated with E.coli. The effort is part of a larger recall announced by the National Beef Packing Company. Fresh 93 percent Lean Ground Beef is being recalled from all stores in Alabama and four other Southern states. E.coli can cause diarrhea, dehydration and potentially kidney failure.

No Gun Stickers

Montgomery has recorded its 34th murder of the year. Police were called to the 600 block of Groveland Drive which is near Lagoon Park Drive, around 1:30 a.m. where they found 24-year-old Antavious Butler shot to death. Investigators say he had been shot multiple times. No arrests have been made and no motive was released. Police ask anyone with information to please call them at 625-2831 or on the Secret Witness Line at 262-4000 or on the CrimeStoppers line which 215-STOP.

Domestic Violence

There are several new state laws on the books, as of today.  The Legislature eliminated limits on corporate campaign contributions; there are new penalties for abusing or financially exploiting the elderly; another law protects children who are placed in potentially harmful situations and there is a statute that increases the penalties for trespassing on a school bus.  However, the law receiving the lion's share of attention allows Alabamians to carry a pistol openly in public.  The gun law also allows Alabamians to keep a pistol in their vehicles at work under certain guidelines. 

The Montgomery County Board of Education approved a plan that will allow the Loveless Academic Magnet Program and the Montgomery Technical Education Center to move to the former Montgomery Mall over the next two years.  LAMP will occupy the old Parisian's building and MTEC will call the former JC Penny's site home.  The Central Office Operations Complex is also moving to the location.  The 20-acre site will include physical education facilities , a baseball field, green spaces and parking. 

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