WVAS Local

   President Donald Trump is coming to Alabama to campaign for Sen. Luther Strange in the primary race for U.S. Senate. Trump made the announcement Saturday evening via twitter. Trump wrote that, "I will be in Huntsville, Alabama, on Saturday night to support Luther Strange for Senate. 'Big Luther' is a great guy who gets things done!" Strange is in a heated runoff battle with former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore for the Senate seat that previously belonged to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore led Strange in the first round of GOP voting. The two face off in a runoff on Sept. 26.

Police have made an arrest in an August homicide. A statement from police says that 45 year old Kenyatta Davis was taken into custody last night for the murder of 56 year old Jerome Nowden. Nowden was assaulted on August 16 with a machete in the 100 block of Oak Street. The victim was taken to Jackson hospital where he eventually died a week later. Investigators say an argument between the two men led to the assault. Davis has been placed in the Montgomery County Detention Facility under a 150-thousand dollar bond.

The Alabama Board of Education has named former Superintendent Dr. Ed Richardson as interim superintendent of education.  Board members voted Richardson eight to one to lead public schools following the resignation of Superintendent Michael Sentance.  As part of Sentance's separation agreement, he will be paid his salary for the remainder of the year, about $57,000.  

   State Troopers are reporting that the passenger killed in a crash following a police chase Sunday morning was a 16 year old juvenile. Because of that, his name is not being released. The wreck happened as the driver of a 2005 Honda Accord refused to stop for police on Highway 110 in the Pike Road Community. Troopers say the reportedly stolen car left the roadway near the nine mile marker and ran into a ditch, overturning. The 16 year old victim was partially ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. The other occupants of the vehicle fled the scene.

   What was at one time the most powerful Atlantic ocean storm in recorded history has now exhausted itself to post-tropical cyclone status and will continue to dissipate today. While Irma fades into the record books, aid is rushing in to hurricane-scarred Florida early today as officials pieced together the scope of Irma's destructive path and displaced residents awaited word on hard-hit areas including the Florida Keys.

Irma was downgraded to a tropical storm over Florida, but it still had winds near hurricane force. Its outer bands were also blowing into Georgia, where the storm's center was expected to arrive later in the day. Nearly 4.5 million homes and businesses across Florida lost power, and utility officials said it will take weeks to restore electricity to everyone. More than 100,000 were in the dark in Georgia.