News

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has announced plans for bridge and road improvement projects across the state.

Bentley announced the improvement plans Monday and the governor's staff members say bridge safety is a top priority. Many of the 22 counties receiving money for improvement projects through the Rural Assistance Match Program have deteriorated bridges that must be replaced or rehabbed.

The schools Accountability Act, which will give tuition grants for students to transfer from failing schools, may not be in its final form.

At a chamber of commerce breakfast on Monday, Gov. Robert Bentley indicated that he is reviewing the act and is considering sending it back to the Legislature with executive amendments by mid-week.

The governor's staff confirmed that although no specific approach has been finalized, Bentley is considering some possible amendments that would clarify its intent.

ENTERPRISE, Ala. (AP) - An automotive supplier is breaking ground on a new plant in southeast Alabama. HS Automotive Alabama Inc. is holding a ceremony Monday morning to mark the start of work on a new, 65,000-square-foot factory in Enterprise. The project is the company's second expansion in Enterprise. The $12 million investment will lead to about 100 new jobs. HS Automotive Alabama makes weather stripping, tubing and hoses for Chrysler, Hyundai and Kia. Gov. Robert Bentley, Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey and others will attend the ground-breaking at Yancey Parker Industrial Park

NORTH COURTLAND, Ala. (AP) — Students at a north Alabama high school are campaigning to change traffic laws after a teenager died in a wreck at what they say is a dangerous intersection. Students at R.A. Hubbard High School in North Courtland want to lower the speed limit at an intersection where Hatton High School junior Caitlyn Martin was killed in April. Hubbard students are writing letters to legislators to lower the 65 mph speed limit at the intersection of Alabama 157 and Highway 101. Math teacher Karen Posey tells The Decatur Daily that traffic goes too fast at the intersection.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Republicans are considering changes to campaign finance laws. Senate Republicans want to tinker with the overhaul the GOP pushed in 2010 and 2011. House Republicans want to go one step further to lift the existing ban on corporate contributions. But neither chamber proposes changes that would block the kind of fundraiser House Republicans held Tuesday night. State law already bars lawmakers from raising money during a legislative session. The House GOP was able to host a fundraiser, however, because the money is going to its not-for-profit foundation.

Being kind to animals is more than just an idea.  It's a way of treating them with respect and encouraging others to do the same.  That would include making sure that our own pets are spayed or neutered to help prevent the problem of pet overpopulation.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen Richardson and his team have been named as finalists for the 2013 Heyman Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Medal. They are being honored for their role in the rescue of a 5-year-old south Alabama boy who was abducted at gunpoint earlier this year. The boy, who was held in an underground bunker for six days, was rescued safely. His captor, Jimmy Lee Dykes, was killed. Richardson oversaw a FBI team that included crisis negotiators, tactical units, bomb experts, behavioral scientists and surveillance units.

The Alabama Legislature has passed a bill to remove the executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association from the board that oversees the state pension system for education employees.

   The House voted 61-42 Thursday and the Senate voted 17-14 to pass the bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Gerald Allen of Tuscaloosa.

An Alabama county hopes to end the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history by the end of this year.

Alabama's governor has signed legislation making home brewing legal.

Alabama had been the only state banning the home brewing of beer and wine, but the Legislature passed a bill Tuesday. A spokeswoman for Gov. Robert Bentley says he signed the bill Thursday. The new law takes effect immediately.

The American Homebrewers Association estimates there are 5,000 home brewers in Alabama, even though the practice has been illegal.

The new law allows them to make 15 gallons of beer or wine every three months. It cannot be sold.

In a late night session, the Alabama House of Representatives passed a school safety bill that will allow city and county school systems to hire armed school security officers.

The bill by Republican Sen. Dick Brewbaker of Montgomery was crafted in response to the Sandy Hook school shootings. The House approved it 97-3.

Hit the Road

It's spring, so we're opening windows and going places. This week we have stories of people who, for reasons that they can't always explain, feel compelled to get out and go somewhere. Including the story of one man who decides to take a trip from Philadelphia to San Francisco — by foot.

The Alabama Legislature has approved a nearly $5.8 billion education budget that will fund a 2 percent pay raise for K-12 employees and give extra money to all levels of education.

The House approved the budget 70-26 Thursday afternoon. The budget got approved in the Senate 22-11 on Tuesday and now goes to the governor for his review. The budget provides a 3.6 percent increase in spending after several years of recession-riddled budgets.