The Associated Press

Chilton County commissioners and the Clanton hospital board met Tuesday to explore funding methods for a new hospital.

   The commission has raised $1 million that they thought would work to reopen the hospital that closed seven months ago. When that was deemed unfeasible, they looked toward building a new facility.

   Chilton County residents are frustrated about the length time they must do without a local medical center.

Birmingham's FBI office and the Civil Rights Institute will examine violations of the nation's civil rights laws at its annual public conference on civil rights and law enforcement.

   "Fifty Years Forward-Toward Progress and Partnership" will be held at the 16th Street Baptist Church May 19 and 20. The church was bombed 50 years ago. Rev. Carolyn McKinstry and FBI agents will share perspectives on the 1963 church bombing and its aftermath.

Nearly 1,000 athletes with intellectual and functional disabilities and about 350 coaches and chaperons will be in Troy on May 17-19 for the Special Olympics Alabama State Games.

   Troy officials say competitions will be on the Troy University campus and at venues in Troy and Montgomery. The opening ceremony is set for 7 p.m. May 17 in Trojan Arena.

   Officials say athletes will compete in 11 sports: swimming, gymnastics, equestrian, bowling, track and field, softball, bocce, power lifting, cycling, flag football and golf.

An Alabama tea party group says it gave up its bid for tax-exempt status amid what seemed like delays and unusual scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service.

   Now, the head of the group says it appears the organization was caught up in the IRS's admitted practice of targeting conservative groups.

   Pete Riehm is chief executive of the Mobile-based Common Sense Campaign. He says the IRS asked for the names of donors and their employers while considering whether the organization should be exempt from paying taxes.

A civil rights leader from east Alabama has died.

The Anniston Star reports Monday that the Rev. Nimrod Q. Reynolds died on Sunday. He was 82.

Fifty years ago, a crowd of whites beat Reynolds as he and another man tried to enter a library to check out a book. The library and many other facilities were racially segregated at the time.

Reynolds continued working for decades to win rights for blacks in the Anniston area. He later led the Community Action Agency, a community service and anti-poverty organization.

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

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.

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.