By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – A federal grand jury investigating government corruption is now looking into the state politics of business giants HealthSouth and Waste Management. The Montgomery grand jury is looking into HealthSouth's 250-thousand-dollar donation in 2000 to a fund organized by former Governor Don Siegelman to pay off debts from his failed bid to create a state lottery. Siegelman then supported HealthSouth's successful request to build a 300 million-dollar digital hospital in Birmingham without going through the state's normal regulatory process. The grand jury's also investigating a state tax break for Waste Management that a lobbyist claims earned him a 500-thousand-dollar payment. The grand jury hopes to wrap up by Friday. Federal grand jury investigations have already led to one indictment of Siegelman in a separate case.