An Alabama legislator has asked the governor to remove the Confederate flag from the uniforms of state troopers.
The uniforms include Alabama's coat of arms: A shield with the Confederate battle flag and the flags of Great Britain, France, Spain and the United States — the four nations that have held sovereignty over Alabama.
Montgomery Rep. Alvin Holmes sent a letter to Gov. Robert Bentley yesterday asking him to issue an executive order to change the uniforms.
Holmes says the Confederate flag represents slavery, the oppression of African-Americans and is associated with the Ku Klux Klan.
A Bentley spokeswoman says the governor has no plans to issue such an order.
Bentley earlier this year removed Confederate flags from the Capitol grounds, but has no plans to remove other emblems.
Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman has been released from solitary confinement in a federal prison. A-P-R’s Stan Ingold reports, Siegelman still has just under two years left on his sentence.
Siegelman's son, Joseph, says that his father was released from solitary last week after spending eight weeks confined there at a Louisiana prison camp.
The son of the former governor says Siegelman was placed in solitary after calling a talk show in October and repeating his claims of innocence in the interview.
Joseph Siegelman says his father will not be allowed to have phone calls or family visitation until after the holidays.
The younger Siegelman was able to speak to his father only briefly since he is a member of his legal team.
The 69-year-old ex-governor is serving a 6 ½ year sentence for bribery and obstruction of justice. His projected release date is August 8th, 2017.
Star Wars fans young and old are anticipating for the next installment of the Saga, “The Force Awakens” which opens tonight across the country.
Fans are lining up at Tuscaloosa’s Hollywood 16 Cobb Theater for tonight’s 7:30 premiere to see old characters like Han Solo, Princess Leia as well as new ones like Rey and Finn.
Justin Wood has liked the franchise since he was five years old and was in line at nine this morning. He has high hopes for the new movie…
“I try to temper them because the prequels kind of disappointed me but the trailers made it look so good that my expectations are sky-high. Hopefully they’ll be met. I have faith. The Force is Strong with this movie I feel like.”
The Force is indeed strong at the box office. Officials say “The Force Awakens” is expected to shatter sales records this weekend.