Tuscaloosa

Workers in the Tuscaloosa area could see their wages go up soon.

Mayor Walt Maddox and the city council plan to consider an ordinance that would hike the local minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. The proposal prompted a march down University Boulevard to City Hall on Martin Luther King Day. The group called for economic justice and a higher minimum working wage.

Deidre Stalnaker is the Communications Director for the City of Tuscaloosa. She says she’s not entirely sure what impact the move will have on area businesses.

The Alabama Department of Public Health will be holding a town hall meeting tonight to discuss an outbreak of Tuberculosis.  Twenty-six people have been diagnosed in the Marion, Centreville and Tuscaloosa areas in the past two years.  Pam Barrett is the Director for the Division of TB control with the Alabama Department of Public Health. She says keeping track of those infected has been a problem.

The city of Wetumpka has declared a state of emergency after heavy rains and flooding around Christmas caused widespread damage.

But officials say the declaration is just a formality to allow the city to work more easily on areas that need the most repairs.

Heavy rain caused the Coosa River in Wetumpka to rise to 45 feet, higher than it’s been in decades. Several roads remain closed; one is affected by a 15-foot-deep sinkhole.

Officials with Triple-A of Alabama are expecting a lot of drivers on the road for New Year’s Eve tomorrow. 

Triple-A of Alabama spokesperson Clay Ingram says with so many people out and about, drivers should give themselves extra time to arrive to your destination safely…

Students at the University of Alabama repeated a list of demands for more diversity on the Tuscaloosa campus.

A student march started at Malone-Hood Plaza and ended at Gorgas Library, where the students' eleven goals were restated. The group “We Are Done UA” wants a safe space for students of color, a diversity class for freshmen, and a way to report hate crimes and sexual abuse on campus, among other things.

This story is a class assignment in JN 325, a class on writing across media (Radio, TV, Web,) taught by Dr. George Daniels and APR news director Pat Duggins. The students are coached by Duggins, APR assistant news director Stan Ingold, and Morning Edition host Alex AuBuchon.

JN 325 Wrap Script

American Lunch

Lauren Fuller

With the growing popularity of food trucks, you can find food nearly anywhere you go. APR’s Lauren Fuller has the story about a food truck based charity that is bringing a truly free lunch to those in need with their mobile soup kitchen.

Classes are cancelled today in Headland, Alabama after storms dropped more than 5 inches over the area yesterday.

Henry County Superintendent Lesa Knowles said high winds and strong storms passed through the area early Sunday morning and peeled the roof off the Headland High School auditorium. The storms also caused leaks at Headland’s elementary school, and power outages throughout town due to felled trees. School was cancelled today, and the school board has called an emergency meeting for later today.

Attorneys are questioning potential jurors for the retrial of an Alabama police officer accused of badly injuring an Indian man during an encounter earlier this year.

About 70 would-be jurors answered questions both in open court and in the judge's chambers today in preparation for the second trial of 27-year-old Eric Parker.

The Madison police officer is charged with violating the civil rights of 58-year-old Sureshbhai Patel during an encounter in a suburban neighborhood in February.

Rural Alabama residents will finally be able to get broadband internet thanks to an FCC program. It’s called Connect America and its mission is to provide access to high-speed internet everywhere in the country.

     Mark Wigfield is spokesman for the FCC. He says Windstream Communications is the latest company to come on board with Connect America.

The Alabama House of Representatives is debating a large cut to Medicaid after a plan for filling a budget hole unraveled in a tension-filled special session.

Legislators will consider a $156 million funding reduction to Medicaid, the health care program for the poor and disabled.

The Republican proposal comes after a committee voted down an increase in the state's cigarette tax. But Democrats and some Republicans are opposing big cuts to Medicaid.

If you’ve driven past Tuscaloosa’s Snow Hinton Park recently, you’ve no doubt noticed the strange red pyramid-like structure and towering spiral slide. The pyramid is called a space net, and despite its futuristic name, it’s actually a playground – and it’s been grabbing the attention of children and adults alike.

Ten-year-old CJ is certainly a fan: “I’ve been on it more than twenty-five times today.”

This unique play unit is the brainchild of Tuscaloosa’s Parks and Recreation Authority. It’s part of a five-point-six million dollar renovation to the city’s various parks.

A Tuscaloosa abortion clinic is suing the state of Alabama over a regulation that could cause the facility to permanently close.

The West Alabama Women's Center filed the federal lawsuit against state health officials last week. The suit deals with a regulation requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a local hospital, or a contract with a physician who does to handle patients with complications.

The City of Tuscaloosa is banning the use of tobacco products on all municipal property. A-P-R’s Stan Ingold has more…

Officials say that tobacco products including smokeless e-cigarettes will be banned at all facilities, grounds and parking areas that are owned or leased by the city. Officials say the ban goes into effect January first.

Additional Alabama counties are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as some opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide fades away.

Several more counties in the state on Monday said they'd begun issuing marriage licenses.

The reversals come more than a week after the high court's landmark ruling that declared same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

The chairman of the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee says he's seeking professional help after his arrest on a DUI charge.

Alabaster Republican Senator Cam Ward released a written statement this morning following his release from the Shelby County jail.  Ward says his failure at dealing with stress resulted in what he calls "incredibly reckless decisions."

News that the University of Alabama in Birmingham would reinstate the UAB Blazers football team allowed fans to breathe a sigh of relief. Now the fine print is sinking in. As APR’s MacKenzie Bates takes a look at the price tag of saving the UAB Blazers from the perspective of someone who’s seen the team from the inside out…

“Given the broad base of support never before seen, as of today, we are taking steps to reinstate the football, rifle and bowling programs.”

The University of Alabama is teaming up with Washington to study the nation's water. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association just unveiled its newest national center on the Tuscaloosa campus.

The twenty four million dollar National Water Center is a collaboration between several federal agencies. It will become the U.S. center for water forecasting.

NOAA Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan says they plan to hit the ground running at the new center with a research project starting this summer.

After voters rejected a tax hike proposal last month, the Baldwin County Commission and Baldwin County School Board are looking for more input.

There will be a joint public meeting this evening to begin the process of moving forward from the referendum that would have helped pay for a 10 year, $350 million capital construction project.

Charles Gruber is the chairman of the Baldwin County Commission. He believes the referendum was shot down by voters because the public was not able to voice any concerns about the tax.

The State of Alabama is remembering the Tornado outbreak that happened on this day four years ago.  APR’s MacKenzie Bates sat down with Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox who describes the experience in just two words…

Alabama’s unemployment rate dipped slightly last month.

Gov. Robert Bentley says the state’s unemployment rate for March is 5.7 percent.  Alabama’s jobless rate has not been at that point or below since July 2008.

He says the rate remains below the 7.2 percent seasonally adjusted rate from the same time a year ago.      

The Alabama Supreme Court has upheld a state program that gives tax credits to help families pay for private school.

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the law does not violate restrictions on giving funds to private, religious schools because the money goes to parents.

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange says in a news release this afternoon “The Supreme Court’s ruling makes it crystal clear that Alabama parents have the right to school choice in seeking the best education for their children.”

Tuscaloosa is competing with nearly 70 other communities for part of a half-billion dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

City officials and residents gathered inside the Rosedale Court Apartment complex yesterday to identify what they see as important points. Members of the recovery operations for Tuscaloosa asked people about resiliency, at-risk populations and overall impacts that could lead to the city winning part of the grant.

Tuscaloosa City Councilor Harrison Taylor says it is all about being prepared.

A federal appeals court order has cleared the way for same-sex marriages to begin next week in Alabama. The three-judge panel from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange's request for an extended stay.

U.S. District Judge Callie Granade last month ruled that two Alabama laws prohibiting the recognition of same-sex marriages unconstitutional. Granade put a hold on her order until Monday to let the state appeal.