Posts by Yellowhammer News — Page 13

The Alabama Forestry Commission estimates timber losses caused by deadly tornadoes on March 3 at nearly $5.9 million. That is almost $1,000 per acre of timberland damaged by two or three tornadoes in Macon, Lee and Barbour counties.

The daughter of an Alabama woman whose cremated remains were lost by a funeral home has been awarded $12 million. AL.com reports the jury verdict was announced Monday after Pine Crest Funeral Home in Mobile lost the remains of Shelley Hood’s mother, Cecille Howard Taylor Gardner.

Alabama jobless rate steady at 3.8 percent

Alabama’s unemployment rate is unchanged at a record low level. The Alabama Department of Labor says the state’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted jobless rate for January was 3.8 percent.

The pastor of a church that became a center for shelter, help and grieving when a tornado killed 23 people in eastern Alabama said in his first Sunday service after the storm that the Lord has reached out his hand to the community. Imperfect things like tornadoes and other tragedies happen because we live in […]

An Alabama judge has approved a wrongful death lawsuit filed by a 21-year-old man on behalf of an aborted embryo. AL.com reported Wednesday that Ryan Magers is calling the six-week-old embryo “Baby Roe” in his suit seeking damages from the Alabama Women’s Center for Reproductive Alternatives.

Forecasters are upgrading the likelihood that severe storms and strong tornadoes could strike parts of the South less than a week after a twister killed more than 20 people in Alabama. A region that includes parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee will be at heightened risk of severe weather Saturday, the national Storm Prediction […]

Tornado update: All missing have been accounted for

Officials overseeing the disaster response to a tornado-stricken community in Alabama say all people reported missing have been accounted for with no increase in the death toll. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told a news conference Wednesday that the death toll stands at 23, but his office is “in standby mode on the outside chance […]

Rescuers prepared Monday to tear through the rubble of mobile homes and houses in search of survivors of a powerful tornado that rampaged through southeast Alabama and killed at least 23 people. The trail of destruction was at least half a mile wide and overwhelmed rural Lee County’s coroners’ office, forcing it to call in […]

The Supreme Court is ordering a new state court hearing to determine whether an Alabama death row inmate is so affected by dementia that he cannot be executed. The justices ruled 5-3 on Wednesday in favor of inmate Vernon Madison, who killed a police officer in 1985.

Judge to consider return of ISIS bride from Hoover

A federal judge in Washington has agreed to move quickly on a lawsuit filed by a former Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State and wants to return to the United States. The family of 24-year-old Hoda Muthana filed suit last week against the Trump administration after the government said she was not a citizen […]

City leaders in Alabama beach towns are vowing to crack down on drunken and disorderly beach-goers. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have long sought to bill themselves as family-friendly spring break destinations, AL.com reported.

Sit-in anniversary to be marked in Montgomery

An event next week will honor university students who led a 1960 sit-in at a whites-only courthouse lunch counter. Alabama State University said in a news release that resolutions by the Montgomery City Council and Montgomery County Commission that acknowledge the “wrongs from the past” will be presented Monday to the university president Dr. Quinton […]

Former Alabama legislative leader Zeb Little arrested

A former Alabama Senate leader has been charged with felony theft. The Cullman Times reports that 50-year-old Zeb Little was arrested Thursday on three theft charges. He was booked into the county jail and released on bond.

Some roads are covered with water in the Tennessee Valley and schools are closed after days of heavy rain. Nearly a dozen city and county systems in north Alabama and southern Tennessee canceled classes Friday.

Dothan City Schools to eliminate up to 70 jobs

An Alabama school system says it may eliminate nearly 70 jobs after decisions to close some schools in an effort to save money. The Dothan Eagle reported Dothan City Schools expects to cut at least 47 staff members as part of the efforts.

Alabama prep star Maori Davenport drops suit against AHSAA

An Alabama high school basketball star who had been ruled ineligible dropped a lawsuit against the Alabama High School Athletic Association shortly after her senior season ended. Pike County Circuit Judge Sonny Reagan dismissed the suit Wednesday at the request of Maori Davenport’s mother, Tara.

Heavy rains swamping Deep South

Heavy rains are causing problems in parts of the Deep South. Police in Huntsville, Alabama, say a half-dozen roads are blocked by downed trees or utility poles plus water from flash floods.

German firm to build headquarters in Tuscaloosa

A German firm is opening its new North American headquarters in Alabama. SWJ Technology will build the new 5,000-square-foot facility in a part of Tuscaloosa that was devastated by a tornado in April 2011, The Tuscaloosa News reported.

Mitch Hungerpiller thought he had a first-class solution for mail that gets returned as undeliverable, a common problem for businesses that send lots of letters. But the process he helped develop and built his small Alabama technology company around has resulted in a more than decade long fight with the U.S. Postal Service, which says […]

Birmingham’s airport is experiencing strong growth in passenger traffic, new numbers show. More than 2.9 million passengers passed through the airport in 2018, AL.com reported.

Tennessee Valley Authority selects next president and CEO

The nation’s largest public utility has picked the leader of one of Canada’s largest power companies to head the $11 billion federal corporation. On Thursday, the Tennessee Valley Authority board announced the selection of Jeffrey Lyash as president and CEO effective in April.

Birmingham seeks to maintain Confederate monument ruling

The city of Birmingham is asking a judge to maintain his ruling that overturned a state law protecting Confederate monuments. In a court filing last week, city attorneys opposed a motion by the state attorney general to stay the decision while Alabama appeals.

Fairfield mayor removed from office by city council

A Birmingham-area mayor has been removed from office for failing to attend city meetings. AL.com reports that members of the Fairfield City Council voted to remove Ed May II as mayor.

An employee at a Panera Bread restaurant in Alabama has been diagnosed with hepatitis A, and people who ate food from that outlet from Jan. 24 through Feb. 5 may have been exposed to the disease, state authorities said. No other case has been reported, either among the food-handler’s co-workers at 2998 Carter Hill Road […]