IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
US: Alabama (News/Activism)
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THE interim between the primaries and the parties’ nominating conventions is, according to ancient writ, a fertile period for presidential campaigns to talk about how they plan to expand the political map in the fall. This year is no different. Barack Obama’s strategists are suggesting that the first African-American presidential nominee of a major political party can parlay increased turnout among black voters into a string of victories in the South. Given that roughly half of all African-Americans live in the 11 former Confederate states, the idea seems intuitive enough. It’s also wrong. Prying Southern electoral votes away from the...
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The House Judiciary Committee, which is investigating whether certain public corruption probes were politically motivated, has subpoenaed the Justice Department for documents related to the prosecutions of Dr. Cyril H. Wecht and former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., the committee chairman, sent a letter Friday to Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
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At least one dead, nine injured at Air Show At least one person is confirmed dead after a severe thunderstorm hit the Air Show this afternoon. Witnesses say the VIP tents and main announcer's stand were picked up off the ground and destroyed. Nine additional injuries have been confirmed.
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The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is using a vacant lot behind the Talladega Superspeedway to detonate 168 illegal weapons seized from the Alabama Free Militia. ... Members of the Alabama Free Militia claimed their weapons were for self-defense. But ATF bomb experts say faulty fuses on the homemade grenades made them highly dangerous — not only to the public, but the militia members themselves. The seven defendants in the Alabama Free Militia investigation have pled guilty to various weapons charges. Now that they’re behind bars, the ATF is able to wrap up this case with a bang....
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The month of June has been one that EADS will be hoping ends quickly. Starting with the arrest of Noel Forgeard, former co-CEO, the stock being branded a liability; by Joe Campbell and then just this week the arrest of another executive, the news that the US GAO had sided with Boeing in its protest of the KC-X tanker award will have left the European aerospace company reeling. You can read the GAO press release by clicking right here. From the very outset of the annoucement back in February 2008, Boeing’s view and position surrounding the protest had such conviction...
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Mobile’s hopes for an aircraft assembly plant just took a serious hit. As shown in the latest edition of Lagniappe, Boeing claimed the Air Force made math errors in their CNBC is reporting the U.S. General Accounting Office has also found that to be the case and called them “significant errors.” Boeing (NYSE:BA) is trading sharply higher on the news, while Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) has taken a slight hit. Although the Air Force doesn’t have to abide by the GAO’s ruling, the likely outcome is for another round of bidding for the tanker contract experts say.
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Cotton Is No Longer King In Alabama By MIKE CASON Clyde Leavelle sprays herbicide on his soybean fields in Tuscaloosa County, Ala. Leavelle has grown cotton since 1982, but planted almost all his 250 acres in soybeans this year. (Photo by Jeronimo Nisa) TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, Ala. — Clyde Leavelle grew up raising cotton and has grown it annually on his farm here since 1982. Like many Alabama cotton farmers, after two years of drought he switched to soybeans this year."The last two years have been so absolutely disastrous, and I've lost so much money," Leavelle said. "I...
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Gov. Bob Riley is scheduled to sign a law Tuesday that provides tax incentives to help small businesses afford health insurance for employees. The incentive is part of the governor's Plan 2010 agenda that was passed by the Alabama Legislature during the special session in May. Under the legislation, owners of small businesses with fewer than 25 employees will be able to deduct 150 percent of the amount they pay for health insurance premiums from their state income taxes. Employees of these small businesses who earn less than $50,000 a year will also be able to deduct 150 percent of...
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Study Warns Global Warming Could Swamp Gulf Coast By SEAN REILLYWASHINGTON — A new government report offers a grim forecast of global warming's long-term impact on the Gulf Coast, warning that "a vast portion ... from Houston to Mobile, Ala., may be inundated in the future." The predicted flooding, resulting from rising sea levels and sinking land surfaces, would occur within the next 50 to 100 years, according to the report, released last month by the National Science and Technology Council, a federal advisory body. While the effects would fall outside the life spans of most adults today, they could...
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MONTGOMERY — In a case that could have far-reaching consequences for Alabama's education and tax system, parents in two Black Belt counties have sued the state in federal court, claiming caps on property taxes are a form of racial discrimination that prevents their children from receiving an adequate education. The plaintiffs in Lynch v. Alabama want the court to suspend the property tax caps in the 1901 constitution and related amendments as violations of the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act. If they win, the governor and Legislature could be forced to draft amendments lifting caps on both millage and assessments....
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In 2002, a banker named Charles E. LeCroy arrived here with a novel pitch to ease taxpayers’ burden. Some Wall Street wizardry, he said, could lighten their load. ... Six years on, officials here are still struggling to untangle the financial web that Mr. LeCroy and his fellow bankers spun. Jefferson County is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy after a series of exotic bond deals that the bankers concocted went wrong ... During the last few years, Jefferson County entered into a series of complex transactions, called swaps, worth a staggering $5.4 billion. The accusations and...
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GADSDEN, Ala. - The throngs filling campgrounds across America this weekend will include hardy outdoors types and those who prefer creature comforts, but they'll have at least one important thing in common: Nearly all of them are white. ADVERTISEMENT A small but committed group of campers is trying to change that by growing a generation of black campers, one person at a time. The National African-American RVers Association is composed almost exclusively of black people who camp, although it includes a few whites and Hispanics. The group doesn't have much money to buy ads or solicit new members. Instead, it...
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3 swimmers dead in Ala. surf over holiday 5/25/2008, 2:47 p.m. CDT The Associated Press GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) — The body of a 12-year-old New Orleans boy was recovered Sunday off Dauphin Island and a swimmer pulled from the Gulf of Mexico at Gulf Shores has died — the third death in the Alabama surf during the Memorial Day weekend. Dauphin Island police said Eric Stegall was swimming Saturday evening with his family when he was last seen about 100 yards from shore. His father was unable to reach him because of strong currents, Police Chief George Goodwin said...
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The throngs filling campgrounds across America this weekend will include hardy outdoors types and those who prefer creature comforts, but they'll have at least one important thing in common: Nearly all of them are white. A small but committed group of campers is trying to change that by growing a generation of black campers, one person at a time. The National African-American RVers Association is composed almost exclusively of black people who camp, although it includes a few whites and Hispanics. The group doesn't have much money to buy ads or solicit new members. Instead, it always holds its major...
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"My son died with honor.” These words struck this writer like a bolt from the blue. Captured by a television news crew, they were spoken with quiet dignity by Johnny Spann to reporters at the front gate of his home in Winfield, Alabama, upon learning of the death of his son, Johnny Mike Spann, the first American to die on a foreign field of battle in the War on Islamic Terror. Mike, as he was known to his friends and family, was killed on November 25, 2001, during a combined al-Qaeda–Taliban uprising at a temporary prison in Qala-i Jangi, not...
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WASHINGTON – To his credit, Rep. Jo Bonner has done his best to embrace some on the hard right that are still a little bitter Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) didn’t get the spot on the House Appropriations Committee. Bonner spoke at the Heritage Foundation’s Conservative Bloggers Briefing (yeah, I know – sounds like a wild party, huh?) a couple of weeks ago and explained that although he isn’t the absolutist Flake is, who wants to eradicate all earmarks – taxpayer money designated specifically for certain areas by Congress, he is the “quiet reformer.” “I had a reporter question me, ‘Why...
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Back in the day of chain gangs, Alabama passed a law that gave sheriffs $1.75 a day to feed each prisoner in their jails, and the sheriffs got to pocket anything that was left over. More than 80 years later, most Alabama counties still operate under this system, with the same $1.75-a-day allowance, and some sheriffs are actually making money on top of their salaries. But exactly how much is something of a mystery because state auditors do not have access to sheriffs' private accounts. How could anyone turn a profit feeding men and women for an...
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The Associated Press WASHINGTON | Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday rejected Karl Rove’s latest offer to provide written responses to questions about the federal prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. In a letter to the former White House adviser’s attorney, Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., and several other Democrats said Rove’s written responses would not allow for give-and-take questioning. They asked Rove to reconsider his refusal to testify in person and under oath, giving him until May 21 to respond. The committee has threatened to subpoena Rove about allegations that he pushed the Justice Department to...
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Three hot-air balloons dropped asphalt shingles, lumber, sticks, leaves and pine needles onto the Morgan County Landfill near here on Sunday so scientists at The University of Alabama in Huntsville could gather data needed to improve tornado warnings. The payloads dropped by the balloons were similar to the types of debris thrown into the air by tornados that touch the ground. Scientists at UAHuntsville's Earth System Science Center hope the Doppler radar data collected will be a first step toward programming National Weather Service Doppler radar to recognize tornado debris, so more timely and precise tornado warnings might be issued....
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here is the leatest info. Picher, OK Several people have been reported killed in Picher after at least five tornadoes reportedly touched down Saturday in eastern Oklahoma, officials said. The south end of the city has been completely destroyed. Medical examiners are on their way to the area, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol dispatcher said. Troopers are helping local authorities with search and rescue operations in the area. 2) At least 3 dead in SW MO 3) Major damage reports coming in on the SE side of Stuttgart AR
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Tornado blows vehicles off highway in N. Carolina, kills 1 By JAY REEVES – 3 hours ago A damaged vehicle sits in the Mississippi Department of Transportation parking lot surrounded by twisted metal after a line of sever weather moved through the area Thursday, May 8, 2008, in Tupelo Miss. A number of northeast Mississippi counties and portions of northwest Alabama were under tornado watches or warnings until midafternoon Thursday. (AP Photo/Ryan Moore) Mississippi Department of Transportation road crews work to clear downed trees and power lines from streets in Tupelo Miss. after a line of sever weather moved through...
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KBR Corp. said today it would buy BE&K, the 48th largest general construction contractor in the country with 9,000 worldwide employees, for $550 million. KBR, the nation's fourth largest general contractor, was spun off last year as its own publicly traded company from Houston-based Halliburton Corp., the largest contractor for military services in Iraq.
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MONTGOMERY The state Senate may have been locked down for most of the year, but it did find time to endorse a widely discredited urban legend spread by the John Birch Society. The upper chamber passed a joint resolution April 10 sponsored by state Sen. Rusty Glover, R-Semmes, claiming that Canada, Mexico and the United States are moving toward a "North American Union" and working on construction of a "NAFTA Superhighway" to link the countries and report edly destroy their sovereignty. "It's about retaining independence," said John McManus, the president of the John Birch Society, in a phone interview Mon...
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On this day in 1963, police in Birmingham, Alabama -- under the command of the Democrat sheriff, Eugene "Bull" Connor -- attacked several thousand African-American schoolchildren who were demonstrating peacefully for their civil rights. At the time, it should be noted, Connor was the Democratic National Committeeman for Alabama. Connor's men used dogs and clubs... [see http://grandoldpartisan.typepad.com for more] Republicans would benefit tremendously from appreciating the heritage of our Grand Old Party. See www.republicanbasics.com for more information.
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Aren't southern gentlemen supposedly chivalrous? Yet Joe Scarborough, son of the Florida Panhandle, today exploited Mika Brzezinski's less-than-encyclopedic knowledge of sports to lure his Morning Joe colleague into agreeing that the famous former coach of the University of Indiana basketball team was none other than . . . Bear Bryant. The jumping-off point was Joe's wearing of a red sweater today, which as a running gag he claimed was in solidarity with the workers of the world on this, May Day. But when Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, a Hillary supporter, came on toward the end of the show, Scarborough pressed...
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Military Hopes NASCAR Sponsorships Rev Up Fans' Interest By DANIEL BLANK Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a Navy-sponsored car he will drive at a future race during a ceremony at the Talladega Superspeedway. (Photo by Mark Almond) TALLADEGA, Ala. — NASCAR racing is a sport built around loyalty to the product brands that sponsor racing teams.It's a loyalty stronger than in most other major sports. Fans of driver Tony Stewart are more likely to eat at Subway than New York Yankees fans are to wear Adidas shoes.The idea of a company brand becoming an athletic logo has also...
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Volkswagen AG said Wednesday it has narrowed its list of states competing for a potential U.S. production facility to Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee. The German automaker said it was still evaluating whether to build a new plant in the United States and would make a final decision this summer. "We reviewed many excellent sites and the process to narrow down the locations was not an easy one. We look forward to continuing to work with the states of Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee as the evaluation moves forward," said Stefan Jacoby, Volkswagen Group of America's president and chief executive.
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The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday asked former White House adviser Karl Rove to testify about claims that he influenced a federal corruption case against former Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama. ... Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., accused Attorney General Michael Mukasey of not taking the allegations seriously and of blocking congressional requests for documents. Conyers said the evidence presented thus far threatens to undermine public faith in the judicial system.
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BIRMINGHAM | Former Gov. Don Siegelman said Thursday that he wants former White House adviser Karl Rove to testify before Congress, whether 'he lies under oath, tells the truth or pleads the Fifth.' Siegelman was freed on bond March 28 after serving nine months in federal prison for bribery and obstruction of justice. He said that while his primary concern is winning his appeal, there are bigger issues involved in his prosecution by the U.S. District Attorney's Office in Montgomery... The case against Siegelman centered around a contribution by Richard Scrushy, the founder of HealthSouth, to an organization Siegelman had...
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April 13, 2008 Mr. Dan Abrams MSNBC 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, N.Y. 10112 Dear Mr. Abrams: On April 7th, you again devoted a substantial part of your show to the claim of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman that I was behind his prosecution. Your continued coverage of this issue raises questions about your journalistic standards and those of MSNBC and NBC. During your broadcast, Mr. Siegelman referred to Ms. Dana Jill Simpson as a “respected Republican political operative,” a reference it seems you accept because of the frequent attention you give her in your broadcasts. Have you, during...
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On April 7th, you again devoted a substantial part of your show to the claim of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman that I was behind his prosecution. Your continued coverage of this issue raises questions about your journalistic standards and those of MSNBC and NBC. During your broadcast, Mr. Siegelman referred to Ms. Dana Jill Simpson as a “respected Republican political operative,” a reference it seems you accept because of the frequent attention you give her in your broadcasts. Have you, during your coverage of Ms. Simpson, ever actually looked into her claims? For example, have you ever asked her...
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Lawyers suing Pilgrim’s Pride in Alabama said Wednesday’s roundup of undocumented employees at other company plants underscores their claims that the chicken-processing giant illegally is hiring immigrant workers to suppress wages. “Assuming that these individuals being detained are found to be in this country illegally, I think it reinforces our contention that there has been an ongoing practice of employing illegal workers at Pilgrim’s Pride,” said Jeremy Hutchinson, a Little Rock, Ark., attorney who is soliciting plaintiffs for a potential class-action suit against the company. Pilgrim’s Pride, the nation’s largest chicken company with more than 54,000 employees at 37 plants,...
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A Democratic lawmaker admits he voted for absent House members to give a bill to remove the state sales tax on food the margin it needed to pass. Representative Randy Hinshaw of Meridianville said Wednesday he was only doing what was best for his House district ... Hinshaw declined to say how many machines he voted or which members he voted for. He would say only, "I voted some members' machines around me."
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WASHINGTON, (AP) -- The House Judiciary Committee is taking Karl Rove up on an offer to testify about claims that he influenced a federal corruption case against former Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama. The committee on Thursday asked former White House adviser Rove to appear under oath soon. The panel also wants the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate allegations that political motivations drove the Siegelman case and several other . . .
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Artists, Students Remake Barbie Into Provocative Statements By LISA OSBURN Students from a women's studies class at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and local artists have modified Barbie dolls to be featured at an art show and auction. (Photo by Tamika Moore) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — C-section Barbie or Pro-choice Barbie will not be available in toy stores this year, but they will be featured in the upcoming Liberating Barbie Auction.For decades, Barbie — with her unrealistically proportioned body, pretty face and long blond hair — has represented femininity to young girls across the world. A women's...
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WASHINGTON, April 15, 2008 – Wounded veterans who once enjoyed sports and being outdoors have the opportunity once again, courtesy of a program in Alabama. “Lakeshore Foundation’s ‘Lima Foxtrot Programs for Injured Military’ help servicemen and women adapt sports and recreation activities so they may get back to living healthy, active, independent lives,” said Susan Katz, the foundation’s communications coordinator. “These programs are open to military personnel who have sustained severe service-related injuries in recent warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations in the world.” For more than 20 years, the Lakeshore Foundation has worked to enable people with...
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FORT MORGAN, Ala. -- Several unmanned military drones with U.S. Air Force markings washed ashore in Alabama and forced the closure of a portion of at least one beach. Two men on spring break in the area found the first 20-foot-long drone on the shore near Fort Morgan. An official said the drone was a target that was apparently shot down in the Gulf of Mexico as part of a weapons system evaluation program, WKRG reported. Beachgoers first thought the drone was a swimmer in distress or a downed aircraft. "We couldn't tell what it was a first," a beachgoer...
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A southeast Alabama roadbuilding firm has lost its low bid in Madison County because it failed to fill out a new form on illegal immigrant employment. Wiregrass Construction's bid of about $3 million a year was shelved Monday by the county commission. The contract went to the next-lowest bidder, Reed Construction, which did fill out the form. Wiregrass Construction President John Harper said Madison County would have saved about $200,000 a year with its low bid. He said the company made an honest mistake when it overlooked the form, which certifies that the company does not employ...
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·11250 Waples Mill Road · Fairfax, Virginia 22030 ·800-392-8683 Ammunition Encoding Legislation Introduced in Alabama! Wednesday, April 02, 2008 Please Contact Your State Legislators Today! Last week, Senate Bill 541 was introduced by State Senator Rodger Smitherman (D-18). SB541 would require all handgun ammunition manufactured or sold in Alabama to be encoded with a serial number, and entered into a statewide database at the time of sale. Encoded ammunition would be registered to the purchaser and would include the date of transaction, the purchaser’s name, date of birth, driver’s license number, and the serial number of the ammunition. ...
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OAKDALE, La. (AP) -- Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was released on bond from a federal prison Friday, saying he remains upbeat despite serving nine months for corruption. Leaving the prison in a black sport utility vehicle, he stopped on a road outside the lockup to comment. He wore a ragged shirt that appeared to be prison clothing. ''I may have lost my freedom for awhile, but I never lost faith,'' Siegelman, 62, told reporters. A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Siegelman should be released while he appeals his conviction. He declined further comment, saying, ''I want to be...
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MONTGOMERY -- A federal appellate court today ordered former Gov. Don Siegelman released from prison while he appeals his 2006 conviction, saying there are "substantial questions" about his case. Siegelman attorney Vince Kilborn said Siegelman would be released sometime Friday morning. "His wife and his daughter, Dana, are driving out to get him," Kilborn said. Siegelman has been in an Oakdale, La., prison camp for nearly nine months. A federal jury in 2006 convicted Siegelman and HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy of federal funds bribery. Prosecutors alleged Scrushy bought a seat on a state board with a $500,000 donation to Siegelman's...
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Former Gov. Don Siegelman will be released from prison, after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted him an appeal bond, the lead prosecutor in the case said. Acting U.S. Attorney Louis Franklin said he received a courtesy call from the court today. "He's going to be released," Franklin said. He said he was disappointed but said, "The 11th Circuit has the discretion to do that and I respect that." Kim Chandler Return to al.com for updates on this breaking story.
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McALLEN - One of the nation's top insurers has sued a group of Rio Grande Valley chiropractic clinics and lawyers alleging they were involved in a multimillion-dollar fraud operation. In a federal lawsuit filed in Dallas, Allstate Insurance Co. accuses Arlington-based Chiropractic Strategies Group Inc. and its associated clinics of soliciting patients, encouraging them to undergo unnecessary treatments and then persuading them to file personal injury lawsuits against the insurance company. The Valley clinics are part of a larger network with branches across Texas, Ohio, Indiana and Alabama, Allstate spokesman Bill Mellander said. "This is one of the largest insurance...
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WASHINGTON, March 21, 2008 – After completing four semesters at the University of Alabama, 19-year-old Daniel K. Winnie felt his life lacked discipline and direction. Marine Chief Warrant Officer Daniel K. Winnie is telling his story to audiences around the country as part of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public-outreach public-outreach program. Defense Department photo (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “I was sitting around enjoying college life, which was good, but I wasn’t doing much of anything else,” he recalled. At that point, about halfway through his college career, Winnie made a bold decision. “I thought the...
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Police in Panama City Beach are still searching for an ex-felon accused of sexually assaulting a Tuscaloosa woman on spring break and pushing her from a sixth-floor hotel balcony. Police intend to charge Shawn Wuertley, a security guard at the Sandpiper Beacon Resort in Panama City, with attempted felony murder, sexual battery and false imprisonment. Indiana criminal records indicate that Wuertley, 29, served several years in prison on several felony charges, none of them violent. He was convicted of burglary charges in 1998, 1999 and 2004, car theft, theft and two charges of receiving stolen property in 1999. He was...
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The results of CQ Press's annual Crime State Rankings are in. Join us as we reveal which 15 states were ranked as the most dangerous for 2008. States are compared against the national average for six crimes, each carrying equal weight. Click through our gallery and see if your state made the list.
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Democratic state Senator Tom Butler will announce that he is changing parties and run for the state’s 5th Congressional District seat as a Republican, according to two sources close to the situation. Sen. Butler of Madison is one of the “dissident Democrats” who caucuses with Senate Republicans in a minority coalition. Many believed that Butler’s differences with Senate Democrats were more personal than political. State Sen. E. B. McClain (D - Midfield) once described Butler’s relationship with the party as wounded. (Another Senate insider described it to the Parlor in much the same way. See also here.) Democrats had hoped...
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DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — From the ground, the Wesley Acres Methodist retirement home looks like any other building. But fly over in an airplane, and the outline is unmistakable: It's one big swastika. Prompted by complaints from a Jewish activist, the agency that owns the government-funded building is planning to alter its shape to disguise the Nazi symbol. The move comes just a few years after a $1 million design modification meant to quiet similar complaints from a U.S. senator. "The difficulty is there are a limited number of options for fixing a building that has been there for some...
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Cramer Announces Retirement Mar 13, 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The Politico) House Republicans got a rare bit of encouraging news today when Rep. Bud Cramer (D-Ala.) announced he would be stepping down after nine terms in Congress, opening up a conservative-minded seat in northern Alabama. “I have been truly blessed to be able to serve this district in Washington,” Cramer said in a statement. “While I am closing my career as a member of Congress I will continue to be active in the life, growth and development of the community that I, my parents and my grandchildren will always call home.” A...
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