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August 01, 2008
Vice President Cheney Lands In Birmingham
Vice President Dick Cheney has landed at the Birmingham International Airport
Man stabs friend for buying wrong beer
A north Alabama man has been accused of stabbing a friend for returning from a store with the wrong brand of beer.
Central, Carver to meet in televised exhibition
It won’t count in the record books, but Central-Phenix City and Carver-Columbus (Ga.) are playing for keeps when the schools’ football programs meet in a televised exhibition Aug. 21 at Garrett Stadium.
Prosecutors seek death for Opelika man charged in Millbrook slaying
Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against an Opelika man charged in the shooting death of a 23-year-old man in the parking lot of the Millbrook Wal-Mart. Prosecutors say 19-year-old Calvin McMillan fatally shot Bryan Martin last Aug. 29. They say McMillan and 29-year-old Rondarrell Williams of Montgomery killed Martin to steal his truck.
States face tough choices as budget crisis deepens
With the economy in a slide and the housing market in crisis, states are collectively rolling up tens of billions of dollars in budget deficits in one of the worst financial crunches in the U.S. since the 1970s. The startlingly rapid drop-off in tax revenue is forcing many states to make some hard decisions: Raise taxes? Cut programs and jobs? Dip into reserves? Borrow money? Lease or sell state assets?
GM posts $15.5 billion 2nd-quarter loss
General Motors Corp. said Friday its losses widened to $15.5 billion in the second quarter as North American sales plummeted and the company faced expenses due to labor unrest and its massive restructuring plan. The loss of $27.33 per share is the third-worst quarterly loss in the automaker’s history. In the same period a year earlier, GM recorded a net profit of $891 million, or $1.56 per share. Revenue for the April-June period was $38.2 billion, down $8.5 billion from a year earlier.
Record low in Iraq death toll
The monthly U.S. toll in Iraq fell to its lowest point since the war began, with 11 American deaths as July drew to a close Thursday after the departure of the last surge brigade. Iraqis also are dying at dramatically lower numbers with the war in its sixth year. July saw the lowest civilian toll since December 2005, though a series of suicide bombings this week and rising ethnic tensions in northern Iraq reflect the fragility of the security successes.
Execution halted, Alabama inmate back on death row
An Alabama prisoner who was spared execution for a third time was on Thursday moved from a waiting cell near the lethal injection chamber back to death row. The Alabama Supreme Court postponed executing Thomas Arthur, 66, after arguments over DNA testing and an inmate’s claim in a sworn statement to defense attorneys that he committed the murder that sent the Arthur to death row. Arthur was scheduled to die Thursday.
July 31, 2008
Hanwha announces plans to expand, add jobs
For the second time in less than a month, a company in Opelika has announced plans to expand.
Fire guts abandoned home
Opelika firefighters responded to a call just before noon Thursday on Shannon Court.
Justice Center gets renovation
The entrance to the county’s biggest courthouse got a facelift this month, a change intended to make it easier for residents to get in the door.
Valley to receive EPA reward
VALLEY — Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) announced Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award $25,000 to the city of Valley for a Brownfield sustainability pilot project.
Auburn Early Education Center gets new leader
The start of a new school year will also mean the start of a new chapter in leadership at Auburn Early Education Center as Cristen Herring takes over as principal for the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Award-winning school.
Police seek suspect in July 17 shooting
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man they consider “armed and dangerous,” according to a statement released Thursday. Law enforcement believe the man was one of the shooters who shot from a car into an occupied Smiths Station house July 17.
World Series champs welcomed home
Police escorted the Auburn Dixie Majors (17-19) All-Stars to Duck Samford Stadium Thursday, where more than 100 people welcomed the team home after winning the World Series in Dyersburg, Tenn.
Obama’s buzz attracts black voters
BIRMINGHAM — State election officials say there has been an increase in voter registration by blacks in Alabama, and excitement surrounding Barack Obama’s presidential bid likely is a key factor.
Investigators looking for drive-by shooting suspect
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man they say shot from a car into an occupied Smiths Station house July 17, according to a statement released Thursday.
Congressional campaign signs an issue in 2nd District
Some supporters of Democratic 2nd District Congressional candidate Bobby Bright are putting up yard signs that claim ``I’m A Bright Republican.’’
Inmate taken out of execution holding cell
Alabama prison officials are preparing to move Tommy Arthur out of a waiting cell near the state’s execution chamber at Holman Prison in Atmore.
Opelika Police Department reports
Opelika Police Department reports
Bush declares progress in Iraq war
President Bush hailed a new “degree of durability” in security gains in Iraq Thursday, saying it should permit him to announce further U.S. troop reductions later this year.
McCain camp compares Obama to Spears, Hilton
John McCain’s presidential campaign on Wednesday released a withering television ad comparing Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, suggesting the Democratic contender is little more than a vapid but widely recognized media concoction
Bush declares progress in Iraq war
President Bush declared significant progress in the Iraq war Thursday, saying terrorists “are on the run” and that generally improved security likely will permit further U.S. troop reductions. Standing on the Colonnade outside the Oval Office of the White House, Bush also announced that effective Thursday, the duration of troop tours in Iraq will be cut from 15 months to 12 months.
States help graying farmers find successors
Mike Cullipher used to juggle his farm chores and a full-time job, working 275 acres on nights and weekends. Now he’s trying to make a go of it as a full-time farmer, and he’s wondering about his father’s plans for the property. But when he asks 73-year-old Louis Cullipher, who is still active on the Virginia Beach farm, how he will divide the business among his three children, “He just puts his hands up and says ‘we’ll talk another day,’” the younger Cullipher says.
Police: Body found in Ala. freezer was mother of 8
Police believe a body found in a small-time evangelist’s home freezer is his wife and a mother of eight, and arrested him on a murder charge as he preached at a south Alabama church. Anthony Hopkins, 37, was being held in the Mobile County jail Wednesday awaiting a bond hearing and appointment of an attorney. Police said no one reported 36-year-old Arletha Hopkins missing, even though she hadn’t been heard from in three years.
July 30, 2008
Defendant in 2005 fraternity stabbings back in jail
A man charged with stabbing several Auburn University fraternity members in 2005 is back in Lee County awaiting his day in court — again.
Penn withdraws from Opelika City Council Ward 2 race
Oscar Penn officially withdrew from the Opelika City Council Ward 2 race Wednesday, leaving three candidates to contend for the city office in the Aug. 26 election.
County certifies candidate in wrong district
John L. “J.J.” Johnson of Salem qualified April 4 for an early start getting to know the voters he wanted to represent in Lee County Commission District 3.
AU professor helps ensure food safety at Summer Olympics
Dr. Yifen Wang, assistant professor of biosystems engineering at Auburn University, said helping to insure the food safety for more than seven million athletes, team officials, family VIPs, technical officials, sponsors, media persons, staff, volunteers and spectators for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing is a scary task — to put it mildly.
Auburn University fraternity brother remembers night of assault
Brett Villeneau remembers the night three years ago when a man stabbed five of his fraternity brothers during a pre-Iron Bowl party. The man charged with the assault, Joey Michael Barrett, 25, of the Mobile area, is awaiting a second trial after a Lee County judge declared a mistrial in 2006.
