HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Huntsville Utilities crews worked through the night to restore power to a variety of areas in Huntsville and Madison County. Bill Yell, spokesperson for Huntsville Utilities, said a few outages were reported Monday morning. However, all outages from Sunday night have been repaired. There were approximately 1,000 customers in the dark due to lighting and trees that fell on power lines.
HARTSELLE, Ala. (WAAY) – Alabama’s largest dry city will soon be voting for the option to legalize alcohol sales. Hartselle is Alabama’s largest dry city and those wanting alcohol sales point out that since consuming alcohol in the city is legal but not purchasing it, surrounding areas are capitalizing from Hartselle’s dollars. Those wishing to keep alcohol out say the economic growth that could come from alcohol sales is not the growth their city needs. This is not the first time alcohol sales have been on the Hartselle ballot. In 2002 and 2010 voters decided to keep alcohol out of the city, and coming up November 6th they will face the decision again.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - Federal courts have cleared the way for state lawsuits over the deaths of two men killed in an explosion at Redstone Arsenal. Last week, a judge rejected requests by some defendants to make federal court the venue for lawsuits by the widows of 58-year-old Jerry A. Grimes of Hartselle and 53-year-old James R. Hawke of Hazel Green. The two men were working on a new process involving rocket fuel when a blast occurred at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville in May 2010. Federal investigations faulted Amtec Corp., the company that employed the men. But Amtec denies wrongdoing and is suing other companies.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - The city of Huntsville is getting a taste of a new kind of beer, courtesy of a change in state law. A new brewhouse called "Below the Radar" is now open in downtown Huntsville. It's the city's first such operation since legislators changed a state law that prohibited selling alcohol at the same location where it was made. A group called "Free the Hops" lobbied lawmakers to amend the state law. Member Rich Vartain tells WAAY-TV about a dozen breweries are now open statewide because of the change.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WLRH) - lawsuit connected to recent controversy at Alabama Public Television goes to court tomorrow. Former APT CEO Allan Pizzato and CFO Pauline Howland were fired on June 12th by the Alabama Educational Television Commission. AETC chairman Ferris Stephens said they wanted to take APT in a fresh direction. The commission holds the public license for APT and WLRH. Pizatto’s suit alleges the commission improperly discussed his job performance in a closed door meeting. It also challenges whether some commissioners are legally seated. Meanwhile, Roy Clem has been appointed as the new CEO and begins work on the 7th and has said the network will not run controversial programming by evangelist David Barton.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Only one of the nine Scottsboro Boys was pardoned of his rape convictions before the men died. Now a push is on by the Scottsboro Boys Museum and others to make sure that happens for the other eight. The nine black teenagers from Tennessee and Georgia were convicted of raping two white women, but one of the women later recanted the story. Gov. Robert Bentley says he would like to see a pardon, but state law doesn’t allow him to issue them. The state parole board says its rules don’t allow posthumous pardons. Two legislators are working on resolutions saying the state considers the names of the Scottsboro Boys cleared. But the next legislative session isn’t until February. Museum founder Shelia Washington says it’s important to clear their names even though 81 years have passed since their arrests.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) – Federal courts have cleared the way for state lawsuits over the deaths of two men killed in an explosion at Redstone Arsenal. A judge last week rejected requests by some defendants to make federal court the venue for lawsuits by the widows of 58-year-old Jerry A. Grimes of Hartselle and 53-year-old James R. Hawke of Hazel Green. The Huntsville Times reports the two men were working on a new process involving rocket fuel when a blast occurred at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville in May 2010. Federal investigations faulted Amtec Corp., the company that employed the men. But Amtec denies wrongdoing and is suing other companies. The men’s widows are suing more than a dozen defendants, and the decision means their claims can move forward in state court.