News

ASU to provide legal counsel for University administration questioned in audit

Friday, May 10th, 2013, 3:36pm

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA)- Alabama State's Board of Trustees gave the interim president
of the university the authority, Friday, to provide legal counsel to members of
the university's administration who are questioned during the forensic audit of
the institution's financial dealings.

The board, along with ex-oficio member Gov. Robert Bentley
commissioned a pair of financial examinations of Alabama State University
during a December board meeting. The audits came about after former President
Joseph Silver raised allegations of wrong-doing last November. He described
some financial relationships as "troubling at best and conflicts of interest at
least."

The Chairman of the ASU Board of Trustees, Elton Dean, has
denied that the university has participated in any sorts of dealings.

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Fitzgerald Museum offers reduced admission during opening weekend of Gatsby movie

Submitted by WSFA 12 News Staff

Friday, May 10th, 2013, 1:05pm

From the Scott and Zelda Museum:

The Scott and Zelda Museum in Montgomery will celebrate the opening of "The
Great Gatsby" movie next weekend by offering half-off admission for visitors
who bring in ticket stubs from the movie. The movie adaptation of F.
Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan as the
famed couple.

The
new novel "Z" about Zelda and Scot's troubled marriage has also helped bring
attention to the Fitzgerald museum. Author Therese Anne Fowler was at the
museum two weeks ago for a lecture and book signing. The number of visitors to
the museum has more than doubled from the same period last year said executive
director Willie Thompson. "This is the only museum in the world dedicated
to the Fitzgeralds," he said.

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Special Report: Murder Crisis in Montgomery

Submitted by WSFA 12 News Staff

Friday, May 10th, 2013, 9:30am

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA)- The number of homicides in Montgomery is up dramatically from years past, and we've uncovered some disturbing similarities many of these killings share.

So far in 2013 someone in Montgomery is killed by someone else once every six days. At this rate we'll surpass the number of killings in all of last year by early July. While some of these killings have been random acts, most of them have something in common.

Montgomery has seen 22 homicides in less than 5 months. There were 32 in all of 2012.

"It's no secret that it's black males who are dying. Ninety percent of the murders in Montgomery," says Alabama State University psychologist Dr. Earnest Blackshear, who has been working with police to try and find ways to stop a trend that's been in place for many years.

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Today at lunch: Take a bite out of cancer!

Submitted by WSFA 12 News Staff

Thursday, May 9th, 2013, 5:00am

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - You're invited to help 'take a bite out of cancer' today in Montgomery. Homewood Suites by Hilton invites the public to a cookout fundraiser Thursday, May 9th.

For $12, you get all-you-can-eat hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, chips and drinks! Eat-in or carry-out. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

The hours are from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm. Homewood Suites by Hilton is located in Interstate Park. That's just off Perry Hill Road near I-85.

Read more on the flyer to the right. (Click it to make it larger.)

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Montgomery woman's home built by women making a difference

Submitted by WSFA 12 News Staff

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013, 11:26pm

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA)- In the New Hope Village in north Montgomery, Denesha McIntyre is about to receive what she considers 'Heaven on Earth.'

"Thank y'all so much!' McIntyre tells painters.

It's a new, three bedroom home built not all by men, but with more than a few women, too. It's part of Habitat of Humanity's 'National Women Build Week.'

"In Montgomery we are having women working on this house as a preview to a full women-built habitat home in the fall," said Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Elizabeth Saliba.

The majority of the women on site say they've never built a home before, which is why the Montgomery Habitat chapter had its construction director on-hand to make sure everything was up to code during the construction phase of the home.

Ronda Smoke volunteered her time as a painter and couldn't think of a better way to spend the day.

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2 Montgomery students named National MS scholarship recipients

Submitted by John Shryock

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013, 6:23pm

2 Montgomery students named National MS scholarship recipients

MONTGOMERY, AL - The Alabama-Mississippi Chapter of the National MS Society has announced this year’s recipients of its annual Scholarship Program. Two students living in Montgomery County along with 21 others will receive scholarships from the Chapter to help support their educational goals.

The winners are Sheondra Dotson of Sidney Lanier High School and Brandon Kicker of Hooper Academy.

The program helps students affected by multiple sclerosis pursue a college or technical school education. It is open to high school seniors who live with MS or have a parent who is diagnosed with MS.

In addition to the emotional toll, MS can have a substantial financial impact on a family. The direct and indirect costs of MS, including lost wages — even for those with health insurance — are estimated at more than $70,000 annually per household. This makes funding a college education that much harder.

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AdvancED Team Recommends MPS System-Wide Accreditation

Submitted by JoBeth Davis, Community Web Producer

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013, 4:55pm

AdvancED Team Recommends MPS System-Wide Accreditation

MONTGOMERY, AL─ An AdvancED team of nine educators from around the nation presented a report to the Montgomery County Board of Education today as part of the process to grant system-wide accreditation to MPS. The team spent the last three days in Montgomery visiting schools and interviewing staff, community members, staff and students. The team is recommending accreditation be awarded.

The Superintendent Barbara W. Thompson was pleased with the report.

“This report is a wonderful road map for the future and our new five-year strategic plan,” said Superintendent Thompson. “We are so pleased the team will be recommending MPS for a five-year accreditation. This is the culmination of a year-long process. School and Central Office staffs have worked very hard doing research and collecting documentation for the AdvancED team. The results are evident in the report presented to the board today.”

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