http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/al-news/ en-us Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:16:34 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048767/posts Survey: Alabama gung-ho for guns Sunday, July 20, 2008By BRIAN LYMAN Capital Bureau Next time you walk into your favorite Alabama restaurant, look around. Chances are that two-thirds of the customers will own a gun and nearly half will have a permit to carry a concealed weapon into the establishment. That's according to the results of a new Press-Register/University of South Alabama poll. Sixty-six percent of respondents said they own a gun and 46 percent have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The telephone survey of 424 Alabama residents was conducted Monday through Thursday, with a 5-percentage-point margin of... Mobile Press-Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048767/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:16:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048311/posts “The Appalachian voting bloc will be critical in the … 2008 presidential election,” former Democratic National Committee executive director Mark Siegel says. Yet his broad statement comes with its own geopolitical caveat: location. “It all depends on what part of Appalachia you are talking about,” says Siegel. “If they live in Pennsylvania and Ohio, then, yes, without a doubt they are the key voters. If they live in West Virginia, then no, because for the Democrats that is not a state that is in play.” Appalachia is not a single state but a region that has its own unique frame... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048311/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:23:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046176/posts Excerpt - In March 2007 the U.S. government charged Axion Corp., a small business in Huntsville, Ala., with illegally giving technical drawings for a Blackhawk helicopter part to manufacturers in China. The prosecutors seized Axion's assets and took away its government contract business. The company won an acquittal at trial a year later, but by that time, it was out of business. Axion is the latest in a string of aggressive prosecutions brought by Birmingham U.S. Attorney Alice Martin. Those prosecutions are marked by convictions overturned and innocent men wronged. Two judges have openly questioned whether she knowingly prosecuted innocent... The American Lawyer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046176/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:44:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043514/posts Wire Hangers Caught In Twists Of Trade Dispute By KATHERINE REYNOLDS LEWIS   Customers at Westwood Cleaners in Westfield, N.J., are asked to return hangers for reuse. (Photo by Joe Epstein)     In Westfield, N.J., Suho Chae urges customers to return used hangers to his dry cleaning shop. He's paying $50 for a box of 500 pants hangers, up from $24 six months ago. "Every time I order a new supply," Chae said, "the price goes up."In Leeds, Ala., M&B Hangers, the only major hanger maker left in the U.S., has doubled its work force and still can't keep... Newhouse News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043514/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:13:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039099/posts 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... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039099/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 12:23:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038657/posts 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. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038657/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:24:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038265/posts 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. WAAY Website http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038265/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:12:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034544/posts 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.... FOX News Blogs http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034544/posts#comment Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:40:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033481/posts 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... FleetBuzzEditorial.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033481/posts#comment Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:37:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032881/posts 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. Lagniappe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032881/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:42:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029412/posts 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... Newhouse News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029412/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:20:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028467/posts 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... Birmingham Business Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028467/posts#comment Mon, 9 Jun 2008 20:22:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025876/posts 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... Newhouse News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025876/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jun 2008 15:54:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023269/posts 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.... Mobile (Ala.) Press Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023269/posts#comment Fri, 30 May 2008 00:05:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021943/posts 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... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021943/posts#comment Tue, 27 May 2008 16:16:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021234/posts 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... AP via Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021234/posts#comment Mon, 26 May 2008 00:03:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021224/posts 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... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021224/posts#comment Sun, 25 May 2008 23:49:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021122/posts 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... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021122/posts#comment Sun, 25 May 2008 19:13:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020278/posts "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... National Review Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020278/posts#comment Fri, 23 May 2008 16:27:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019652/posts 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... Lagniappe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019652/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 13:25:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016993/posts 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... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016993/posts#comment Fri, 16 May 2008 18:58:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016505/posts 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... Tuscaloosa News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016505/posts#comment Thu, 15 May 2008 20:58:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2015143/posts 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.... The University of Alabama in Huntsville http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2015143/posts#comment Tue, 13 May 2008 07:29:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014263/posts 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 Varius http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014263/posts#comment Sun, 11 May 2008 01:41:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013497/posts 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... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013497/posts#comment Fri, 9 May 2008 10:21:13 GMT