Free Republic

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Seven U.S. banks were closed by regulators on Friday, bring the total this year to 140 as the effects of the credit crisis continued to be felt across the country. What's more, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. established temporary institutions to help close two of the failed banks.

BEAVER -- The Beaver County Sheriff's Office has arrested three men suspected in a series of burglaries. According to the Spectrum, deputies said Luis M. Lopez, Andy F. Lopez, and Oren T. Hounchell admitted to varying levels of involvement in a series of break-ins at homes, stores and the Beaver City Library. They were also found in possession of an undisclosed amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. All three face multiple burglary and drug charges. Deputies discovered a set of footprints left in the snow after one of the home burglaries. They followed those footprints to the Hounchell's home. The...

Representative Cam Ward Introduces Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act November 25, 2009 (ALABASTER, ALABAMA) – Representative Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) today announced the introduction of the Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act. The act, which Rep. Ward is sponsoring is aimed at preventing child abductions in the state of Alabama. Child abduction is one of the most frightening and heartbreaking crimes faced by parents and families today. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, despite the familiar image in the news of children abducted by predatory strangers, the majority of child abductions are perpetrated by family members. To combat...

Homewood's fire chief says if a church wants to hold Christmas Eve candlelight services, it'll have to pay four off-duty firefighters $100 each to monitor safety during the service. Pastors of several churches in Homewood say they had no knowledge that the city requires a permit for candlelight services or of the payment of firefighters to monitor the services. Homewood Fire Chief John Bresnan said the permit law has been on the books for more than 10 years and that he has required Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, which he attends, to request a permit and have firefighters on hand at...

12/10/2009 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) -- Civil Air Patrol officials here will partner with Wreaths Across America officials to honor veteran memorials and grave sites Dec. 12 nationwide. Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization that recognizes the courage and sacrifices of U.S. veterans, pays tributes to many of the 25 million men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces and guarded and preserved America's freedom throughout history. Memorials and grave sites, including Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia will be adorned with remembrance wreaths provided by the Maine's Worcester Wreath Co. "Our mission is to...

After last year’s historic presidential campaign, a new season of opportunity seemed at hand for African-American candidates in the South. Not only had a black man been elected president, he had carried Virginia and North Carolina along the way. But Dixie is slow to yield its traditions and paradoxes, as Rep. Artur Davis is finding as he tries to fashion an Obama-style cross-racial coalition in his bid to become Alabama’s first black governor. If anything, Davis, a Democrat, is finding it may be more complicated than ever for African-Americans to win statewide races in the Deep South. In today’s political...

Birmingham lawyer Patrick Cooper and Jefferson County Commissioner William Bell will face off again next month in a runoff to decide who will be Birmingham’s next mayor. Voters on Jan. 19 will go to the polls to select one of the two candidates to serve the remaining two years of what was Larry Langford’s term. Langford was removed from office Oct. 28, the same day he was convicted by a federal jury of taking bribes while on the Jefferson County Commission. Cooper, after results Tuesday night showed him with 40.1 percent of the vote, said, “It looks like we’re headed...

BURBANK - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has widened its investigation into radiation overdoses that patients have received from a type of brain scan, suggesting the problem may be nationwide, it was reported Tuesday. The agency says it is looking into possible overdoses at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank and a hospital in Alabama, the Los Angeles Times reported. Providence St. Joseph is now the third hospital in Los Angeles County under investigation for problems with CT brain perfusion scans, a procedure used most often to diagnose strokes. Unlike the other cases, which involved scanners made by...

Wrongful imprisonment in Ala. leads to $2M claim December 06, 2009 15:58 EST MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- A Birmingham woman says her husband died from the stress of being wrongfully imprisoned for the sexual abuse of two young girls, and she wants nearly $2 million in compensation from the state. The Legislature has already agreed to provide $129,000 to Donna Doyle, but she is seeking another $1.8 million to cover legal expenses, medical costs and other expenditures. Her husband, Bob Doyle, was convicted in 1992. State courts overturned his conviction in 2000, and he was freed from prison. He died...

SARALAND, Ala. — Police in Saraland say an Alabama National Guardsman was beaten and stabbed to death in a robbery that netted about $120 in cash. Anthony Embley Sr.'s son-in-law and daughter, John Lamar Pope and Lacy Elizabeth Pope, are charged with murder. Embley's body was found in the hallway of his home last month. Saraland Police Chief Kevin Anderson says John Pope was arrested in Baldwin County earlier this month after he failed a drug test, which was required as a condition of his parole on a previous conviction.

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 1, 2009 – Air Force Master Sgt. Linda Adams has been an elementary school teacher for the past four years. Air Force Master Sgt. Linda Adams, 746th Aircraft Maintenance Unit support section noncommissioned officer in charge, as well as an elementary school teacher, uses a blog to communicate with students in Mississippi during her deployment in Southwest Asia, Nov. 24, 2009. In addition to being an Air Force reservist, Adams is a teacher at Kate Shepard Elementary in Mobile, Ala. She is deployed from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason...

MONTGOMERY — A federal lawsuit challenging Alabama’s property tax system as unconstitutional because the system allegedly denies blacks their civil right to an adequate education would increase state taxes on property nine times if the suit is successful.

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - Former Republican presidential candidate endorses Montgomery's gubernatorial candidate. WSFA 12 News confirmed overnight that Mitt Romney will endorse state treasurer Kate Ivey in her Republican race for governor. Romney cited Ivey's conservative background as the main reason for his support. Ivey served as Alabama chair-person of Romney's 2008 presidential campaign.

MONTGOMERY | A federal lawsuit challenging Alabama’s property tax system as unconstitutional because the system allegedly denies blacks their right to an adequate education would increase state taxes on property nine times if the suit is successful. The lawsuit was filed last year in federal court in Huntsville for public school students in Lawrence and Sumter counties. It alleges Alabama’s property tax system is unconstitutional because it was allegedly designed by whites after the Civil War to underfund schools and deny blacks adequate education. he lawsuit challenges provisions of Alabama’s constitution and seeks an end to the state’s property taxation...

Faith and science: UAB professor's book helps teachers present evolution without offenseUAB education professor Lee Meadows grew up in love with science, but his conservative Southern Baptist upbringing left him somewhat conflicted.Lee Meadows Meadows has written "Missing Link," a textbook on how to teach evolution without offending religious beliefs. "It's a book for teachers to help them deal with the issue of evolution with middle and high school students," he said. Meadows said he knows the student's perspective from experience. "Biology is my favorite subject," he said. "But evolution scared me off as a student. I was afraid of evolution...

HUNTSVILLE, AL, Nov. 25 Christian Newswire -- Two creation films called "inappropriate" were denied the opportunity to be shown in government facilities this week--which marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species". While the intelligent design film "Darwin's Dilemma: The Mystery of the Cambrian Fossil Record" has not been granted permission for a showing in California, "The Mysterious Islands", a new 90-minute Vision Forum film that challenges Darwin's evolution by taking audiences back to engage the enchanted Galapagos Islands, has enjoyed a victory and will premiere as previously scheduled tonight, Nov. 25, at 6:30 PM, at...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2009 – Amanda Bailey has a lot to thankful for this Thanksgiving, with her husband, Army Spc. Christopher Bailey home from Iraq for rest and relaxation leave. And as head of his National Guard unit’s family readiness group, she’s helped to galvanize a communitywide show of appreciation for families of its deployed troops. Army Spc. Christopher Bailey, his wife, Amanda, and children are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving together during Bailey’s rest and relaxation leave from his deployment in Iraq. Ardmore, Ala., November 2009. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Bailey, a military policeman with...

Note: The following text is a quote: Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, November 23, 2009 Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Supply U.S. Fighter Jet Engines to Iran Jacques Monsieur, a Belgian national and resident of France suspected of international arms dealing for decades, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama to conspiracy to illegally export F-5 fighter jet engines and parts from the Untied States to Iran. Monsieur along with Dara Fotouhi, aka Dara Fatouhi, an Iranian national currently living in France, was charged in a...

A man who Bessemer police said was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon as he attempted to rob a business has been identifed by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office as Kevin Dudley, 41, of Pleasant Grove. Dudley, armed with a shotgun, attempted to rob The Bait Shop at 729 9th St. N. in Bessemer, said Capt. Mike Roper. The owner shot and killed him, Roper said.

Sarah Palin visit: Hundreds already in line to get limited number of wristbands By Kent Faulk -- The Birmingham News November 22, 2009, 11:00AMSarah Palin brings her 'Going Rogue' book tour to Birmingham on Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. A throng has gathered on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 to snag a wristband for a spot in line for the signing. (Special to The Birmingham News)Hundreds of people were already in line at the Books-A-Million store at  Colonial Brookwood Village to get a wristband for former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's visit on Monday. [See the GUIDELINES set for Palin's visit] People are...

<p>Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!</p> <p>U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.</p>

Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Monday he plans to filibuster President Obama’s first judicial pick, Judge David F. Hamilton. Sessions told reporters in a briefing that he will vote “not to consider” the nomination. “I think I intend not to support going forward (with) Hamilton’s vote,” Sessions said, adding that each senator has to vote his own conscience. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has called for a cloture vote on the nomination Tuesday, which would force the Republican filibuster of Hamilton, whom Obama indicated is the kind of nominee he...

At a time when many of its competitors are struggling and most businesses are downsizing, executives at Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Inc. say their company is on the verge of its best year ever. The company's chicken-driven sales are expected to cross the $3 billion mark for the first time in the next several weeks and will likely end the year up 9 percent from a year ago. Same-store sales are expected to be up about 4 percent. Next year, the company plans to add nearly 70 stores -- including its first in Chicago, the backyard of fast-food rival McDonald's Corp. It...

-- Vote could come as early as MondayHe has been called "extreme" by some. But to others, he's beyond extreme... he's a "Radical's Radical."  Whatever he is, he could become President Obama's next choice for the federal judiciary. This radical is Judge David Hamilton, and he's been nominated for a position on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Hamilton has made many political enemies on the right, seeing that his politics are to the far left of the political spectrum.  Oh yes, judges aren't supposed to be political, but this one has engaged in quite a bit of leftist activism....

000 WTNT31 KNHC 081758 TCPAT1 BULLETIN HURRICANE IDA SPECIAL ADVISORY NUMBER 19 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112009 1200 PM CST SUN NOV 08 2009 ...HURRICANE WATCH EXTENDED EASTWARD ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST...IDA STRENGTHENS A LITTLE... AT 1200 PM CST...1800 UTC...A HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI/ALABAMA BORDER TO MEXICO BEACH FLORIDA. A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA TO MEXICO BEACH FLORIDA. THIS WATCH DOES NOT INCLUDE THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. A HURRICANE...

MARION, Ala. — The sign going on the front door at the Perry County courthouse reads: "Closed for the Obama Holiday." The rural, mostly black county has proclaimed Monday as an official holiday celebrating the election of the nation's first black president, Barack Obama. It's one of Alabama's poorest counties, but it's sparing little during five days of festivities.

MOBILE, Ala. -- Two men who admitted taking trips to Thailand for sex with young boys face 6½-year prison terms, but could trim the time by testifying against the alleged organizer of the encounters. Burgess Lee Burgess of Mobile and Mitchell Kent Jackson of Pensacola pleaded guilty in November 2008 to traveling to have sex with a minor and conspiracy to do so. The two men once lived together in Mobile.

Authorities finally released the name of the person killed in an attempted robbery Tuesday morning in Yantley, Ala. 19-year-old Daniel Law, Jr., was shot and killed Oct. 20 when officials say he tried to rob the Citgo store on Highway 10. Law was a 2009 graduate of Choctaw County High School. Investigators say the owner of the store fired the fatal shot. No charge was filed. The case will be presented to a grand jury. Sheriff James Lovette said officials don't think anyone else was involved in the robbery attempt.

A barrage of gunfire erupted during a robbery attempt in the Center Point area Tuesday night, authorities said today. Two employees of the Phone Store at 2111 Center Point Road were closing up for the night about 8 p.m. when a man came from behind a trash bin and pointed a gun at the female employee as she was getting in her car, saying "Give up your money; you might as well give it up." When the male employee tried to take cover, the gunman opened fire. The male employee returned fire, firing eight shots at the robber who took...

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala., Nov. 3, 2009 – Experimental test pilot Army Chief Warrant Officer Cary Nadeau views his job as being the consumer advocate for Army aviators. And like any good consumer advocate, he reaches out to his customers – in his case, in combat zones. Army Chief Warrant Officer Cary Nadeau, one of only 30 experimental test pilots in the Army, has left Redstone Arsenal, Ala., for a six-month deployment in Iraq, where he will provide technical and liaison support to a combat aviation brigade for the Chinook helicopter's new laser-based countermeasure system and for the brigade's entire fleet...

Bobby Bright (AL-2) Washington D.C. Office 1205 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 p. (202) 225-2901 f. (202) 225-8913 Dothan Office 188 North Foster Street Suite 105 Dothan, Alabama 36303 p. (334) 794-9680 f. (334) 671-1480 Montgomery Office 22 Monroe St. Suite 1B Montgomery, AL 36104 p. (334) 277-9113 f. (334) 277-8534 Opp Office 101 North Main Street Opp, AL 36467 p. (334) 493-9253 f. (334) 493-0370 Ozark Office 275 N. Union Avenue Suite 214 Ozark, AL 36360 p. (334) 445-4600 f. (334) 445-0517 Contact him https://forms.house.gov/bright/contact-form.shtml Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Congressman-Bobby-Bright/105468186762?ref=search&sid=1072359854.2422322198..1 To read further follow the link http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977880434

. Amp Energy Drink 500 Sunday 1:00 pm on ABC from Talladega Superspeedway SPEED Pre-race show at 10:00 EasternABC Pre-race show at 12:00 Eastern Green Flag 1:19 Please visit the FR Canteen - Dedicated to our troops, veterans, and their families: The FR Canteen God Bless Our Troops Please pray on this day, and every day, for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world in defense of our liberty, and for the families awaiting their safe return.

THEODORE, Alabama - An Irvington woman is arrested in connection with two robberies in broad daylight. Mobile police say 40-year-old Terry Guidry tried to rob the M&D Coin Laundry on Bellingrath Road in Theodore Thursday morning. But when she pulled out a knife, the owner of the laundromat pulled out her gun and Guidry ran. She did the same thing about two hours later. According to the Sheriff's Office, Guidry robbed the Dollar General on Irvington/Bayou La Batre Highway. But this time, she got away with some cash. The Sheriff's Office received an anonymous tip about Guidry around 4:30 p.m....

New research in the FASEB Journal opens the door for new drugs that could prevent severe flu-related lung damage As the nation copes with a shortage of vaccines for H1N1 influenza, a team of Alabama researchers have raised hopes that they have found an Achilles' heel for all strains of the flu—antioxidants. In an article appearing in the November 2009 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) they show that antioxidants—the same substances found in plant-based foods—might hold the key in preventing the flu virus from wreaking havoc on our lungs. "The recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza and the rapid...

TUSCALOOSA | The Tuscaloosa City Council Finance Committee voted to move ahead with an $8.5 million bond issue rather than waiting a year as Mayor Walt Maddox recommended. The committee's vote is a recommendation to the full City Council, but a straw ballot of council members, who were all present at the committee meeting, indicated that a majority favors the bond issue. On a 20-year repayment schedule, the bond issue would cost the city about $650,000 a year in debt service. The council had asked Maddox for a recommended list of projects. The estimated total and the annual debt service...

Carole Smitherman is now the city's mayor following the conviction of Larry Langford. Smitherman, who had served as the City Council president, will meet with city employees Thursday morning. She's already been in contact with Langford Chief of Staff Deborah Vance-Bowie and also plans to talk to Langford. "I have a very heavy heart right now for the city of Birmingham, our employees and the people of the city of Birmingham," Smitherman said. "My heart goes out to Mayor Langford. History will certainly be kind to him as a progressive mayor who loved this city and its people."

Northrop Grumman Corp. on Wednesday suggested it could file a lawsuit or even withdraw from the U.S. Air Force tanker contest because of its concerns over the fairness of the competition. Top Northrop officials said they were working with the Pentagon to address their objections to the Air Force's draft Request for Proposals, released to potential bidders Sept. 25.

MONTGOMERY | Alabama has earned a spot on a Top Ten list it didn't want. For September, Alabama had the 10th highest unemployment rate among the 50 states. It also recorded the nation's third-fastest growth in unemployment for the past year. The director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama said moving into the worst 10 states for unemployment has psychological impacts, particularly for the unemployed who have been looking for work and are on the verge of giving up. 'It has a dampening effect on morale,' Sam Addy said Tuesday. Alabama's unemployment rate...

Langford was found guilty on all 60 counts against him, ranging from bribery to money laundering which occurred during his tenure as president of the Jefferson County Commission. Prosecutors convinced the jury Langford took bribes of about $236,000 in exchange for sending county business to the Montgomery firm of investment banker Bill Blount. In return, Blount sent cash and gifts to Langford through Democrat lobbyist Al LaPierre.

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA--Larry Langford, Birmingham's mayor and a former Jefferson County commissioner, has been found guilty in his federal bribery trial. Langford was found guilty of taking about $236,000 in cash and gifts from Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount and lobbyist Al LaPierre. Both pleaded guilty in the case and testified they made cash payments to Langford while he was the president of the Jefferson County Commission to ensure business for Blount's investment bank, Blount Parrish & Co.

NEW ORLEANS -- Federal officials plan to ban sales of raw oysters harvested from the Gulf of Mexico unless the shellfish are treated to destroy potentially deadly bacteria.

MOBILE, Alabama - Mobile police say a possible burglar was shot and killed while he was trying to break into a home. Police say they received a call of a burglary in progress on Louise Drive around 6:45 Tuesday night. Details are scarce, but police say the man was attempting to break into the home when he was shot in the chest by a female inside. According to police, the man was transported to USA Medical Center where he pronounced dead. His name has not been released.

Since I have lived in Tuscaloosa my whole life, I figured I'd keep my fellow FReeper friends up to date with the Larry Langford bribery trial. Begin Article: TUSCALOOSA | Testimony in the corruption trial of Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford portrayed his personal finances as a disaster area Monday, with scant assets and liabilities of about $650,000, including nearly $240,000 in credit card debt. The testimony came as federal prosecutors neared the end of their case and tried to show Langford had a financial incentive to accept bribes while he was on the Jefferson County Commission, a charge that Langford...

TUSCALOOSA -- Larry Langford was por trayed last week as a serious clotheshorse whose love of shopping was like a heroin addiction, a man who couldn't pay his tai lors, was behind on his taxes and past due on a fat bank loan. If that wasn't enough, federal prosecutors in Langford's cor ruption trial charged he used his power and influence as then-president of the Jefferson County Commission to trade millions of dollars in county business for cash and gifts. Langford's own lawyers portrayed him as a victim of slick Wall Street bankers and as a man too trusting of...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Coastal insurance bills proposed by lawmakers from Mobile and Baldwin counties don't go far enough, according to a grassroots group of local homeowners. "Right now, our legislators are listening to big money, and they need to listen to us," said A.C. Leggett, a member of the Homeowners' Hurricane Insurance Initiative, in an e-mail. "Our legislators want to do a little bit at a time. We cannot afford to do that." Insurers have vigorously, and successfully, opposed some of the same bills that the homeowners group considers too weak.

Police Report iconBROMLEY, Ala. -- A 13-year-old boy shot his father Tuesday night to protect his mother from harm, authorities said Wednesday. Joseph "Simp" Pruitt, 46, was shot in the arm and side after threatening his wife with a 9 mm pistol, according to Baldwin County Sheriff Huey "Hoss" Mack Jr. Pruitt remained in critical condition at the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile, a hospital spokesman said Wednesday. "We believe Mr. Pruitt was attempting to shoot Mrs. Pruitt," Mack said. "Their 13-year-old son became aware of this and retrieved a 20-gauge shotgun." No one involved in the...

<p>An Army investigation has found that soldiers should have never been sent to a small Alabama town after 11 people died in March during a shooting spree.</p>

This is the original manuscript that I submitted to the Crimson White, my campus newspaper. While I understand their need to edit the size of the article, they truncated much of the content that I believe was necessary to explain my position. I know that they could have included it because I was under the 800 word limit. The published article can be found at the source URL. Anyhow, here goes... (Begin) Candidate’s Progressive Views Troubling Gregory Poole I am appalled at the brazenness of State House candidate Susan Pace Hamill’s approach on taxation as quoted in the October 15...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Mayor Larry Langford, who could be tossed out of office and go to prison if convicted of federal bribery charges, recently offered some advice to a new Birmingham City Council member. "The illusion of power is the most dangerous drug on the planet," Langford said. "A little bit of power — nothing intoxicates like it." Last week's comment may sound a lot like the government's opening argument against Langford, 61, the most recent in a long line of prominent names in the state Democratic Party to face corruption charges. Jury selection begins Monday. Prosecutors claim a...

Ala. Mayor Accused Of Taking Rolex, Bribes Jury selection to begin in corruption trial against Mayor Larry Langford BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Mayor Larry Langford, who could be tossed out of office and go to prison if convicted of federal bribery charges, recently offered some advice to a new Birmingham City Council member. "The illusion of power is the most dangerous drug on the planet," Langford said. "A little bit of power — nothing intoxicates like it." Last week's comment may sound a lot like the government's opening argument against Langford, 61, the most recent in a long line of prominent...