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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Retired doctor Parker Griffith's campaign to keep a north Alabama congressional seat held by Democrats for generations was going smoothly until his opponent released 20-year-old documents that accuse him of manipulating his cancer patients' radiation doses. The accusations, which Griffith disputes, are contained in a previously sealed internal review done during a bitter feud between Griffith and the hospital where he once worked. The review claims Griffith manipulated the doses to keep patients in treatment longer and make more money.

. Amp Energy Drink 500 Sunday 2:00 pm on ABC from Talladega Superspeedway SPEED Pre-race show at 11:00 EasternABC Pre-race show at 1:00 Eastern Green Flag 2:17 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.

An American Meltdown by: Irene Warren, September 17, 2008 America is on the verge of having “the largest municipal bankruptcy ever,” said David R. Kotok, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Cumberland Advisors, while at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). AEI released a report to show just what financial state Alabama is actually in. “Jefferson County, Alabama has to declare bankruptcy. The county needs protection from creditors, from bankers, from politicians-and from itself,” AEI found. “Jefferson County has issued $3.2 billion in adjustable-rate sewer bonds. Jefferson County, in an attempt to hedge its interest rate risk-entered into $5.8 billion of...

"DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) - Larry Blumberg is looking for a few good Jews to move to his corner of the Bible Belt. Blumberg is chairman of the Blumberg Family Relocation Fund, which is offering Jewish families as much as $50,000 to relocate to Dothan, an overwhelmingly Christian town of 58,000 that calls itself the Peanut Capital of the World. Get involved at Temple Emanu-El and stay at least five years, the group's leaders say, and the money doesn't have to be repaid."

DOTHAN, Ala. - Larry Blumberg is looking for a few good Jews to move to his corner of the Bible Belt. Blumberg is chairman of an organization offering Jewish families as much as $50,000 to relocate to Dothan, an overwhelmingly Christian town of 58,000 that calls itself the Peanut Capital of the World. Get involved at Temple Emanu-El and stay at least five years, the group's leaders say, and the money doesn't have to be repaid. More Jews are living in the South than ever — about 386,000 at last count in 2001, according to Stuart Rockoff, a historian at...

All of the Wal-Marts across Alabama sold out of ammunition as of yesterday. A reliable source said that one of the purchasers commented that while Russia may have invaded Georgia, they sure as heck ain't takin' Alabama over so easily!

The tropical system currently over Hispanola has been teasing weather watchers for days, as hurricane hunters were unable to locate a surface center of circulation. Meanwhile, the system has looked remarkably like a tropical depression for greater than 24 hours. Local Florida weather forecasters are urging Floridians to keep a close eye on this system. Updates:Atlantic Tropical Info Satellite:Visible Image LoopInfrared Image LoopWater Vapor Image LoopRGB (Vis/IR combo) Image LoopFunktop Image Loop Caribbean BuoysWestern Atlantic BuoysFlorida BuoysRadarPuerto RicoGuantanimo Bay CubaKey WestBahamasMiamiFlorida LoopStorm Track Models Category Wind Speed Barometric Pressure Storm Surge Damage Potential Tropical Depression < 39 mph < 34...

Next year, the state will add a $25 insurance fee for being overweight Alabama, pushed to third in national obesity rankings by deep-fried Southern favorites, is cracking down on state workers who are too fat. The state has given its 37,527 employees a year to start getting fit — or they’ll pay $25 a month for insurance that otherwise is free. Alabama will be the first state to charge overweight state workers who don’t work on slimming down, while a handful of other states reward employees who adopt healthy behaviors. Alabama already charges workers who smoke — and has seen...

The latest demographic estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show the Hispanic population in the tri-state region is growing almost 12 times faster than other groups. According to 2007 population estimates released this morning, the Hispanic population of Hamilton County and the surrounding 20 counties has grown almost 60 percent since 2000, compared to 5 percent growth in non-Hispanic groups. Gordon and Murray counties in Georgia lead the region, with Hispanic populations surging 131 percent in Murray and 116 percent in Gordon, census figures show. The Hispanic population has grown 86 percent in DeKalb County, Ala., and 80 percent in...

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...

The rumor mill in Montgomery is swirling of news of a potential resignation by Republican Attorney General Troy King, amid rumors that he was caught by his wife having sex with a male aide and subsequently banished from his home by his wife. King, a potential GOP frontrunner for Governor in 2010, succeeded Bill Pryor, one of George W. Bush’s most controversial judicial nominees. In addition, King was also an early endorser of John McCain.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The U.S. State of Alabama will be the likely home of a new Volkswagen (VOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) manufacturing plant, beating two other states, German industry newsletter Automobilwoche said on Saturday, citing senior company sources. A VW spokesman said that a decision on the location of the plant had yet to be taken and that Alabama, Tennessee and Michigan remained in the running. A decision is expected by July 21, the spokesman said. Daimler's (DAIGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) Mercedes Car Group has had a manufacturing plant in Alabama for years and ThyssenKrupp (TKAG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), an...

http://www.nrtwc.org/blog/ Why is Michigan’s car industry struggling but Alabama’s is thriving? How is the “Yellowhammer State” successfully courting companies like Honda, Toyota Motor Corp. and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz?

Bank employees said a man wearing a ski mask and carrying a pistol was thwarted in an attempt to rob the bank because the doors were locked. The man fled the scene. and he was unable to complete the heist,

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...

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....

Huntsville, AL Location: E.S. Brooks School of Realty 2312J Memorial Parkway South Huntsville, AL 35801 Get DirectionsTime: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Three of six Republican candidates for the 5th Alabama Congressional District are supposed to attend. Local FairTax volunteers are working on the other three and the two Democrat candidates as well. Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008 Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM This event does not require an RSVP. Registered users can request event reminders. Register

Jill Simpson is an unusual woman. A lawyer, she has scratched out an uncertain living in DeKalb County, Alabama. Fellow DeKalb County lawyers describe her as "a very strange person" who "lives in her own world." The daughter of rabid Democrats, she has rarely if ever been known to participate in politics as even a low-level volunteer. Yet today, she is a minor celebrity who is unvaryingly described in the press as a "Republican operative." Those who know her in DeKalb County scoff at the idea that she is a Republican at all. Recently, Simpson's house and law office were...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- You can call Neil Young the new spiderman. A biologist has named a newly discovered trapdoor spider after rock star Neil Young: Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi. The musician is "worthy of that honor" because he's been an activist for social and political issues, said East Carolina University biologist Jason Bond. Bond, 40, examined the spider in a collection at the American Museum of Natural History in New York where it was identified as a new species that's indigenous to Alabama. He sent students there to collect more specimens. It's not the first time Bond has bestowed a beloved name...

KBR Corp. said today it would buy BE&K, the 48th largest general construction contractor in the country with 9,000 worldwide employees, for $550 million. KBR, the nation's fourth largest general contractor, was spun off last year as its own publicly traded company from Houston-based Halliburton Corp., the largest contractor for military services in Iraq.

MONTGOMERY The state Senate may have been locked down for most of the year, but it did find time to endorse a widely discredited urban legend spread by the John Birch Society. The upper chamber passed a joint resolution April 10 sponsored by state Sen. Rusty Glover, R-Semmes, claiming that Canada, Mexico and the United States are moving toward a "North American Union" and working on construction of a "NAFTA Superhighway" to link the countries and report edly destroy their sovereignty. "It's about retaining independence," said John McManus, the president of the John Birch Society, in a phone interview Mon...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A judge threw out the $5 million verdict an Alabama football fan won in his lawsuit accusing the NCAA of slander, ruling in a decision made public Wednesday that jurors were wrongly swayed by prejudice against the sanctioning organization. Circuit Judge William Gordon granted the NCAA’s request for a new trial in a lawsuit filed by timber dealer Ray Keller of Stevenson, but he did not set a date. Gordon said in a 13-page opinion that the multimillion-dollar verdict wasn’t supported by evidence, and he ruled the award “is the result of passion or prejudice.” He also...

Leaders to adorn sackcloth and ashes to fight crime At Tuesday’s Birmingham City Council meeting, Mayor Larry Langford proclaimed Friday, April 25, a “day of prayer in sackcloth and ashes” in Birmingham. Birmingham Weekly reported two weeks ago that the mayor purchased 2,000 burlap sacks for ministers and other community leaders to wear at a Plan 10/30 summit. To many Christians, sackcloth and ashes symbolize humility and repentance, but the mayor’s decree came dressed with the usual accoutrements - printed on fine, invitation-stock paper and wrapped in a bright silver folder, adorned by the magic hat logo Langford commissioned for...

. The Aaron's 499 Sunday 2:00 pm ET on FOX from Talladega Superspeedway SPEED Pre-race show at 11:30 ETFOX Pre-race show at 1:30 ET Green Flag 2:20 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.

A St. Louis-born U.S. Army colonel was killed in Iraq Sunday, according to his sister, Kathleen King of O’Fallon. Col. Stephen K. Scott, 54, was serving at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad where he was working with Iraqi leaders on weapons intelligence and defense. Scott, who was an avid runner, was in the workout facilities in the green zone when he was killed during a mortar attack, King said. -snip- After basic training, Stephen Scott worked at the Army Aviation and Troop Command facility on Goodfellow Boulevard in St. Louis until it was closed in 1997. He then moved to...

Former Gov. Don Siegelman will be released from prison, after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted him an appeal bond, the lead prosecutor in the case said. Acting U.S. Attorney Louis Franklin said he received a courtesy call from the court today. "He's going to be released," Franklin said. He said he was disappointed but said, "The 11th Circuit has the discretion to do that and I respect that." Kim Chandler Return to al.com for updates on this breaking story.

Democratic state Senator Tom Butler will announce that he is changing parties and run for the state’s 5th Congressional District seat as a Republican, according to two sources close to the situation. Sen. Butler of Madison is one of the “dissident Democrats” who caucuses with Senate Republicans in a minority coalition. Many believed that Butler’s differences with Senate Democrats were more personal than political. State Sen. E. B. McClain (D - Midfield) once described Butler’s relationship with the party as wounded. (Another Senate insider described it to the Parlor in much the same way. See also here.) Democrats had hoped...

FORT RUCKER, Ala. - A charter bus carrying members of a Marine Reserve anti-terrorism group overturned at an Army base, injuring 23 people. Three Marines were in critical condition Monday. The civilian bus driver was charged with reckless driving and may face additional charges, the Army said. The bus overturned Sunday at Fort Rucker, an Army aviation training center in southeast Alabama. The Marines were leaving the training area after a weekend exercise, Fort Rucker said in a statement. The vehicle landed on its right side with military gear and debris littering the ground. "It went into a curve a...

Alabama And Mobile Excited Over $40 Billion Deal By Emily Forrester Last Updated: Feb 29 2008 - 9:49 pm Alabama, Mobile, and Mobile County leaders are excited about the $40 billion tanker project deal that the United States Air Force Awarded to EADS and Northrop Grumman. Here are some of the enthusiastic comments for area and state leaders: * Alabama Governor Bob Riley: "To say this is a great day for Alabama is a monumental understatement. This will go down in history as one of our greatest days." *Mobile Mayor Sam Jones: "In my judgment, the best proposal won. Mobile...

The U.S. Air Force today named Northrop Grumman Corp. and EADS North America to build its next-generation fleet of aerial refueling tankers, spurning a bid from rival Boeing Co. with a decision that could bring an aircraft assembly plant to Mobile. The Air Force made its choice after a fierce competition between the two teams for one of the single largest defense contracts in U.S. history. Estimated at up to $40 billion, the deal includes 179 planes to be delivered over the next 10-15 years. Boeing was considered a heavy favorite due mainly to its political clout and its legacy...

WASHINGTON - Attorneys for imprisoned former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on Monday called for a special prosecutor after a key government witness claimed that he was forced to write out his testimony to get his story straight. Vince Kilborn, an attorney for Siegelman who contends Republican politics was behind the Democrat's prosecution, said the defense was never told of any written notes by Nick Bailey, a former Siegelman aide whose testimony was crucial to the government. CBS's "60 Minutes" reported Sunday that Bailey said prosecutors met with him some 70 times and had him repeatedly write out his testimony because...

TUSCALOOSA | Luther Quarles looks like a grandfather, a mild-mannered one with a quick smile whom a child would look forward to visiting on a Sunday afternoon. But any hopes Quarles had of for that died with his only daughter nearly 30 years ago. Regina Quarles was killed in 1978, just months after graduating from Tuscaloosa County High School. The 18-year-old was found strangled to death after going to a disco with friends. James Michael Hayes, the man convicted of her murder six months later, was a suspect in another similar murder and had been convicted of trying to rape...

February 24, 2008 We apologize that you missed the first segment of 60 Minutes tonight featuring "The Prosecution of Don Siegelman." It was a techincal problem with CBS out of New York. We are working with them right now to see if we can re-broadcast the segment. Please be patient with us during this time. We are doing our best to correct the problem.

HOOPS legend Charles Barkley says he definitely plans to run for governor of Alabama, but wants no campaign help from rabble-rousers like Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson. "I don't believe in them. They always play the race card, and you can't always play the race card," the former Houston Rockets power forward tells next month's Playboy. *snip* We have to hold blacks more accountable for their actions."

February 5, 2008 — Mike Huckabee is making a furious charge in some Deep South states, and his efforts are showing up late in our polls. Whether he has run out of time, or whether he is about to pave yet another hairpin turn on the road to the White House will be known in a matter of hours. Our Monday InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research polls show Huckabee pulling even with John McCain in Georgia, and surging into the lead in Alabama. Here are the overnight Georgia numbers: Mike Huckabee 32% John McCain 32% Mitt Romney 29% Ron Paul 3% Other...

I hope no actions of my life will be divisive or hurtful to others. If so, I instruct my descendents not to hoist symbols of hurtful or divisive actions on a flagpole for all to see, even if they perceive my service to the action to be honorable.

Mobile no. 1 Friday, February 01, 2008By JEFF AMYBusiness Reporter Mobile County will have the fastest growing economy over the next five years among all 363 American metropolitan areas, according to a new forecast by Moody's Economy.com, growing 34.31 percent from 2007 through 2012. Forbes.com highlighted that projection in a story published Wednesday. The Web site arm of the business magazine credited the $3.7 billion ThyssenKrupp AG steel mill, Austal USA's continued growth in shipbuilding, and the possible Northrop Grumman/EADS airplane assembly plants as among Mobile's strengths. Forbes also cited the city's port and highway access as positives. Such an...

Renovated Moon Rocket Unveiled in Ala. Published: 1/31/08, 8:05 AM EDT By JAY REEVES HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - The renovated Saturn V rocket gleams like new, ready for its dedication. One would never know raccoons, birds and opossums were living in the 363-foot-long steel structure until recently. Once used for test firings at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the rocket spent 35 years laying on its side outside the neighboring U.S. Space & Rocket Center, which includes hundreds of artifacts from the earliest days of the U.S. space program. The Saturn V was split into sections for display, but there...

Date: January 24, 2008 Time: 11:00 a.m. Speaker(s): The Honorable Jeff Sessions (R-AL) Member, United States Senate Host(s): Michael Franc Vice President, Government Relations, The Heritage Foundation Details: Location: The Heritage Foundation's Allison Auditorium In this speech at The Heritage Foundation, United States Senator Jeff Sessions – the leading Senate advocate for ending illegal immigration in America – will challenge 2008 Presidential candidates to commit to a series of specific Presidential actions necessary to gain the confidence and trust of citizens concerned about the future of America’s immigration system.

REAL IMMIGRATION REFORM A Roadmap for Demonstrating Presidential Credibility on One of America’s Most Important Issues I. SECURE THE BORDER 1. Border Fence and National Guard: If elected President, will you secure the border, including completing construction of the 700 mile southern border fence required by the Secure Fence Act, constructing more miles if needed, and keeping the National Guard on the border until it is secured? .Yes or . No 2. Border Prosecutions: If elected President, will you deter illegal entry by expanding the already successful Zero Tolerance Prosecution Policy (Operation Streamline) from 3 to all 20 border sectors,...

Body Found May Be Last Ala. Bridge Child Monday January 21, 2008 1:16 AM By GARRY MITCHELL Associated Press Writer MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - A body believed to be the last of four children who were allegedly tossed from a coastal Alabama bridge by their father was recovered Sunday, authorities said. The body of an Asian child was found in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana by boaters who contacted Coast Guard officials, who then took the body to Venice, La., Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran said. Authorities in Alabama will not be able to confirm whether the body is...

MOBILE, Ala.) Jan. 10 -- The suspect accused of causing the deaths of his four children, Lam Luong, had his first court appearance before a judge on Thursday. The judge was tough, the court appearance routine. It's what happened after that court hearing that is now causing confusion. Luong met with his court-appointed attorney, Joe Kulakowski, minutes after the hearing on Thursday. The lawyer recorded his conversation with Luong and, it was during that conversation the accused man told his lawyer he did NOT throw his children off the bridge. The accused man explained he had been questioned repeatedly by...

Amid heavy fog, Mobile County Sheriff's Office officials called off their search this afternoon for four dead children reportedly tossed off the Dauphin Island bridge. After sonar cameras spotted something submerged under the bridge, divers explored the area but did not find any bodies, officials said. Authorities plan to resume their search at dawn. The massive search involved 50 to 70 people from several agencies, nine vessels and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. Sheriff's Capt. Paul Stewart said cadaver dogs on boats alerted handlers to an area of the water, prompting the Sheriff's Office to deploy the sonar cameras. The...

At a time when some voters are asking how the religious views of candidates will shape their policies, a professor’s discovery of how little tax the biggest landowners in her state paid to finance the government has prompted some other legal scholars to scour religious texts to explore the moral basis of tax and spending policies. The professor, Susan Pace Hamill, is an expert at tax avoidance for small businesses and teaches at the University of Alabama Law School. She also holds a degree in divinity from a conservative evangelical seminary, where her master’s thesis explored how Alabama’s tax-and-spend policies...

A Birmingham pastor was arrested for making a terroristic threat against a judge. Birmingham Police Sgt. Cory Hardiman said Wanda Radford was arrested November 9th for making a terroristic threat against a person in public administration. Another police officer told FOX6 News the public official was a circuit court judge. Pastor Radford is the founder of "Mothers Who Want to Stop the Violence," an organization created to promote non-violence in Birmingham. Radford was being held in the Jefferson County Jail on no bond.

Democratic U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton trails three of four top Republican hopefuls in Alabama when voters consider possible general-election match-ups. According to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads Clinton 48% to 42%. Former Senator Fred Thompson, of neighboring Tennessee, leads her 49% to 43%. And Senator John McCain achieves the double-digit advantage of 50% to 39% (see crosstabs). Clinton ties former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney 43% to 43%. Romney attracts 8% to 10% fewer Alabama GOP voters than the other three Republicans. Clinton has made progress since a September Rasmussen Reports poll of the...

DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) — A van driven by former University of Alabama football star Siran Stacy was struck by a pickup at an intersection and six people were killed, including Stacy's wife and four of his children, state troopers said Tuesday. The driver of the second vehicle also was killed, said Dorris Teague, a spokeswoman for the state troopers. Stacy, 39, a star running back for Alabama during 1989-91, was listed in stable condition in surgical intensive care at Flowers Hospital in Dothan. He was the first pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1992 draft, but never carried the...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A sharply divided Alabama Supreme Court turned back a group Friday that sought to end Alabama's practice of giving the driver's license exam in several foreign languages. Attorneys for the ProEnglish organization had argued that giving the exam in multiple languages violated a constitutional amendment that designates English as Alabama's official language. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court said the ProEnglish group presented no evidence that administering the test in multiple languages diminishes English as Alabama's common language. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling in favor of Gov. Bob Riley and other state...

For those who want, finally, an answer to whether Karl Rove and others at the White House were behind the United States attorney scandal — and ordered federal prosecutors to bring and not bring cases to help Republicans win elections — next Tuesday could be an interesting day. The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing for Oct. 23 on selective prosecution. The committee is expected to take a hard look at the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, a Democrat, who may have been prosecuted primarily to keep him from running against the state’s incumbent Republican governor, Bob...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The state health officer told members of a new state task force Wednesday that the rising number of Hispanic immigrants in Alabama are bringing with them additional cases of communicable diseases like tuberculosis and chicken pox. Dr. Don Williamson said in 2006 there were 53 cases of tuberculosis reported in Alabama in people who were born in other countries, about half in immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala. But Williamson cautioned members of the Joint Patriotic Immigration Commission that tougher rules against illegal immigration might cause sick people to be afraid to seek treatment.