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Supreme Court Voids PACT Agreement
03/19/2012

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Alabama Supreme Court has tossed out the settlement over Alabama's financially troubled Prepaid Affordable College Tuition plan.

The court's 6-1 decision Friday voids the settlement approved last year by a Montgomery judge at the request of the PACT board and many participants in the program.

An attorney representing parents who opposed the settlement, Wally Walker, called it a victory that will provide for full tuition rather than the partial tuition in the settlement.

But an attorney for parents who supported the settlement, Doyle Fuller, said he will ask the court to reconsider because PACT lacks the money to pay full tuition. He said that if the ruling stands, PACT will likely collapse unless it gets more money from the Legislature.

Cullman to Commemorate April 27th with Concert
03/19/2012

CULLMAN, Ala (WAAY) - Cullman was hit hard during the April 27th tornado outbreak. An EF4 tornado tore through the city, destroying and badly damaging many local landmarks.

Two people were killed in the storm, and millions of dollars in damage was done.

To commemorate the event, the city of Cullman has decided to celebrate on April 27th, rather than mourn. They've organized a new music festival they're calling the "Rock the South" festival.

Friday morning, officials announced the event will be held on Friday, April 27th at Heritage Park.

The headliners of the event will be country stars Dierks Bentley and former American Idol Kellie Pickler.

More artists are expected to be added to the lineup in coming weeks.

Tickets for the show will cost $10 if purchased ahead of time. They'll be $15 at the gate the night of the show. City officials will release more information about ticket sales next week.

Arraignment Set for Savannah Hardin Case
03/19/2012

GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) - An Etowah County judge has scheduled a hearing for the grandmother and stepmother facing murder charges in the death of a 9-year-old girl who was allegedly run to death.

Circuit Judge William B. Ogletree has set an arraignment hearing for Wednesday for 46-year-old Joyce Garrard. She's facing a possible death penalty in the death of her granddaughter, Savannah Hardin.

The girl's stepmother, 27-year-old Jessica Hardin, also is set to appear in court that day. Defense lawyer Morgan Cunningham says the judge scheduled the hearing to accept initial pleas from the women and consider any motions in their cases.

Defense lawyers say both women are innocent and expect to be vindicated in Savannah's death last month.

Prosecutors say the child collapsed and later died after being forced to fun as punishment.

Did You Know : Streights Raid
03/19/2012

If you grew up in Alabama, you probably learned about Streights Raid sometime in elementary school. With the sesquicentennial upon us, the Cullman County Museum has put together an exhibit that brings to life those battles across north Alabama in the Spring of 1863.

"If you want to learn how NOT to conduct a cavalry raid, you look at Streights Raid. He mounted his men on mules, and he should have been on horses," said John Kelton, who designed the exhibit.

"They all brought mules. Unfortunately they made a mistake, because it rained a lot the roads were muddy, mules couldn't handle it, they were ornery, they wouldn't comply, they ran away," said Bob Sackheim of the Blue and Gray Museum of North Alabama.

Colonel Abel D. Streight led the mules and the Union Cavalry into north Alabama on a mission to disrupt Confederate supply lines. General Nathan Bedford Forrest made that a difficult task as the Southern Soldiers and their horses chased the Union Troops with running battles across the Tennessee Valley. 3 battles over a 24 hour period.

The exhibit features a short film and artifacts. It also tells you about the Alabamians who fought on both sides of these battles. That's right there were Alabamians who fought for the Union in Streights Raid.

"Some of them led Colonel Streight through north Alabama as his guides. The men that were in what is now Cullman County were divided on the issue of secession. Some joined the Confederate Army. Those that joined the Union Army were assigned to the 1st Alabama Cavalry U.S."

"Forrest used a ploy, saying in the interest of sustaining more casualties it's wise for you to surrender because we outnumber you 3 to 1. The truth is the Union Cavalry outnumbered the Confederates 3 to 1. Forrest bluffed him, and Streight and his guys surrendered."

18 yr old in Run-off for School Board Seat
03/19/2012

Limestone County, AL-
There are two candidates running for Limestone County's District 6 Board of Education seat.
One has held the office for 5 years....and one just got the right to vote.

"I couldn't vote til this year. First time I voted, I voted for myself. I won't ever forget it no matter what happens," said 18-year-old Cory Elrod.

After Tuesday's votes were tallied, only 20 votes separated the two candidates.
Elrod came out on top with 383 over Anthony Hilliard's 363 votes.
Now they are headed into a run-off.

Though surprised, Hilliard has nice words to say about his opponent,
who was actually one of his daughter's classmates.

"He's a nice young man. I respect him and he's ambitious."

But, Hilliard goes on to say, that doesn't mean his opponent is qualified for the job.

"We are an advisory board. And I think my background in business management and education would help me to continue to do that, where as he would possibly be a little overwhelmed at first because he is 18 years old. He hasn't had life experiences or background to be involved in any of that," said Hilliard.

But Elrod disagrees.
He says the fact that he is young and fresh out of school will help him.

"We need some younger people on the board of education to help them keep up to date academically and socially with what's going on inside the classroom. Just because you have kids or grandkids in school itself it's not like being amongst the kids and their environment. I can help them that way," said Elrod.

The run-off is set for April 24th.

Big Items on School Board Agenda
03/19/2012

Huntsville, AL- The Huntsville School Board had two big items on the agenda Thursday evening. Money is always a hot button item and the board heard an update from the newly hired CFO Frank Spinelli. The school system is currently attempting to dig its way out of debt and Spinelli says a few changes have made all the difference.

“Just like you balance your checkbook at home we are trying to balance the budget here at the district. We want to spend less than what we receive as revenue. In the past the district did spend more than it received.”

He says that they are making progress towards achieving a one month budget reserve which is mandated by the state.

Also discussed was the futures of 5 are principles. In years past school principles were able to obtain tenure just like teachers but now they are subject to review periodically. Thursday the contracts of Frederick Barnes of Lakewood Elementary, Christie Finley of Blossomwood Elementary, Patty Boyd of Morris Elementary, Dr. Deborah Hargett of Huntsville Middle and Greg Hicks of Whitesburg Middle were all up for renewal. Board President Laurie McCaulley says all aced their reviews.

“Their evaluations were great. We look on their evaluations and based upon their evaluations and the atmosphere of their school--we use a lot of different factors to determine if we will renew their contract-- and all of them met the criteria for continuing on with us.”

A sixth principle is also up for renewal this year, the unnamed persons future was not discussed at tonight’s meeting. McCaulley says the matter is being handled by the human resources department.

Decatur Residents Concerned About Drug Bust
03/19/2012

Decatur-Morgan County drug agents raided a home in Decatur and discovered a major pot growing operation.

Wednesday night investigators discovered a home on Bob White Drive had been rigged to grow marijuana. Neighbor Linda Mize lives three houses away and is
concerned. "Its the craziest thing that's ever happened in this neighborhood. This is usually a quiet neighborhood" Mize said.

According to police the walls of the home were covered with foil insulation. Air and heating units and special lighting were used to grow Marijuana plants. Investigators say the crooks were stealing electricity to power the house. Sheriff Ana Franklin says this operation is bigger then Morgan County. "This is huge, its a lot of money and the amount of work and effort into this is definitely part of a organized criminal activity this is not a one person thing" Franklin said.

Authorities say at least 300 thousand dollars worth of pot has been grown at the house in recent months. 100 marijuana plants were confiscated. A warrant has been issued for the homeowner who was not at home during the raid. The suspect is a Mexican national who has already been deported once for a robbery.

X-ray Heist at Huntsville Hospital
03/19/2012

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Huntsville Hospital administrators say they are working with investigators to track down the con man who stole hundreds of patient x-rays. According to the police report, someone impersonating an employee from a medical recycling company walked out the front door with two 55-gallon barrels of the films.

"We obviously believe it was taken for the purpose of the silver content in it," says Director of Communications Burr Ingram.

Recently, hospitals across Ontario were victim to the same crime. Hospitals in massachusetts were also hit. A medical recycling firm in Florida says the two stolen barrels of films could yield up to 20 ounces of silver. At $32 dollars an ounce, the silver could sell for hundreds of dollars.

Regardless of the criminal's motive, local residents say it never should have been able to get to them in the first place.

"I'd feel totally violated if I knew that any part of my medical record was taken out of the medical facility for someone's own personal gain.

Administrators say they are reviewing their policies and procedures to make sure something like this never happens again. Calls to Huntsville Police for more information were never returned.

Alabama Bats at risk for White-Nose Syndrome
03/19/2012

Bridgeport, AL-

Bats are being threatened by a deadly disease called White-Nose Syndrome.
Bats infected with the fungus grow white spores around their noses, and usually die from the infection.

It was first discovered in a New York cave in 2006, and has rapidly spread down South.
The first confirmed case in Alabama was found at Russell Cave National Monument on Wednesday.

“It's a terrible disease. And because these night time flyers are not something that you commonly see, people don't think about the impact right away. This is a devastating disease for this critter,” Superintendent Park Ranger, John Bundy said.

Over 5.5 million bats have died in North America because of White Nose Syndrome. Park rangers at Russell Cave hope that number doesn’t spread.

“It’s a big worry because people don’t understand the ecosystem. It doesn’t just affect bats; it also affects everything they eat,” Park Ranger, Keena Graham said.

A bats favorite snack: mosquitoes!

“When you are outside and you are hitting yourself because a mosquito bit you for the third or forth time, a bat would have eaten that guy for you and made life much more comfortable,” said Graham.

They also help plants grow.

“We think of them at the nighttime version of honey bees,” Bundy said.

They help pollinate plants and their droppings are also rich in nutrients.

Wildlife experts are worried about the impact this disease could have on our ecosystem.
For now, the long term affects are unknown.

Experts ask that cavers take special care to clean off all their clothing and shoes with a disinfectant spray after leaving a cave.

People can easily spread the White-Nose spores to other caves if we are not careful and aware.

Trash Trail in Limestone County
03/19/2012

LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. - Highway 72 at Seven Mile Post Road has turned trashy. "It's just debris everywhere, all down through there," Limestone District 4 commissioner Bill Daws showed WAAY 31 FirstNews. Daws is tired of the trash trail.

On the side of 72, household garbage: a milk jug, a paper plate, a fruit jar lid. Even a garbage bag is tangled in a barbed wire fence.

Trash is nothing new. You can often see it along the highway. "Not like this," Daws told us. "Not this. Look, see we're about a half mile from the transfer station."

Daws says all signs point to the Seven Mile Post Transfer Station. Allied Waste, formerly BFI, operates the facility. "They transfer it to a landfill in Lawrence County," Daws explained.

John Farrar raises cattle near Allied's transfer station. He's also raised concerns about the roadside garbage. "Just a constant trash mess," Farrar told us. "Trash just flying off the truck. Their covers flapping up in the air when they're coming down the road."

Farrar fills a five gallon bucket in fewer than five minutes. He's even stuck with trash in his trees. "I get on the phone to complain and whoever I get on the phone says we'll see what we can do," Farrar said.

We found a constant string of garbage going all the way to the Lauderdale county line. Sheriff Mike Blakely tells WAAY31 FirstNews he's warning Allied Waste to keep its trash in its trucks. Blakely is ordering his deputies to step up patrols around the transfer station. The sheriff wants garbage trucks ticketed if they can't contain their loads of trash.

"The majority of what you see up and down the road is coming from BFI (now Allied)," Jeff Day told us. Day complains he's seen trash tumbling from Allied's trucks. He found one especially interesting document in his front yard. "It's a work order from Tennessee Valley Authority," Day showed us. The document, dated March 5th, is from Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. Allied tells WAAY 31, its trucks haul garbage from the nuclear plant.

Allied general manager Bill Brinkley says, before now, he hasn't heard any complaints. But, he promises Allied will look into the problem.

That's welcome news for Bill Daws. "We've got to get it settled because it's just getting worse. It ain't getting better."

Allied Waste tells WAAY 31 FirstNews it controls trucks leaving its transfer station, but not the ones coming in. Allied admits windy days are a challenge. But, Bill Brinkley says Allied wants to do whatever it takes to make neighbors happy.

Tech Guy : Maximizing Phone Battery Life
03/19/2012

One of the biggest problems for smartphone users is keeping the darned things charged up.

Batteries haven’t changed all that much in our lifetime. But Duracell has come out with a product aimed at keeping your phone charged.

Stassi Anastassov is the President of battery giant. He thinks they’re about to solve the problem, with plastic discs. Powermat technology is going to be a lifesaver, he believes.

Powermat technology has been around for a couple of years now, and is really taking off now that big battery companies are investing in the idea. Basically, the charging process is as simple as lying your phone down on a charged mat. The mat uses magnetic induction to charge the battery. For a more scientific look at the process, check out this article from EzineArticles.com. Duracell has created smaller powermats for arenas, bars and restaurants. They’re already installed at Madison Square Garden. They are the size of drink coasters and come wireless.

But a powemat will only charge the battery, it doesn't claim to extend battery life. To do that, you need to get under the hood of your phone, so to speak. There are apps that are constantly running in the background. Those cause a drain, and many of them you can function just fine without. You can always reopen them when you need them.

Using wi-fi instead of a data network saves power too. Just don’t leave your wi-fi on all the time, or else your phone will continuously search for wi-fi which runs down the battery.

If your phone has 4g, try using the 3g data network when you can. 4g can drain the batterynearly twice as fast as 3g.

Despite what others may say, keep your battery charged. There are some who think it’s best to run the battery all the way down before putting it on charge. That’s not true. Call it a "new old wives tale". Studies have shown that the life of a battery is longer if you keep it charged up as much as possible. If you don’t already have one, get a car charger too.

Here are a few more, web-exclusive tips I didn't have time to mention in my on-air report :

Turn off location services. Programs that track your phone, such as weather apps and GPS drain the battery fast. Camera and video apps will require location services be turned on. With the iPhone you can turn off location services inside the settings tab/icon. Android phones have a battery saving option under settings.

On the iPhone, opened apps can be found at the bottom of the screen. Double tapping the home button brings up the bottom line. Hold down one of those icons until you see the icons begin to wiggle or shake. close out the apps by touching the minus sign on any apps that need to be closed. Those apps will re-open when you touch them on the screen.

On android phones, click "settings" then "applications". Under "battery use" you'll see which apps are using battery power. Click on any apps you aren't using and then "force stop" to keep the apps from using your battery power. They'll still work the next time you open them. The batter power screen also shows how much battery time is left on the charge.

Under "battery and data manager", you can find the option for "data saver". Turn it on to conserve battery.

For more, visit my Twitter!

How to Talk to Kids about Tornadoes
03/19/2012

HARVEST, Ala. - It may feel like summer, but spring officially begins this week. With the new season, the threat of tornadoes also begins to rise. One local author says now is the time to talk to your children about these devastating storms.

For Madison County resident Stan Reese, being a dad is something he loves and doesn't take lightly. He says, "You try just to make a difference. You try to be a good parent every day, but there's no such thing as a perfect parent. There is such a thing as a parent that tries."

Reese lives with his wife and children off Yarbrough Road in Harvest, a consistently hard-hit tornado target.

He says, "When I picked my oldest son up from school at Harvest and we drove through the neighborhood, I looked at his face as we were stuck there in traffic and he just has this whole look of terror on his face. What do you say? And I guess that's what started the ball rolling."

Reese was a single dad for over 20 years, and now raises three toddlers. The experienced dad uses his experiences when writing a weekly parenting column called "Relax Dad.” He feels talking to kids about tornadoes is an important tip: “In this area you've got to be careful, you've got to know what to say."

So what do you say? According to Reese, parents should stay calm, go over safety strategies with their children and monitor how much tornado coverage they watch on TV.

Reese explains, “News coverage is so good these days where it shows exactly where the tornado's possibly hitting, and they show the damage. Do you let your kids watch that? Do you let them worry? Do you let them think that maybe their house is going to be next?"

No matter how you go about talking to your kids about these storms, Reese says it's not something to take lightly, because experiencing a tornado could have a severe impact: “Any traumatic event, whether it happens to them or happens to their neighbor, it's going to live in their memories for a long time.”

Reese also encourages teachers to talk to their students about tornadoes. He believes classroom discussions could go a long way toward easing fears.

Focus on Faith: Praying for Revival
03/19/2012

Guntersville, AL -- On a Tuesday night in downtown Guntersville, the back room at Baker's on Main has the feeling of an old-fashioned prayer meeting. Chairs have been scraped together to form a circle, and a man admonishes the crowd that, "if you're being filled up, you better go pour it out." Some respond with "amen." Others nod their head in agreement.

These meetings started in January, when Pastor Joey Beck, who is planning a revival in Boaz, heard that others in the community were also praying for revival. He thought it would be a good idea for these believers to come together and an open invitation was issued to all the Christian denominations in Marshall County. "It's not about me. It's not about my church. It's really about the kingdom of God, and he wants all of his people to come together as one," Beck says.

John Carriker, a local minister who helps lead the meetings, says he's already noticed a change among the participants, adding, "I've seen people abandoning their own ideas and opening up their minds to see what God wants done, what God is leading them to do." That's exactly what Beck hoped would happen. He explains, "we may be saved. We may be going to heaven, but sometimes we leave God out of our worship. We leave God out of witness. So, what we're asking God to do is recapture our hearts, so we can be in tune with Him, so we can go and reach the nation."

Beck's own outreach includes the Live Out Loud revival, planned for March 30th at the Tom Bevill Center in Boaz. The event is sponsored by a number of area churches and will include a message, music and prayer. The revival is scheduled for 6:30-8:30pm. There is no admission charge. For more information, e-mail liveoutloudrevival@gmail.com or visit liveoutloudrevivals.webs.com

Murder Case Going to US Supreme Court
03/19/2012

MOULTON, AL - A 2003 Lawrence County murder case has gotten the attention of the US Supreme Curt.

On Tuesday, March 20th, the court will consider whether the state of Alabama was too harsh in sentencing Evan Miller to life without parole.

Miller was 14 years old when he beat 52 year old Cole Cannon to death with a baseball bat and set his home on fire to cover up the crime.

In 2006, he was convicted and sent to prison.

In asking the Supreme Court to review the case, his attorneys say the sentence was given with no consideration to his age or troubled youth.

In October 2006, Miller's accomplice, Colby Smith, pleaded guilty to murder, in exchange for a life sentence with parole.

The Tech Guy: iPad 3
03/19/2012

NASHVILLE, TN - The camera is one of the big upgrades for the new iPad, and it looks good. It shoots 1080 high definition video.

Shooting someone up close, about two feet away, the picture is fairly crisp, but not what you’d expect from a bonafide video camera. The lens isn’t quite good enough for shooting in low light.

Ansel Davis just bought the iPad 2 and was in the 30 day window that Apple allows upgrades for no extra charge. He wanted this one because of the retina display and faster processor. “It looks like a plasma television,” he says.

As for the graphics, they have twice the pixels as the iPad 2, which is better than any HD television set.

Now, switching back to the iPad camera...the microphone doesn’t pick up voices from very far away, but it does record the voice of the person holding it.

The new iPad starts at $500, the same price the iPad 2 sold for when it was released. Apple has dropped the price of the a 16GB iPad 2 by $100.

So, what do you think? Are these new features enough for you to want to upgrade from the original iPad or iPad 2? Or if you don’t have a tablet, are these new features just too good to pass up and you have to have one? Let me know what you think on our Facebook page. Keeping you plugged in, I’m Jamey Tucker.

VBC Host Bill Maher and Monster Truck Show
03/19/2012

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.

This Saturday night at the Von Braun Center, two worlds collided!

Some came to see the outspoken liberal comedian, Bill Maher.
And others came to be entertained by the roar of a monster truck show.
Their shows and the audiences are both very different, but they all shared entertainment under one roof.

"Bill Maher is totally to the left. I'm a republican so I don't agree with everything he says," Monster Truck fan, Scot Reis said.

"I'm here because I want to see Bill Maher,” Bill Maher fan. Scott Savage said. “And people who don’t like him can deal with it," Savage laughed.

I asked Monster Truck fan, Ronnie Harrison what he thought about Maher making fun of southerners.

“I don't care! I would make fun of me too. I'm about half brain dead,” Harrison laughed.

On Maher's HBO show, he held a contest looking for the stupidest state in America.
Alabama didn't do well in that contest, and Maher says it might do even worse this year.

"I believe he will use about anything that he can get. So, a lot of us will be good ammunition for him"

With monster trucks thundering down the hall, Maher felt he had plenty to make fun of.

"We've got so much growing to do. Bill represents what the rest of the world thinks about Alabama," Bill Smith, a Bill Maher fan, said.

"Bill is here because Huntsville is a smart city and that is why we are here to support Huntsville,” Smith said.

Man Indicted in Cyclist Death
03/19/2012

FORT PAYNE, Ala (WAAY) - A DeKalb County Grand Jury has indicted a man on Negligent Homicide charges in connection with a deadly bicycle accident last year.

44 year old Craig Chandler is free on bond after being arrested and charged late this week.

Investigators say Chandler was behind the wheel of an SUV that struck and killed 22 year old Christina Brooke Genco as she rode a bicycle along Highway 35 near Rainsville. Genco was in Alabama participating in a charity run, riding 4,000 miles and raising money for affordable housing.

Marshall County prosecutors are handling the case because Chandler is a former DeKalb County investigator, with ties to many prosecutors in that community.

The Criminally Negligent Homicide charge was on the low end of the spectrum of charges the Grand Jury could have pressed against Chandler. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine.

Man Charged With Sex Crimes After Victim Comes Forward
03/19/2012

FLORENCE, Ala (WAAY) - Florence Police say they've arrested and charged a man with several crimes, including Rape, Sodomy and Sexual Abuse, after a young victim came forward.

22 year old Brian V. Beckwith was taken into custody Friday after he was indicted by a Lauderdale County Grand Jury. The charges come after a young girl came forward and said she was abused. The incident happened in 2006, when the girl was 7 years old. Police say the girl's family knew Beckwith.

Beckwith is being held in the Lauderdale County Jail $130,000 bond.

Assault Suspect Found Sleeping on Couch
03/19/2012

RUSSELLVILLE, Ala (WAAY) - Police in Russellville say they got the drop on an assault suspect who ran from the scene of his alleged crime Thursday.

According to our news partner, the Times Daily, 29 year old Micah Brown got into a verbal argument with a woman at a home on County Road 63 Thursday night. The owner of the home pulled a gun in an attempt to break the two up. However, police say Brown wrestled the gun away from the man, and used it to beat the woman on the head. The home owner then got a shotgun to scare Brown off. Brown fled the home and tried to hitchhike back to his apartment at Ridgecrest Estates.

At one point, Brown flagged down Sheriff Shannon Oliver, who was off-duty at the time. “I was out riding in my truck and came up on him standing on the side of Franklin 63." Oliver told the Times Daily. "He was waving me down. He said he wanted me to take him to Ridgecrest Apartments in Russellville. He was walking toward me and when I stepped out of the truck, he saw who I was and he took off running into the woods.”

Brown disappeared for several hours after that, until investigators got a tip that he was at a home on Underwood Circle. Police went to the house, and reportedly found Brown asleep on a couch.

The woman he's accused of attacking was given several stitches to close up a cut on her head. Brown is being held without bond. Last month, Brown was arrested in connection with a robbery at a convenience store. Those charges, however, were dropped due legal issues surrounding the way he was identified by a witness.

Bentley to Romney : Drop the Fake Southern Accent
03/19/2012

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama's Republican governor has some advice for Mitt Romney the next time the former Massachusetts governor campaigns in the Deep South: Cut out the y'alls and references to "cheesy grits" and be himself.

Gov. Robert Bentley said it would have been better for Romney to say, "I don't talk like you, but I would appreciate your vote."

Romney got beat in the Alabama and Mississippi presidential primaries, despite being the frontrunner in the race.

Birmingham political consultant Chris Brown says Romney has a Southern problem, but pandering is not the way to fix it. Brown was elected as a Romney delegate from Alabama. He says Romney should have stuck to his message about being a successful businessman who can fix the nation's economy.

Rival Valley High Schools Unite to Help Coach
03/19/2012

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Huntsville High School played archrival Grissom in both boys’ and girls' soccer on Friday night, but the teams carried their competition off the field as well. The reason: to help a coach who's helped players on both teams tremendously.

Almost 20 years ago, Henry Mpagi moved from Uganda to Huntsville to play college soccer. Since then, he's shared his passion for the sport with hundreds, coaching at Huntsville High School and most recently, for Huntsville's club soccer program.

Mpagi’s wife Rachel says, "Soccer is his life and he'll tell you it's his life, it's what saved him. Soccer is everything to him."

For the first time since he moved here, Mpagi returned home. He discovered his family was living in heartbreaking condition, and his brother with Down Syndrome was on the streets.

His wife explains, “Henry is very not emotional and he called me just in tears. Just crying and very upset to find them like that, so it was hard."

That's when Huntsville's soccer community stepped in to help. Huntsville High School’s Soccer Booster Club President Steve Thornton says, “He has given a lot of his adult life to our kids, to our family, so when we heard the story of his family in Uganda and how much they needed our help, it was an easy decision."

Parents felt Friday’s big rivalry match-up created the perfect opportunity for a little friendly fundraising competition. The money raised will re-build homes for Mpagi's father and brother.

Thornton says, "We've got competition on the field tonight amongst the kids, so we figured we'd let the parents get involved too. So we got a bucket for Grissom and a bucket for Huntsville."

Since communication with Henry in Uganda has been patchy, he won't find out the full extent of this generosity until he returns to Huntsville next week. Rachel Mpagi is incredibly grateful: "It's just amazing, I never knew this many people would help."

But this many people did help. "Probably every kid that's on the field tonight will have been coached by Henry at some point," Thornton says.

Grissom Varsity Goalie John Wilson Booth feels in return, helping Mpagi has also helped open their eyes: "I don't think any of us had seen graphic images of people we knew in Uganda before this, it's just really sad."

Tornado Masters In Court
03/19/2012

The State Attorney General wants Tornado Masters shut down and state prosecutors were in court today arguing their case. The company is accused of grossly misrepresenting their products to consumers claiming they exceed FEMA standards when in fact, the state says, they are often far below safety guidelines. The office became aware of the company after several customers complained to the Better Business Bureau.

Reggie Whiddon, the principle of Huntsville Christian Academy purchased a shelter for his school back in 2009 after a tornado hit Enterprise in '08. He says the company seemed reputable when he hired them and only recently learned of the problems with the shelters.

“I didn’t know that we had a problem until 2 weeks ago when the state assistant fire marshall came in and told me we had some issues with our shelter,” he explained.

Principal Whiddon was just one of many former customers at the courthouse Friday. is just one of many. Several waited outside the courtroom hoping for a chance to speak. A temporary injunction has already been filed against Tornado Masters but today’s hearing was for a preliminary injunction which will keep them out of business for a longer period of time.

The state Fire Marshall and a mechanical engineer testified today after conducting inspections on the shelters. Marshall Edward Paulk says there were 7 violations that made the shelter an imminent hazard to anyone who would seek safety there. But Leslie Holt, the companies Chief Operating Officer, denies the charges.

“The State Fire Marshall says a lot of things but we have not had our chance to rebut it,” he said after the hearing wrapped for the day.

The hearing will continue next week when several former customers and defense witnesses will be called. Holt says he is standing by his company.

“We build a good product and I think we will be proven right in court.”

Dozens Of Marshall County Residents Get Safe Room Grants
03/19/2012

Guntersville, AL-The Marshall County EMA has gotten grant money to pay for the safe rooms.

Fifty families will get the money, 136 families applied. The grant will pay for 4- thousand dollars for each family to buy storm safe rooms. Homeowners will have to match part of the cost.

EMA director Anita McBurnett says the safe rooms are very valuable. "Well simply they are life savers. There are no structures built to withstand 250 mph winds other then those tornado shelters that are built to FEMA standards. So therefore they are very valuable for saving the lives of these families".

On April 27th an EF-5 tornado destroyed the Ruth community in Marshall County. Five people were killed that day, and dozens of homes were leveled. Lillian Saints was among those affected. Her home was torn to pieces, but she and two family members survived. Since the storm she's rebuilt her home on Frontier Road and got a storm safe room installed in her basement. "All I have to do is open that door and go downstairs and theres my safe room" Saint says.

Saint and her husbands insurance company paid for the cost to rebuild and picked up the tab for the safe room.

Bentley: State agencies must cut current budgets
03/19/2012

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Gov. Robert Bentley has ordered a 10.6-percent cut to the state general fund budget.

“We have pursued every possible option in order to avoid proration," state finance director Marquita Davis said in a statement. “While proration is difficult, it is necessary to balance the budget, which is constitutionally required in Alabama.”

Alabama’s general fund has been impacted by several factors, according to the news release. The largest factors include tens of millions of dollars in state funding required for tornado recovery.

Also, stock market conditions during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 were among the worst in the last 60 years, directly affecting revenues.

The cuts do not impact the state’s education fund.

In early February, the interim director of the Legislative Fiscal Office, Norris Green, told lawmakers that this year’s $1.87 billion general fund budget for state agencies was not taking in revenue fast enough and looked like it would be short about $171 million.

Davis told lawmakers that would require the governor to order across-the-board cuts of 9 percent to balance the budget. She said the administration has already found about $100 million in savings, which would lower proration to 4 percent, and that it is looking for more in hopes of minimizing a budget cut.

“Until the governor has exhausted all resources, the governor won’t call proration,” she said in February.

In February 2011, Bentley took a similar action, cutting budgets 15 percent.

Dekalb County Tornado Memorial To Honor Victims
03/19/2012

Dekalb County, AL-Its been almost a year since the April 27th tornados ripped apart north Alabama. In Dekalb County, an effort's underway to pay permanent tribute to the victims killed by the twister.

Piece by piece and brick by brick, the foundation is being laid to pay respect to those who died in the April tornadoes. Nicholas Sapp is brick mason and a volunteer helping to build the memorial. Each weekend Sapp and his two brothers commute from Chattanooga. Sapp grew up a few miles away in Fyffe and says he had to be a part of this project. "We were asked to do it, and it's the least we can do and we knew how important it was and we've enjoyed it" Sapp says.

The memorial is located in Rainsville that area took a direct hit by the tornado. 35 people were killed and 300 homes were destroyed. The tornado memorial will be officially unveiled Saturday April 28th. Organizers decided to have the ceremony on the weekend to allow more people to attend.

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