Author: WAKA Action 8 News

Montgomery County Now Leads the State in COVID-19 Cases

  Montgomery County has surpassed Mobile County to lead the state in confirmed COVID-19 cases. Montgomery County’s numbers show a surge in the past 14 days. Here is a look at how Montgomery County compares to Jefferson County and Mobile County: MONTGOMERY COUNTY Population: 226,941 Total cases: 2,791 (plus 39 probable) Cases in last 14 days: 1,074 MOBILE COUNTY Population:…

Daughter of Hank Williams, Jr. Killed in Tennessee Crash

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) The 27-year-old daughter of country singer Hank Williams Jr. was killed in a wreck near Paris, Tennessee, police said. Katherine Williams-Dunning of Springville was the driver of an SUV that was towing a boat when it crossed the median and rolled over Saturday night on U.S. Route 79 northeast of Paris, said Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Lt….

Transportation Project on Taylor Road to Start Sunday

The Alabama Department of Transportation says it will start a project today in the hopes of reducing morning congestion on Taylor Road in Montgomery, from north of Berryhill Road to University Court.  ALDOT says the majority of the modifications will be at the intersection of Taylor Road and southern Halcyon Summit Drive.   The Changes Extend queuing lane for I-85 South…

Hundreds Pray on Steps of Alabama Capitol

Hundreds of people took time on Saturday to pray on the steps of the Alabama Capitol. They prayed for 8:46, the amount of time that George Floyd spent under the knee of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before dying on May 25. The prayer event was peaceful. Many of the people there are calling on widespread police reform across…

Hundreds Remember the Life of Big John Williams

Hundreds of people turned out in Hayneville on Saturday morning to remember the life of the late Lowndes County Sheriff “Big John” Williams. Williams was shot and killed at a gas station last November. Motorcycle riders rode 130 miles around the county to commemorate the area that Williams once patrolled. It is their hope that they can start a college…

Blount County Woman Dies in Two Vehicle Car Accident

A Remlap woman was killed in a two-vehicle car accident at 3:45 on July 12. Dawn Trucks 32, was killed when the 2008 Suzuki SUV she was driving collided with a 2018 Honda Odyssey in the intersection of Alabama Highway 75 and Pine Mountain Road. Trucks, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene….

Alabama County’s DA Urges New Trial for Death Row Inmate

Toforest Johnson Photo: Alabama Department of Corrections MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A district attorney in Jefferson County says a black man who has spent two decades on death row should get a new trial amid questions about the fairness of his 1998 murder conviction. District Attorney Danny Carr on Friday filed a brief supporting a new trial for Toforest Johnson…

Mobile River Boat Ramp to Close For Improvements

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama will soon close a Mobile River boat ramp for work to make it easier to use when the river is low. Crews will remove silt from the Mount Vernon Public Boat Ramp launching basin starting June 22, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said in a news release Thursday. The repairs are expected to…

Alabama Prison COVID-19 Cases Rise, Another Death Reported

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama prison system said Friday that a third inmate has died after testing positive for COVID-19 as the number of cases among inmates and staff continued to rise. Clarence Shepherd, an 80-year-old inmate at St. Clair Correctional Facility died Friday after testing positive for coronavirus, the Alabam Department of Corrections reported. The prison system said…