Author: WAKA Action 8 News

A Strong Storm Possible Late Today

Today will be a warmer day as highs surge into the upper 70s across South/Central Alabama. We will continue to have some scattered showers across the state, but most of the day looks relatively dry. Later today, we will be watching developments to our northwest as as a complex of stronger storms is expected to develop and move across Northern…

MPS Approves Contract for Second Charter School

Montgomery will soon have another charter school. The Montgomery Public School Board approved Life Academy’s contract to become the county’s second charter school. Life Academy will be located at the former Saint Jude Academy. Life Academy Executive Director Kia Debnam says they’ll to open for grades K through 2 in late 2021 and add grades over the next four years….

State Officials: No Coronavirus Cases Reported in Alabama

State School Supt. Dr. Eric Mackey speaking at news conference on coronavirus preparations At a news conference this afternoon, leaders from the Alabama Dept. of Public Health, the Alabama State Board of Education and the Alabama Emergency Management Agency said that Alabama remains free of reported cases of coronavirus. But State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris says that he expects…

What the Tech? Will Coronavirus Lead to More Teleconferencing?

Will the coronavirus change the way Americans work? As companies started sending employees home with the instructions to work remotely one company is seeing a surge of new business: Zoom. Zoom is a video company that allows for people to connect online for live streaming face-to-face meetings for up to 100 people. Similar to Skype, Zoom gets high marks from…

State Lawmakers Approve Bill to Allow Yoga in Public Schools

 Alabama lawmakers might lift a decades old ban on yoga in public schools, though the bill would keep the greeting “namaste” on the forbidden list. A bill by Rep. Jeremy Gray of Opelika would let local school systems decide if they want to teach yoga, poses and stretches. However it would require the moves to have exclusively English names. It…

Employee at Georgia Waffle House Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Company officials say a worker at a Georgia Waffle House tested positive for COVID-19, prompting co-workers to quarantine themselves in their homes. Waffle House said in a statement Tuesday that none of the co-workers from the restaurant in the Canton area have shown any signs of illness. Meanwhile, five more people in Georgia have tested positive for the new coronavirus,…

Inmate that Reportedly Escaped Prison Never Left Facility

A convicted murderer did not escape from an Alabama prison despite the corrections system initially reporting that he did. The Alabama Department of Corrections said an escape notice was sent out as a precautionary matter when the inmate was not at his assigned location at St. Clair Correctional Facility. The prison system said an escape notice was sent out while…

Kiwanis Club of Montgomery Awards $225,000 in Grants to 22 River Region Non-Profits

Several local non-profit organizations are getting a big boost, thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Montgomery and the Alabama National Fair. The Kiwanis Club of Montgomery awarded 22 non-profits with grants Tuesday. The organizations all focus on serving children in the River Region. $225,000 in grants was awarded to the 22 organizations. The money comes from the Alabama National Fair,…

Motion to Reconsider the Sentence of Former MPD Officer Convicted of Manslaughter Denied

Aaron Cody Smith (Source: Dale County Sheriff’s Office) The motion to reconsider the sentence and amend the 14 year sentence for former Montgomery police officer Aaron Cody Smith denied. Last week, Circuit Judge P.B. McLauchlin granted Smith an appeal bond that allowed him to be released on a $300,000 bond. Smith was required to wear an electronic ankle monitor and not…