Author: WAKA Action 8 News

BREAKING: Aaron Smith Guilty of the Manslaughter of Greg Gunn

The jury has found Montgomery police officer Aaron Cody Smith GUILTY of the manslaughter of Greg Gunn. The jury unanimously agreed on the charge of manslaughter. Smith will remain in custody until his sentencing hearing. District Attorney Darryl Bailey says the state will ask for the maximum sentence in the case. The Jury finds the defendant Aaron Cody Smith guilty…

What the Tech? How to Spot Fake Amazon Product Reviews

It’s easy to purchase things on Amazon.com, it’s just as easy writing reviews for those products. It’s also a breeze to hire someone to write reviews for a product they’ve never even tried. On the internet there are companies offering to write reviews for as little as $25. For a few  dollars more they’ll write reviews that will include customer…

Suspect in Z-Mart Gas Station Stabbing Arrested

The Montgomery Police Department has arrested a suspect in the Nov. 18 stabbing death of Paris Clarke, 35, of Montgomery. MPD charged Marcus Johnson, 44, of Montgomery with one count of murder in connection with the stabbing. Johnson was taken into custody by MPD patrol shortly after midnight. Johnson was transported to the Montgomery County Detention Facility where he was…

Jury to Decide If Aaron Smith Committed Murder, Manslaughter, or Not Guilty

The jury has heard the testimonies and closing statements. On day 5 of the Aaron Cody Smith murder trial, the jury will start deliberations and decide Smith’s fate. Before deliberations, Judge McLaughlin charged the jury stating, the jury must carefully consider entire evidence in the case and it must be beyond a reasonable doubt of his guilt. While charging the…

Rain on the Way

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: The forecast remains the same as an approaching cold front will bring clouds and rain back to Alabama heading into the weekend. For today, expect a mainly cloudy day, with rain pushing into the state from the north and west as we ahead into the afternoon and evening hours. Highs today will be in the lower…

Officials: Master Plan in motion for new Booker T. Washington High School Site

In August of 2018, Booker T. Washington High School was destroyed by a massive fire. MPS officials moved quickly, relocating students to the Hayneville Road School location. Now Montgomery Public Schools is moving forward with a master plan for renovation and construction at the Holy Cross School site that was purchased by MPS earlier this year. Officials close to the…

Alabama Power Fees on Solar Challenged

Environmental groups are challenging Alabama Power’s backup capacity fee on customers who use solar panels to produce part of their home electricity. The Alabama Public Service Commission held a Thursday hearing on the petition to abolish the fee. The petition argues the $5 per kilowatt fee, which amounts to $25 monthly for an average solar array, is unreasonable and discourages…

Alabama Among States Affected by Salad Product Recall

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says thousands of pounds of salad products are being recalled due to a possible E. coli contamination. The department says Missa Bay, LLC from Swedesboro, New Jersey, is recalling more than 75,000 pounds (34,020 kilograms) of salad products that contain meat or poultry because the lettuce may be contaminated with a strain of E. coli….

Montgomery Judge : Fired LEAD Academy Principal to be Added Back to the Schools Payroll

On Thursday Judge Jimmy Pool granted a temporary restraining order in favor of Dr. Nicole Ivey-Price. The restraining order requires Ivey-Price to be added back to payroll. Ivey-Price claims that she was illegally terminated by LEAD Academy, and the school did not take steps to issue her COBRA benefits for continuing health insurance, or unemployment benefits. The case has been…