Author: WAKA Action 8 News

Attendance for Minor League Baseball Up 2.6% in 2019

A total of 41,504,077 fans passed through the gates at Minor League Baseball games in 2019, marking the 15th consecutive season that Minor League Baseball’s 176 teams in 15 leagues drew more than 40 million fans. The increase of 1,053,740 fans over the 2018 attendance total was a 2.6% increase and marked Minor League Baseball’s largest year-over-year increase since the…

Contraband Search at Atmore Prison Yields Big Results

More than 300 officials from local, county and state law enforcement agencies conducted a predawn operation to remove illegal contraband from the G.K. Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore on Monday. The operation recovered 621 makeshift weapons, 51 contraband cell phones, 240 grams of synthetic drugs, and 7 gallons of an alcoholic beverage that inmate’s refer to as julep or pruno….

Studies Show Women Make 80 Percent of What Men Make, Doctors No Exception

It’s estimated that women workers make about 80 percent of what men earn and new research finds doctors are no exception. Research shows there continues to be a pay disparity between female and male doctors. Pediatricians make an average of $190,000 dollars a year but a new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics found women make $51,000 a year…

Alabama Investigates 5 Cases of Lung Disease Tied to Vaping

The Alabama Department of Public Health says it’s investigating five reports of potentially severe lung disease associated with electronic cigarettes or vaping. The department said that it’s evaluating the reports and will release information as it becomes available. A department statement says the group is joining other state health departments in requesting information from health care providers on any cases…

Sizzling September Heat Continues

A strong upper ridge across the Deep South means temperatures will remain above average across Alabama this week, and prospects of beneficial rain will stay low, each day there will be a few afternoon storms, but these will be few and far between. High temperatures today and for the rest of the week will be in the mid to upper…

UPDATE: Body Found in Search for Missing Montgomery Man at Lake Jordan

The Elmore County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies have found a body in the search for a missing man at Lake Jordan. The body was located Monday afternoon several miles from Bonner Point Boat Launch. A homeowner found a jet ski belonging to 50-year-old Christopher Carpenter, of Montgomery, early Monday morning near Coosa River Road. Carpenter’s truck was later located…

State Parole Board Will Take Weeks to Resume Parole Hearings

The new director of Alabama’s state parole board says it will take weeks to resume parole hearings. Director Charlie Graddick said Monday that the board must get in compliance with a new law signed by Gov. Kay Ivey. The office said the law requires that victims get a 30-day notice prior to hearings. Graddick said they will resume hearings “as…

National Committee Not Happy with Alabama Democratic Party

The chairman of the Democratic National Committee says the Alabama Democratic Party has “fallen far short” of basic obligations to develop strategy and infrastructure and has chronically underperformed in almost every aspect of operation. DNC Chairman Tom Perez delivered the rebuke in a letter outlining the state of challenges filed against the state party. He said Alabama is the only…

States Can Fight Alabama’s Lawsuit to Exclude Migrants in Census

A federal judge is allowing a coalition of 15 states and several major cities to oppose Alabama’s court fight to count only citizens and legal residents in U.S. Census numbers used for apportioning congressional seats. New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office says a federal judge on Friday ruled that the states and others to join the lawsuit as defendants….