Author: WAKA Action 8 News

Elmore Man Charged with Sexual Abuse While Youth Pastor Intern in S.C. 40 Years Ago

A former youth pastor intern now living in Alabama has been arrested and charged with sexual abuse in South Carolina more than 40 years ago. Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Bobo says that Peter William Cooper, 63, of Elmore has been returned to South Carolina to face a charge of a lewd act on a minor in 1976. Bobo said…

Toys “R” Us Making a Comeback?

Toys R Us fans in the U.S. will see the iconic brand re-emerge in some form by this holiday season. Richard Barry, a former Toys R Us executive and now CEO of the new company called Tru Kids Inc., is exploring freestanding stores, shops within existing stores as well as e-commerce. Tru Kids, owned by former investors of Toys R…

Alabama is Getting a New Area Code

Alabama is getting a new area code. AT&T says the 659 area code will be used in parts of west central Alabama in April. The new code will be an addition to the 205 area code, not a replacement for it. The phone company says the new area code will not change any phone numbers, but will change dialing procedures….

Rain and Storms Today

RAIN/STORMS TODAY: Scattered showers returned overnight and will continue through the morning ahead of a surface cold front. As the front approaches the area, rain will increase in coverage and some strong storms are possible today, and the SPC has reintroduced “marginal risk” (level 1/5) for severe storms today, so we will be watching things carefully. Gusty winds and an…

Georgiana Medical Center to Close

Alabama News Network has learned that Georgiana Medical Center will close on March 31. The hospital’s operator, Ivy Creek of Butler, says patients will then be directed to LV Stabler Memorial Hospital in Greenville and other providers. In a statement, Ivy Creek says the decision is part of a realignment that it blames on “the current difficult financial environment faced…

Face 2 Face: Allen Farley

Alabama News Network Sr. Political Reporter Tim Lennox talks with the Birmingham- area Republican Representative Allen Farley about the bill he is sponsoring to ban drivers using hand-held cell phone statewide. It is already against the law in Montgomery. Categories: Face 2 Face

Human Remains Found in Montgomery Neighborhood

Montgomery Police Department responded to the 700 block of Spring Valley Road on Saturday, Feb. 9 in reference to possible remains being located. Human skeletal remains were located and were sent to the Department of Forensic Sciences for examination. Police are still working to determine the cause of death and how long the body was there. Categories: News

Luverne Police Get Grant for New Computers

Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $24,000 grant to update the Luverne Police Department’s computers used in patrol vehicles and in the squad room. The city of Luverne will use grant funds to outfit patrol vehicles with updated computers to assist officers in processing information and filing reports more quickly. Funds will also be used to purchase an updated computer…

Judge: Alabama has been ‘indifferent’ to isolated inmates

A federal judge says Alabama has been “deliberately indifferent” about adequately checking on the mental health of state inmates placed in the isolation of segregation cells. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson issued the ruling Monday. The decision comes days after attorneys for inmates said the suicide rate in state prisons has reached an emergency level. Thompson ruled the Alabama prison…