[gtxvideo vid="JPgSFT4h" playlist="" pid="2gxTqEDg" thumb="http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/JPgSFT4h-120.jpg?cachebust=1460673183010" vtitle="WAKA_2016_04_14_17_01_59"] Dispatchers are the first voice the public hears in the time of a crisis. This week they are being recognized as part of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. Dispatchers say the job is not…
Travelers spent $777 million and were responsible for 11,981 jobs last year in Montgomery County, according to a report conducted for the Alabama Tourism Department. This represents a 7.5% increase in traveler spending on hotels, restaurants, shopping and transportation. Estimates…
Edward Hundley, 50, of Birmingham, and Richard Freeman, 39, of Montgomery, were sentenced Wednesday, April 13, for bank robbery, announced George L. Beck, Jr., United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. Hundley was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison. Freeman…
Noted multi-instrumentalist, composer and music historian Bobby Horton will share the songs and stories of 19th century America during a concert at Troy University on Tuesday, April 26. Horton will perform at 6 p.m. in the amphitheater in Janice Hawkins…
[gtxvideo vid="SDQUKFgI" playlist="" pid="2gxTqEDg" thumb="http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/SDQUKFgI-120.jpg?cachebust=1460671661315" vtitle="WAKA_2016_04_14_16_59_35"] A few years ago the state was named the second most obese in the country. That was a wake up call for the river region. A health and wellness task force was created. The task force…
Dr. Philip C. Cleveland is the Deputy State Superintendent for Career and Technical Education/Workforce Development. In this role, he manages the Alabama State Department of Education, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Section, Guidance and Counseling program, and other initiatives focused…
Daryl Bailey, district attorney for Montgomery County will give the commencement address at H. Councill Trenholm State Community College’s graduation ceremony Friday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. at Frazer United Methodist Church in Wesley Hall, 6000 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery. “We are very pleased and honored…
Sponsoring legislation to begin impeachment proceedings against Republican Governor Robert Bentley has apparently not affected a Republican state representative's relationship with the Alabama Republican Party. Representative Ed Henry has been appointed to a committee leadership position. The Party announced the…
[gtxvideo vid="h9zafCVn" playlist="" pid="2gxTqEDg" thumb="http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/h9zafCVn-120.jpg?cachebust=1460646880277" vtitle="WAKA_2016_04_13_22_12_18"] Real estate website Movoto.com, recently ranked the largest 10 cities in Alabama from first to worst. Montgomery ranked near the middle at #6. Some say that Montgomery deserves to be there. "Actually, overall I think…
[gtxvideo vid="T8ZmIQ1f" playlist="" pid="2gxTqEDg" thumb="http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/T8ZmIQ1f-120.jpg?cachebust=1460648432068" vtitle="butler co. population decline"] Butler County population numbers have been on a steady decline since 2010, according data from the U.S. Census Bureau. On average, more than 150 left Butler County every year. County Commission…
[gtxvideo vid="kysgzveA" playlist="" pid="2gxTqEDg" thumb="http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/kysgzveA-120.jpg?cachebust=1460646510347" vtitle="education budget"] Education in Alabama ranks pretty low compared to other states, but lawmakers hope they can work to buck that trend. Part of that includes the 4 percent pay raise that would go into…
The Alabama House of Representatives is expected to vote next week to establish a 15-person investigatory committee to probe the possible impeachment of Governor Robert Bentley. Bentley last month acknowledged making sexually charged remarks to a female aide but denies…
[gtxvideo vid="B64btjgu" playlist="" pid="2gxTqEDg" thumb="http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/B64btjgu-120.jpg?cachebust=1460648617217" vtitle="teen suicide"] Teen suicides are growing at an alarming rate and for many families its a difficult time to get through. Mental health advocate Jessica Azar believes that faith is the only thing that can…
The Code of Alabama Section 36-33-2 charges the Department of Public Safety, now ALEA, with the duty of protecting the person of the governor and outlines requirements. Furthermore, 36-33-2 (d) states: the director may use any personnel or equipment of…
Attorney General Luther Strange announced Alabama has joined nine other states in filing an amicus brief in Arkansas federal district court urging the court to grant a preliminary injunction of the U.S. Department of Labor’s new Persuader Advice Exemption Rule,…
State senators have rejected a bill aimed at keeping Greenetrack's bingo casino operational. Senators on Wednesday were four votes short of the 21 votes needed to approve the proposed constitutional amendment. Sen. Bobby Singleton sought to write into the state…
With standardized testing going on this month across Alabama, teachers are finding creative ways to urge students to do their best on the tests. Teachers at Demopolis Middle School have come up with a song and video to relieve students…
April 11-15 is National Work Zone Awareness Week, and the Alabama Department of Transportation, road builders, contractors and local officials are joining together to heighten awareness and encourage motorists to drive safely through work zones. Preliminary data shows that in…
A group of more than 100 former state attorneys general is asking President Barack Obama to pardon former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who's serving a prison sentence for bribery. The letter was sent to the White House on Wednesday. Former…
Alabama is one step closer to researching industrial hemp production. Lawmakers in the Alabama House of Representatives and the Alabama Senate on Tuesday approved separate bills to allow the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries to research industrial hemp production…
[gtxvideo vid="toWUmc9u" playlist="" pid="2gxTqEDg" thumb="http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/toWUmc9u-120.jpg?cachebust=1460560738246" vtitle="WAKA_2016_04_12_22_00_18"] Arica Watkins-Smith got 58.4 percent over Collins' 41.5 percent. Collins was appointed to the board to fill Beverly Ross' seat after she passed away last year. Watkins-Smith says her motto is "leadership focused on…
[gtxvideo vid="LRtAGKt9" playlist="" pid="2gxTqEDg" thumb="http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/LRtAGKt9-120.jpg?cachebust=1460565552159" vtitle="WAKA_2016_04_12_18_08_13"] A train collides with a car almost every 90 minutes and thousands of people are injured or killed in train wrecks every year, according to the RailRoad Safety Committee. Because of those statistics, the Alabama Department of…
[gtxvideo vid="p6i0SefS" playlist="" pid="2gxTqEDg" thumb="http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/p6i0SefS-120.jpg?cachebust=1460560810649" vtitle="election results"] Alabama voters returned to the polls Tuesday to decide several runoff races to choose party nominees for the November General Election. In our area, the races included the state school board seat for…
[gtxvideo vid="jejWTg8I" playlist="" pid="2gxTqEDg" thumb="http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/jejWTg8I-120.jpg?cachebust=1460564382982" vtitle="troy child solicitation"] Authorities arrested William Randal Wambles of Brundidge Thursday, after observing him sharing obscene materials and his efforts to meet with someone he believed to be a teen in Troy. Wambles is charged…
The Alabama House of Representatives today voted 90 – 3 in favor of Senate Bill 180. The bill was introduced by Sen. Gerald Dial (R-Lineville) and is designed to protect revenue for Alabama’s roads and bridges. Based on the American…
