ACTION 8 NEWS SPECIAL: The Top 8 Stories of 2023
Action 8 News presents the Top 8 Stories of 2023. This is our annual look back at the stories that shaped our local area during the year.
Alabama News
Petition Calls for Action on Vacant Apartment Complex
There is growing support for an online petition calling on the Montgomery City Council to take action against vacant properties in north Montgomery, specifically an abandoned apartment complex. Residents say the abandoned property is hurting the community. Northgate Place Apartments off North Ripley Street has been vacant for years. Patricia Holliday June says she drives by the property day after…
Former MPD Chief Reflects on Friendship with Congressman John Lewis
On the day the world says a final goodbye to Congressman John Lewis, the Chief Deputy of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is remembering the special friendship he had with the late civil rights icon. In 2013, when Kevin Murphy was Montgomery’s Police Chief he formally apologized to Congressman John Lewis for MPD’s actions during the attack on the Freedom…
More Calls for Resignation of State Rep. Will Dismukes
There are more calls for the resignation of Republican State Representative Will Dismukes, after he posted on social media this weekend about attending a celebration for Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate General and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan. The Alabama GOP released a statement condemning Dismukes’ actions Monday. Republican State Senator Clyde Chambliss takes it a step further…
Senators Propose Plan to Reopen Schools
Two state senators say the state’s “Roadmap to Reopening Schools” does not do enough to protect students and staff. Tuesday, they took their plan for reopening schools to State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey and the State Board of Education. Senators Jim McClendon and Bobby Singleton presented the Safely Opening Schools Program. The plan has three main components: -Building nursing stations…
Suspect Identified in Early Morning Montgomery Homicide
The Montgomery Police Department has charged a suspect with the Homicide of AC Calhoun II, 34, of Montgomery. Calhoun was fatally shot on July 6. On Monday, July 6, at about 12 am, MPD and Fire Medics responded to the 3100 block of Gentilly Court in reference to a subject shot. At the scene, police found Calhoun with fatal gunshot…
Seeking Trial Delay, Sheriff Accused of Making False COVID-19 Claim
ATHENS, Ala. (AP) – Lawyers for an Alabama sheriff seeking a delay in his theft trial falsely claimed the officer was being tested for the illness caused by a new coronavirus. With Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely set to go on trial Monday on felony charges, his attorneys told a judge he was hospitalized and being tested for the COVID-19…
Air Ambulance Flips while Landing at Headland Airport
A helicopter ambulance flipped onto its side while landing at an airport in the Henry County city of Headland. The Dothan Eagle reports the helicopter wasn’t carrying any patients when it flipped during the Christmas landing. The pilot was hospitalized after the crash at Headland Municipal Airport and two other crew members escaped serious injury. The city police chief says…
Alabama Ups Deer Disease Checks; CWD in Neighboring States
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama is increasing checks for a lethal deer disease because chronic wasting disease has been found in neighboring Mississippi and Tennessee. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is asking hunters to submit harvested deer for tests. This can be done at check stations, drop-off freezers, or offices of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries….
Federal judge blocks Alabama’s tough abortion law
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – A federal judge has blocked an Alabama abortion ban that would have made the procedure a felony at any stage of pregnancy in almost all cases. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking Alabama from enforcing the law, which would have called for a sentence of 10 years to life in…
