topstoriesmontgomery

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Police are on the scene of a double shooting in west Birmingham. One man was shot in the hand. It is unknown where the other man was shot, but Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams Jr. said that victim was critically wounded. Both were taken to UAB Hospital. The gunfire erupted just after noon in two locations: the 900 block of 9th Street S.W. and the 1100 block of Cotton Avenue. Williams said a man was shot at each location. “We do believe they are... Read Full Story

MOBILE, Alabama — A judge this morning revoked probation for Shelby Robinson, the 19-year-old who is accused of kidnapping and raping 2 women in downtown Mobile. Mobile County Circuit Judge Sarah Stewart ruled that Robinson, because of his most recent arrest, should serve the remaining 2 years of his 3-year sentence in prison. His attorney, Harding Fendley, said Robinson won’t be eligible for any early release. Robinson pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery last year for helping steal... Read Full Story

MANASSAS, Virginia — The North thought it would deliver a crushing blow to the Rebel Army on its way to capturing the Confederate capital in Richmond. The South thought a decisive battle would prove to the North that the Union could not be kept together by force. But the Battle of Bull Run, also called the Battle of Manassas, proved only to both sides that the Civil War would be a long , bloody affair. Today, officials mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s first major land battle... Read Full Story

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — They say idle hands are the devil’s tool and Birmingham police couldn’t agree more. Investigators say they’ve seen a spike in teen burglary arrests this summer, including one boy who already was under house arrest and wearing a monitoring bracelet when police say he committed other break-ins . “We would like parents to become more vigilant in knowing where their children are during summer break,” said police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams Jr. In June, police made... Read Full Story

MOBILE, Alabama — About 100 people walked into Mobile County Circuit Judge Joseph Johnston’s courtroom today after receiving a summons in the mail. Many of the people on the crowded benches, though, didn’t know that they wouldn’t be walking out — at least not for a few hours and not before paying a few hundred dollars. For some, the only escape was through the back door in handcuffs, headed to Mobile County Metro Jail. Johnston posted court police at the double doors of his courtroom... Read Full Story

Independent Filmmakers Shoot ‘Black Heart’ in Huntsville HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Indie filmmakers shoot scenes from their short film ‘Black Heart’ at Focus Live Martini Bar and Grill in N.W. Huntsville. Director Tyler R. Gibson and lead actor/writer Julian ‘Jay’ Burton were working their magic on location Monday, July 18, 2011. (The Huntsville Times/Glenn Baeske) Watch video HUNTSVILLE, Alabama– Silence on the set is what director Tyler R. Gibson asks for as he steps over a sea of black and... Read Full Story

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Fewer than one in five Alabamians who applied for federal government disaster aid in the wake of the April 27 tornadoes have been approved for a grant so far, according to numbers released Wednesday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. By contrast, FEMA has issued grants to nearly half of the applicants in Joplin, Mo., which was devastated by a tornado on May 22. In Mississippi, which was hit with the same storm as Alabama three months ago, FEMA has approved... Read Full Story

Running out of time, President Barack Obama softened his stand and signaled Wednesday he would back a short-term deal to prevent a disastrous financial default on Aug. 2, but only if a larger and still elusive deficit-cutting agreement was essentially in place. He called lawmakers to the White House in a scramble to find enough votes from both Republicans and his own party. Obama met with the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, and then separately with House Speaker John Boehner and... Read Full Story

FAIRFIELD, Alabama — The Fairfield City Council tonight unanimously approved a new property maintenance code council members say will allow the city to target neglected and abandoned houses. Officials said the ordinance will allow them to condemn and demolish unsafe buildings and take possession of neglected properties in some extreme cases. In other action, the council passed several measures dealing with the city’s Civic Center. First, it approved Mayor Kenneth Coachman’s appointment of... Read Full Story

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Alabama’s economy and businesses will be hurt by the state’s new immigration law , as it creates a “regulatory tax on businesses” that will be forced to comply, a Birmingham economist told a roomful of people during a panel discussion at the Birmingham International Center tonight. Jeremy Thornton, an economics professor at Samford University’s Brock School of Business, said the state’s construction and agricultural industries will be hurt worst. He said the law is one... Read Full Story