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scope it out for June 6, 2009

Posted on Jun 09, 2009 in News

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Daring Ala. prison escape leads to 7-state search

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) _ It was a daring plan: Two women _ one known for her tattoos and guns _ hid in the woods outside a rural prison during a storm and cut the electric fence before dawn, apparently counting on officers to ignore the alarm.
The scheme worked perfectly, and authorities are now searching in seven states for a convicted murderer, another inmate and the women charged with busting them out of the privately owned lockup in the pre-dawn escape nearly two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, seven prison employees have been fired for allegedly committing a series of blunders that allowed the plot to work so flawlessly.
Federal marshals have offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the four, but they’re playing from behind. The inmates and the women – the sister and the wife of one of the men – had a head start of several hours before jailers even realized they were gone.

Millions of tons of TVA coal ash coming to Ala.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – The nation’s largest public utility plans to dispose of millions of tons of coal ash from a massive spill in Tennessee into a giant landfill in one of Alabama’s poorest counties, state environmental officials said Friday.
Both the Alabama and federal officials say the ash from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plant in Kingston, Tenn., isn’t dangerous despite containing toxic materials like arsenic and lead. Alabama officials say the material can be safely stored in the dump, which most often receives household garbage.
An environmental activist, however, said the potentially dangerous waste was another example of government and industry dumping on poor people who live in a vulnerable area.

Judge denies Jefferson Co. use of job tax money

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – A judge has denied Jefferson County’s request to keep spending occupational taxes and business license fees that he voided in January.
Circuit Judge David Rains ruled Thursday that the county cannot spend the money while it appeals his ruling that the tax is illegal.
County Commission President Bettye Fine Collins said the county will be out of cash within 30 days unless it can spend the job-tax money.

Ala. 49th in survey of homes with Internet access

FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) – Alabama has posted a low ranking in a survey tracking the number of households that have Internet access.
The state ranked 49th according to 2007 U.S. Census data released Wednesday. Only 55.3 percent of Alabama households have Internet access compared with the national average of 67.1 percent.