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A school flexibility bill has been sent to a conference committee after the House and Senate couldn't agree on a portion of the legislation dealing with teacher tenure.  The bill was amended in the Senate to exclude tenure laws.  Republican Senator Bill Holtzclaw of Madison believes his amendment takes care of any concerns that teachers may have.  The House refused to go along with the Senate's changes and sent the bill to a six-member conference committee to try working out the differences.  The bill grants city and county school boards flexibility in complying with many state education la

President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner unveiled a statue of civil rights hero Rosa Parks Wednesday in a ceremony at the Capitol.  Parks becomes the first black woman to be honored with a full-length statue in the Capitol's Statuary Hall.

State Unemployment Cut

A Montgomery man is jailed on a high bond following his arrest on a reckless murder charge.  35-year-old Andre Mosley was arrested Tuesday morning after police said a car driven by Mosley crashed into a tractor-trailer at the intersection of Rosa Parks and the West Boulevard.  A passenger, 41-year-old Zack Lykes of Montgomery was killed, two other passengers were treated for minor injuries.  Lykes was the city's third traffic fatality of the year.  Mosley's bond was set at $75,000 dollars. 

Missing Child Bill

Governor Robert Bentley announced legislation meant to pave the way for more aviation jobs in Alabama.  The Alabama Commercial Aviation Business Improvement Act of 2013 would set a ten-year limit that an aviation manufacturer would be liable for causes of action after delivery of the aircraft.  If the cause of action occurs at the ten-year deadline, a plaintiff still has two years to file a lawsuit.  Bentley says the provision is needed to compete for suppliers of Airbus that will be locating a plant in Mobile.  The Airbus plant is expected to employ around 1,000 people. 

Governor Robert Bentley announced legislation meant to pave the way for more aviation jobs in Alabama.  The Alabama Commercial Aviation Business Improvement Act of 2013 would set a ten-year limit that an aviation manufacturer would be liable for causes of action after delivery of the aircraft.  If the cause of action occurs at the ten-year deadline, a plaintiff still has two years to file a lawsuit.  Bentley says the provision is needed to compete for suppliers of Airbus that will be locating a plant in Mobile.  The Airbus plant is expected to employ around 1,000 people. 

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Department says an 11-year-old boy is recovering from a gunshot wound he suffered in an apparent robbery.  Sheriff's officials said the suspect is a 13-year-old boy.  The shooting occurred Sunday afternoon in the Flatwood Community, located off Lower Wetumpka Road.  The 11-year-old boy was listed in stable condition at a Birmingham hospital.  Chief Deputy Derrick Cunningham said investigators are trying to learn how the 13-year-old got his hands on a gun.  The young suspect faces robbery and assault charges.  He is being held on a juvenile detention facility.

Central Alabama is already several inches above average rainfall for the year with the barrage of storm systems sweeping across the state in recent weeks.  All of the rain can be both good and bad for farmers.  Regional Extension Agent Christy Hicks said farmers growing wheat have had some complications.  Hicks says the corn crop isn't planted until early March, so young plants weren't affected.  The surplus of rainfall allows farmers to refill irrigation ponds to use during warmer months.

Alabama's Constitution

Organizers of Selma's annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee say Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, will participate in this weekend's events.  State Senator Hank Sanders of Selma said the Bidens will attend a unity brunch and participate in the annual crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday, March 3rd.  The Bridge Crossing Jubilee celebrates the Selma to Montgomery voting rights march that led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. 

VictoryLand Raid

Democrats in the Alabama Senate are having trouble pressing their top issue.  Senate Minority Leader Vivian Davis Figures of Mobile offered a resolution Thursday urging the Republican governor to reconsider his decision no to expand Medicaid.  The Senate's Republican leader, President Pro Tem Del Marsh, cut off debate on the resolution by getting it sent to the Senate Rules Committee.  Figures says expanding Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act is the top priority for the Senate Democratic Caucus because it would add 300,000 Alabamians to the Medicaid rolls and create jobs.  She s

Forecasters say we can expect heavy rainfall through Saturday morning.  A low pressure system will develop over the state.  Forecasters said the main threat will be damaging straight line winds Friday afternoon through the evening hours.  Heavy rain Friday and Friday night could result in localized flash flooding through Saturday morning and minor river flooding for the rest of the weekend. 

Montgomery Mall