The Montgomery County District Attorney says a large backlog of drug cases is burdening the county justice system. District Attorney Daryl Bailey tells the Montgomery Advertiser that a 1,604 case backlog means that anybody arrested for drug-related charges would currently be waiting more than two years for a trial as evidence is processed. Bailey says the state's budget crisis and staff cuts have caused the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to struggle with the number of cases it needs to analyze. Because it could take years for accused drug offenders to go to trial, Bailey says many suspects post bail and quickly return to being involved in crimes without having received any punishment or help for their alleged past trangressions.
Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.