WVAS Local

   The quest for a stingray exhibit at the Montgomery Zoo and Mann Wildlife Learning Center began back in 2011 with a fundraising campaign. Today, seven years later, that project becomes reality as the exhibit goes on display to the public. A 67-hundred gallon saltwater pool containing a variety of stingrays and other aquatic life is housed in a 25-hundred square foot enclosure. During viewing hours, guests will be able to reach into the pool and touch the stingrays. Viewing hours today are from 10 AM until 4 PM.

   Thousands of people participated in the Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma over the weekend. The 53rd anniversary of Bloody Sunday drew everyday citizens as well as civil rights activists. Several members of Congress were on hand for the commemoration. Congressman John Lewis of Georgia led the crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge yesterday. He was among those that were beaten and injured in the original march. That violence set the stage for the Selma-to-Montgomery march, which helped build support for congressional approval of the Voting Rights Act months later.

   Montgomery City Councilman David Burkette has won the Democratic nomination in the District 26 state senate race. He garnered more than 35-hundred votes to defeat state representative John Knight, who had almost 3-thousand votes. The totals reportedly reflect 34 of 35 precincts involved in the runoff election. Provisional ballots will be counted next Tuesday. The seat was formerly occupied by Quinton Ross, now President of Alabama State University. Burkette will face Republican Darrell "DJ" Johnson in the general election May 15.

   A number of voters in Montgomery are going to the polls today to decide the Democratic nomination in the District 26 state senate race. Polls opened at 7 o’clock this morning for the runoff between state representative John Knight and Montgomery City Councilman David Burkette. During the primary election back in December Knight garnered 36 percent of the vote to Burkette’s 27 percent.

   A Montgomery police officer was involved in a deadly shooting yesterday on the city’s west side. The incident began when police responded to a report of a subject shot in the 16-hundred block of Westcott Street. Emergency personnel found a victim with a serious gunshot wound. The unidentified man was taken to a local hospital. Moments later officers discovered the suspect at the intersection of Hill and Jordan Streets. During that encounter, shots were fired. Police spokesperson Capt.

   The next three months are known in Alabama as the primary severe weather season. That’s why the National Weather Service, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and Governor Kay Ivey are designating this week as Severe Weather Awareness Week in the state. Officials want residents to spend this time making preparations and educating themselves on severe weather threats. Each day of the week a different topic is being emphasized. The list includes severe thunderstorms, flooding and flash flooding, tornadoes, lightning and weather alerts.