School resource officers from across Alabama are earning their certification this week on the campus of Alabama State University. The National Association of School Resource Officers has partnered with ASU, Montgomery Public Schools and Alabama CrimeStoppers 215 Stop. CrimeStoppers Communications Manager Jerome Jones says this year marks the third year the organization has partnered with ASU Office of Preventing School Violence. Jones says more than a 100 school security officers and security are participating.
A man is under arrest after an overnight, multi-agency manhunt in Convington and Coffee counties. Patrick Hord is accused of breaking into a home in Opp, stealing a handgun, prescription medication, and a camouflage side-by-side. WDHN reports he broke into a second home before deputies spotted the stolen side-by-side on U.S. Highway 84. Hord is accused of firing a shot during the pursuit and escaping into nearby woods, prompting the large-scale search. He was taken into custody Thursday morning.
No injuries or illnesses are reported after an ammonia leak in Opelika. It happened at the Walmart distribution center on Monday afternoon. The center was closed, and all employees were safely evacuated. HAZMAT crews responded to the scene. They say the leak came from the industrial refrigeration system.
A cancer-fighting chewing gum, developed at the University of Pennsylvania Dental School, has been found to nearly eliminate human papilloma virus. That's a virus associated with head and neck cancer. Dr. Henry Daniell says this bioengineered gum cuts HVP levels in the mouth by up to 93-percent and doesn't seem to harm beneficial bacteria. That raises hope, he says for a safer and more affordable cancer-fighting therapy.