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Court of Criminal Appeals upholds murder conviction in Limestone County

On Friday the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the murder conviction of Benjamin Cordell Waddle. Waddle was convicted in Limestone County Circuit Court on August 2018 for the murder of Michael Peoples. Waddle is 30 years old and lives in Madison. According to the evidence at trial, on August 3, 2015, Waddle and Peoples … Continued
September 24, 2019

AG Marshall supports rollbacks on school lunch nutrition

Many children in Alabama get less healthy school lunches after the Trump administration’s rollback of rules that had set nutritional standards.  Alabama’s Attorney General Steve Marshall favors lower standards for the state’s school children’s lunches, as well. Meanwhile, Alabama’s children are ranked 9th highest in rates of obesity in the nation. Advocates for healthier lunches … Continued
September 18, 2019

Graddick expects parole hearing to resume on November 1

Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles Director Charlie Graddick, on Wednesday, announced that parole hearings are expected to resume on or about November 1. Graddick shut down parole hearings because the previous administration failed to bring the bureau into compliance with the law enacted June 6 by Gov. Kay Ivey. On Friday, Director Graddick postponed … Continued
September 12, 2019

State Bureau of Pardons and Paroles: Could take “weeks” to resume hearings

Alabama’s Bureau of Pardons and Paroles announced Monday that it could take weeks until parole hearings resume, meaning many hundreds will be impacted by the interruption of those hearings.  Skip Tucker, news director at the bureau, told APR on Monday that it’s not clear when those parole hearings would resume. A press release from the … Continued
September 10, 2019

Limestone County sheriff indicted on 13 counts of theft, ethics charges.

Limestone County Sheriff Michael Blakely was arrested on Wednesday after being indicted on 13 theft and ethics charges.  Blakely is charged with four separate counts of theft from his campaign account that total $11,000. Additionally, he’s charged with five counts of theft or ethics charges for stealing money from Limestone County funds, including from the … Continued
August 23, 2019

Marshall announces attorney Billy Underwood has pleaded guilty to jury tampering

Wednesday, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) announced that Colbert County attorney William “Billy” Underwood pleaded guilty to jury tampering rather than continuing with a trial that began earlier in the morning. Underwood was sentenced to serve four months in jail. He was further required to permanently surrender his license to practice law in the … Continued
August 22, 2019

Jorge Ruiz probably fell asleep at the wheel and caused a fatal crash. An Autauga County judge sentenced him to 99 years.

Jorge Ruiz probably fell asleep. Strip away all of the error-filled news reports, the ignorant and racist social media posts and the disgraceful actions of an Autauga County Circuit Court judge, and that’s basically what you’re left with. A 19-year-old guy stayed up too long, made a bad decision to drive while tired, fell asleep … Continued
August 20, 2019

Leeds man convicted on federal gun and ammunition charges

Tuesday, a federal jury convicted Christopher “Rudy” McNabb from Leeds of three firearm and ammunition related offenses. The jury verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Jay E, Town and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson. The jury returned its guilty verdict against the 44-year-old McNabb after two … Continued
August 15, 2019