August 15 Morning Newscast
The Birmingham School Board conducted a civil and efficient meeting (photo above) Tuesday night — a drastic change from recent months, during which the board has achieved national notoriety for dysfunction, grandstanding, and personal infighting. A day after a Jefferson County judge reinstated city school superintendent Craig Witherspoon and ruled that state intervention will continue, the Birmingham school board conducted business without the acrimony that has dominated meetings in recent months. State Superintendent Tommy Bice took pains to be respectful — even deferential — to board members. We have more details on the meeting from education reporter Dan Carsen, at our website, WBHM.org
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Former Gov. Don Siegelman says that a presidential pardon is his “last hope for freedom” and continued to criticize the 2006 case in which he was convicted. The Birmingham News reports that Siegelman, who was sentenced to six and a half years in prison, told the Fox Business Network a flaw in the law allowed a jury to infer a crime was committed when it didn’t happen. Siegelman will be headed back to prison Sept. 11 after an unsuccessful six-year fight to overturn his 2006 conviction in a bribery case. The Democrat said he is innocent of charges that he sold a seat on the Certificate of Need Review Board to former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy in exchange for $500 thousand dollars in campaign donations to his 1999 lottery referendum.
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — The Birmingham Water Works has fired nine employees as a criminal investigation into wrongdoing continues. The Birmingham News reports that while few details are available, members of the Water Works Board met Friday and again Monday in lengthy closed-door sessions with lawyers to discuss the issue.
Sources close to the investigation say the investigation concerns allegations of false overtime and payments to workers in the utility’s distribution department. The allegation involves a supervisor who is accused of granting overtime in exchange for a kickback from each of his subordinates. The sources said the issue was recently reported to Water Works officials by some of the employees in the department..
Tributes, not politics, play center stage as Trump hosts the Kennedy Center Honors
President Trump said he was closely involved with picking the honorees, and on Sunday he became the first president to host the Kennedy Center awards ceremony.
Thailand launches airstrikes along border with Cambodia as tensions reignite
Both sides accused the other of breaking a ceasefire that halted fighting earlier this year. Longstanding border disputes erupted into five days of combat in July that killed dozens.
Rafael Ithier, a legend of salsa music, dies at 99
The pianist, composer and arranger spent more than six decades turning El Gran Combo into one of the premier salsa institutions of Latin America and beyond.
Light from satellites will ruin majority of some space telescope images, study says
Astronomers have long been concerned about reflections from satellites showing up in images taken by telescopes and other scientific instruments.
Defense Department is reviewing boat strike video for possible release, Hegseth says
In a speech on Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the strikes, saying: "President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation's interests."
Bama, Miami in, Notre Dame out and Indiana No. 1 in College Football Playoff rankings
Nobody paying attention for the past 24 months would be surprised to see Indiana – yes, Indiana – leading the way into this year's College Football Playoff.
