Tuscaloosa Police Look For Answers in Shooting
Tuscaloosa Police Look for Answers in Shooting
Tuscaloosa’s police chief says yesterday’s shooting in a downtown bar may have involved a dispute between rival motorcycle gangs. Chief Steve Anderson says the suspect, 44-year old Nathan Van Wilkins (pictured above), turned himself in yesterday afternoon. At least 17 people were hurt in the incident, many wounded by bullets that ricocheted through the bar or by glass shards and brick chunks that fell around the nightclub. Van Wilkin has been linked to other incidents. Authorities say he also allegedly shot someone at a private home about 45 minutes before the bar shooting and is suspected of setting fire to equipment and property owned by his former employer, an oil and gas company. There are signs Wilkins’ life was unraveling. He divorced his wife of 16 years in 2005, and last year a credit union tried to garnish he wages but couldn’t because he’d declared bankruptcy. For more on the shooting, click here.
In other news:
More fireworks in the Birmingham Board of Education. At last night’s meeting, board members defied explicit state orders and voted to fire superintendent Craig Witherspoon. Board member Tyrone Belcher voted in favor of firing Witherspoon. He wondered why the state board of education is meddling in Birmingham City Schools and not in other districts that have recently fired their superintendents.
After the vote, the man who leads the state intervention team stood up to object, but the board president told him he was out of order and couldn’t speak. The president then called on security guards to intervene. WBHM’s Dan Carsen caught up with Deputy State Superintendent Craig Pouncey after the meeting.
State Schools Superintendent Tommy Bice immediately rescinded the Birmingham board’s vote to fire Witherspoon, but many school district employees say they’re very confused about who they actually report to. For a blow-by-blow of last night’s meeting, as well as background on how the situation developed, see Dan Carsen’s full-length story.
July 18, 2012
Florida heads to NCAA title game in a victory over SEC rival Auburn
Florida beat Southeastern Conference rival Auburn 79-73 in the Final Four on Saturday night. The Gators are going to the national championship game for the first time since their titles in 2006 and 2007.
How automakers are responding to the 25% car tariffs so far
It's only been a few days since President Trump's 25% tariffs on foreign cars took effect. But the import surcharge has led to some immediate changes, including layoffs and pauses in car shipments.
Nationwide ‘Hands Off’ protests erupt against Trump and Musk
Demonstrations took place across the country, uniting a myriad of criticisms of the Trump administration under one message: "Hands off."
How automakers are responding to the 25% car tariffs so far
It's only been a few days since President Trump's 25% tariffs on foreign cars took effect. But the import surcharge has led to some immediate changes, including layoffs and pauses in car shipments.
‘Oliver and Amanda Pig’ series author Jean Van Leeuwen dies at 87
The children's book author best known for her Oliver and Amanda Pig series has died at 87. Van Leeuwen wrote nearly 60 books, some of which sold millions of copies.
More torrential rain and flash flooding are expected in waterlogged South and Midwest
Another round of torrential rain and flash flooding was coming Saturday for parts of the South and Midwest already heavily waterlogged by days of severe storms that also spawned some deadly tornadoes.