WBMA - News

Escaped Etowah County Inmate Captured

Candace White — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:17:00 EDT

The Etowah County Sheriff's Office says an inmate kitchen worker escaped the Etowah County Detention Center Friday morning.

Authorities searching for escaped Ala. inmate

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:51:00 EDT

Authorities in eastern Alabama are searching for an inmate who escaped from the Etowah County Detention Center.

Police bust suspected illegal gambling operating

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:39:00 EDT

Police in Birmingham have shut down a recording studio and removed 33 machines they say were being used for illegal gambling.

Ala. Supreme Court reinstates $3.2 million verdict

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:55:00 EDT

The Alabama Supreme Court has reinstated a $3.2 million malpractice verdict awarded to the estate of a Montgomery woman who died in 2005 after being treated at the Baptist East Emergency Room in Montgomery.

Possible tornado surprises Athens

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:31:00 EDT

An unconfirmed tornado has knocked down trees, flipped Dumpsters and damaged the roof of the nearby WalMart in Athens.

News Minute: Here is the latest Alabama news from The Associated Press

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:19:00 EDT

Alabama's Republican governor isn't getting support from key Republicans or Democrats for his proposal to delay private school tax credits for two years. The Republican architect of the tax credits, Senate President...

OSHA impersonator gets 57 months in oil spill scam

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:15:00 EDT

A woman has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for bilking Gulf Coast residents by posing as a federal safety official after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Democrats say delay won't fix Alabama tax credits

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:35:00 EDT

Alabama's Republican governor isn't getting support from key Republicans or Democrats for his proposal to delay private school tax credits for two years.

Judge delays ex-BP engineer's trial

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:27:00 EDT

A federal judge has agreed to postpone the trial of a former BP engineer charged with deleting text messages about the company's response to its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

This Hour: Latest Alabama news, sports, business and entertainment

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:35:00 EDT

Alabama's unemployment rate has dipped to 6.9 percent.

Sponsor: Still work to do on campaign finance bill

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:27:00 EDT

By BILL BARROW Associated Press A key House Republican says lawmakers have more work to do before settling on final changes to Alabama campaign finance laws.

Pa. coffee run leads to hatchet hitchhiker arrest

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:45:00 EDT

Two cups of coffee ended life on the run for an Internet sensation known as Kai the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker.

Conn. commuter trains collide; 60 go to hospitals

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:05:00 EDT

Two commuter trains serving New York City collided in Connecticut during Friday's evening rush hour, sending 60 people to the hospital, including five with critical injuries, Gov. Dannel Malloy said.

Venturi, US Open champion and CBS analyst, dies

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:22:00 EDT

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Ken Venturi, who overcame dehydration to win the 1964 U.S. Open and spent 35 years in the booth for CBS Sports, died Friday afternoon. He was 82.

OJ's ex-lawyer contradicts his testimony on guns

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:32:00 EDT

O.J. Simpson's former lawyer defended himself point-by-point Friday against allegations he botched the former football star's armed-robbery trial, after giving damaging testimony that Simpson actually knew his...

Venturi, US Open champion and CBS analyst, dies

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:22:00 EDT

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Ken Venturi, who overcame dehydration to win the 1964 U.S. Open and spent 35 years in the booth for CBS Sports, died Friday afternoon. He was 82.

SPIN METER: GOP raps Dems for IRS union cash

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:52:00 EDT

Seeking maximum political gain from the string of controversies swirling around the White House, Republicans are on the attack against Democratic lawmakers who accepted donations from the union that represents Internal...

Tornado-ravaged Texas town to start recovery

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:32:00 EDT

Residents whose homes were torn apart or blown away by a North Texas deadly tornado can soon return to retrieve what belongings may be left and start cleaning up, authorities said Friday.

Ex-Groupon CEO working 9 to 5 on business album

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:22:00 EDT

Former Groupon CEO Andrew Mason is diving into several new ventures, including indulging his inner rock star with an album of "motivational business music."

NM mom: I followed instincts in chasing abductor

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:52:00 EDT

Melissa Torrez didn't even think when teenagers in her apartment complex said a man had just grabbed her 4-year-old girl and drove away.

Treasury officials told of IRS probe in June 2012

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:43:00 EDT

Senior Treasury officials were made aware in June 2012 that investigators were looking into complaints from tea party groups that they were being harassed by the Internal Revenue Service, a Treasury inspector general said...

Hoover Police Investigating Car Submerged in Lake

Laura Seel — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:58:00 EDT

Hoover Police are investigating a car that is submerged in Star Lake off of Deo Dara Drive.

Suspect makes bomb threat in attempt to steal drugs from Rite Aid in Roebuck

Ben Culpepper — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:44:00 EDT

The Birmingham Police Department needs help identifying a suspect who made a bomb threat while attempting to steal narcotics from a drug store Thursday.

Latest weather update from James Spann; isolated tornadoes in North Alabama

Ben Culpepper — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:40:00 EDT

Get the latest update on the storms moving through Alabama Friday from James Spann and the ABC 33/40 Weather Blog.

Group to give WBC 'Silent Treatment'

Isaiah Harper — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:50:00 EDT

Several counter protestors plan to picket the protest to be held by Westboro Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa Saturday.

Nick Saban to be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Saturday

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:39:00 EDT

University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban will be one of eight to be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Saturday.

Flag mural dedicated in Jacksonville

Edward Burch — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:04:00 EDT

A mural of the American flag, painted to honor Tomlinson's service and the service of other veterans was dedicated Friday morning.

Etowah Co. sheriff to hold news conference Monday on 'disturbing tragedy occurring weekly'

Haley Westbrook — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:54:00 EDT

Sheriff Todd Entrekin, District Attorney Jimmie Harp and the Etowah Co. Department of Human Resources plan to hold a news conference Monday to discuss "a disturbing tragedy is occurring weekly in Etowah County."

Alabama Governor seeks to delay school tax credits in Act

Marissa Mitchell — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:02:00 EDT

One school district reacts.

Tuscaloosa teenagers are making a difference in their community

Candace Sweat — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:57:00 EDT

Making a difference in your community can be an extremely satisfying experience. A group of Tuscaloosa teenagers is learning that lesson through a program called Think Community. These students come in and build their own service projects from scratch.

911 radio system causing controversy in Calhoun County

Cory McGinnis — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:08:00 EDT

911 dispatchers packed the Calhoun County 911 district board of commissioners meeting on Thursday night to find out if their job was on the line.

Hangout Festival Kicks off in Gulf Shores

Michelle Howard — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:01:00 EDT

The Hangout Music Festival kicks off in Gulf Shores.

Senate President Pro-Tem wants to block Accountability Act

Thomas Lower — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:01:00 EDT

Senate head wants to kill requested delay in key component of Accountability Act.

Pavlof Volcano continues to erupt, glow seen 37 miles away

Todd Dewey — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:18:00 EDT

Lava, ash, steam, and gas spew into the air as a remote Alaskan volcano continues to erupt.

American flag mural honors paralyzed Jacksonville veteran

Bryant Somerville — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:36:00 EDT

American artist, Scott LoBaido, is honoring veterans in Jacksonville with an American flag mural.

Alabaster forms new school district, other cities consider

Marissa Mitchell — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:23:00 EDT

Over the years, many cities in Alabama have broken away from county school systems, forming their own school districts. Alabaster, in Shelby County, is the latest to do so.

Mom in New Mexico chases down child abductor; 31-year-old man arrested

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:59:00 EDT

A mother whose 4-year-old was being abducted chased the suspect down and crashed her vehicle into his car, triggering a manhunt and the arrest of the suspect, Albuquerque police said Thursday.

Two U.S. soldiers among six Americans killed by suicide car bombing

Todd Dewey — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:54:00 EDT

Two U.S. soldiers were among six Americans killed in a suicide car bombing Thursday. The blast killed four American civilian contractors and nine Afghan civilians, including two children.

Birmingham police arrest 22 people in gaming operation bust (Update)

Ben Culpepper — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:56:00 EDT

A vice operation conducted by the Birmingham Police Department yielded 22 arrests Friday afternoon.Officers seized 33 gaming machines from "cMe Recording, Videography and Photography Studio" located at

Trinity Medical Center wins Alabama Supreme Court ruling, cleared to relocate

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:06:00 EDT

The Supreme Court of Alabama has denied requests by Brookwood Medical Center and St. Vincent's Hospital, refusing to consider continued arguments against Trinity Medical Center's relocation.

Tijuana teen arrested for trafficking meth in Homewood

Todd Dewey — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:43:00 EDT

The Homewood Police Department will hold a 1 p.m. news conference Friday after a teenager from Mexico was arrested on drug trafficking charges earlier this week.

Free health screenings around Birmingham

Candace White — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:19:00 EDT

The Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour is now in Birmingham. The tour provides free health tests, assessments, education and consulting services to local communities. For people who don't have insurance or think they don't have the time to go to the doctor's office for a check up, the doctor's office on a tour bus is a great option

Birmingham police investigating shooting death of 22-year-old man

Tachana Johnson — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:44:00 EDT

Birmingham police want to know who shot and killed 22-year-old man early Friday morning.

Dead body found in Bessemer

Stephanie Wilson — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:37:00 EDT

Bessemer Police are investigating the discovery of a dead body.

Vigil scheduled for teen killed in car accident

Ebony Hall — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:40:00 EDT

Today, Friday, May 17, 2013, at 5PM a candlelight vigil will be held in memory of 14-year-old Tytiwaan Vontrell Ard.

Benghazi probe co-chair subpoenaed by House panel

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:02:00 EDT

The head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has subpoenaed the co-chairman of the independent review board that investigated last year's attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, to...

Energy Dept. backs Texas LNG export plan

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:52:00 EDT

The Energy Department on Friday conditionally approved a Texas company's proposal to export liquefied natural gas, only the second such project allowed to move forward amid a production boom that has led to glut of...

Hagel orders review of sex-abuse prevention

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:44:00 EDT

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday ordered the military to recertify all 25,000 people involved in programs designed to prevent and respond to sexual assault, an acknowledgement that assaults have escalated beyond the...

CBO: Obama budget cuts deficits $1.1T by 2023

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:42:00 EDT

President Barack Obama's budget would trim projected federal deficits by $1.1 trillion over the coming decade, using nearly $6 in higher revenues for every $1 in reduced spending to achieve it, Congress' nonpartisan...

GOP hopes IRS scandal will snag health care law

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:52:00 EDT

Political scandals have strange ways of causing collateral damage, and Republicans are hoping the furor over federal tax enforcers singling out conservative groups will ensnare their biggest target: President Barack...

Argentine dictator Videla dies in prison at age 87

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:42:00 EDT

Former dictator Jorge Rafael Videla, who took power over Argentina in a 1976 coup and led a military junta that killed thousands of his fellow citizens in a dirty war to eliminate so-called "subversives," died quietly in his...

US slams Russian anti-ship missiles going to Syria

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:32:00 EDT

The Obama administration denounced Russia on Friday for providing Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime with anti-ship missiles, saying the weapons would only worsen a war that Washington and Moscow have been promising...

Venezuela's military enters high-crime slums

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:12:00 EDT

Stern-looking soldiers clutching assault rifles wave down the beat-up Chevy Caprice entering this sprawling slum on the outskirts of Caracas.

Funeral home has bicycle hearse for 1 last ride

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:04:00 EDT

An Oregon funeral home in Eugene offers natural burials where the ride to the person's final resting place is on the back of a three-wheeled bicycle.

Birth of anteater has Conn. zoo staff puzzled

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:51:00 EDT

An anteater has given birth at a Connecticut conservation center, prompting officials there to wonder how the mother conceived.

Alaska man runs onto frozen lake to avoid jail

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:31:00 EDT

Anchorage police say a young man who didn't want to return to jail ran out onto the uncertain ice of an Alaska lake to escape officers armed with an arrest warrant.

Aussie minister sorry he 'liked' exposed teen pic

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:51:00 EDT

An Australian politician says he has learned a valuable lesson in social networking after he "liked" a Facebook photo without realizing that it showed a teenage prankster exposing himself.

Texas senior, 18, bags 800-pound record alligator

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:21:00 EDT

A Houston-area high school senior has bagged a 14-foot, 800 pound alligator - the heaviest ever certified in Texas - on his first alligator hunt.

Exhibition of secretly shot photos upsets NYers

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:40:00 EDT

Residents of a New York luxury apartment building are livid over an exhibition of photos secretly snapped through their apartment windows.

Wash. state woman spots stolen car in drive-thru

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:30:00 EDT

A Washington woman whose car was stolen from her apartment complex saw the stolen SUV hours later - in the drive-thru of the McDonald's restaurant where she works.

Coin tossing breaks tie in Philippine mayoral race

Thu, 16 May 2013 01:10:00 EDT

What do you do when two candidates running for mayor in the Philippines get exactly the same number of votes? You get them to toss a coin.

Deer smashes Pa. bus windshield, takes short ride

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:50:00 EDT

A deer has taken a ride on a western Pennsylvania bus.

Students in Ghana launch mini-satellite

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:30:00 EDT

Their project might not sound like much: The college students on Wednesday launched a tiny model of a satellite the size of a soda can on a big yellow balloon.

Report: Yahoo nearing $1.1B acquisition of Tumblr

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:42:00 EDT

Yahoo may be on the verge of closing its biggest acquisition during the 10-month reign of CEO Marissa Mayer as she tries to attract more traffic and advertisers to the Internet company's website and mobile applications.

Caribbean talks conservation on Branson's island

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:32:00 EDT

Surrounded by a turquoise sea and a menagerie of exotic animals on a billionaire's private island, political and business leaders gathered Friday to back an initiative aimed at expanding protection for the...

Stocks rise on hopeful signs for the US economy

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:44:00 EDT

Encouraging news about the U.S. economy extended the stock market's rally Friday.

A year after IPO, Facebook aims to be ad colossus

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:34:00 EDT

It was supposed to be our IPO, the people's public offering.

Pew survey questions Gen X, baby boomer savings

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:02:00 EDT

A research report by the Pew Charitable Trusts says younger baby boomers and Generation Xers face an uncertain retirement because of reduced savings, high levels of debt, and losses during the Great Recession.

GM stock rises above $33 for first time in 2 years

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:02:00 EDT

Shares of General Motors reached an important milestone on Friday, closing above their initial public offering price of $33 for the first time in more than two years.

Cyprus drops limits on 8 more foreign banks

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:13:00 EDT

Cyprus on Friday got rid of limits on money transfers and withdrawals for international clients of another eight foreign banks doing business in the debt-laden country.

Community-Wide Day of Service Planned In Gadsden Saturday

Tachana Johnson — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:12:00 EDT

Teams of volunteers will spend their Saturday making a different at local schools and neighborhood.

Cherokee Co. district attorney releases statement on investigator's DUI arrest, job fate

Ben Culpepper — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:18:00 EDT

Michael O'Dell, the district attorney for the 9th Judicial Court of Alabama, released a statement Tuesday regarding the arrest of one of his investigators for drunken driving over the weekend.

Anniston Soup Bowl will start serving meals from larger kitchen

Honora Gathings — Sun, 12 May 2013 22:11:00 EDT

An East Alabama soup kitchen that outgrew its facility is breaking ground on a new one. The Anniston Soup Bowl will hold a ceremony Monday at its new site.

District attorney's investigator charged with DUI in Fort Payne

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:57:00 EDT

An investigator for the district attorney in the Ninth Judicial Court was arrested Saturday morning, charged with drunken driving.

Who gets Alabama school tax credits unresolved?

Stephanie Wilson — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:37:00 EDT

Parents with children already in private school will have to wait to find out if they will qualify for Alabama's new private school tax credits.

Police charge Oxford man with capital murder for death of 2-year-old boy

Ben Culpepper — Thu, 9 May 2013 23:39:00 EDT

The Oxford Police Department has charged a man with capital murder for the death of a 2-year-old boy in Talladega County May 4.

Family remains hopeful as search for missing Ga. man narrows its focus in Talladega

Ben Culpepper — Thu, 9 May 2013 22:59:00 EDT

The search continues for Nicholas Bower, the Georgia man who went missing last weekend while camping at Talladega Superspeedway.

Greene Co. crash kills four, injures four; victim speaks

Isaiah Harper — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:03:00 EDT

Keosha Aaron is holding it together despite a broken wrist, scraped arm and eyelid. She remembers very little about the crash that took four lives and injured three others.

State Troopers release identities of four killed in Greene Co. accident

Ben Culpepper — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:38:00 EDT

Alabama State Troopers have released the identities of the four people killed including a 2-year-old in a single-vehicle accident Wednesday in west Alabama.

Century-old Sledge Hardware store closing in Tuscaloosa

Isaiah Harper — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:26:00 EDT

Sledge Hardware has been a staple in downtown Greensboro for a century but the owners are closing the doors.

Judge: Nick Saban's daughter to get records in lawsuit

Thomas Lower — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:04:00 EDT

A Tuscaloosa County judge is ordering the University of Alabama's counseling center to turn over records sought by the daughter of Alabama football coach Nick Saban in a lawsuit.

Multiple Sex Offenders Arrested In Tuscaloosa

Tachana Johnson — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:39:00 EDT

Tuscaloosa Police Department's Juvenile Division along with the U.S. Marshals, Crime Suppression Unit and Code Enforcement Division conducted a city wide check on sex offenders.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Opens Location by University of Alabama

Michelle Howard — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:50:00 EDT

New restaurant brings jobs to Tuscaloosa.

Costas wins regional BBQ sauce competition

Dave Baird — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:30:00 EDT

Celebrity judges picked Costas from Birmingham out of 15 area barbecue sauces as the finalist in a regional competition to pick Alabama's tastiest sauce. It will represent the Central Alabama area at the

Tuscaloosa brothers arrested for robbery

Todd Dewey — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:05:00 EDT

Twin brothers from Tuscaloosa were arrested by Tuscaloosa Police on Sunday and charge with robbery 1st degree.