Remnants of Emily could redevelop; Muifa batters Okinawa; Central U.S. roasts

Tropical Storm Emily degraded into an open tropical wave yesterday afternoon, after Hurricane Hunters could no longer locate a center of circulation at the surface. Through the morning yesterday, the storm appeared to lose most of its strong thunderstorm activity on the north side, and mid-level circulation was broad (tropical cyclones need a tight, coherent circulation to maintain themselves). Soon after the Hurricane Hunters took a pass through the storm, the National Hurricane Center demoted Emily from a tropical storm to a remnant low, while continuing to stress the rainfall threat to Hispaniola and eastern Cuba. Today it appears the center of the remnants are located just north of eastern Cuba in the southern Bahamas, although thunderstorm activity continues across eastern Cuba. Hispaniola probably saw rain and thunderstorms again early this morning, the strongest of which were on the eastern side of the island. New thunderstorm activity is starting to develop in the southeast Bahamas. Given Wednesday's rain gauge analysis from CPC, Hispaniola probably saw at least an additional 5 inches of rain yesterday.

Environmental conditions remain pretty much the same as yesterday, but are expected to become more favorable for Emily's remnants, and redevelopment of the storm is possible. Circulation from the low to mid-levels is still broad and tilting to the east with height due to the lingering moderate westerly wind shear. However, this shear is expected to dissipate some over the next 24 hours, and signs of this are already present to the west of the remnants. The dry air that has been following the storm since its inception has dissipated, as well.


Figure 1. Satellite imagery of the remnants of Tropical Storm Emily as they move northwest away from Cuba and Hispaniola and into the Bahamas.

Forecast for Emily's Remnants
Interestingly, the models have come into better agreement on the forecast for former Emily now that it has lost its surface circulation and degenerated into a tropical wave. The ECMWF, which has come out ahead in this forecasting game so far, is optimistic today that Emily will redevelop. Other global models—GFS, CMC, and FIM—also redevelop the storm. Consensus on timing of redevelopment seems to be when the wave reaches the northern Bahamas in 24 to 48 hours. At 12Z (8am EDT), the high-resolution HWRF model run forecasted a track that was furthest to the west of all the models, scraping eastern Florida as it travels northwest. The most probable track and intensity forecast that I see at this point is north-northwest movement over the next 24 to 36 hours, at which point the system will take a fairly sharp turn to the northeast and out to sea. Without an already established, coherent circulation, it appears unlikely that if Emily is reborn it will intensify into anything more than a moderate tropical storm. However, there is some potential as the system moves out to see that it could gain some strength and develop hurricane-force winds before it transitions into an extra-tropical cyclone.

Typhoon Muifa passes to the south of Okinawa, heads into East China Sea

The center of Typhoon Muifa passed to the south of Okinawa earlier this morning (Eastern time) and it continues to batter the islands with high winds and torrential rain. Local radar estimate rainfall rates as high as 80 mm/hour (approx. 3 inches/hour) in the strongest rain bands. Kadena Air Force Base near the city of Okinawa has been reporting sustained winds of 47 mph with gusts up to 72 mph. Muifa is expected to turn northwest today as it enters the East China Sea as a category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and then intensify into a category 2 as it passes close to eastern China. This morning, the forecast is that Muifa will probably not make landfall anywhere as a typhoon.


Figure 2. Radar imagery from the Japan Meteorological Agency around 1am JST. Scale is in millimeters. Highest rainfall rates appear to be approximately 3 inches/hour.

South-Central U.S. continues to bake

The extreme heat continues again today after 269 high maximum and 250 high minimum temperature records were set yesterday, 19 and 29 of which were all-time records, respectively. 206 of yesterday's records were 110°F or higher. Yesterday, Reuters was reporting that Texas was one power plant shutdown away from rolling blackouts. The forecast today doesn't look any better. Heat index values up to 125° are forecast in eastern Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley.

Particularly toasty heat index values from yesterday:

• Mobile, Alabama: 120°
• Arkadelphia, Arkansas: 121°
• Bay St. Louis, Mississippi: 121°
• Memphis, Tennessee: 122°


Figure 3. Heat index forecast from the ECMWF for today. Scale is in degrees Fahrenheit. You can plot model forecasts using Wundermap by choosing the "Model Data" layer.

OZARK POLICE DEPARTMENT DAILY CRIME BULLETIN

@ 12:45 am. Attempted Suicide. Patterson Dr. Complainant (Sonda Medley) stated she confronted her
boyfriend/suspect (Johnny L. Russell) about personal matters. Complainant stated she left the suspect
alone in the bedroom. Suspect came out of the room, obtained a steak knife and began cutting himself.
 
@ 8:04 am. Criminal Mischief 3rd. Mixon School Rd. Victim (Elaine Huss) stated an unknown suspect(s)
cut all four tires on her vehicle. 

@ 8:17 am. Criminal Mischief 3rd. Mixon School Rd. Victim (Virginia A. Kyser) stated an unknown
suspect(s) cut the victim’s rear driver’s side tire. 

@ 10:30 am. Criminal Mischief 3rd. Briarhill Ct. Victim (Melanie Wheeler) stated suspect (Michael
Cooper) threw an unknown object at her vehicle causing minor damage
. 
@ 12:05 pm. Harassing Communications. Andrews Ave. Victim (Jennifer F. Waugh) stated suspect (Sean
Stifler) called her stating he worked for a law firm that had a claim against her from a cash advance
company from the year 2008. Victim stated she has never taken out this type of a loan. 

@ 2:24 pm. Harassment. Hull St. Victim (Hosea Crittendon) stated suspects (Kevin Shipman) and
(Rodney Stuckey) have threatened him over money he owes them. 

@ 8:17 pm. Fraudulent Use of Credit/Debit Card. Discount Tobacco. Victim (Seth M. Shook) stated
suspect (Tammy P. Barnette) used his credit/debit card without permission.
 
@ 8:36 pm. Theft of Property 1st.  AACFCU (online). Victim (Seth M. Shook) stated suspect (Linda Hurt
Moody) had been removing money from his bank account via the internet.
 
@ 8:57 pm. Robbery 1st. Andrews Avenue. Victim (Tamalyn S. Thompkins) stated an unknown suspect
pulled out a handgun, demanded her purse and fled the scene.

@ 9:01 pm. Harassment. Andrews Ave. Victim (Ingrid M. Mechur) stated suspect confronted her at her
residence over a rent payment. 

@ 9:08 pm. Burglary 3rd/Theft of Property 1st. Eufaula St. Victim (Seth M. Shook) stated suspect (Tammy
P. Barnette) was asked to take some of his belongings for safe keeping. When victim was giving his
belongings several items were missing. Victim is unsure if suspect (Barnette) or an unknown suspect took
the items. 

@ 9:55 pm. Domestic Dispute. Candlewick Blvd. (Timothy J. Loyless, Sr.) and (Timothy J. Loyless, Jr.) 
were arguing over personal matters.

ARRESTS:
Antonia Venetez Stuckey – Failure to Appear. 186 Stanford Pl. 24 YOA

Books A Million employee arrested for theft

On August, 2011 the Dothan Police Department made a felony arrest following a brief theft investigation. Investigators learned an employee of Books A Million was stealing merchandise from his employer. The case was turned over to police by security members of the business and has now been closed following the arrest.

·        Odis Wayne Steward, black male, 51 years of age, of Liberty Court was arrested and charged with Second Degree Theft of Property with a $5,000 bond.

Tropical Storm Emily stalls, remains a threat to Hispaniola

All afternoon, Tropical Storm Emily has remained on a westward track with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. In the 8pm EDT update from the National Hurricane Center, the storm was nearly stationary, with no forward movement. The storm gained some thunderstorm activity over its center of circulation throughout the day, but remains sheared to the east. In order for tropical cyclones to intensify (or, continue to exist at all), they need to be vertically stacked and standing straight up in the atmosphere. Emily continues to be tilted east due to 20 knots of westerly wind shear, which is apparent on satellite and also in recent satellite analysis of upper-level circulation.

Emily's tropical storm-force winds extend 115 miles to the north and east of the center, and tropical storm conditions are probably already being felt in Hispaniola. Isolated rainfall amounts of up to 20 inches are expected on the eastern side of the storm. The longer Emily tracks west before making a turn to the northwest, the more likely it is that Haiti will see the heavier rainfall amounts. In any case, Emily is a serious threat for flash flooding and mudslides on the island of Hispaniola and eastern Cuba.


Figure 1. MODIS satellite imagery from earlier today, plotted using NASA's new Rapid Response Web Mapping Service.

Forecast for Tropical Storm Emily
The forecast for Emily remains similar to this morning's update, with a slight shift to the east in track. The National Hurricane Center forecasts that the storm will make landfall in Haiti overnight tonight or early tomorrow as a tropical storm. After that, it will continue on a track to the northwest until Saturday, when it will turn to the northeast and out to sea. This is all assuming Emily makes the turn to the northwest over the next 12 hours.

This afternoon the HWRF and GFDL shifted their forecast track slightly to the east away from the Florida coast. Consensus shifted this way as well, and that change is also present in the official forecast track. As the storm moves north of Hispaniola and Cuba, environmental conditions will become more favorable, and the storm could gain some organization. But this is very hard to predict since Emily hasn't actually made a turn to the northwest, yet. Furthermore, the longer Emily tracks to the west, the more of a threat it becomes to the Florida coast.

Typhoon Muifa a landfall threat for China coast

Typhoon Muifa has sustained winds of 109 mph, with gusts up to 132 mph, and is a category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Muifa's concentric eyewalls are plainly visible on both infrared satellite imagery as well as radar, which is indicative of a mature, intense cyclone undergoing eyewall replacement cycles. Typhoon Muifa is expected to remain a category 2 with winds of at least 104 mph through mid-day Saturday, at which point it is forecast to intensify slightly to a category 3 as it approaches the China coast. As of this afternoon, Muifa is expected to make landfall south of Shanghai, near Zhoushan, Saturday afternoon or evening (local time). In addition to being a serious threat to all of the involved coastal cities, this is a particularly dangerous track for Shanghai and Hangzhou, since near-hurricane-strength winds will be out of the east, pushing water into the surrounding inlets. The forecast landfall location has been trending south along the coast, so it doesn't appear that China will be able to escape a Muifa landfall.


Figure 2. Infrared satellite imagery of Typhoon Muifa from August 3rd.

Dr. Carver will have an update later tonight should there be any interesting changes to Emily or the forecast. I'll be back tomorrow with another post.

• Garrett Allan Maddox, white male, 20 years of age inhales air duster while driving , passes out and crashes

On August 3, 2011 the Dothan Police Department responded to a crash involving a vehicle versus a building. Members of the Traffic Division were requested and responded to handle the case. The investigation revealed that the driver, Garrett Allan Maddox, ingested “Dust Off”, a can of compressed air used to air clean electronic equipment, by huffing the substance. Maddox lost consciousness and ran off the road while traveling on Honeysuckle Road.  The vehicle entered a cemetery and collided with many headstones before exiting the cemetery and crossing South Park Avenue where it ran through a fence enclosing the Stonecreek Landing Subdivision. The vehicle continued and collided with another fence within the community and exited the subdivision.  Maddox’ vehicle then crossed Moore Road and collided with the West Side of Selma Baptist Church, causing substantial damage. The driver was arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Any Substance Which Impairs the Mental or Physical Faculties.

·        Garrett Allan Maddox, white male, 20 years of age, of Brushfire Drive was arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence of Any Substance Which Impairs the Mental or Physical Faculties with a $500 bond.

felony arrest following an investigation of a stolen vehicle

On August 2011 the Dothan Police Department made a felony arrest following an investigation of a stolen vehicle. Investigators say Brittney Danzey was arrested and charged with first degree theft for taking a 1995 Chevrolet Impala on July 28, 2011. The vehicle was later located in Dothan where it had been abandoned and the case has now been closed following the arrest.

·        Brittney Nichole Danzey, black female, 25 years of age, of Junaluska Avenue was arrested and charged with First Degree Theft with a $5,000 bond.

Record number of towns join Ala. sales tax holiday

The Birmingham News

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A record number of Alabama communities will participate in a back-to-school sales tax holiday.
Authorities will temporarily stop collecting the 4 percent state sales tax on designated school supplies and clothing from Friday through Sunday. The local sales tax will also be exempted in 272 participating communities, which is five more towns than last year and the most since the program started in 2006.
The Birmingham News reports that one notable exception is cash-strapped Jefferson County, which could become the largest-ever U.S. municipality to declare bankruptcy.
The National Retail Federation estimates that Southern shoppers will spend about $615 per family on back-to-school purchases.
___
Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.birminghamnews.com

Audubon backers papers held in Ala. archives

Montgomery Advertiser

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — John James Audubon's paintings and sketches of birds and mammals made him a legend during his lifetime, and an important link to his 19th-century success story is housed in Montgomery.
They are not Audubon's artifacts, but they do come close in the form of papers and artifacts once owned by his chief financial backer — Edward Harris.
In 1843, Harris accompanied Audubon on the Upper Missouri River expedition and brought back a treasure trove of items secured from Indian tribes along the way.
History professor and author Daniel Patterson provided a special treat for history buffs Thursday when he traced the background of both men, touching on their unique relationship as well as their pioneering contributions to the country.
"Audubon was a man of extreme commitment to his work," said Patterson, who spoke at the state Department of Archives and History. "He was a very passionate man and that was evident by his writings."
Patterson, an English and literature professor at Central Michigan University, said Audubon, who died in 1851 at the age of 65, possessed "incredible energy." He slept only a few hours a night and then continued working throughout the rest of the day.
As Audubon slowly built his reputation, he killed thousands of birds in order to sketch and paint them. Then, he sold his works for $2 or $3 each to help finance his projects, Patterson said.
"He's generally representative of one or two extremes -- either an environmental saint or the bird butcher of the world for all the birds he killed during his career," said Patterson.
Audubon's travels and paintings he derived from them during the first half of the 19th century "probably made him one of the five most popular Americans by the late 1830s," Patterson said.
"There was George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, somebody else and then Audubon," said Patterson. "He had become an international celebrity by that time."
During the Missouri River expedition, Patterson said, Harris did more than just tag along to view the wildlife. He became an active participant and made notes to help him complete his own manuscript of the trip.
"Harris' journal was the second most important eyewitness testimony to everything that happened on this expedition," Patterson said.
Most authors bring along books to sell, but Patterson did more than sign copies for those in the audience. He followed up by offering details about the artifacts that Harris brought back from the trip to the Upper Missouri River.
Archives curator Bob Bradley said the Harris artifacts, which include a bison horn used to hold Harris' gunpowder, are available to view by appointment only. The collection was donated to the state Archives by Harris' descendants.
___
Information from: Montgomery Advertiser, http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

An AP Member Exchange

Police: Officer in deadly wreck was driving 43 mph

WALA-TV

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Mobile police say an officer was driving 43 mph in a 35-mph zone while responding to a report of gunshots when his patrol car collided with two pedestrians, killing one of them and seriously injuring his wife.
Mobile Police Chief Micheal Williams said Officer Richard Brown was responding to a report of shots fired when he hit Michael Bragg and his wife, Mary, as they crossed a street Friday night.
Williams said Brown didn't see the couple until it was too late. He said the police department used the GPS unit in Brown's patrol car to pinpoint his speed.
WALA-TV reports (http://bit.ly/pfSOGT) that Brown remains on paid administrative leave.
Police said the Braggs are from Overland Park, Kan., and were on their way to Florida when they stopped in Mobile.
___
Information from: WALA-TV, http://www.fox10tv.com/

AG ANNOUNCES PRISON SENTENCE FOR WOMAN WHO STOLE RETIREMENT SAVINGS FROM HER HOSPTIALIZED MOTHER

(MONTGOMERY)-- Attorney General Luther Strange announced that a woman has been sentenced to serve two years in prison for stealing $130,000 of retirement savings from her hospitalized mother. Debra Davis pleaded guilty October 18, 2010, to first-degree theft, and on July 28, she received a sentence of 10 years imprisonment, of which she was ordered to serve two years with the remainder suspended and followed by three years of supervised probation.

“A jail sentence is fitting for the crime committed by this woman, who raided her mother’s retirement accounts and then gambled away the money her mother had saved and depended upon for the later years of life,” said Attorney General Strange. “This is a tragic betrayal that continues to cause tremendous suffering and loss for the victim.”

In prior hearings, the Attorney General’s Office presented to the Court the facts of the crime: Davis’ mother, Doris Anderson, of Wetumpka, was hospitalized in critical condition in December of 2008 and remained there until March of 2009. Davis obtained power of attorney for her ill mother, and used it to access and to deplete the entire savings in her mother’s retirement accounts.

Sentencing had been set for April 6, but Davis failed to appear and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She surrendered on May 2, and has been incarcerated since then. In addition to her imprisonment, she is ordered to pay $100 a month in restitution.

According to information presented by the Attorney General’s Office at the time of sentencing, after Davis stole the money from her mother, she lost it by gambling. Furthermore, the mother not only is without her retirement savings, but faces a bill for federal taxes on the money that was stolen from her.

Attorney General Strange commended Assistant Attorney General Noel Barnes, chief of his Office of Consumer Protection, for bringing this case to a successful conclusion. He also thanked the Wetumpka Police Department for its investigation of the matter.

Out of prison 1 day on FEMA fraud charges, Clarke County woman commits new fraud

By Associated Press
MOBILE, Alabama — A Clarke County woman responsible for the region’s biggest personal fraud against the Federal Emergency Management Agency following Hurricane Katrina wasted no time committing a new offense when she got out of prison, prosecutors allege.
In fact, according to a federal prosecutor in Mobile, Lawanda Williams set the wheels in motion before she even got out of a halfway house Feb. 11. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Costello said Williams faxed documents to Alabama Power from a work-release job at a Taco Bell in Spanish Fort in preparation for fraudulently obtaining a loan in someone else’s name.
U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade threw the book at Williams today, rejecting the 37-year-old Jackson woman’s explanation that she intended to pay for the $3,000 worth of appliances she bought on credit.
“Frankly, Ms. Williams, I don’t believe your representations,” Granade said before sentencing her to another 2 years in prison, the maximum penalty. “The record from this court and others is that you are a con person and a fraudster. ... You have begun down a path from which there is no going back unless you decide to change.”
The judge also denied a request by Assistant Federal Defender Fred Tiemann to allow Williams to serve the sentence at the same time she serves a 10-year prison term imposed by a Clarke County Circuit Court judge for the same conduct.
According to court records, Williams got out of the halfway house on Feb. 11 and completed the purchase that same day in Jackson of a washer and dryer, a computer and a TV set from Alabama Power. A tip led Alabama Power to reclaim the items on March 4.
Williams admitted that she used the name and personal information of a woman named Tiffany Brooks, whom the defendant met in prison. Tiemann said his client knew she would not qualify for credit in her own name and had the woman’s permission to use hers.
“I wanted the court to be aware that the state is punishing her for the underlying conduct,” Tiemann told the judge.
Costello sought the 2-year maximum, noting that Williams has a string of criminal convictions dating to age 17 and that she has had only 2 months of verified employment in her life — in 1995.
“It’s the only appropriate sentence in this case. Frankly, it’s probably too little,” he said. “She had no intention of paying the money back.”
Williams pleaded guilty in 2006 to federal crimes stemming from her submission of 28 phony applications for assistance following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. FEMA approved 20 of those applications for $277,377.
Granade sentenced her in 2007 to 6 years and 3 months in prison and ordered her to pay back $267,377. The judge also ordered her to surrender 4 automobiles, real estate, televisions, electronics equipment and other items she purchased with the money.
At the request of prosecutors, Granade later chopped 8 months off of Williams’ sentence in recognition of assistance she provided in another case of FEMA fraud.

Birmingham man charged with threatening Pelham church employees

By Associated Press
PELHAM, Alabama -- The Pelham Police Department today obtained a felony warrant against a man police said threatened employees of Pelham First Baptist Church on U.S. 31 Monday morning.
David Poole Henderson, 28, of Birmingham is being sought on a charge of making terrorists threats, said Pelham Lt. Scott Tucker.
Tucker said Henderson entered the church at about 9:30 a.m., claiming to be one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and threatened people in the church office.
Church employees contacted police as Henderson left in a 2006 blue Chevrolet Silverado, Tucker said.
Based on the vehicle description, a Pelham officer stopped Henderson and saw the suspect had a bow and arrow in his vehicle.
"Henderson was released from the scene as there was no reason to arrest him at the time without further investigation," Tucker said.
After talking with church employees, Pelham detectives obtained the warrant through the Shelby County District Attorney's office.
No arrest has been made, officials said.

Man sentenced to 20 years in 2009 Pelham stabbing death

By Associated Press
PELHAM, Alabama -- A 36-year-old Pelham man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter in the fatal March 10, 2009 stabbing of Wendy Louise Starnes, according to officials with the Shelby County Circuit Court.
 
Juan Ramirez is in the custody of the Shelby County Jail, according to the jail log.
 
Ramirez was charged with murder in the death of Starnes, a 33-year-old Montevallo woman who was slain at a home in the 100 block of Oliver Street in Pelham.
 
Pelham police responded to a medical call at the home and found Starnes dead. Ramirez was hospitalized with injuries. Police have said the stabbing stemmed from a domestic dispute.
 
A jury in June convicted Ramirez of manslaughter

State officials advise schools on immigration law

By Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala.  — Officials say the state's tough new immigration law won't prohibit any child — illegal immigrant or not — from enrolling in Alabama's public schools, and record-keeping requirements shouldn't be a burden for those registering students at local schools.
"It has nothing to do with enrollment," said Tommy Bice, deputy state school superintendent for instructional services.
Bice said the state is sending information to local schools about how to deal with enrolling students in the wake of the new law, which requires public schools to determine students' immigration status and whether they qualify for classes in English as a second language.
The law, which takes effect Sept. 1, faces several court challenges. It also makes it a crime in Alabama to knowingly give an illegal immigrant a ride and allows police to arrest anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant if they're stopped for any other reason. Alabama employers also are now required to use a federal system called E-Verify to determine if new workers are in the country legally.
State officials had said previously that the measure, which became law in June, was not intended to keep illegal immigrants from enrolling. Opponents say the law could have a chilling effect, for example, discouraging parents living in the United States illegally from enrolling their children — even if the youngsters are citizens.
"There's no doubt about it," said Sam Brooke, an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center — one of the group's challenging the law. "There can be no question about that."
Brooke said the Department of Justice and the Department of Education sent a joint letter in May to schools across the country cautioning them that it is violation of federal law to inquire about a student's immigration status.
Bice said state officials were focused on being fair to students and local school personnel, as well as following the law.
He said students enrolled before Sept. 1 will not be affected, regardless of whether they are U.S. citizens or illegal immigrants. Those who enroll after that date and don't have a birth certificate can still attend school, he said.
A process has been established for their parents to secure other documentation proving their children's immigration status, he said. A code eventually will be entered in a statewide database of students if the school does not receive that documentation, he said.
Under the new law, state school officials will have to send a report to the Legislature after the school year ends detailing the cost of educating illegal immigrants. The law does not outline how to determine such costs, Bice said. Officials will be working on a way to gather and analyze that information in coming months.
Bice said there initially was a great deal of talk about the law being a burden on schools, but officials do not believe that will be the case. He noted that the vast majority of schools in the state require a birth certificate to prove a child's age before kindergarten.
"This isn't going to be a big shift," said Bice, adding that the new requirements shouldn't "seem that odd to parents."
Brooke agreed that schools can require birth certificates for questions of age and residency but contended that it is illegal to use them to determine immigration status.
"You can't be asking about immigration status for any reason," he said.

Closing arguments set in Alabama gambling trial

By Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala.  — Attorneys in Alabama's gambling corruption trial begin their closing arguments Wednesday, with defense lawyers contending that prosecutors have failed to back up their claims that state government officials were caught up in a bribery scheme "astonishing in scope."
The trial, now in its ninth week, will have two days devoted to closing arguments. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson has given prosecutors five hours and defense attorneys 10 hours to make their final pitches before jurors begin deliberations, most likely on Friday.
Federal prosecutors aren't commenting, but defense attorneys said they will argue that the government hasn't backed up its bold claims about rampant corruption.
"Some of the overt acts the government said it would prove, it did not prove. They did not offer any evidence whatsoever," said Lewis Gillis, attorney for Democratic Sen. Quinton Ross of Montgomery.
Ross is one of the nine defendants who were arrested in October and accused of using campaign contributions to buy and sell votes for pro-gambling legislation. Prosecutors said casino owners and their lobbyists offered millions to legislators in campaign contributions if they would vote for legislation to thwart Republican Gov. Bob Riley's efforts to shut down electronic bingo casinos.
On the day of the arrests, the chief of the Justice Department's criminal division, Lanny Breuer, said the corrupt scheming was "astonishing in scope ... a full-scale campaign to bribe legislators and others."
On trial with Ross are VictoryLand casino owner Milton McGregor; two of his lobbyists, Tom Coker and Bob Geddie; independent Sen. Harri Anne Smith of Slocomb; former Democratic Sen. Larry Means of Attalla; former Republican Sen. Jim Preuitt of Talladega; former legislative employee Ray Crosby; and former Country Crossing casino spokesman Jay Walker.
Before the case went to trial, Country Crossing casino developer Ronnie Gilley and two of his lobbyists, Jarrod Massey and Jennifer Pouncy, pleaded guilty. During the trial, the three testified about offering $2 million in campaign help to Preuitt, providing $500,000 in contributions to Smith, and receiving demands from Means and Ross for contributions as a vote on the legislation neared.
Prosecutors reinforced the testimony with wiretapped phone calls and secret recordings made by three Republican legislators helping the FBI.
Those recordings sometimes worked to both sides' benefit. In one recording, state Sen. Scott Beason of Gardendale was wearing a recording device for the FBI when he talked with fellow Republican legislators about keeping the gambling legislation from being put before Alabama voters in the November 2010 election because it could bring out more black voters and hurt GOP candidates' chances. In the meeting, Beason referred to customers of a casino in a predominantly black county as "aborigines."
The Senate passed the gambling bill on March 30, 2010. Two days later, the FBI announced its investigation of Statehouse corruption, and the gambling bill died in the House without ever coming to a vote.
FBI agent George Glaser testified in the trial that the FBI took the unusual step of announcing an investigation because Justice Department officials felt they couldn't allow "potentially tainted legislation to progress through the Alabama Legislature."
Walker's attorney, Susan James, said she expects defense attorneys' closing arguments will recall Beason's tape and Glaser's testimony and then use that to question the federal government's motive. She said that if the FBI really wanted to uncover corruption rather than simply kill the bill, it could have waited for the House to act and then cast a bigger net that covered both houses of the Legislature.
"You can't remove politics from this case," she said.
Defense attorneys were so confident about their case that they presented only one witness before resting Friday.
McGregor's attorney, Joe Espy, said the government's testimony showed that McGregor followed the long-standing political practice of giving donations to officeholders who shared his political views on gambling. "There wasn't one thing wrong with it," Espy said.
The trial has been the biggest government corruption case in Alabama since former Gov. Don Siegelman and former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy were convicted in a bribery scandal in 2006.
Siegelman attorney Vince Kilborn said defense attorneys must get jurors to focus on parts of the case they have doubts about and stress that prosecutors haven't proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
"It's real simple — reasonable doubt, reasonable doubt, reasonable doubt. It's in the Constitution. Jurors take it to heart when you emphasize that," he said.
No matter how the trial turns out, it won't change the fact that McGregor's casino in Shorter is closed. Gilley's casino in Dothan reopened last month under new management and with a new name, Center Stage. Its flashing Vegas-style games have been replaced by games played on plain computer screens without flashing lights. Its future is in doubt because the state attorney general has sent the operators a letter to cease using the machines, which is the first step toward trying to close them

Greenhill man killed his estranged wife and shot another man several times before killing himself.

 By Associated Press
FLORENCE, Ala. — Lauderdale County authorities say a Greenhill man killed his estranged wife and shot another man several times before killing himself.
The TimesDaily reports (http://bit.ly/oO6D2k ) that Sheriff Ronnie Willis says the bodies of 34-year-old Sonja Faith Poss and her husband, 39-year-old Robert Jason Poss, were found on Monday in the living room of her home on U.S. 43.
Willis says both had been shot once and were pronounced dead by coroner Andy High.
Officials say 36-year-old Mitchell Hopper of Florence, who was at the residence, was flown to Decatur General Hospital where he received treatment for multiple gunshot wounds

FBI: Muslim GI Found With Bomb Makings Near Ft. Hood

By Associated Press
An AWOL Soldier who was granted conscientious objector status is facing federal charges in connection with bomb-making materials found in his motel room near Fort Hood, Texas, where a radicalized Muslim Army major killed 13 and wounded 32 nearly two years ago.

Pfc. Naser Abdo, 21, was arrested Wednesday at a hotel where he was staying. Abdo had gone AWOL on July 4 from Fort Campbell, Ky., where he was facing charges of possessing child pornography, according to reports.
FBI spokesman Erik Vasys told The Associated Press today that Abdo will be charged with possessing bomb-making components.

"I would emphasize that any threat that Abdo posed is now over," he told the AP. "Suffice it to say we're looking into all aspects of Mr. Abdo's life to determine his motivations and intentions."
According to various reports, Killeen police arrested Abdo after receiving a call from a local gun shop owner who was suspicious of a man asking about .40-caliber ammunition, bought three boxes of 12-gauge ammo and a magazine for a pistol.
CNN reported the customer then took a cab to a surplus store and allegedly bought a military uniform.
Fort Hood on Nov. 5, 2009, was the site of carnage after Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on a room full of Soldiers at the post. Witnesses say Hasan shouted “Alahu Akbar!” just before he drew a semi-automatic pistol and began firing. Hasan wounded one civilian police officer responding to the attack but was stopped when a second officer shot him five times, paralyzing him from the chest down, according to witnesses.
Hasan was arraigned only last week on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 of attempted murder.
Abdo first made news about a year ago when he applied for conscientious objector status, reportedly to avoid deploying to Afghanistan. Already in the Army a year by then, he claimed that his military experience taught him that “no Muslim should serve in the U.S. Military.”

In an interview with ABC News last August, he claimed he entered the Army believing he would be protecting Islamic freedoms in Iraq and Afghanistan; that would make him a good Muslim, he said.
But he found was losing touch with his Muslim community and questioned if he was ready to die.
“I came to the conclusion that I wasn't ready to die and meet God,” he said.
He was granted conscientious objector status ultimately, but the Army also recommended he be discharged. His separation from the Army was delayed, according to reports, because he was being charged with possessing child porn.