News

A restaurant from Eufaula has won Alabama's BBQ Sauce-Off Championship.

A panel of judges picked Phil's BBQ as the best sauce during a tasting Saturday in Birmingham. Phil's was one of four regional winners that ended up in the state contest organized by the Alabama Tourism Department.

Contest Coordinator Brian Jones said Alabama has a great barbecue culture and the Tourism Department is highlighting it during its Year of Alabama Food promotion.

Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts and technical experts from across the U.S. are meeting in Alabama.

The Tuscaloosa News reports (http://bit.ly/18Thpic ) the Mercedes-Benz Club of America chose Alabama for its StarTech 2013 event, which brings together experts in Mercedes restoration, maintenance and performance for seminars and workshops. The four-day event began this weekend and runs through Tuesday.

Gov. Robert Bentley is spending the weekend trying to round up legislative support for his proposal to delay Alabama's new private school tax credits for two years.

Bentley spoke Saturday at the Alabama League of Municipalities convention in Montgomery and urged several hundred city officials to contact their legislators before the Legislature's last meeting day on Monday. Bentley said he's also contacting legislators by letter and in person.

Hundreds of athletes are converging on Alabama's largest state park for a major competition this weekend.

About 1,000 pro and amateur athletes will be at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham beginning Saturday for the XTERRA Southeast Championship.

The triathlon includes a one-mile swim, a 20-mile mountain bike ride and a 10k off-road run through woods just a few miles south of Birmingham.

This is the eighth straight year the regional competition has been held at Oak Mountain, which is considered one of the top mountain-biking destinations in the nation.

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

A forecaster at the National Weather Service in Huntsville said the suspected tornado started about a mile south-southeast of Athens and moved in a line toward southwest Ardmore Friday.

The unsettled weather system continued to concern forecasters as it moved north toward Tennessee.

Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson says he saw the backside of a wall cloud that had a tail. Police followed as it moved up Route 31 to Interstate 65.

May is Pet Cancer Awareness Month, a time for  pet owners to be aware of the threat of cancer in their furry friends and ways they can minimize the risk.

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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 Pro Tem Del Marsh, says a delay isn't needed.

The Senate Democratic Caucus and House Minority Leader Craig Ford say the tax credits should be repealed rather than delayed.

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

But Rep. Mike Ball of Madison says he doesn't want to give in on House GOP proposals concerning political contributions by corporations and utilities, including the influential Alabama Power Co.

Alabama's unemployment rate has dipped to 6.9 percent.

The architect of Alabama's new private school tax credits intends to block the governor's proposal to delay the tax breaks for two years.

   Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh of Anniston said families of children trapped in failing schools need the option of school choice now. Marsh said Thursday he intends to block the governor's proposal, either by getting the Legislature to reject it or never bringing it up for a vote.

   The new law provides tax credits for parents who send their children to private schools rather than public schools rated as failing.

The Cruelty of Children

Stories about kids being mean to each other.

Gov. Robert Bentley says his first impression of the state education and state general fund budgets is that they are basically fine.

   Bentley said Wednesday it appears legislators put some pork projects into the budgets and he's still reviewing a few items. But he sad he hasn't seen any major problems yet.

A water plan passed by the U.S. Senate will not limit Georgia's water use from two federal reservoirs, a restriction sought by lawmakers in Alabama and Florida.

The Senate voted 83-14 on Wednesday to approve legislation authorizing a number of water projects nationally.

A long-running water dispute in the Southeast provoked a political clash over the bill.

Chilton County commissioners and the Clanton hospital board met Tuesday to explore funding methods for a new hospital.

   The commission has raised $1 million that they thought would work to reopen the hospital that closed seven months ago. When that was deemed unfeasible, they looked toward building a new facility.

   Chilton County residents are frustrated about the length time they must do without a local medical center.