Pat Duggins

A controversial election for School Board in the city of Tuscaloosa may have violated state law. Published reports state that fraternities and sororities on the campus of the University of Alabama offered free drinks to member students who participated in Tuesday’s election. The incentive was reportedly a wrist band which entitled the bearer to a free drink at a local restaurant. If the offer is proven to be true, that could be in violation of Alabama Code 17-17-39. APR asked the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University to study the issue.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — State education officials say they expect to assemble a new list of failing schools before the end of the year. Alabama Department of Education spokeswoman Malissa Valdes-Hubert told AL.com test scores from last spring are likely to be released this fall and the data will help state officials recalculate schools' test scores. Valdes-Hubert says parents have until Jan. 1 to let schools know if they plan to transfer students based on the new failing schools list. She says parents are eligible for a $3,500 tax credit to help pay for private school tuition.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The launch of an initiative aimed at addressing childhood obesity in Alabama has slowed an increase of overweight children compared to other states, but hasn't improved Alabama's childhood obesity rate. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that obesity rates in Alabama's children and teens have increased by nearly 5 percent since 1999 despite an effort by the Alabama Department of Education to control what types of snacks are sold in vending machines on school campuses.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A small number of U.S. states are joining a fight against the nation's leading name in green building, saying its standards discourage builders from using wood grown in their own forests. The U.S. Green Building Council's program is called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. It's so popular it grants voluntary environmental certification to roughly 1.5 million square feet of new construction daily. But some governors and lawmakers say strict standards for what LEED considers sustainably grown wood are hurting growers in their states. Georgia Gov.

CULLMAN, Ala. (AP) — Authorities in Cullman County have arrested nearly 60 people following an investigation into drug activity. The Cullman Times reports the county-wide roundup came after a six-month investigation by local law enforcement. Ninety warrants were served, and 58 people were arrested over a two-day period. The charges include distribution and manufacturing of a controlled substance, as well as a variety of lesser drug charges. Officers from the Cullman County Sheriff's Office, Cullman Police Department, and Hanceville Police Department participated in the effort.

GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) — A historic black cemetery in Gadsden has been named to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register. The Gadsden Times reports that the Alabama Historic Commission says the largely abandoned cemetery has been known by several names, including Sixth Street and Sunset, but Southern Hills is the most familiar. The earliest known headstone in the cemetery dates to 1888. The commission says burials at the cemetery stopped in the 1940s when the city took the neighborhood by eminent domain. Area residents moved to another part of town, abandoning the cemetery.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Gov. Robert Bentley says he believes Alabama's new private school tax credits should not apply to students who never enrolled in a failing school. Bentley says the tax credits should only apply to a student who transfers out of a failing school, but he says the final determination is up to the state Department of Revenue. He expects that to be done before school resumes in August. Exactly who will qualify for the tax credits has been in question since Bentley signed the Alabama Accountability Act in March.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Louis Farrakhan and others are planning a caravan across Alabama on June 14 to encourage the U.S. Supreme Court to save a major portion of the Voting Rights Act. Southern Christian Leadership Conference CEO Charles Steele said the National Coalition of Leaders to Save Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is also calling on Justice Antonin Scalia to step aside from the court case because of public comments he made. The leaders, including state Sen.

ANNISTON, Ala. (AP) - Court records indicate that a lawsuit over alleged hazing at a Jacksonville State University fraternity will be handled outside of court. The Anniston Star reports that the plaintiff, Jason Horton, and the defendants, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, its JSU chapter and fraternity officials, have agreed to mediation. Michael Petway, Horton's attorney, said the agreement gives all parties involved 30 days from Friday to agree on a mediator and 30 days after that to set up the mediation.

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — State officials are warning that the water along several stretches of beach in Harrison County may have high bacteria levels that could expose swimmers to an increased risk of illness. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued a warning Saturday for two beach segments in Biloxi and Gulfport. Neither area has been closed to swimming. Officials issued the same warning Friday for three other stretches of beach in Harrison County. The department said it is working with local officials to inform residents about the potential problem.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama officials are alerting residents to be ready as hurricane season begins, even though it's been nearly a decade since the state took a direct hit from a storm. The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season began Saturday and runs through Nov. 30. Gov. Robert Bentley and forecast officials are underscoring the need for residents to prepare for the worst should the season usher in another Ivan, which decimated tourist areas in Baldwin County in 2004.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The former commander of the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force has been charged with stealing about $125,000 in drug proceeds that were seized by the agency. U.S. Attorney's officials say 55-year-old Jeffrey Lynn Snyder, of Carrollton, has agreed to plead guilty to stealing from the task force between June 2010 and June 2012, when he left the organization. The task force is staffed with police from Tuscaloosa, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office, the Northport Police Department and the University of Alabama.

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania has endorsed conservative writer and former Congressional aide Quin Hillyer of Mobile for a soon-to-be vacant south Alabama Congressional seat. Santorum said Tuesday that he supports Hillyer's position on strengthening America's economy and for his standing up for American values. Santorum says he plans to join Hillyer on the campaign trail and tell Alabama voters why Hillyer would be "the right conservative" to serve in the First Congressional District seat.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A central Alabama woman has pleaded guilty to gathering personal information that was used to file fraudulent tax refunds. Department of Justice officials say Lea'Tice Phillips, a former state employee, had access to state databases containing personal information. Authorities say Phillips used her state email account to send personal information to a co-conspirator, Antoinette Djonret, who then used the information to file fraudulent tax returns. Officials say the women recruited others to buy prepaid debit cards they could use to launder the money.

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - The Mobile City Council is blocking the planned expansion of an Islamic center, a decision the head of the religious organization blames on discrimination. Council members cited parking concerns Tuesday in overturning a previous decision to approve an expansion of the Islamic Center of Mobile. Center president Shafik Hammami calls the decision a "travesty of justice." He claims religious discrimination is behind the decision. Opponents of the planned expansion deny that religion has anything to do with their position.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An aide to Governor Robert Bentley says the administration will continue to explore its options after lawmakers adjourned Monday without acting on 70 nominees to various state boards. Jennifer Ardis, a spokeswoman in the governor's office, said the administration is worried that some boards may not have enough qualified members to do business. Many of the boards, however, allow sitting members to continue serving until their replacement are confirmed.

This Wednesday marks the season finale of “Alabama, Inc.,” the television program about business that airs on Alabama Public Television. The APR newsroom has been collaborating on the show, with News Director Pat Duggins conducting entrepreneur profile segments. This Wednesday, Pat sits down with Dr. David Bronner, the head of Retirement Systems of Alabama, or RSA. “I’ve had governors, a few of them, like me,” says Bronner. “I’ve had most governors hate the sight of me.” That might not be something you want on your resume. But, David Bronner doesn’t seem to mind.

NORTH COURTLAND, Ala. (AP) — Students at a north Alabama high school are campaigning to change traffic laws after a teenager died in a wreck at what they say is a dangerous intersection. Students at R.A. Hubbard High School in North Courtland want to lower the speed limit at an intersection where Hatton High School junior Caitlyn Martin was killed in April. Hubbard students are writing letters to legislators to lower the 65 mph speed limit at the intersection of Alabama 157 and Highway 101. Math teacher Karen Posey tells The Decatur Daily that traffic goes too fast at the intersection.

Alabama Public Radio continues its collaboration on a new television program about business. It’s called Alabama, Inc. and it airs tonight at 10 pm on your local Alabama Public Television station. So far this season, APR news director Pat Duggins has interviewed entrepreneurs who build shopping malls, design high-end fashions, and clean up toxic waste. This Sunday, the topic is a “sweet” family business based in Birmingham. Tricia Wallwork hears the stories from customers all the time.