Alabama’s teacher of the year may be looking for a new job. Ann Marie Corgill resigned after being told she wasn’t qualified to teach. Corgill says she resigned in confusion about her certification after state and local education officials say she was only certified to teach up to the third grade. Corgill says she started this school year at Oliver Elementary School teaching second grade, but was moved to a fifth-grade class. Birmingham City School officials say they’re no comment and were working the matter.
Alabama businesses are hoping tomorrow’s Halloween celebration will scare up dollars for the local economy. The spooky holiday is expected to generate up to seven billion dollars nationally. The average American is predicted to spend about seventy five dollars on their costume, as well as candy to give out to trick or treaters. Melissa Warnke is Communication Manager for Alabama Retail Association. She says Halloween used to be just for children, but that’s changed…
“I think several years ago, it used to be just about getting the kids dressed up and taking them trick-or-treating, but now, really, with social media becoming more popular and a lot more people getting into dressing up and having Halloween parties, it’s probably become just as much of an adult holiday as it is a kid holiday.”
Weather forecasters are predicting up to ninety percent chance of rain in Alabama tomorrow night. That could prompt trick or treaters to head out early or stay indoors.
Women in Madison County will be able to get free testing for genetic types of cancer starting tomorrow. Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology will be offering the best for the entire community. Thirty year old women in Madison County will be offered the tests at no cost. Participants will receive a kit in the mail inside a purple envelope. The process involves swabbing the inside of your cheek to test for the likelihood of breast, ovarian, colon or uterine cancer. The institute says the tests are ninety nine percent accurate in determining cancer risk.
If you’re tired of driving over potholes, a new coalition coming to Alabama may be able to help. The group is called DRIVE and it was created to help generate dollars so counties can properly maintain their roads and bridges. Recent budget deficits in Alabama have meant less money to repair roads and build new ones. John Bedford is a Colbert County Engineer. He says people need to pay attention to road maintenance…
“It is just like when you are working at your house if you do not keep your yard up it is going to fall apart and roads take the same kind of attention as anything else does roads they need to be preserved.”
Bedford is hoping that the DRIVE campaign will also educate people about road maintenance while it raises funds to and help fundraise to help improve roads and bridges. ?
The Alabama National Fair returns to Montgomery starting today. This week is a later start date for the annual event. Organizers blame the time change on a collection of other state fairs in early October. That meant more competition that for the kinds of carnival rides that draw the biggest crowds. This week also has a cooler weather forecast that fair operators hope will lead to a healthier turnout. The Alabama National Fair will also include musical acts with Lynard Skynard as the main event on November seventh. ?
