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Grand jury gets case of Alabama man facing terrorism charge, Holiday Travel

A grand jury will hear the case of an Alabama man charged with trying to aid terrorists.  However, his attorney and others have raised questions about his mental capacity.

St. Clair County Judge Alan Furr denied a motion to reduce the $1 million bond for 18-year-old Peyton Pruitt of Pell City in a preliminary hearing yesterday.        Court records say Pruitt attempted to provide less than $1,000 in resources to aid terrorists.

St. Clair County Chief Investigator Tommy Dixon read a transcript of Pruitt's FBI interview.  It stated that he offered bomb-making information and advice about potential targets online to what he thought were representatives of terrorist groups.

Pruitt's lawyer Gibson Holladay and education workers have said Pruitt is intellectually disabled and lacks reasoning skills.

Several Alabama retirement fund executives are finding a little something extra in their Christmas stockings this year. APR’s Alex AuBuchon has the details…

The Retirement Systems of Alabama, the state’s pension fund, is paying out a total of $370,000 in year-end incentive bonuses to 14 of its employees.

RSA head David Bronner says the bonuses help him keep strong and motivated employees in a competitive profession.

The pension system only earned a 1 percent return on its $32 billion in investments this year, well below its target of 8 percent. But Bronner says the incentive bonuses are based on performance relative to the market, and not the initial overall target.

A state legislative committee is currently studying the pension system and may recommend some changes for next year.

Triple-A of Alabama suggest you plan more time for your trip, with many motorists hitting the road and skies this holiday season.  

Triple-A spokesperson Clay Ingram says a big reason for so many people out on the highways this Christmas has to do with the emotional attachment that is tied directly to this holiday…

“We have a lot of fond memories and we have a lot of family that we don’t get to see any other time of the year.  That lends itself to people really making the extra effort and making sacrifices in other ways to be able to go and visit some of the friends and family members for the holidays.

Ingram says a record of more than 100 million people are expected to travel fifty miles or more over the holiday season.  He says lower gas prices and an improving economy plays a role in the extra traffic.

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