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Police Investigate UA Sexual Assault, Final Day for Barbecue Voting

Police are currently searching for a man accused of sexually assaulting a student at the University of Alabama.

Authorities say the attack happened early yesterday morning. A student was walking along the Strip when she was approached by a white male in his early 20’s driving a white truck. The man said he was part of a church organization offering sober rides to those in need.

The student accepted the offer, and when they arrived at her destination he wouldn’t let her exit the vehicle. Reports indicate the man then sexually assaulted her. The student managed to stop him, exit the vehicle and flee the scene.

Anyone with any information about the assault or the suspect is urged to contact University of Alabama Police or CrimeStoppers.

A new Jewish organization is in operation at The University of Alabama.

The center is called Chabad. It’s led by Rabbi Kussi Lipskier and his wife Rosie. Chabad is an organization that offers religious and Judaic programming to college students across the county.

Rabbi Lipskier says although Alabama might not seem like an obvious place to have a Chabad, he feels that there is a demand for it.

“There is a lot of students here that could use our outreach and have a place for everyone to come to and explore Judaism and a home where students can come for home-cooked meals and for one-on-one studies, or anything they may need.”

Chabad plans to offer all of their programming to the University of Alabama’s nearly one thousand member Jewish population.

If you have a favorite barbecue restaurant, the Alabama Department of Tourism wants to hear from you.

Today is the final day to vote in the agency’s Alabama Barbecue Battle. It’s a contest to pick the best of the best in our state, which boasts more barbecue restaurants per capita than anywhere else in the nation.

Brian Jones is with the Alabama Department of Tourism. He says the awards are broken into categories starting with barbecue legends like Big Bob’s and Archibald's.

“Then we have the rookies. Those are the restaurants that have been around for four or five years or so. Then we have multi-locations like Full Moon and Jim and Nick's. Then, we have the Mom and Pops. And the fifth category we call the dives.”

Jones says dives are out of the way places barbecue fans seek out. You can vote online at www.ilovealabamafood.com. Winners will be announced tomorrow.

Dodge City will be charging a half-cent sales tax starting in October.

Mayor Tawana Canada said town authorities adopted the tax because its revenues are dwindling and the town faces a steady stream of projects that require funding. The town is currently spending much of its discretionary budget on road repairs.

Canada said the town's revenue collections have dropped since authorities decided to rescind property taxes in 2009, during the recession.

By adding the half-cent tax, the sales tax in Dodge City will increase from 8.5 cents to 9 cents. That's the same as the nearby towns of Cullman and Fairview.

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