Rain is helping efforts to put out a nearly 2,000-acre wildfire that's been burning for more than a week in northwest Alabama.
The U.S. Forest Service says crews were monitoring a fire line in the Sipsey Wilderness today. Officials hope continuing rainfall will extinguish the blaze.
More than 1.5 inches of rain is forecast in an area where the Big Tree wildfire has burned about 1,938 acres since it was first reported on Oct. 16.
Almost half the fire has been contained in southern Lawrence County. About three dozen firefighters from Alabama and four other Southern states are working to put out the fire.
Federal prosecutors are trying for a second time to convict Madison police officer Eric Parker of using unreasonable force when questioning an Indian man in February.
57 year old Sureshbhai Patel appears to have been slammed to the ground by Parker in a police dash camera video.
Robert Posey is the first assistant U.S. attorney for the northern district. He says the prosecution has good evidence on their side…
“Civil rights cases are important to us. We feel like the evidence we have is good. The jury has video evidence they can see. We feel that these cases deserve resolution so that’s why we’re going to try it again.”
Patel was severely injured in the scuffle. Patel, who does not speak English, had only been in the U.S. for just over a week before the incident.
Seventh ranked Alabama beat Tennessee for the ninth straight year Saturday.
Tennessee gained a one-point lead over Alabama late in the 4th quarter before quarterback Jake Coker and running back Derrick Henry engineered a 71 yard scoring drive to seal the game.
Coach Nick Saban says his team’s grueling schedule may have contributed to their performance…
“We were tired out there today, dead-legged, didn’t look very quick, didn’t look very fast. Didn’t have a lot of energy, like we usually do. And I think that’s playing eight games in a row. But the best thing I can say is, you gotta really respect guys that – a team that finds a way to win.”
The Crimson Tide is off this weekend. They’ll host the undefeated and fourth-ranked LSU Tigers in Bryant-Denny Stadium November 7.