A former Auburn University lab technician accused of distributing a chemical similar to a date-rape drug has pleaded guilty in federal court.
Court documents say Stephen Howard's guilty plea to three counts of possessing and distributing a form of butanediol was accepted yesterday by U.S. District Judge Charles Coody.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the chemical known as BD is odorless and colorless and is used as a sedative.
Auburn police said in a court affidavit that they used confidential informants during their investigation into Howard, who worked in the school's Poly-Fiber Engineering Department.
Court records say Howard also pleaded guilty to methamphetamine possession. He's still expected to go to trial on two counts of using firearms during drug trafficking crimes
Free screenings for certain types of cancer are being held for women in Northern Alabama.
Information Is Power is an event for 30 year old women running through the next year to test for breast and ovarian cancer in Madison County.
Kimberly Strong is the Faculty Investigator and Director of Ethics and Genomics Program at Hudson Alpha. She encourages all women eligible to learn more information and consider attending.
“The goal is really to raise awareness around traditional screening methods. It also is to be a catalyst for discussion within families about their risk, and as well to offer an opportunity to have genetic screening done in a way that would identify those that are at increased risk.”
For more information about the event go to Hudsonalpha-dot-org.
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.