State prosecutors say indicted House Speaker Mike Hubbard is once again manufacturing investigation leaks to distract the public from his criminal wrongdoing.
Yesterday, prosecutors asked a judge to reject Hubbard's motion to dismiss their indictment. Hubbard claimed there were violations of the grand jury secrecy act and other problems with the investigation against him.
State prosecutors said Hubbard's claims are baseless, and a “bogus narrative”.
Prosecutors asked a judge to block Hubbard's efforts to subpoena Attorney General Luther Strange and others to testify at an upcoming hearing in the case. Strange stepped aside from the investigation for propriety reasons and appointed a retired district attorney to lead the probe.
Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics charges of using his public offices for personal financial gain. He is expected to go to trial in October.
It was fifty years ago tomorrow that voting rights marchers finished their trip from Selma to Montgomery.
A group including the daughters of Martin Luther King and Governor George Wallace will finish the march tomorrow with a ceremony at the state capitol.
74 year old Bennie Lee Tucker of Selma is one of the original foot soldiers who took part in the marches. He says his generation started the process toward civil rights and it’s up to the next generation to carry on the fight.
“If they don’t register to vote, they’ll be right back where they started, in slavery again. But, now they got to make up their minds, there’s no turning back. And, they got to stop the killing, pull their pants up, start going to church, and realize they’re brothers and sisters.”
Be sure to join the Alabama Public Radio news team this Friday at 7 PM for the documentary “More Bridges to Cross...”
A historical tour of Montgomery is going on throughout the month of March.
The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitor Bureau is presenting the “Dream Marches On” guided trolley tour. Attendees have the chance to see many historical landmarks all over the city from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement.
Meg Lewis is the Director of Tourism and Special Projects for the Montgomery Area Chamber. She says people really get to experience the history of the entire city.
“On the tour you’ll see everything from the old neighborhoods where people like Rosa Parks lived all the way out to the newest, most renovated tourist attractions. So you really get a sense of what’s happened here, who lives here... characters who built the history of this city which, in reality, means the history of this country.”
People also get to see the town of St. Jude where the Selma to Montgomery Marchers stayed the night before reaching the Capitol. The tour goes on throughout the rest of this week. The pick-up and drop-off location is at the Montgomery Visitors' Center.