Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, AL) articles from April 2006

Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, AL) archives from April 2006

Commuters skeptical about federal gas cost rebate.
April 28, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 28--Marva Watkins, who drives nearly 50 miles round trip to work, doesn't believe any of the suggestions coming from Congress will help alleviate the pressure on her finances from increased gasoline prices....

Community raising funds for new field.
April 28, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 28--Build it and they will come. Ramer families are banking on it. Community members and elected officials believe everyone deserves the opportunity to play organized sports without the hassle of...

State fails to get best teachers.
April 28, 2006... Byline: Greg Wright Apr. 28--WASHINGTON -- When it came to getting qualified people to teach children essential subjects such as math and English, Alabama had one of the lowest success rates in the nation in 2004-05, according to U.S....

Ex-first lady's name continues to vanish.
April 28, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 28--No one claimed responsibility the last time a reminder of Montgomery's former first lady Anita Folmar's work was removed from a city building. This time, police Chief Arthur Baylor said it is just...

18th expo brings businesses together.
April 27, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 27--The 18th annual Montgomery Business Expo will begin at 7:30 p.m. today at the Holiday Inn East at 1185 East Blvd. Sponsored by the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and the Central Alabama Business...

State's NASA funding assured.
April 27, 2006... Byline: Greg Wright Apr. 27--Alabama's Marshall Space Flight Center will continue to get "robust" federal funding for space research, NASA's top official told lawmakers Wednesday. This includes funds to help develop a Crew Launch...

Maulers axed: Owner replacing team.
April 27, 2006... Byline: Tom Ensey Apr. 27--The Montgomery Maulers have been fired. Owner Jamie LaMunyon responded to players' demands for back wages by releasing the entire team. "I have cut all the football players," LaMunyon said by cell...

Firm selected to shape city's downtown growth.
April 27, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 27--Montgomery is bringing in a world-renowned urban planning firm to orchestrate the redevelopment of its downtown. Mayor Bobby Bright gave the go-ahead a couple of weeks ago to a deal with Dover Kohl and...

School board changes ahead.
April 26, 2006... Byline: Erin Elaine Mosely Apr. 26--WETUMPKA -- The face of the Elmore County Board of Education will change after the June primaries, but by how much will be left up to voters. Incumbent and board chairman Johnny Carothers is...

Soaring gas prices sting area.
April 26, 2006... Byline: Mike Linn and Julie Arrington Apr. 26--Terry Bryant drove to a BP gas station Tuesday, pulled a quick U-turn and headed under an overpass to another place to buy gas. Her goal: Save two cents a gallon. It may not sound...

Peterson school will close this year.
April 26, 2006... Byline: Antoinette Konz Apr. 26--Despite voicing several concerns about what will happen next, the Montgomery County Board of Education decided Tuesday night to close Peterson Elementary School at the end of this school year. The...

Seminar to stress safety in trenches.
April 25, 2006... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Apr. 25--As more Hispanics move into the Alabama construction industry, language problems can complicate jobs that already are dangerous. Safety experts are offering a Montgomery seminar on keeping workers...

Ingram RV Center to be auctioned off.
April 25, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 25--Marlin Ingram worked every day of every week for nearly a decade after he started dealing recreational vehicles 23 years ago. Eventually, he started taking Sundays off and worked that schedule for the next 14...

Spring break, school's fate in air.
April 25, 2006... Byline: Antoinette Konz Apr. 25--Parents and teachers likely will find out about next year's spring break and the future of Peterson Elementary School at tonight's meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Education. Tom Salter,...

BUSINESS Q&A: Arleen Alexander of Petroleum& Convenience Marketers of Alabama.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Apr. 24--Arleen Alexander's job with the Petroleum & Convenience Marketers of Alabama means she's involved with one of the biggest economic issues facing America: dealing with the rising cost of gasoline. ...

OBITUARY: Businessman profited all, friends recall.(Obituary)
April 24, 2006... Byline: Mike Linn Apr. 24--Samuel Schloss, a longtime Montgomery businessman and one of the city's most decorated community servants, died at his home Friday after a five-week battle with cancer. He was 80. Schloss underwent...

Business class gives boost to 'next level'.
April 24, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 24--If you spend hours hovering above your company balance sheets not knowing which debit links to which credit, help is on the way. The Small Business Development Center at Alabama State University is about...

Pike Road to buy land for municipal complex.
April 23, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 23--PIKE ROAD -- The town of Pike Road plans to purchase nearly 10 acres of land adjacent to Town Hall to build a new municipal complex and a professional office center. Officials moved into the...

Nova 8 theater reborn as a movie house of God.
April 21, 2006... Byline: Darryn Simmons Apr. 21--A new nondenominational church is looking to spread the word in a place that was once reserved for motion pictures. True Word of Life church is leasing the old Nova 8 movie theater at 1755 East Blvd....

Mayor accepts Bush's pothole challenge.
April 21, 2006... Byline: Kirsten J. Barnes Apr. 21--Tuskegee's mayor got some unsolicited advice when President Bush came to visit the other day. Fill the potholes, the commander-in-chief counseled. The audience lapped it up. It's the line Bush...

Shutdown slows flights.
April 20, 2006... Byline: Crystal Bonvillian Apr. 20--Flights out of and into Montgomery were either delayed or canceled throughout the day Wednesday because of a shutdown of all security checkpoints at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport....

Right moves ease gas pains.
April 20, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 20--We don't have to tell you what gasoline costs these days. If you are like most motorists, every morning you scour the stations for that elusive deal, that gallon of petrol that still costs less than...

Price Oil Co. sold to Birmingham company.
April 20, 2006... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Apr. 20--A Birmingham-based company has acquired Montgomery-based Price Oil Co. The purchase price was not disclosed. Moore Oil Co., which operates from Nashville, Tenn., to the Florida Panhandle, is a...

Sylvest files for protection, plans to sell assets.
April 20, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 20--Montgomery-based Sylvest Farms filed a petition for relief and reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy law Tuesday, seeking protection from creditors who want the poultry company to cough up millions of...

Jail workers get pay settlement.
April 20, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 20--Alabama's Department of Corrections will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars -- in cash and time off -- and audit the labor practices of all its prisons to settle overtime complaints lodged by former and...

President salutes Tuskegee Airmen.
April 20, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 20--TUSKEGEE -- Few members of the elite all-black fighter squadron will be around when a $29 million museum honoring them is completed, but at least two lived long enough to be honored on their turf by the...

Black-owned businesses' numbers rise.
April 19, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 19--The number of black-owned businesses in the Montgomery area more than doubled between 1997 and 2002, a new report from the Census Bureau shows. Released Tuesday, the "Survey of Business Owners" showed...

Eminent domain bill dies.
April 19, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 19--The eminent domain debate raged in the Alabama Legislature well past midnight and into an unplanned extra day early Tuesday morning. The session broke up just before 3 a.m. without action on the controversial...

$300M plan for facilities raises school board tempers.
April 19, 2006... Byline: Antoinette Konz Apr. 19--A Montgomery County Board of Education work session Tuesday dissolved into a war of words among members over a proposed cooperative district agreement that would fund part of the district's $300 million...

Celebrations nightclub survives closing bid.
April 19, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 19--The nightclub Celebrations will be open for business this weekend. City Councilman Glen Pruitt did not have enough support from his fellow council members to close the nightclub, located in Vaughn Plaza...

Russell to cut 600 jobs despite buyout.
April 19, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 19--Despite this week's announcement that Berkshire Hathaway would acquire Russell Corp., the textile company will continue its restructuring plan to eliminate at least 600 jobs in Alexander City by the end of...

Public invited to look over plan for Cloverdale.
April 18, 2006... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Apr. 18--Ray Williams, president-elect of the Montgomery chapter of the American Institute of Architects, admits that most people don't recognize the word "charette." "It's kind of loosely described as a...

Tax holiday passes.
April 18, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 18--Back-to-school shoppers can look forward to three days when they don't have to pay the state's 4 percent sales tax, thanks to a bill approved Monday by the Alabama Legislature. The bill, sent to Gov. Bob...

Aerospace week at schools takes off.
April 18, 2006... Byline: Erin Elaine Mosely Apr. 18--Hannah Johnson took one look at the hovercraft and thought it would send her airborne. Then, she took a ride in the circular machine and knew better. "It feels like you're floating," the...

Misgivings stall school building plan.
April 18, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 18--Local officials said Monday a massive school building project is on hold because of concerns from Superintendent Carlinda Purcell and at least one school board member about proposed funding agreements...

City Council may close club.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 17--Janet May said the Montgomery City Council needs discretionary money to be effective and will lobby her colleagues to repeal a 1995 ordinance, which took those funds away. "We aren't worth anything...

Senate to vote on tax holiday.
April 17, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 17--The governor wants it. The House passed it without a dissenting vote. Today, area residents will see whether the Senate goes along with a proposed three-day sales tax holiday in August. A bill sponsored by...

Business Q&A: Edward Valencia of Viscofan.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Apr. 17--Edward Valencia uses his degree in business and his fluency in English and Spanish for both of his jobs. He works for Viscofan, an international company that makes and distributes artificial casings...

Clock ticking for tax returns.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Apr. 17--If you haven't filed your income taxes yet, here's some advice for you: --You can download tax forms from www.irs.gov, call (800) 829-1040 to find a volunteer help site, or visit a library and make...

Law sinks fun for big boat owners.
April 16, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 16--Jeff Oldnettle got his $300,000-plus speedboat into Lake Martin for the first time Friday -- the same day Gov. Bob Riley signed a bill that says he'll have to take it out by October. The legislation that...

Taxation procrastination: Will you file Monday?
April 16, 2006... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Apr. 16--Monday is edging closer, bringing with it the deadline for filing income tax returns. Still thinking about getting started on your taxes? Maybe you should put down that chocolate bunny and pick up your...

Montgomery Advertiser, Ala., business profile column.
April 15, 2006... Byline: Julie Bennett Apr. 15--ARTIST LAUREN HUGHES: To most people, the teen rock group New Kids on the Block was just an early Nineties flash in the pan. But for Lauren Hughes, owner of Murals and Artwork by Lauren (formerly named...

Locals fall victim to Canadian Lottery scam.
April 15, 2006... Byline: Marty Roney Montgomery Apr. 15--WETUMPKA -- If you get a letter saying you have won the Canadian Lottery, chances are good it's a scam. Three Elmore County residents in the past two days have approached District Attorney...

Wal-Mart reduces gun sales.
April 15, 2006... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 15--Wal-Mart will stop selling firearms in about a third of its 3,100 stores nationwide but is waiting until later to specify which locations. Most, however, are expected to be in urban areas. Locally, the...

New Jim 'N Nick's to open.
April 14, 2006... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 14--PRATTVILLE -- Barbecue lovers are squealing over the news that Jim 'N Nick's is opening a restaurant in east Prattville. The eatery will be built on a lot near the intersection of Cobbs Ford and Redfield...

Deal brings 30-40 jobs.
April 14, 2006... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 14--Eagle Signs Studio and MacGregor Hodges Exhibit Solutions have inked a deal with city leaders that will bring 30 to 40 new jobs to Millbrook over the next two years. The businesses will move into a...

State tracking drought levels.
April 13, 2006... Byline: Mike Linn Apr. 13--Alabama will monitor groundwater levels at five locations across the state beginning this summer to help prepare municipalities for drought conditions, state officials announced Wednesday. The water wells,...

County wants say in EMA pick.
April 13, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 13--Mayor Bobby Bright is in the midst of hiring a deputy director for the Montgomery City-County Emergency Agency, and county officials hope they will be included in the decision. County Commissioner...

Magnet attraction has parents on edge.
April 13, 2006... Byline: Antoinette Konz Apr. 13--Thousands of moms and dads will rush to the mailbox the next few days to find out the results of Montgomery Public Schools' academic draft. The district mailed status letters today notifying parents...

Program tailors school instruction.
April 13, 2006... Byline: Erin Elaine Mosely Apr. 13--WETUMPKA -- Elmore County Public Schools have started an 18-month program in which teachers will take state assessment data and student grades and then let a computer program customize classroom...

Alabama gives up dubious taxing honor.
April 13, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 13--Gov. Bob Riley signed legislation Wednesday that will reduce state income taxes by $60 million annually, a savings that will go mostly to Alabamians with low incomes. Lawmakers from the Democratic and...

Customers warm up to Twice the Ice's prices.
April 12, 2006... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 12--Randy Strange has a cool job. He markets self-service ice machines. And as the name of Strange's vending machines suggests, customers can get "Twice the Ice" for what they typically would pay elsewhere....

Budget boosts area museum.
April 12, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 12--A $25,000 slice of the state's $1.6 billion General Fund budget pie may be tiny, but it was huge Tuesday for Montgomery's F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald Museum. The museum on Felder Avenue, a private,...

St. James honors its past, future.
April 12, 2006... Byline: Julie Arrington Apr. 12--Adams Hudson knows his grandfather would be proud of the legacy he left behind. Hudson and Lyn Frazer, the grandchildren of St. James School founder George Stanley Frazer, joined past and present...

$8 million to help sewers flush.
April 12, 2006... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 12--MILLBROOK -- Millbrook is about to spend about $8 million to make sure toilets keep flushing in the city. The work will more than double the capacity of the sewage treatment plant from 1 million gallons a...

State takes last tax bite for year.
April 12, 2006... Byline: Jannell McGrew Apr. 12--There's a reason for that extra jingle in your pocket today. You're finally done paying your taxes for this year. From Jan. 1 until Tuesday, Tax Freedom Day, every red cent you earned went to the...

Scrushy's attorneys challenge jury choice.
April 11, 2006... Byline: Mike Linn Apr. 11--Attorneys for former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy challenged the federal district's jury selection process Monday by arguing that an inadequate percentage of blacks serve on juries in southeast Alabama. ...

Peterson closure vote delayed.
April 11, 2006... Byline: Antoinette Konz Apr. 11--Parents and teachers hoping to find out about next year's spring break and the future of Peterson Elementary School will have to wait a little bit longer. The Montgomery Board of Education last month...

'Man's job' calls to more women.
April 11, 2006... Byline: Erica Pippins Apr. 11--Twuana Mills worked as a packager in a distribution warehouse for 25 years, but she recently decided to shift gears, literally. Mills is one of only two women enrolled in the truck driving...

Airport sports new features.
April 10, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 10--A lot of people get their first impression of Montgomery when they disembark at Dannelly Field, which is why renovations at the airport are greeted so enthusiastically. Eric Motley, who was visiting...

Prattville wants Cobb Building leveled in time for the annual CityFest.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 10--Prattville officials are scrambling to make sure the fire-gutted Cobb Building is demolished in time for the annual CityFest celebration. The town's signature event, CityFest, is planned for the first...

Prattville school on college track.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Erin Elaine Mosely Apr. 10--PRATTVILLE -- Prattville Christian Academy joined a growing number of private and public high schools this year when it offered students a chance to earn college and high school credit through a single...

Business Q&A: Judy Gray of Gracie's English Tea Room.(Discussion)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Apr. 10--Former teachers Judy Gray and her cousin Sandy Boswell own Gracie's English Tea Room, a cozy shop on Mulberry Street that serves tea and lunches, hosts parties and sells gifts like tea pots, tea cups,...

Autauga Co. making building plans.
April 9, 2006... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 9--PRATTVILLE -- Autauga County wants to put up two more buildings, redo the old jail, finish the new jail and beef up security at the courthouse. Now, all it has to do is get the money to pay for the work. ...

State tax relief not created equally.
April 9, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 9--Election year or not, Hayneville resident Xavier Light says the tax cut passed by the Alabama Legislature this session is a good thing. Lawmakers last week sent Gov. Bob Riley a $60 million tax relief bill...

AU hopes complex fires up students.
April 8, 2006... Byline: Erica Pippins Apr. 8--AUBURN -- Auburn University hopes to cement its position as one of the Southeast's leading research institutions with a new $38.2 million complex that will prepare future scientists to excel in the global...

Festival brings arts to park.
April 7, 2006... Byline: Erin Elaine Mosely Apr. 7--PRATTVILLE -- Musicians, folk artists, dancers and other artists will display their talents and works Saturday at Prattville's inaugural Fountain City Arts Festival at Spinners Park. "The event...

Future uncertain for historic building site.
April 7, 2006... Byline: Erin Elaine Mosely Apr. 7--PRATTVILLE -- The smoke has cleared, but there are more questions than answers. City officials, Cobb Building owner Richard Cobb, and his attorneys Thursday were unable to determine what's next, a...

Dispute costs area $125,000 grant.
April 7, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 7--Montgomery County squandered a $125,000 federal law enforcement grant because city and county officials couldn't agree on what percentage each should receive. In the past, the city received 60...

Expo caters to do-it-yourselfers.
April 7, 2006... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Apr. 7--As the weather warms up, people get the home-improvement itch, often for do-it-yourself projects. The 2006 Home Expo will capitalize on those urges, with dozens of exhibitors from Aerus Electrolux...

Tax holiday still possible.
April 7, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 7--The sponsor of a bill that would give shoppers a three-day break from Alabama's 4 percent sales tax says he's optimistic it'll win final passage in the Legislature even though there's only one day left in the...

Senate passes budget.
April 7, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 7--Gov. Bob Riley is expected to sign the $1.6 billion General Fund budget, which will pay for prisons, health care and other government services starting in October. The Senate passed the budget in the 11th...

Community nursing care proposal dies.
April 6, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 6--Ms. Wheelchair America/Alabama 2005 wanted other disabled people to get a chance to be as liberated as she is, but the bill she backed died in the Alabama House on Wednesday. Trisston Wright of Prattville...

Big boat ban bill still afloat.
April 6, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 6--It's very likely that beginning in October, big speedboats won't be allowed on Lake Martin, and next July houseboats and other vessels longer than 30 feet, 6 inches will also be out. On Wednesday, the...

Rain scarce as planting begins.
April 6, 2006... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 6--Marshal Little looks at the pastures on his south Montgomery County farm and prays for rain. As farmers across central Alabama begin spring planting, the weather has turned dry. "I need the rain to...

Mitsubishi dealership's closing strands owners.
April 6, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 6--When Marc Adler went over to the Serra Mitsubishi in Montgomery recently to get his 2002 Lancer serviced, he found out he had farther to go. The local Mitsubishi dealer, like many other Mitsubishi...

Pension hike gets House OK.
April 5, 2006... Byline: John Davis Apr. 5--Deloris Foulke of Montgomery retired from state government in August, and already she's getting a pay raise. "I'm gonna spend it if I get it," she said of the 7 percent cost-of-living raise for retired...

Old Ridge Road's new path.
April 5, 2006... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 5--PRATTVILLE -- Ellen Dennis watches the orange dirt being moved around on Old Ridge Road and can't wait until her morning commute gets easier. The intersection of Old Ridge Road on Alabama 14 is being...

State officials consider plan for toll roads.
April 5, 2006... Byline: Mike Linn Apr. 5--An Australian company has contacted the state about whether it wants to turn future transportation projects into toll roads. Two representatives of Macquarie Infrastructure Group of Australia, the owner of a...

West side may get Wal-Mart.
April 5, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 5--Mayor Bobby Bright said he expects west Montgomery to land one of the new stores that Wal-Mart will open in neighborhoods with high crime and low employment. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Tuesday a...

Air Force gives glimpse at future.
April 4, 2006... Byline: Topher Sanders Apr. 4--Quick and silent, a raptor can strike its prey without being seen. And just like the bird, the F-22A Raptor sneaks up and destroys. The Raptor is the world's first all-weather, 24-hour stealth...

Hyundai chief to tour Capital City.
April 4, 2006... Byline: David Irvin Apr. 4--Montgomery will be one stop this week on a U.S. tour by the chairman of Hyundai Motor Co., who is under investigation in South Korea for bribery. Chung Mong-koo left Sunday for California, where the...

Third-shift workers get raise.
April 4, 2006... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Apr. 4--Montgomery County commissioners voted unanimously Monday to award employees who work overnight with a $100-a-month pay increase. The $1,200 annual raise is for all county employees working third...

Bedbugs could take bite out of area hotel economy.
April 4, 2006... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Apr. 4--"Don't let the bedbugs bite" used to be something Mom said jokingly before she turned off the lights. These days, she just might be giving a piece of serious advice. Bedbugs began showing up...