Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, AL) articles from June 2005

Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, AL) archives from June 2005

Airport adds new space for corporate jets.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 30--The addition of more corporate jet hangars at Dannelly Field is good news to people like Susan Carastro, a former Montgomery resident who was flying to Florida this week. The new hangars "certainly...

Baptist joins UAB network.
June 30, 2005... Byline: John Davis Jun. 30--Baptist Health of Montgomery, which operates three area hospitals, is joining with Alabama's largest health network. The Birmingham-based UAB Health System and Baptist Health announced Tuesday a new joint...

Seniors get facts on Medicare drug plan.
June 30, 2005... Byline: John Davis Jun. 30--Some seniors made doubly sure they were signed up for federal money to pay for prescription drugs; others Wednesday took a wait-and-see approach. "I'm not going to sign up today," Billingsley resident...

Panelist questions base plan.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Ana Radelat Jun. 30--WASHINGTON -- Supporters of the Operations and Sustainment System Group will stress the military value of the Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base's high-tech unit today at a regional base closure hearing in...

Autauga official echoes road dissent.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Mike Linn Jun. 30--PRATTVILLE -- An Autauga County commissioner is willing to pitch in $1,000 toward a lawsuit against his fellow commissioners, who he said violated county policy last week by approving a road-paving project in...

Town looks to keep winning streak alive.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Jannell McGrew Jun. 30--As the state attorney general moves forward with a case to shut down White Hall Gaming Center, officials in this rural Alabama town say the case won't stop other planned development projects. White...

Reforms likely to hurt Hispanics.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Jannell McGrew Jun. 29--Hispanics in Alabama and other states would be "disproportionately harmed" if large cuts are made in Social Security, according to a report blasting the president's proposed reform plan. The...

South's housing climate heats up.
June 29, 2005... Byline: John Davis Jun. 29--Alabama's economic recovery is moving along, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The agency that promotes confidence in banks by insuring $3 trillion in deposits nationwide has released its...

Acquittal no surprise to many locally.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Jannell McGrew and Alvin Benn Jun. 29--News of HealthSouth Corp. founder and fired Chief Executive Richard Scrushy's acquittal had tongues wagging Tuesday. The general reaction in the area has been one of relief that the...

Seniors get drug plan opportunity.
June 29, 2005... Byline: John Davis Jun. 29--State and federal agencies today will begin the biggest push to date in the tri-county area to inform senior citizens about free drugs to which many will be entitled. People like Montgomerian Tom Sager Jr....

Bus service void sparks van-do spirit.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Alvin Benn Jun. 28--They may not be as big or as fancy as the Greyhound buses that used to take them to Montgomery, but west Alabama residents now have a smaller, reliable substitute. "I'm very happy," said Frances Fell after...

Closed bridge major burden.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Jun. 28--Residents and business owners in south Montgomery believe a spring storm damaged a bridge, subsequently washing away their business and their property values. Hamp Russell, pharmacist at Norman...

Moore's monument wouldn't pass test, experts agree.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Ana Radelat Jun. 28--WASHINGTON -- The Ten Commandments display championed by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore clearly would not pass muster under Monday's Supreme Court ruling defining which religious displays are...

Ruling confounds monument backers.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Jannell McGrew Jun. 28--Many of those who followed Alabama's Ten Commandments saga reacted with frustration over the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down displays of the Mosaic laws in courthouses. Others say the...

Communities will consider annexation.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Jun. 27--Montgomery and Pike Road are both growing closer to Elizabeth Hardaway's house. Hardaway, her neighbors in the Freeport neighborhood and people in other subdivisions throughout the unincorporated...

College tops in degrees awarded.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Erica Pippins Jun. 27--Sharon Wiley already can envision her first classroom. She says it's a place where all students receive the building blocks they need to become life-long learners. Wiley will be one step closer to...

160 jobs gone if gaming hall closes.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Jannell McGrew Jun. 27--WHITE HALL -- The ringing, chinging, dinging sound spells money. Twenty-three hours a day, seven days a week, people stroll in and out of this rural Alabama electronic bingo facility, and they bet on...

Historic home may be preserved.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Julie Arrington Jun. 27--Deborah Gilliam is determined to preserve the Zeigler House, a little piece of Elmore County's history. The 185-year-old house on Chapman Road in Millbrook is one of the four oldest structures in...

State, city officials set for BRAC plea.
June 27, 2005... Byline: William F. West Jun. 27--Local and state leaders want to convince the Base Realignment and Closure Commission there's no reason to move an Air Force technology service from Montgomery to Massachusetts. They will get their...

Business Q&A: Pam Sloan.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 27--Pam Sloan opened Sloan Southern Homes in 2001 as a solo operation. She specializes in selling homes in new neighborhoods. Her business, which was awarded a COSBE Emerging Business Award from the...

University unity ends credit woes.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Erica Pippins Jun. 27--You can't take it with you. That's often been true for students at Troy University Montgomery. Those who try to later enroll at the main campus or the university's other satellite sites may sometimes find...

Chilton peach crop lauded.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Alvin Benn Jun. 26--CLANTON -- All eyes were on the pretty young contestants in the colorful gowns Saturday morning and few were aware that the elderly man sitting on a bench at Jack Hayes Field had the distinction of being the...

Tribe names new chair.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Julie Arrington Jun. 26--After a 30-year run as Poarch Creek Indian chairman, Eddie Tullis is no longer king of the hill. The nine-member tribal council elected Fred McGhee to replace Tullis as chairman. Tullis will continue...

Play on rise at city-owned golf course.
June 25, 2005... Byline: Marty Roney Jun. 25--When the city of Millbrook bought The Pines Golf Club last September, Hurricane Ivan blew through about a week later and caused widespread tree damage. Since then things have been going much better on the...

Prattville set for taste of Outback.
June 25, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 25--Judy Pope is pleased with the latest example of growth in Prattville: the opening Monday of an Outback Steakhouse. "I've been to the one in Montgomery several times and I love it," Pope said. ...

Sewage plant gets $11 million fix.
June 25, 2005... Byline: William F. West Jun. 25--While Buddy Morgan's north Montgomery sewage treatment facility can't control the smell that permeates the air there, his agency can improve its operation by renovating the place to make it more...

Growing town may rezone.
June 25, 2005... Byline: Julie Arrington Jun. 25--Elmore resident Bobby Pilgrim said he doesn't see any problem with his town the way it now is and doesn't understand why things should change. Town leaders are considering zoning ordinances in Elmore...

Clubs to block loiterers from lot.
June 24, 2005... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Jun. 24--Late-night and early morning visitors to the Vaughn Plaza shopping center will see drastic changes in the coming two weeks. The shopping center's owner and those who operate late-night businesses...

Teachers learn new math methods.
June 23, 2005... Byline: Erin Elaine Mosely Jun. 23--Caitlin Biegler took the ACT last fall and did well on the math section, but not as well as she wanted to. But thanks to her pre-calculus teacher using a new approach to teaching, she believes she...

Plant workers battle extra summer heat.
June 23, 2005... Byline: Mike Linn Jun. 23--Every day since her husband survived a near heatstroke on the job, Jean Bradley has brought Gatorade to his welding shop in Montgomery. She said working conditions get unbearably hot, given the type of...

Restaurant offers late-night dining.
June 23, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 23--With the opening Sunday of Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, east Montgomery is getting another restaurant that offers late-night meals. Red Star Tavern last week began offering steaks, chops and...

Selma's shot at Air Force contract improves.
June 22, 2005... Byline: Mike Linn Jun. 22--Officials for two communities competing with Selma for a flight training contract with the Air Force said they were eliminated last week from the bidding process. That would seem to increase Lockheed...

Airfield's historic past researched.
June 22, 2005... Byline: Mike Linn Jun. 22--An area Realtor is trying to get a historical marker placed on her land, a large open space that was used during World War II as an Army Air Corps auxiliary airfield north of Prattville. Carol Lemon, owner...

Starbucks to perk up Zelda strip.
June 22, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 22--People driving along Zelda Road have been watching construction at a CVS Pharmacy and a Publix grocery store. This week, the developer announced another business is going up on the site: Starbucks. ...

Workers to practice traffic turnaround.
June 22, 2005... Byline: John Davis Jun. 22--State workers are practicing for the possibility of another Hurricane Ivan in a drill to make sure all of the traffic on Interstate 65 will be able to move north if it has to. Alexander City resident Ken...

Carmichael gives up center.
June 21, 2005... Byline: William F. West Jun. 21--Attorneys for convicted marijuana trafficker Leon Carmichael reached a settlement with the government Monday in which their client would turn over his 3,000-seat entertainment venue in west Montgomery....

'Business as usual' at Carmichael Center.
June 21, 2005... Byline: Darryn Simmons Jun. 21--The beat goes on at the Carmichael Center -- at least for now. Despite owner Leon Carmichael relinquishing ownership of the 3,000-seat venue in west Montgomery, those affiliated with it said that...

Montgomery Advertiser, Ala., business profile column.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 20--TRACEY ELLIOTT, STORE MANAGER FOR WARE JEWELERS: When Ronnie and Tina Ware won an emerging business award during the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce's Council of Small Business Enterprises award...

Civic Center renovations on target.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Jun. 20--The inside of the Montgomery Civic Center is dark, dusty and hollow, but convention organizers already are contacting the city about the possibility of locating their events here. Plans are not...

Survey keeps tabs on growth.
June 19, 2005... Byline: Julie Arrington Jun. 19--Updated information is key to keeping up with rapid growth in Alabama, and the U.S. Census Bureau is using a new tool to do just that. The American Community Survey is a national questionnaire...

Ties, cards top dads' gift lists.
June 19, 2005... Byline: Roger Ballas Jun. 19--Yep, it's another necktie. With a Father's Day card. Neckties and greeting cards remain the top Father's Day gifts, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Hallmark research. If dad gets taken...

Lake life keeps businesses, workers afloat.
June 19, 2005... Byline: Julie Arrington Jun. 19--For Brian Bierman, working on the lake is a childhood dream come true. According to the Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance's Web site, the top employer in the Lake Martin area is the...

Year-round residents becoming more popular on Lake Martin.
June 19, 2005... Byline: Dan E. Way Jun. 19--In his shorts and sleeveless shirt, Monty Wallace is living a life of leisure, surrounded by the accoutrements of his professionally decorated house. Just beyond walls of glass, green forests meet the...

Magazine profiles beverage company.
June 18, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 18--Black Enterprise magazine is profiling Montgomery's Ensemble Beverage Co. in its July issue, and company President James Harris couldn't be happier. "As a minority enterprise, that is kind of our...

Autauga farmers growing more peanuts.
June 18, 2005... Byline: Mike Linn Jun. 18--Cotton farmers in increasing numbers are turning to peanuts as a rotation crop, a tool central and south Alabama farmers use to supplement a poor market and enrich soil for the following year's cotton. The...

Cost of AU to rise in fall.
June 18, 2005... Byline: Erica Pippins Jun. 18--Auburn University students will pay more money for their college education in the upcoming academic year, but the increase won't be as high as it has been in years past. The university's board of...

Tutwiler Prison project blossoms.
June 17, 2005... Byline: John Davis Jun. 17--Fences topped with razor wire surround Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, standing between inmates and a stretch of U.S. 231. The razor wire also barricades flower beds that grow on the prison's west side....

Terms of ASU president's contract still up in air.
June 17, 2005... Byline: Erica Pippins Jun. 17--Alabama State University board members have postponed a decision on the terms of President Joe Lee's renewed contract. The trustees met behind closed doors for nearly three hours Thursday to discuss...

Building boom sign of rural area's growth.
June 16, 2005... Byline: Mike Linn Jun. 16--In the rush to leave city life, a growing number of homebuyers are leaving Millbrook, Prattville and Montgomery in their quest for country living. A rash of the flight has taken hold in the unincorporated...

Board denies PC spy's bid to be rehired.
June 16, 2005... Byline: John Davis Jun. 16--The chairman of the State Personnel Board was sorry that Vernon Blake's appeal took a year and a half to resolve, but not sorry enough to give the fired Department of Transportation engineer his job back. ...

Thieves rip off home sites.
June 16, 2005... Byline: Topher Sanders Jun. 16--There is a blur of construction activity on Park Lake Drive, a street running through the new Park Lake subdivision with 300 planned homes being built off Atlanta Highway by Birmingham-based American Homes...

Council discusses ways to alleviate parking woes.
June 16, 2005... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Jun. 16--City Council members want crime and congestion eliminated in an east Montgomery parking lot or they may start taking away business licenses. "It is their parking lot. They clean it up or we close...

Security, history lost with mill.
June 16, 2005... Byline: Julie Arrington Jun. 16--TALLASSEE -- A popular phrase heard around here is that there are two things that always run in Tallassee -- the river and the mill. That's about to change. Officials with the Mount Vernon Mills...

Auburn University considers raising tuition, fees Friday.
June 16, 2005... Byline: Erica Pippins Jun. 16--"Again?" Charmie Chester asked, but she really doesn't want an answer. The Auburn University Montgomery senior, like many college students across the tri-county area, is waiting to learn whether her college...

Cities pass on annex request.
June 15, 2005... Byline: Mike Linn Jun. 15--Richard Manning is stuck between an interstate and a county line, a bad place to be for a man who wants city services. Millbrook officials said they wouldn't annex his 15-home, Garden Park subdivision...

Remembering the bus boycott.
June 15, 2005... Byline: Jannell McGrew Jun. 15--Alabama residents will see the state and its Capital City put on its best face for the world in observing the 50th anniversary of the historic Montgomery bus boycott. The year is more than half over,...

Parking lot congestion a hazard at nightspot.
June 15, 2005... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Jun. 15--Barry Barr is worried about an undesirable element he says has moved east and landed right in the parking lot of his business. Barr owns Celebrations nightclub in the Vaughn Plaza Shopping Center....

RSA settles for $49M.
June 15, 2005... Byline: Dan E. Way Jun. 15--First blood in the Enron securities fraud case was struck by Alabama's public pension agency. The Retirement Systems of Alabama won an unusually high settlement of $49 million Monday from five investment...

ALDOT spyware firing appeal today.
June 15, 2005... Byline: John Davis Jun. 15--The State Personnel Board will decide whether to give Vernon Blake his job back when it meets today. The state engineer was fired in November 2003 for tracking his boss's computer habits. The Alabama...

Couple gives computers to four Carver students.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Kirsten J. Barnes Jun. 14--Hobson Cox believes that businesses should play an active role in the public school system. This year, Cox and his wife, Ramona, owners of Affordable Eyeware on Madison Avenue, gave computers to...

Drug database details up in air.
June 14, 2005... Byline: John Davis Jun. 14--The state is working on a way to keep better track of prescription drug abusers. A new database now in the works will give regulatory boards and law enforcement officials the skinny on who's stockpiling drugs...

Late diners get green light from Red Star.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 14--The opening of Red Star Tavern at The Shoppes at EastChase is good news for night owls who want to go out for dinner and specialty drinks. The restaurant offers a full menu of upscale American comfort...

Officials look at ways to lower sales tax.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Jun. 14--Increasing trash collection rates and landfill fees are among the options city officials are discussing as ways to reduce Montgomery's 10-cent sales tax. Several local officials want to reduce the...

Coosada additions on hold.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Erin Elaine Mosely Jun. 14--The Elmore County Board of Education tabled plans by Superintendent Jeff Langham to add classrooms to Coosada Elementary School at a meeting Monday night. Langham's original plan broke the...

Nation's oldest textile mill will close.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Mike Linn Jun. 14--The country's oldest continuously running textile mill and one of Tallassee's largest employers announced Monday that it would close its doors. Mount Vernon Mills employs 311 workers and is scheduled to...

Deputies challenge county overtime policy.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Mike Linn Jun. 13--Four sheriff's deputies are fighting a longstanding county policy that employees receive compensatory leave for overtime work, a procedure that according to state code wouldn't apply to law enforcement...

Business Q&A: Don Henderson.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 13--Don Henderson has been on the job as president and chief executive officer at Jackson Hospital since June 1. He moved to Montgomery from Downington, Pa. Before coming here, Henderson was chief...

Montgomery ranks high for safe roads.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Marty Roney Jun. 13--The Montgomery metropolitan area has been listed near the top of a nationwide insurance survey of the safest streets for drivers. Allstate Insurance Co. used internal figures to study accident rates in...

Fun day at mall helps families.
June 12, 2005... Byline: Topher Sanders Jun. 12--Children played games, won prizes and got their faces painted from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday while their parents and guardians learned about organizations that focus on aiding children and families. ...

Survey outlines bus needs.
June 11, 2005... Byline: Sebastian Kitchen Jun. 11--Johnny Jackson uses public transportation as a lifeline to get to work and to shop, but his mode of travel places him in a small portion of the city's population. A transit needs assessment released...

Minority supplier dedicates building.
June 11, 2005... Byline: Dan E. Way Jun. 11--Trucks laden with freshly mounted tire and wheel assemblies rumbled past the well-heeled guests gathered under a white tent Friday, symbolizing the reason for the building dedication at the T&WA manufacturing...

Rheem exec bound for New York.
June 11, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 11--When Scott D. Martin, president of Rheem Water Heater Division in Montgomery since 2000, shows up at his new job, he'll be in the Chrysler Building in the New York suburb of Manhattan. Martin is...

Higher ed case might be near end.
June 10, 2005... Jun. 10--The consent decree to a decades-old lawsuit that requires federal supervision of the state's higher education system in order to ensure diversity and adequate funding soon could come to an end. Representatives from several public...

Aliant enters home loan competition.
June 10, 2005... Jun. 10--Competition in the Montgomery mortgage market could get a bit stiffer with Aliant Bank's plunge into the home loan business, which was announced today. "We feel like we're arming a new division in Montgomery to equip them to do...

Bass Pro deal kept secret from county.
June 9, 2005... Jun. 9--Elmore County Commission Chairman Joe Faulk found out about the coming of Bass Pro Shops in his district after reading about it in the newspaper three weeks ago. Because of that, he said it would be more of a challenge to pony up...

Hyundai supplier plans grand opening.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Deborah Willoughby Jun. 9--Ray Robertson is happy to be in the automotive supplier business in Montgomery. "I relocated for this project," said Robertson, plant manager for T&WA of Montgomery, a tier 1 supplier for Hyundai....

Pileups snake down I-85.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Topher Sanders Jun. 9--Blinding sun, wet roads and hazardous driving contributed to a string of crashes involving 29 vehicles along Interstate 85 on Wednesday evening. Amazingly no one was seriously injured, officials said....

Residents want decision on roads.
June 9, 2005... Jun. 9--Several families on Thach Road in east Montgomery believe they are caught in negotiations between the city and county and want one of the entities to accept responsibility and repave their street. The families along the road and...

Wal-Mart mulls Millbrook store.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Marty Roney Jun. 9--MILLBROOK -- Wal-Mart is interested in building a store in Millbrook. Mayor Al Kelley confirmed Wednesday the retail giant has been in contact with city officials. Wal-Mart's corporate office sent the...

Millbrook Wal-Mart could hurt Prattville profits.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Marty Roney Jun. 9--PRATTVILLE -- News that Millbrook may soon be getting a Wal-Mart Supercenter is sending out ripple effects that are being felt on the Prattville side of the interstate. Wal-Mart figures state the...

Building permit fee hike endorsed.
June 8, 2005... Jun. 8--City officials have plans to increase building permit fees for homebuyers here in an effort to reach the climbing status quo set in Millbrook, Prattville and Montgomery. For several years, Wetumpka homebuyers have had the luxury...

Medicaid stops impotence drug coverage.
June 8, 2005... Jun. 8--The Alabama Medicaid Agency is stopping coverage for impotence drugs, weeks after the federal government closed a loophole that allowed registered sex offenders to get Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs at the government's...

County to keep up roads.
June 8, 2005... Jun. 8--Montgomery County will maintain the roads and rights of way in Pike Road for the next 10 years, according to an agreement approved by county commissioners Tuesday. Commissioner Reed Ingram said this assures the people of Pike Road...

Tribal rules called unfair.
June 8, 2005... Jun. 8--Amid criticism that its criteria for state tribal recognition are too strict, the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission is taking a closer look at how it determines who's in and who's not. The commission on Tuesday held a public...