Alabama Power chemical leak occurred just before fish kill
Alabama Power Company says about 700 gallons of flame retardant spilled into Baker Creek near its coal-fired plant in Parrish days before dozens of fish were found dead. The company notified the state Department of Environmental Management about the spill last week, saying its primary fire control system lost air pressure on March 23 and its backup failed. – AP
Ice ages come and go, but Alabama’s lottery debate rolls on
Alabama lawmakers have offered up dueling lottery proposals, highlighting old divisions about a state lottery and electronic gambling. The Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee on Thursday held public hearings on separate lottery bills. The committee will vote on the bills at a later date. A bill by Republican Sen. Jim McClendon would launch a state lottery and also allow video lottery terminals at state dog tracks in Birmingham, Macon County, Greene County and Mobile, as well as Lowndes County. A bill by Republican Sen. Greg Albritton would allow a lottery with paper tickets only. – AP
Think you have bad co-workers? This woman has it worse
A California engineer tried to kill a colleague by poisoning her food and water with a toxic metal for nearly 18 months, authorities said. David Xu, an engineer at Berkeley Engineering and Research, is facing charges of attempted murder and two counts of felony poisoning after a female co-worker reported unusual smells and tastes emanating from her food and drinks that she left unattended in the office. – NYP
Turner Construction opens new Huntsville office, fabrication shop
Turner Construction’s new Huntsville office and fabrication shop is now open. The $3.2 million, 22,000-square-foot building at 245 Finney Rd. S.W., opened in March. It inaugurates a new phase for the company, which had worked out of its office on James Road Southwest for more than 30 years. The company employs 54 at the location, with plans to hire more. – AL.com
Lockheed Martin, Raytheon may have to juggle production over Turkey
American defense firms Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are preparing to make massive adjustments to their production processes as the U.S. tries to pressure Turkey not to follow through with a multibillion-dollar deal to buy a Russian missile system, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. If Turkey goes through with the Russian deal, Lockheed Martin would have to rework its supply chain on components for the F-35 fighter jet, while also making changes to its production schedule. – CNBC
Regulators to look into Hyundai, Kia vehicle fires
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced it is investigating a series of fires in Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The probe could cover as many as 3 million vehicles, according to published reports, including vehicles manufactured in Montgomery. – AL.com
A terrifying tale of business owners who lost it all over civil forfeitures
In their 50s, business owners and upstanding citizens, they live in a storage shed, are warmed by a propane heater and use solar panels to get a smidge of energy to power a small TV at night. They didn’t get there by personal mistakes. It wasn’t opioids or meth. Bad investments didn’t take their life savings. An Alabama tornado didn’t destroy the home they once lived in near Woodland. Civil asset forfeiture destroyed the Almonds. – Alabama Political Reporter
