Top news stories of May and June 2008

Published Thursday, January 1, 2009

Join us as we recall the top stories and photos of May and June 2008. This is part three of a six-part series.

MAY

UM TRUSTEES RAISE TUITION 5 PERCENT

The University of Montevallo’s Board of Trustees voted to raise tuition by 5 percent — the equivalent of $150 per semester for most students. The board unanimously approved the increase, saying unsure financial support from the state left few choices. The board also approved a 3 percent increase in housing and a 4 percent increase in board.

SHELBY COUNTY MAY HAVE TOO MUCH OZONE POLLUTION

Shelby County’s grade for ozone pollution remained an “F” this year, according to a report released May 8 by the American Lung Association. The county earned better marks on its short-term particle pollution, going from a “D” last year to a “C.” Particle pollution measures the amount of ash, soot, metals, exhaust, chemicals and aerosols in the air. The grades are part of the annual “State of the Air” report, which rank cities and counties across the nation on pollution.

DEPUTY ADMITS TO SHOOTING HIMSELF

A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy who lives in Pelham admitted to shooting himself in the shoulder. Previously the man had claimed that a burglar had broke into his house and shot him May 3. Pelham Police Capt. Larry Palmer said Pelham municipal court of the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office would handle the case, depending on whether misdemeanor or felony charges are filed.

LOCALS DIE INGEORGIA PLANE CRASH

Two local men died May 3 after a private plan crash in southwest Georgia. Pilot Robert King of Hoover and Manley Garrison of Alabaster were killed after the plane they were traveling in crashed just after takeoff. Ryan Jones of Tuscaloosa also died. The accident happened around 6:45 p.m. as the three men were leaving an airport in Americus, Ga.

WATER BAN LIFTED

Mandatory outdoor water bans were lifted after a year of forbidding residents from watering their lawns and gardens. Though bans were lifted, restrictions still applied to watering lawns, including making residents choose between watering either in the morning or evening. The eased restrictions came after the city’s new wastewater facility treated three million gallons of water a day.

SUSPECT IN KIDS’ DEATH FOUND DEAD

The Hoover woman who drove her children into the Cahaba River, killing her two young children, was found dead on May 14 in Georgia. Brandee Leigh Whitaker Skinner, 32 died at a friend’s house in Macon. Skinner’s two children, 5-year-old Ashlyn and 18-month-old Bryson, died in July 2005 after Skinner’s BMW plunged into the Cahaba River. The accident happened just inside the Shelby County line near Chace Lake Country Club along U.S. 31. The mother escaped the car, but the two children were wearing seat belts in the backseat and did not survive. Skinner was later indicted on manslaughter charges.

JUNE

PLANS FOR EMERGENCY ROOMS ALONG 280

Both St. Vincent’s Health System and Brookwood Medical Center want to build emergency rooms along U.S. 280. After Brookwood Medical Center filed a proposal to build a 17,000-square-foot emergency department on the highway in April 2008, St. Vincent’s Health System countered with intent to build its own 15,000-square-foot department next to its One Nineteen Health and Wellness Center. St. Vincent’s President and Chief Executive Officer Curtis James said the hospital has the best position to bring emergency services to the area. Both hospitals plan to begin construction in 2009.

POSTAL WORKER CHARGED WITH TRASHING MAIL

A U.S. post office worker from Alabaster faced charges of trashing mail. Natalie Nicole Garcia, 22, was charged with knowingly delaying or discarding mail. The alleged felonies happened while she was working with the United States Postal Service.

CHELSEA SEES INCREASE IN FIRES

The Chelsea Fire Department saw an increase of more than 100 calls in June 2008 than it had by the same time in 2007. In June 2007, the fire department had 437 calls. By June of 2008, the fire department had already been called 545 times. This was attributed to the high increase in Chelsea’s fast growing population.

SCRUSHY HOUSED AT COUNTY JAIL

Richard Scrushy was booked into the Shelby County Jail June 11 after being moved from a federal prison in Texas. He is back in Birmingham to give testimony and answer questions in lawsuits brought by former investors in the rehabilitation center he funded. A jury acquitted Scrushy in 2005 for fraud charges involving HealthSouth. However, he was convicted in 2006 for his part in a state bribery scheme with former Gov. Don Siegelman. He was sentenced to seven years in that case.

FORMER PROBATE JUDGE DIES

Former Shelby County Probate Judge Tommy Snowden died June 10 after a longtime illness. He was 75. His political career spanned three decades, starting with his appointment as Shelby County tax assessor in 1968 and ending with an unsuccessful bid for a state senate seat in 1994. He was first elected probate judge in 1976 and held the position until 1994.

GIRL SHOT TO DEATH IN NORTH SHELBY

A Shelby County man was charged with capital murder in the death of his 11-year-old second cousin. Ryan Gerald Russell, 35, was charged in the murder of Katherine Helen Gillespie who lived with him in Inverness. When the police got to the home they found Gillespie dead form a gunshot wounds to the head. They later found Russell unconscious, but alive, in a locked bathroom. He was taken to the Shelby County Jail where he was held without bond.

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