The Sunrise News Sampler

The Hideaway Harbor and Townsquare Media boat-a-thon continues. Friday evening, contestants took place around a pontoon boat near Veterans Memorial Park in front of University Mall, and as of this morning, some contestants remained.

Tuscaloosa Police have charged Alexius Foster with attempted murder in connection with the disappearance of 30-year-old Antonio Williams, who was last seen on July 17.

With the start of the year just three weeks away for most districts, only seven private schools have signed up for Alabama's new program of tax credits to help students transfer from failing public schools.

Today, three former Penn State officials are going before a judge, who'll decide whether they'll face trial on charges they covered up an ellegation that Jerry Sandusky was sexually preying on boys. Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60- year prison sentence after being convicted last year.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs recently gave the City of Tuscaloosa approval to use $500,000 for loans of up to $20,000 aimed at helping businesses rebuild in the city's tornado recovery zone. Businessess meeting certain terms will not have to repay the borrowed money.

Advocates for the disbled say they're concerned about the future of special education programs since state officials plan to inspect them less often, going from once every three years to once every four years.

Preliminary discussions are set to begin today in Washington on how the Israelis and the Palestinians can resume talks that broke down in 2008.

At least 37 people are dead in southern Italy after a tour bus smashed into several cars in heavy traffic and plunged off a highway into a ravine; and in the US, no one was injured when a Las Vegas-bound tour bus carrying 33 people was swept away and turned on its side by floodwaters in Arizona.