The Sunrise News Sampler

With the expectation of inclement weather, several school systems are delaying their openings this morning. Tuscaloosa City Schools will implement a three hour delay, as will Tuscaloosa County Schools, Bibb County Schools, and Hale County Schools. Pickens County Schools will have a 2 hour delay, with faculty reporting at 9am. In addition, the University of Alabama will delay the start of classes and normal business operations until 10am.

The Tuscaloosa City Council has unanimously approved a proposal by Chance Partners to build a 50-unit mixed-use development at the northeast corner of Bryant Drive and Greensboro Avenue. The company plans to close on the property this week, break ground next week, and complete the development by the end of July, according to al.com.

Elsewhere in the state, authorities in Midland City are still trying to negotiate with a man believed to be holding a 6-year-old boy he allegedly took off a school bus after shooting the driver several times and grabbing the boy. The bus driver has died, and the gunman reportedly took the child to an area behind a nearby church.

In state news, the Alabama Homeland Security Director Spencer Collier says a critical state computer network was hacked earlier this month and has led to a criminal investigation.

World stock markets are steady today ahead of the Federal Reserve's first policy statement of the year, which some economists believe will show dismal numbers for the final quarter of last year.

In other news, a Capitol Hill hearing that's in direct response to the Connecticut elementary school shootings will have both sides of the gun-control issue squaring off today. The NRA argues that law shouldn't dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families. Meanwhile, gun control advocates say the time has come to change course.

Want the best odd job in the world? Washington state is looking for an adviser on how marijuana is best grown, dried, labeled, packaged, and cooked into brownies. And they're holding a job fair for interested applicants today.

Categories: Articles