WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.Decision 2012

  • Wednesday, February 22 2012 7:04 AM EST2012-02-22 12:04:12 GMT
    The stakes are high for the final four Republican presidential candidates taking part in tonight's Arizona debate - the final debate before Super Tuesday.

  • Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Tuesday that President Barack Obama's administration has "fought against religion" and sought to substitute a "secular" agenda for one grounded in faith.

  • A surging Rick Santorum is making increasingly harsh remarks about President Barack Obama, questioning not just the president's competence but his motives and even his Christian values.

  • Monday, February 20 2012 11:56 PM EST2012-02-21 04:56:28 GMT
    It won't be long before political ads are all over the airwaves. But that doesn't mean people are paying attention to them...

  • Find the Democrat and Republican primary election ballots for each county in Alabama. 

  • Americans are getting an election-year tax present. Congress voted with rare speed and cooperation Friday to extend a Social Security payroll tax cut for 160 million workers and to renew unemployment benefits for millions...

  • Police say a terrorism suspect has been arrested in an FBI sting operation near the U.S. Capitol while planning to detonate what he thought were explosives.

  • Thursday, February 16 2012 11:37 PM EST2012-02-17 04:37:10 GMT
    The Alabama House of Representatives unanimously passed a Montgomery county ordinance called the "Saggy Pants" bill--which would make wearing your pants "way down low" against the law...

  • Thursday, February 16 2012 8:35 PM EST2012-02-17 01:35:32 GMT
    The State House of Representatives passed a key component of the governor's jobs and economic agenda.  A proposed constitutional amendment would allow certain companies to keep a large amount of the state income tax withheld from their employees.

  • Think you're state is corrupt? Check out this list of the top ten!

  • Wednesday, February 15 2012 9:57 PM EST2012-02-16 02:57:19 GMT
    A bill pending in the state legislature would ban red light and speeding cameras.  Supporters of the bill say the cameras are unfair to motorists, but police are fighting against it.

  • The Alabama Department of Mental Health has proposed a plan that would close all but two mental health facilities in the state.

  • A Valentine's Day rally at the Alabama Statehouse to protest the state's immigration law.

  • Feb 13, 2012 10:05 PM CST2012-02-15 00:23:12 GMT
    Bullock County commissioners are breathing a sigh of relief. The group was indicted last summer when audits revealed they violated Alabama competitive bid laws by purchasing thousands of dollars worth of food for prison inmates...

  • Mitt Romney and his under-funded opponents are taking advantage of a weeklong lull in the Republican presidential nomination fight - no debate or primary is slated - to raise the money needed to carry out Super Tuesday...

  • Monday, February 13 2012 11:38 PM EST2012-02-14 04:38:57 GMT
    Monday night, Senator Shadrack McGill defended his comments about teachers' pay inside a school.

  • Taking a pass on reining in government growth, President Barack Obama unveiled a record $3.8 trillion election-year budget plan Monday, calling for stimulus-style spending on roads and schools and tax hikes on the wealthy to...

  • Friday, February 10 2012 11:25 PM EST2012-02-11 04:25:27 GMT
    You could be one of thousands of people in Alabama whose social security number or other personal information is now in the hands of hackers...

  • Social issues dominated the 2012 presidential race Friday, as President Barack Obama tried to calm a storm over religion and birth control and the Republicans vying to replace him jockeyed to outdo each other in proving...

  • Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus is under fire. Bachus is under investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics.

  • All of a sudden, abortion, contraception and gay marriage are at the center of American political discourse, with the struggling - though improving - economy pushed to the background.

  • A defense lawyer says an Uzbekistan national charged with supporting terrorism in a plot to kill President Barack Obama will plead guilty in federal court in Alabama.

  • Thursday, February 9 2012 11:53 PM EST2012-02-10 04:53:01 GMT
    A chance to make a change. Residents and business leaders shared a vision for their little piece of Montgomery at a charrette for a project along Atlanta Highway. It is clear folks who live there are ready to see the stretch from Ann Street to the Eastern Boulevard revitalized...

  • Mitt Romney is in danger of losing his fourth straight state in Saturday's caucuses in Maine, where he and his allies have been all but absent from TV.

  • Thursday, February 9 2012 3:53 PM EST2012-02-09 20:53:36 GMT
    A Roman Catholic broadcasting network based in Alabama is suing the Obama administration overs its new policy on birth control funding. EWTN Global Catholic Network filed suit Thursday in Birmingham over the rules.

  • Thursday, February 9 2012 1:17 PM EST2012-02-09 18:17:27 GMT
    Drue Fortune recently opened the Commerce Street Soda Shop and says signs outside his store and another at the corner help attract customers. "A lot of people from the hotels, they see our sign out front with daily specials." That won't be the case much longer...

  • On February 7, 2012, the Prattville City Council appointed Denise B. Brown to fill the vacant seat in District 3. She was sworn in immediately after Council passed the Resolution.

  • Thursday, February 9 2012 10:02 AM EST2012-02-09 15:02:28 GMT
    Washington state legislators approved a measure Wednesday that could allow gay couples in the state to have a June wedding.

  • In the sports world, Craig James was a star football player for Southern Methodist University and the New England Patriots. He later became a household name in Texas as a television analyst for ESPN.

  • Wednesday, February 8 2012 5:46 PM EST2012-02-08 22:46:22 GMT
    A House committee took the first step toward making changes to Alabama's tough new immigration law Wednesday.

  • Presidential candidate Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, is planning a visit to Alabama in advance of the state's presidential primary March 13.

  • Gallup released its list of the states, including Washington DC, with the most conservative and liberal populations. The Deep South continued to dominate the conservative list.
    Gallup released its list of the states, including Washington DC, with the most conservative and liberal populations. The Deep South continued to dominate the conservative list.

  • Resurgent Rick Santorum said his sweep of three GOP contests earned his shoestring campaign $250,000 overnight, cash he needs to take his upstart bid for the Republican presidential nomination to Mitt Romney's turf.

  • Gov. Robert Bentley is proposing state budgets that cut employees and use tax money traditionally spent on public education to fund state agencies.

  • Wednesday, February 8 2012 11:12 AM EST2012-02-08 16:12:56 GMT
    Despite C.C. Calhoun's DUI charge, city officials say his role as a council member is not affected. But that doesn't mean it wasn't on his mind during the council's Tuesday meeting...

  • Can President Barack Obama's campaign recapture the glamour quotient of four years ago?

  • Opponents of Alabama's law on illegal immigration are planning a Valentine's Day demonstration at the Statehouse in Montgomery.

  • Wednesday, February 8 2012 1:36 AM EST2012-02-08 06:36:41 GMT
    Rick Santorum swept clean Tuesday's Missouri primary and Minnesota and Colorado caucuses, dealing a staggering blow to presumed front runner Mitt Romney.

  • Tuesday, February 7 2012 9:06 PM EST2012-02-08 02:06:00 GMT
    WSFA 12 News is planning to carry live coverage of Governor Robert Bentley's 2012 State of the State address this evening.

  • Tuesday, February 7 2012 8:34 PM EST2012-02-08 01:34:29 GMT
    Ray Crosby, the late legislative bill writer who was indicted on bribery charges in Alabama's federal gambling corruption trial but cleared following his sudden death, was the subject of an Alabama Senate

  • Tuesday, February 7 2012 7:48 PM EST2012-02-08 00:48:19 GMT
    A Russellville councilman calls the rest of the council racists during a meeting Monday night.

  • In a reversal, President Barack Obama is embracing the big-money fundraising groups he assailed as a "threat to democracy" on the grounds they let money corrode elections. His shift is a pragmatic move to win re-election,...

  • Tuesday, February 7 2012 4:19 PM EST2012-02-07 21:19:40 GMT
    The cultural war over the definition of marriage reached another milestone Tuesday, as a federal court of appeals ruled California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.

  • Tuesday, February 7 2012 2:35 PM EST2012-02-07 19:35:19 GMT
    Republicans added to their majority in the state House with the decision of a west Alabama legislator to switch parties just hours before the start of the 2012 legislative session on Tuesday.

  • Tuesday, February 7 2012 12:23 PM EST2012-02-07 17:23:25 GMT
    Lawmakers arriving in Montgomery for the start of the 2012 legislative session got bad news and it has to do with projected budgets.

  • Tuesday, February 7 2012 12:57 AM EST2012-02-07 05:57:18 GMT
    State lawmakers are back for the start of the 2012 regular legislative session. Republicans are anxious to hit the ground running since they have a super majority in the house and senate...

  • Monday, February 6 2012 10:56 AM EST2012-02-06 15:56:04 GMT
    Attorneys and defendants in the second federal corruption trial arrived at the federal courthouse in Montgomery Monday morning. "We are ready!" said Joe Espy, lead attorney for Victoryland owner Milton McGregor.

  • Saturday, February 4 2012 1:25 PM EST2012-02-04 18:25:35 GMT
    Montgomery Councilman C.C. Calhoun released a statement Saturday to WSFA 12 News concerning his arrest Friday on a DUI charge. 

  • Friday, February 3 2012 1:57 PM EST2012-02-03 18:57:39 GMT
    The final charge against Ray Crosby, a defendant in the federal gambling corruption trial, was dropped Friday.

  • Thursday, February 2 2012 8:26 PM EST2012-02-03 01:26:49 GMT
    Alabama's workforce was bigger at the end of 2011 than it was at the end of 2012. According to statistics from the Department of Industrial Relations, there were 22,859 more people in Alabama's Civilian

  • Thursday, February 2 2012 7:30 PM EST2012-02-03 00:30:36 GMT
    A Republican state senator told a prayer breakfast in Fort Payne that doubling teachers' pay would attract people to teaching who aren't qualified.

  • Thursday, February 2 2012 5:34 PM EST2012-02-02 22:34:38 GMT
    Businessman and former Alabama gubernatorial candidate Tim James is throwing his endorsement behind former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore as Moore seeks a return to the high court.

  • Thursday, February 2 2012 4:19 PM EST2012-02-02 21:19:32 GMT
    Television personality and businessman Donald Trump threw his support behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Thursday in his bid to go toe to toe with President Barack Obama in November.

  • Thursday, February 2 2012 3:25 PM EST2012-02-02 20:25:20 GMT
    The Republican leader of the Alabama Senate has helped pay the legal bills of a Democratic senator acquitted of all charges in Alabama's gambling corruption investigation.

  • Wednesday, February 1 2012 3:59 PM EST2012-02-01 20:59:57 GMT
    Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman filed a new appeal of his 2006 federal government corruption conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, suggesting he was "convicted of things that are not crimes."

  • Tuesday, January 31 2012 11:55 PM EST2012-02-01 04:55:40 GMT
    Greenville's Mayor is casting a "no" vote in the debate over whether the city should start a school system...

  • Tuesday, January 31 2012 8:20 PM EST2012-02-01 01:20:23 GMT
    A study by a longstanding economic research center at the University of Alabama says that Alabama's new immigration law will cost the state billions of dollars...

  • The Montgomery Election Center announced absentee voting for the Primary Election begins Thursday, February 2, 2012.

    The Primary Election will be on Tuesday, March 13 and the last day to apply for an absentee ballot is Thursday, March 8.   

  • Monday, January 30 2012 12:08 PM EST2012-01-30 17:08:59 GMT
    Although polls have placed both former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich as top runners in Florida's GOP presidential primary, Romney has taken the lead back after strengthening his presence in Thursday's CNN debate.

  • Friday, January 27 2012 1:06 PM EST2012-01-27 18:06:30 GMT
    New campaign finance figures come out next week that will show where the candidates stand in terms of raising money ahead of Alabama's March 13th Presidential Preference Primary.

  • Thursday, January 26 2012 10:13 PM EST2012-01-27 03:13:15 GMT
    Alabama's unemployment rate has dropped more than any of its bordering states according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the data, Alabama's unemployment has dropped by 1.9% since

  • Thursday, January 26 2012 1:08 PM EST2012-01-26 18:08:15 GMT
    What was meant to be a ceremonial meet and greet for local dignitaries turned into a tense exchange of words between Barack Obama and Gov. Jan Brewer. Comments gathering on Brewer's Facebook page are less than complimentary.

  • Jan 24, 2012 10:02 PM CST2012-01-25 23:10:06 GMT
    This is Rep. Martha Roby's (R-Montgomery) reaction to President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address. "We continue to witness a striking lack of leadership from the president on the most basic responsibilities

  • Tuesday, January 24 2012 7:37 PM EST2012-01-25 00:37:07 GMT
    Two men arrested when they sat down on the floor of the lobby of the Alabama Statehouse back in November and refused to leave to protest Alabama's immigration law have been convicted...

  • Friday, January 20 2012 7:20 PM EST2012-01-21 00:20:24 GMT
    This weekend South Carolina voters will head to the poles to vote for their candidate of choice in the republican primary for President.  We in Alabama will have to wait until March 13th to cast our votes.

  • Friday, January 20 2012 12:34 PM EST2012-01-20 17:34:05 GMT
    Defense attorneys in Alabama's gambling corruption trial say prosecutors have told them that their witnesses for the retrial won't include two lawmakers who wore wires for the FBI and engaged in a conversation

  • Friday, January 20 2012 12:58 AM EST2012-01-20 05:58:44 GMT
    Fewer people are flying.  That's the word from officials at the Montgomery Regional Airport. Despite efforts to keep them coming, they believe there are a few reasons to explain the decrease...

  • Thursday, January 19 2012 10:47 PM EST2012-01-20 03:47:20 GMT
    The blogosphere is reporting that the website for the U.S. Department of Justice has been hacked by the group Anonymous.
    In what they call their largest attack ever, the hacktivist group Anonymous is claiming responsibility for bringing down the websites for the FBI, the U.S. Department of Justice and about half a dozen music industry websites, among others.

  • Thursday, January 19 2012 6:38 PM EST2012-01-19 23:38:49 GMT
    Congress is beginning a new session, and that means it's time for a Louisiana congressman to pay up for his failed wager against the Crimson Tide.

  • Thursday, January 19 2012 2:16 PM EST2012-01-19 19:16:01 GMT
    The Alabama Office of Prosecution Services is getting a grant totaling $234,000 to aid its fight against cyber crime.

  • Thursday, January 19 2012 12:34 PM EST2012-01-19 17:34:48 GMT
    An Alabama congressman says a delay by the Department of Homeland Security in extending a federal illegal immigration program statewide is a politically driven response to the state's controversial immigration crackdown.

  • Thursday, January 19 2012 12:25 PM EST2012-01-19 17:25:53 GMT
    Calling it a "strategic retreat," Perry said he came to the conclusion there was no viable path forward for his campaign.

  • The second wife of Newt Gingrich claims the GOP presidential candidate asked her to open up their marriage to a mistress.

  • Wednesday, January 18 2012 10:00 PM EST2012-01-19 03:00:27 GMT
    President Barack Obama on Wednesday rejected plans for a massive oil pipeline through the heart of the United States, ruling there was not enough time for a fair review before a looming deadline forced on him by Republicans.

  • Wednesday, January 18 2012 8:27 PM EST2012-01-19 01:27:18 GMT
    The selection committee for the Auburn University Board of Trustees decided Wednesday that it will interview 35 candidates for nine vacant positions on the powerful board.

  • Wednesday, January 18 2012 6:26 PM EST2012-01-18 23:26:45 GMT
    Calling it a way to honor their service to America, Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL-6) is urging Members of Congress to invite Iraq war veterans to attend next Tuesday's State of the Union Address in the U.S. Capitol.

  • Marshall County judge running for re-election will not get the chance after the state republican party removed him from the ballot on Tuesday.

  • Wednesday, January 18 2012 12:36 PM EST2012-01-18 17:36:01 GMT
    Not in their backyard! Residents of a south Montgomery neighborhood prevailed in their fight to stop plans to build a cemetery adjacent to their subdivision.  

  • Wednesday, January 18 2012 12:33 PM EST2012-01-18 17:33:31 GMT
    The Alabama Legislature won't follow its usual practice of having budget hearings before the legislative session starts Feb. 7.

  • Tuesday, January 17 2012 9:41 AM EST2012-01-17 14:41:32 GMT
    A Pew Research Center poll shows that former President George W. Bush and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin remain the gold standard for presidential endorsements. The poll shows endorsements of candidates made by four other prominent Republicans would have very little impact on the race.

  • Monday, January 16 2012 11:42 PM EST2012-01-17 04:42:03 GMT
    Homeowners in the Bellmeade neighborhood on Woodley Road hope to have a packed house at the next Montgomery city council meeting--anything to convince council members of one thing...

  • Monday, January 16 2012 3:12 PM EST2012-01-16 20:12:09 GMT
    Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman told reporters and supporters gathered in Myrtle Beach, SC, that he has decided to withdraw from the 2012 Republican presidential race following a disappointing performance in New Hampshire.

  • Saturday, January 14 2012 1:00 PM EST2012-01-14 18:00:25 GMT
    Former Democratic Congressman Bobby Bright decided on the last day of qualifying not to run for another term representing Alabama's Second Congressional District.

  • Friday, January 13 2012 11:00 PM EST2012-01-14 04:00:46 GMT
    "We're not the only ones in the country having to do this," says Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard. It's no secret, earnings for the Retirement Systems of Alabama's largest fund--The Teachers' Retirement System--aren't meeting the national average...

  • Thursday, January 12 2012 9:36 PM EST2012-01-13 02:36:34 GMT
    The amount state agencies will contribute to retirement funds will go up by $90 million for the 2013 fiscal year which begins October 1. Estimates compiled by the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA) and

  • Thursday, January 12 2012 7:19 PM EST2012-01-13 00:19:16 GMT
    Federal and state prosecutors said Thursday they are seeing an increasing number of cases of human trafficking in Alabama including those in which people are brought into the country for illegal activities such as...

  • State senator Scott Beason says he is ready to go to Washington. He announced today that he will challenge Representative Spencer Bacchus for the 6th Congressional District Seat.

  • More than 100 workers in courthouse clerks' offices across Alabama soon could face layoffs.

  • Tuesday, January 10 2012 9:29 AM EST2012-01-10 14:29:38 GMT
    Voters in New Hampshire make their voice heard on Tuesday in the nation's first true primary and second step toward choosing a Republican presidential candidate for the 2012 election.

  • Monday, January 9 2012 9:32 PM EST2012-01-10 02:32:18 GMT
    Circuit Judge Helen Shores Lee ruled Monday in Birmingham against a complaint that argued Obama isn't a natural-born U.S. citizen and can't legally serve as president. The judge's ruling followed a brief hearing.

  • Thursday, January 5 2012 6:41 PM EST2012-01-05 23:41:14 GMT
    The Court of the Judiciary scheduled a date for a public hearing in the case against former Montgomery County Family Court Judge Patricia Warner.

  • Thursday, January 5 2012 1:15 PM EST2012-01-05 18:15:19 GMT
    State Representative Paul DeMarco (R-Homewood) announced legislation designed to combat the growing problem of unemployment compensation fraud at a news conference on Thursday in the State House.

  • Wednesday, January 4 2012 8:14 PM EST2012-01-05 01:14:58 GMT
    Alabama's Education Trust Fund is in better shape in January 2012 than it was at the same time in 2011. According to the Alabama Department of Revenue, state income and sales tax collections are up...

  • Wednesday, January 4 2012 6:47 PM EST2012-01-04 23:47:55 GMT
    The period for raising money was shortened by this year's early party primaries with voters scheduled to go to the polls March 13 rather than in June.

  • Wednesday, January 4 2012 6:07 PM EST2012-01-04 23:07:14 GMT
    President Barack Obama named a Director  to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Wednesday, and the announcement was immediately greeted with outrage from Republicans.

  • Wednesday, January 4 2012 2:31 PM EST2012-01-04 19:31:55 GMT
    John McCain told the crowd President Barack Obama "couldn't hide from his record," and the damage done during his presidency they would "restore with Mitt Romney as president."

  • Wednesday, January 4 2012 12:40 PM EST2012-01-04 17:40:10 GMT
    By a margin of just eight votes, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney squeaked past former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum to claim victory at Tuesday's Iowa caucus, a sign that the race for the GOP nomination remains too close to call.

  • Tuesday, January 3 2012 12:33 PM EST2012-01-03 17:33:51 GMT
    The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences is receiving a $145,000 grant to help increase the speed taken to identify illegal substances. The grant comes from the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

  • BREAKING NEWS

    The House sent its bill that deals with the debt crisis to the Senate. It was promptly voted down Friday evening, as Democrats promised it would be.

  • House Democrats are pushing for President Barack Obama to invoke a little-known constitutional provision in the 14th Amendment to prevent the nation from going into default.