Class ring missing for decades returned

Lola Fossett of Florence holds a photograph of her late husband, Rick, and his high school class ring that recently was returned to her by a Florida couple who found it in 1977. / ...

Alabama court system facing layoffs chief justice says

'In the Constitution of Alabama, we are the only branch that is guaranteed reasonable and adequate funding, and we are not getting it,' Chief Justice Roy Moore said Tuesday. / AMANDA SOWARDS/ADVERTISER ...

Indian guest workers sue Alabama-based company

GULFPORT, MISS. — Dozens of Indian guest workers are suing an Alabama-based marine and fabrication company, claiming it financially exploited them and forced them to live in squalid conditions after bringing them to work at Gulf Coast shipyards after Hurricane Katrina. Three federal lawsuits backed by the Southern Poverty Law Center were filed Tuesday in Mississippi and Texas on behalf of ...

W.Va.s local-food movement a model for Appalachia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - With eight in 10 farmers making less than $10,000 a year, West Virginia will never rival big Midwestern factory farms in producing food. But creative collaborations with food entrepreneurs are seeding a new kind of economy that federal officials say could become a model for 12 other Appalachian states.Officials with the Appalachian Regional Commission, the U.S. Department of ...

Animal protection groups praise Alabama bill

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Animal protection groups are urging Alabama's governor to sign legislation toughening the penalties for animal cruelty. The Legislature passed a bill on the last night of its session to increase the penalty for animal cruelty from a maximum of 6 months in jail to a maximum of 1 year. The bill also adds a definition for torture that can cause the punishment to ...