1. Fourth of July Trump Style

• President Trump is promising the “show of a lifetime” for the hundreds of thousands of spectators expected who will see an notable show of military force.
• The tanks that Trump specifically requested are now in place and there is expected to be an impressive show from different military aircrafts as well.
• He’s calling his event a “Salute to America,” and is scheduled to begin at 5:30 Central Time from the Lincoln Memorial.
• Trump has been criticized for the cost and pomposity of the event. He defended himself Wednesday, tweeting that cost “will be very little compared to what it is worth.”
• Under White House direction, the Pentagon was arranging for an Air Force B-2 stealth bomber and other warplanes to conduct flyovers. There will be Navy F-35 and F-18 fighter jets, the Navy Blue Angels aerobatics team, Army and Coast Guard helicopters and Marine V-22 Ospreys.
• The White House referred questions about the cost of the military participation to the Pentagon, which said it did not have the answer.
• Read more about the parade measures HERE.

2. No Prosecution for Jones

• An Alabama district attorney said Wednesday she is dropping the manslaughter charge against Marshae Jones who lost her pregnancy when she was shot during a fight.
• Jones was arrested last week after a grand jury concluded she intentionally caused the death of her fetus by initiating a fight, knowing she was pregnant.
• But Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff District Attorney Lynneice O. Washington said Wednesday that she would not pursue the case.
• “After reviewing the facts of this case and the applicable state law, I have determined that it is not in the best interest of justice to pursue prosecution of Ms. Jones,” Washington said, flanked by her chief assistant and local church leaders. “There are no winners, only losers, in this sad ordeal.”
• The prosecutor did not take questions or explain the process that led to grand jurors returning the indictment to begin with.
• Lawyers representing Jones said they were pleased with Washington’s decision and urged Jones’ supporters to direct their energy to “ensuring that what happened to Marshae won’t ever happen again.”
• You can read more about it HERE.

3. Fourth of July sees largest car fatalities

• The days surrounding Independence Day see more fatal car crashes than any other day during the year, according to an analysis of state traffic records by researchers at the University of Alabama.
• During the past five years, the days around the Fourth of July averaged three fatal crashes a day, 29% higher than the average of fatal crashes per day the rest of the year, the study by UA’s Center for Advanced Public Safety showed.
• I spoke with Corporal Jess Thornton of the Alabama Highway Patrol who told me that there will be an increased presence of state troopers on the highways this holiday weekend in order to ensure everyone’s safety.
• The major causes of crashes around the holiday are impaired driving from alcohol or other drugs, as well as speeding.
• Researchers with the CAPS study say that just before and after the Fourth of July is one of the deadliest holiday periods of the year across the country when it comes to drunk-driving crashes.
• Read more about road fatalities and road safety HERE.

4. Skip Tucker: Take the Day to Sparkle, Sparkle, Sparkle

• Skip Tucker is in Washington, D.C. this Fourth of July and he’s sharing some of the sites and sounds from the nation’s capital in his column this week.
• Here is a snippet of how Skip describes D.C.:

• Now that makes me want to go to D.C. for my next vacation.
• Read the rest of Skip’s column HERE.

5. AP News Briefs

• Three Alabama police officers were injured during a chase that ended with the arrest of a man suspected of stealing a car.
• Police in the south Alabama town of Samson located a car that had been reported stolen following a tip from a motorist on Tuesday afternoon.
• Officers gave chase, and authorities say the pursuit didn’t end until the driver slammed into at least one police vehicle and two other police cars also were wrecked.
• The Samson Police Department posted on its Facebook page that three officers were hurt and went to a hospital, but none of the injuries was life-threatening.
• The driver of the suspected stolen vehicle was arrested, but police haven’t released that person’s name or any charges.
• Samson police says the state is investigating.

• An Alabama man accused of feeding methamphetamine to what authorities called an “attack squirrel” is being charged with a state wildlife offense.
• Court records show 35-year-old Mickey Joel Paulk is now charged with illegal possession of wildlife.
• Paulk hasn’t denied having a pet squirrel, which is illegal under state law. But he has denied police allegations that he fed meth to the squirrel to make it aggressive.
• Officers encountered the animal during a raid at an apartment. Paulk later told The Associated Press he had the squirrel since it was a baby and would never give it drugs.

• Authorities say a skull found atop a ledge in northwest Alabama likely belonged to a man who had been dead for years.
• Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver says the skull discovered last month by hikers was likely that of a male between the ages of 18 and 49. He says the person had been dead between two and seven years.
• Officials haven’t determined the identity of the dead person, nor do they know how the skull came to rest atop a rock ledge near Bear Creek.
• The sheriff told a news conference Tuesday the bone could have been deposited atop the ledge by high water.
• Hikers found the skull on June 9. Oliver says investigators don’t know whether the person died of some sort of trauma.

• An Alabama sheriff says a female inmate had sex with a male inmate who was working in the jail and deliberately got pregnant in an effort to get released.
• Coosa County Sheriff Michael Howell told reporters Wednesday that investigators determined 27-year-old Latoni Daniel hoped getting pregnant and claiming she was raped would help her get leniency in her capital murder case.
• Al.com reports Daniel was charged in December 2017 in the death of Thomas Virgil Chandler. He was attacked, robbed, and slain on his way home from buying groceries.
• Daniel has been jailed without bail for 18 months while awaiting trial, and gave birth to a boy in May.
• One of her attorneys initially said she was raped and had no memory of a sexual encounter.

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – No prosecution for Alabama woman who was shot, lost fetus