1. More details on Elkmont slayings.

• More details are emerging from the shocking news yesterday that a 14-year-old boy admitted to killing five of his family members.
• Limestone County sheriff’s spokesman Stephen Young said the boy called 911 at about 11 p.m. Monday. He met deputies on the driveway and told them he heard gunshots upstairs while he was in the basement and he ran out the door. The teen later confessed to being the one who pulled the trigger, Young said.
• “Upon being confronted with some of the inconsistencies, he did admit to shooting the five family members. All five were family members and all five lived in the residence,” Young said.
• The suspect’s 6-month-old brother, 5-year-old sister and 6-year-old brother were among the victims. The adult victims were identified as the 38-year-old father of the suspect and the teen’s 35-year-old stepmother. In a later statement, the sheriff’s office said the children were step-siblings of the suspect.
• He faces murder charges and is being held in a juvenile detention facility. Young said he could face adult charges, including capital murder.
• Read more HERE.

 

2. ‘Heavens no’ Ivey won’t resign.

• Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Tuesday that she should not have worn blackface in a college skit decades ago, but she does not plan to resign over something that happened so long in the past.
• In her first public appearance since issuing a public apology last week, Ivey reiterated that she was wrong to appear in the skit over 50 years ago and that it does not reflect who she is today. The Republican governor said she has no plans to quit.
• “Heavens no, I’m not going to resign. It’s something that happened 52 years ago and I’m not that person. My administration stands on being inclusive and helping people,” the Republican governor said.
• Read more from Kim Chandler and watch the governor’s comments for yourself HERE.

 

3. Pentagon approves border wall spending.

• Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Tuesday approved the use of $3.6 billion in funding from military construction projects to build 175 miles of President Donald Trump’s wall along the Mexican border.
• Congress approved $1.375 billion for wall construction in this year’s budget, same as the previous year and far less than the $5.7 billion that the White House sought. Trump grudgingly accepted the money to end a 35-day government shutdown in February but simultaneously declared a national emergency to take money from other government accounts, identifying up to $8.1 billion for wall construction.
• The transferred funds include $600 million from the Treasury Department’s asset forfeiture fund, $2.5 billion from Defense Department counter-drug activities and now the $3.6 billion pot for military housing construction announced Tuesday.
• The Pentagon reviewed the list of military projects and said none that provided housing or critical infrastructure for troops would be affected. Defense officials also said they would focus on projects set to begin in 2020 and beyond, with the hope that the money could eventually be restored by Congress.
• Full story HERE.

 

4. Study examines effects carving out school districts.

• A new study by the American Educational Research Association finds that a newly-formed school districts are increasing segregation by allowing communities to “draw boundaries around white spaces.”
• The study looks at 18 school districts in Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee.
• One district examined is Pike Road, just outside Montgomery. But officials there, and the numbers themselves, tell a more nuanced story.
• In Pike Road, just over half of students were white last year, while about 30% were African American. The remainder were Asian, Hispanic or multiracial. That’s a higher share of black students than other suburban districts around Montgomery seen as alternatives to Pike Road.
• The system’s leaders point to that diversity, which roughly mirrors schools statewide across Alabama, to argue they’re not a white-flight suburb.
• Pike Road Superintendent Chuck Ledbetter acknowledges that white parents have long been fleeing the Montgomery County system, followed in some cases by African American parents with the means to move. He argues that Pike Road, especially as new as it is, isn’t responsible for that flight.
• “People are making choices,” Ledbetter said. “Pike Road is not the reason people are making a choice. Pike Road is another choice.”
• Read the full story from Jeff Amy HERE.

 

5. Auburn leaps into top 10, Bama makes history.

• The Alabama Crimson Tide made history this week by setting the longest streak for remaining in the AP top 5.
• Bama has been in the top 5 for 56 straight weeks, dating back to November of 2015. The previous record was held by Miami.
• Auburn punched its way into the AP top 10 this week after a thrilling win against Oregon.
• View the full AP top 25 HERE.
• Speaking of Auburn, the Tigers’ last-minute heroics on Saturday was the latest example of their penchant for drama.
• Under head coach Gus Malzhan, Auburn has been known for down-to-the-wire wins and losses.
• Read more about that HERE.

 

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