Fort Payne names road after Siemens plant

Friday, May 17th, 2013, 7:42pm

Company officials said the partnership with the community over the years has been tremendous.

FORT PAYNE, AL (WAFF)- After making Fort Payne its home for 25 years, the city is naming a road in honor of a major employer in the city.

Company and city leaders were on hand for the ribbon cutting in front of the Siemens plant Friday afternoon. They make electric generator parts.

They paid special tribute to five employees who have been there since day one, back in 1988.

Company officials said the partnership with the community over the years has been tremendous.

"I think it gives our employees here a sense of pride and a sense of ownership with Siemens that not only are we committed to the community, but the community is committed to us," said plant manager John Ustica.

The 320 employees were also praised for their safety record. The group has gone more than a year without lost time due to accident - the longest in the history of the company worldwide.

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WEATHER BLOG: May 17th, 2013: Limestone County Severe Weather Recap

Submitted by Lonnie Liebner, Community Web Producer

Friday, May 17th, 2013, 5:38pm

WEATHER BLOG: May 17th, 2013: Limestone County Severe Weather Recap

By Lauren Jones

As anticipated by the SPC’s “Slight” severe weather risk today, we had a few isolated accounts of strong to severe weather. The most notable was in Limestone County. Here are the storm reports as of 7:00pm Friday evening.

The first Tornado Warning came around 2pm when a small supercell storm quickly starting rotating.

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Train collides with truck carrying metal near steel plant

Submitted by WAFF Web Staff

Friday, May 17th, 2013, 1:58pm

FORT PAYNE, AL (WAFF)- A train collided with a truck near the Nucor Vulcraft plant Friday morning.

The crash happened at 9 a.m. north of Fort Payne.

The tractor trailer loaded with metal sheets crossed the tracks and the train hit the truck.

The force of the collision spun the truck around, throwing metal sheets into a field.

Emergency crews transported the truck driver to a local hospital. There's no word on his injuries.

Crews were on the scene clearing the wreck and removing diesel fuel from the truck all morning.

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Man pleads guilty to hosting open house party

Submitted by WAFF Web Staff

Thursday, May 16th, 2013, 7:35pm

DEKALB COUNTY, AL (WAFF)- A DeKalb County criminal
case shows some house parties do not end well for the hosts.

Some parents think that by
serving their kids alcohol, they can keep things under control and safe, but
speaking to law enforcement and mental health officials, there are two problems
with that theory.

The drinking age is 21, which
means the child could go to jail.

Secondly, if a parent is
caught hosting an open house party, it is the parent who could go to jail.

Cory Allen Campbell, 23,
pleaded guilty in DeKalb County District Court Wednesday to charges he hosted
an open house party.

He was ordered to pay nearly
$400 in court costs.

Officials at Mountain Lakes
Behavior Healthcare work on educating the public about the dangers of hosting
open house parties, as well as underage drinking.

Officials said some
children have their first contact with alcohol at the age of 12, which can lead
to early alcoholism.

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YouTubery: The Commercials of Stan Freberg

Submitted by Chase Erwin, WAFFstaffer

Thursday, May 16th, 2013, 1:46pm

There are very few modern-day commercials I enjoy watching, especially the ones you see on nearly -every- commercial break. I understand that's the nature of the business today. I don't have to like it, but I accept it.

Luckily there's nothing preventing me from putting the TV on mute every once in awhile and looking up commercials from the better era of ads (read that as 'before I was born.') I remembered a great ad I saw on a TV special about, of all things, the greatest commercials of all time. It starred dancer Ann Miller, and was a spectacle for the now defunct Great American Soup company. What grabbed my attention was the final line, after Miller's big, expensive song and dance. Her TV husband embraces her and asks, "Emily, why do you always have to make such a big production out of everything?"

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AL lawmakers may vote on 3 welfare bills

Submitted by WAFF Web Staff

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013, 7:19pm

DECATUR, AL (WAFF)- On the final day of the Alabama legislative session, lawmakers will likely take up three bills involving welfare benefits. All of the bills have passed through the Senate and await votes from the Alabama House of Representatives.

Senator Arthur Orr sponsored two of the bills. One would limit what people could buy with public assistance money. EBT cards would not be able to be used to buy liquor or cigarettes. Recipients would also not be able to use them in casinos, tattoo parlors, and adult entertainment businesses.

The bill would also prevent people from using the cards to pay for psychic services. The first time someone was caught using the card for any of those items, they would lose eligibility for EBT and state cash benefits for a month. The second time, they would lose eligibility for three months. The third time could mean they would ineligible for state public assistance in Alabama permanently.

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WEATHER BLOG: Rain returns... but don't expect too much

Submitted by Lonnie Liebner, Community Web Producer

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013, 7:30am

WEATHER BLOG: Rain returns... but don't expect too much

By Jeff Castle

The weather stays dry again today with sunshine and highs in the mid 80s. We're tracking an upper level storm system that is bringing clouds and rain to parts of Texas and Oklahoma this morning. Here's the satellite and radar view at 9am.

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