FLORENCE, Ala. - A big loss for the Valley as one of its favorite performers passes.  Actor and comedian George Lindsey died early Sunday morning in Nashville.

 

Lindsey was best known for his role on the Andy Griffith Show as ‘Goober,’ seen by many as a timeless American icon who helped make life a little lighter.

 

Florence restaurant owner Rick Elliot knew Lindsey, who frequently ate at his Trattoria di Ricatoni’s.  Referring to the appeal of Mayberry and its colorful cast of characters, Elliot says, "I think it's the simplicity, the lifestyle, I think people fantasize about the way things used to be, before there were computers or cell phones."

 

For nearly 30 years, the Jasper, Alabama native played the beloved Mayberry gas station attendant on the Andy Griffith Show, as well as Mayberry RFD, and Hee Haw.

 

Close friend Bill Jarnigan admires Lindsey’s knack for humor: “He had that timing.  He knew how to pull the most you could pull from a joke or a scene, and he was just great at it."

 

But Jarnigan says Lindsey was much more than a grinning goober.  He explains, “He was a funny guy, but yet he had a very serious side, and that was the side that I really began to appreciate."

 

The loss of George Lindsey won't only be mourned by his friends and fans, but also his alma mater, the University of North Alabama, where he contributed so much.

Most notably, Lindsey co-founded UNA's film festival, now in its 15th year.  Jarnigan adds, “It’s taken on a life of its own, and more importantly, people in the profession are recognizing it."

 

Even though he's now no longer with us, those who knew him are sure that his memory will live on.

 

Elliot reflects, “His legacy, it's part of our culture.  He'll be with us for forever here in the Shoals community for sure."

 

Lindsey was 83 years old, and funeral arrangements have not yet been set.

DECATUR, Ala. - A quick pop of the hood release, and Dale Sebourn reveals his electrifying achievement.

"This is where all the electronics are stored," Sebourn shows WAAY 31 FirstNews what's under the hood of his 1996 Chevy S-10.

Horsepower harnessed by electricity.

"This is the controller," he points out. "These are the solenoids that operate the controller."

He raises a panel to expose a deeper look at what used to be an engine compartment. Instead of an engine, now there's an electric motor. "Underneath are four more batteries and the motor adapted to the transmission."

The electric motor is bolted to the transmission. From there on back, the truck's drivetrain is no different than any other S-10.

Sebourn added lift struts to his truck bed so he can easily raise it. Beneath the bed, there's battery after battery. "There are 16 batteries back here," he explains.

Sebourn owns Decatur Golf Carts. He labored for two years to turn his Chevy into a king-sized cart. The conversion cost him about $12,000. "This is really nothing but just a big golf cart. It's got the same electronic system. It's just a lot bigger. The motor's a lot bigger."

There's one part of this pickup that's virtually useless -- the fuel filler door. But, even it has a purpose. Sebourn uses it as a handle to lower his truck bed from the raised position.

The bed may pull down. But, passing up the pump is no let down.

"It costs about $1.50 to charge it," Sebourn says. "And you can run approximately sixty miles on that."

On the road, Sebourn's electrified pickup is quiet. You can hear creaking from the steering wheel cover. And there's a low pitched whine like you'd hear from any electric golf cart.

There's a manual stick shift on the floor. "But you don't have to shift," he tells us. "You run it in third gear all of the time."

Converting his truck wasn't easy. "You have to do a lot of trial and error to make some of the things fit."

Dale Sebourn's electric ride has put the juice to a truckload of conversations. "Wow! They say wow!"

Huntsville, AL -- Tina Brown never got a chance to celebrate her high school graduation and before she knew it, more than a decade had passed. Then, the mother of four realized something had to change. Her children wanted help with their homework, help that Brown couldn't provide. At 29 years old, she enrolled with the Christian Women's Job Corps of Madison. "I had no motivation, and I never knew what my next step was going to be until I got with these ladies at Christian Women's Job Corps, and everything changed. I had more faith, more motivation and actually more courage," Brown says.

The free 9-month program includes classroom work, tutoring and mentoring. In November, Brown also had the opportunity to take her GED test. The next month, the letter came with her results. Too nervous to open it, she handed it to her oldest son, who delivered the news that she had passed. Now, she's attending Drake State Technical College and making plans for the future. Brown says, "I'd say within the next year and a half to two years, I would love to own my own salon, but we'll see how far this takes me, I know God's got my side. He's got my back."

Faith is at the heart of the program. Executive Director Elaine Dickson says, "we instill in the women that God, first of all, desires a personal relationship with them, but also that He has a plan for them, and He wants them to succeed. We want them to succeed as well, and we provide them with some tools that help them do that." On Sunday, May 6th, Brown and 19 other women graduated from the Christian Women's Job Corps program. To find out how to apply as a student or a volunteer, click here.

Nashville, TN - Actor and comedian George "Goober" Lindsey died early Sunday after a brief illness.

Lindsey was a native of Fairfield, AL and spent his childhood in Jasper.

He is best known for his role as Goober in the popular television show The Andy Griffith Show.  He also worked for many years as a regular member of the cast of Hee Haw.

He was a graduate of the University of North Alabama and was a co-founder of the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival in 1998.

Lindsey was 83.

FLORENCE, AL - Plans for a new hospital in the Shoals have hit a major roadblock.
According to our news partner, The Times Daily, five health care providers have filed opposition to the $250M project.

That means Regional Care must get a certificate of need before it can build a replacement for Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence.

A hearing is set for November.

During the hearing, Regional Care will have to prove to a judge that the new building is necessary and will better serve the community.

DECATUR, AL - The Decatur School Board will vote on a new superintendent this week.

On Monday, the board members will meet with central office staff and principals to discuss the five finalists.

The discussion will continue at a work session on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the school board will select the person who will replace Sam Houston, who is retiring June 30th.

Of the five finalists, three are from Alabama, including one who is currently an assistant superintendent with Decatur City Schools.

The superintendent candidates are as follows: 
Reginald Eggleston, Assistant Superintendent, Mobile County Schools, AL
Ed Nichols, Assistant Superintendent, Decatur City Schools, AL
Gail Pope, Superintendent, Manassas City Schools, Manassas, VA
Sandra Spivey, Director of Secondary Education, Madison County Schools, AL
Elizabeth Thomas, Superintendent, Grayson County Public Schools, Independence, VA

NASHVILLE, TN - If you have some extra money in your pocket, and some good connections, you can own a piece of Facebook. The company’s initial public offering is expected for May 18th. Facebook says shares will begin trading at $28 to $35 each and listed on the NASDAQ.

However, it will be virtually impossible for the average person, like me, to buy some shares. Most will go to companies that manage mutual funds. But, we can dream. Back in 2004, Google went public with shares trading at $85. It closed Friday at $597 per share.

Rumors are swirling about a new iPhone coming out later this year. Some reports say Apple is working on a four inch screen, which is the common size for Android devices. It will also have a metal back, instead of the glass it has now. Apple has introduced new gadgets in the fall. The iPhone 4 was released in October 2011.

Once Target sells the Kindles it has left on the shelves, it won’t replace them.
Target will only say it’ll stop selling the Kindle because of a conflict of interest. However, Target will continue selling the Barnes and Noble Nook and the iPad. So what’s the conflict of interest? It’s most likely that Amazon is one of Target's biggest competitors.

If you’re on Facebook and love Angry Birds, you’re about to waste a lot of time.
The world’s most popular game has come to the world’s most popular social network. You can now play Angry Birds right on your timeline and challenge your friends to a game. Your score is compared to the score of your friends. To install the app, search for "Angry Birds game" and install it. And don’t blame me if you can’t get anything done.

Keeping you plugged in, I’m Jamey Tucker.

DECATUR, Ala. (WAAY) – There is one week left in the legislative season, and lawmakers are preparing to vote on a bill that would make changes to Alabama's strict immigration law.

 

With little time left, Latinos are lashing out at one local lawmaker.  People against Alabama's law turned Cinco de Mayo into a night of protest in Decatur.

 

Joe Ferrazas says things have been different since Alabama's immigration law went into effect last fall, and not just for illegal immigrants. 

 

He explains, “My daughter, she was in the beta club, and as soon as that happened, many of the people there that she was on the beta club with told her that she needs to go back to Mexico and she needs to get out of Alabama, get out of America, this is their country.  And she's never been to Mexico; she was born and raised in Texas."

 

It's stories like these that led hundreds to rally against the immigration law, and against a current immigration bill that changes certain parts of the law already in place.

 

After sign-making and speeches, the crowd marched a mile down Sixth Avenue to State Representative Micky Hammon's office.  He's the sponsor of the new immigration bill, HB658. 

 

Rally organizer Rosa Calderon feels he personifies a growing problem since the law has been passed.  She explains, “He interchanges the words 'illegal immigrant' with 'Hispanic.'  And it makes me angry because I am not illegal, I am a U.S. citizen."

 

Calderon hopes the march will energize and unify North Alabama's Latino community.  She also wants Representative Hammon to listen up: “We're going to leave him letters from the children so hopefully his heart will be softened."

 

Many of these letters mention families torn apart post-immigration law.  It's why sixth-grader Jennifer Hernandez and her friends decided to march.  She explains, “[My friends] will be sad and saying that their parents are leaving and they just want their parents together."

 

It's not a simple issue, but Ferrazas feels they wouldn't be in this situation, marching for justice, if gaining U.S. Citizenship was just a little bit easier.

 

Ferrazas says, “Many of these people here, they've been waiting 15 to 20 years to try to get their citizenship paper. What they're asking for is real reform, they're not asking to stay here for free, they just want to work, make a living, support their families."

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The FBI says two bodies have been found in Mississippi during the search for a missing Tennessee woman and her three children, but the identities are not known.

FBI spokesman Joel Siskovic said the bodies were found late Friday night or early Saturday morning in Guntown, Miss., in a residence associated with the man charged with abducting Jo Ann Bain and her children. The spokesman wouldn't say if the bodies were children.

The missing girls are 8-year-old Kyliyah Bain, 12-year-old Alexandria and 14-year-old Adrienne. They were last seen April 27 in Tennessee.

Siskovic says 35-year-old Adam Mayes is suspected of abducting them and is considered armed and dangerous. He was last seen Tuesday in Guntown. He's been described as a family friend.

Authorities had said that Mayes could be in Mississippi but that he has ties to other states.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Michael Sutterfield of Stevenson, Ala., is a fighter.

The 15-year-old is deaf, suffers from Complex Partial Seizure's and has a Hydracephulus Shunt. Michael was born premature with meningitis, cysts on the front lobe of his brain and a bacterial infection which caused damage to the ventricles and other areas of his brain.

But it’s baseball brings out the best in him.

“Michael is a huge baseball fan,” his mother Debbie Guess said. “He's played since he was four years old.”

Baseball is the one thing that he can do that makes him feel like he's not any different than all of the other kids.

When the Huntsville stars heard Michael’s story, they did not hesitate to help. Stars’ general manager Buck Rogers invited the young man to Joe Davis Stadium.

Saturday night, Michael got to meet the players and was given an official Stars jersey and batting practice cap.

“It's a good feeling to lift his spirits and get him out here,” Huntsville Stars first baseman Hunter Morris said. “We want to make him feel part of our team, our group. I hope he enjoys being out here as much as we enjoy having him.”

After given the Stars gear, Michael immediately asked Morris to autograph his new souvenirs. It was also such a thrill for Micheal to throw out the first pitch and deliver the line-up card to home plate.

“He's a pretty spectacular kid,” Guess said. “The doctors didn't expect him to live pass the first night.”

Michael spent his first three months in the hospital as a baby. Now it’s all smiles and fists bumps with professional baseball players.

HARTSELLE, Ala. - A labor of love. A playground for children with special needs is a step closer to completion.

The John Mark Stallings SNAP Playground in Hartselle is moving into its final phase. SNAP is short for special needs accessible playground.

Morgan County has about 17-hundred children with special needs.

The swing area and splash pad are just two of the main attractions already finished.

Construction on the remaining work is slated to begin in the fall.

"The next increment that we have money for is building the entry way which is really the marquis of the entire playground," SNAP project manager Bob Francis told WAAY 31 FirstNews. "And now we have a contractor who is putting together the final proposal for the rubberized playground."

The playground is dedicated to the memory of Gene Stallings' son. John Mark Stallings lived 46 years with Down Syndrome.

So far, donors have contributed about a half-million dollars for the playground.

It's a joint effort by Hartelle's Civitan, Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary clubs.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - As Alabama prepares to observe the first anniversary of deadly tornadoes last April 27, the Legislature has approved the creation of a tax-free weekend for buying disaster preparedness supplies.

The bill by Republican Rep. Bill Poole of Tuscaloosa cleared the Senate 28-0 and the House 87-0 Thursday. Gov. Robert Bentley signed the bill into law.

The bill specifies that the tax-free weekend will occur July 6-8 this year and the last full weekend in February in subsequent years. It waives the state's 4 percent sales tax on many items, including batteries, cellphone chargers, portable radios, waterproof sheeting, generators, bungee cords, duct tape, and non-electric food storage.

Legislative fiscal experts predict the bill will reduce the state's sales tax collections by $4 million annually.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WAAY) - 70% of Earth is covered in water. So no matter where you go, with the exception of a desert, water of some kind is close. It might be water you can’t drink, but it can charge your cellphone.

The PowerTrek is the world's first water powered electronics charger. You just fill a lid and it starts to work. "When you put the water in, there’s a glorified spring in the lid, so when you end up closing the lid, the water goes in here...” explains PowerTrekk's Graeme Esarey. The water passes through an area that separates the hydrogen from the oxygen, passing the hydrogen into a port, into a fuel cell membrane, creating electricity.

Sure there’s a lot of science in here, but all you need to know is that once the water goes in, electricity comes out.

"It’s used today to power satellites." says Esarey. "It’s used today to power aid stations in remote locations.” And now, the technology is so small, it can power a cellphone. It's portable enough to be taken on hikes, mountains, boating, anywhere you can’t find a wall charger."

"I can take it from zero to 100 in the same time that it would if you were plugged into the wall - about 2 hours."

The device promises to charge anything that uses a USB connection. And if we’ve come this far with clean energy, who knows where water can take us next?

Thhe charger costs $130, the power pucks are about $3.

OAKLAND, Ala. - One man was shot and killed by his girlfriend Saturday night at a manufactured home in the western Lauderdale County community of Oakland, authorities said.

The name of the victim nor his girfriend were immediately released.

The man was apparently shot once at the trailer on Lauderdale 229. The shooting was reported just before 6:30 p.m., authorities said.

Law enforcement officials said the woman told investigators that she and her boyfriend were struggling over control on the gun when it accidentally fired.

No charges had been filed as of 7:45 p.m.

Phil Campbell, AL- When the sun rose over Phil Campbell on April 28^th, the entire landscape had changed.

“That day after it as just like a nightmare, a dream,” said storm survivor Cindy Keller. 

Keller and her husband James were in their truck when an EF 5 tornado blew into town. Keller survived, her husband did not. James was one of twenty-eight victims in Phil Campbell on April 27th.

“We were in the tornado up on Broad Street and that’s when the debris came through and took his life that day,” Keller remembered.

The days that followed brought to light the true devastation the community suffered. Homes, businesses, and the school all destroyed.

“It destroyed 450 structures and did several million dollars worth of damage,” said Mayor Jerry Mays, “as a Mayor you don’t know what kind of weight you have got on you shoulders and you just ask the good Lord to give you the strength to get you through it.”

The EF 5 tornado took 28 lives in Phil Campbell on the 100^th anniversary of the town’s founding; Mayor Mays says in the years to come his town will continue to recover and hopefully prosper once again.

And in the spirit of remembering the past but looking to the future hundreds from the town turned out Saturday to pay their respects to the lives lost by dedicating a park and memorial to the victims. In the center of the park, a fountain and a memorial listing the names of those lost.

And the town is beginning to recover, homes have been rebuilt, businesses have once again opened their doors and work will soon begin on the new high school.

“We are waiting on the government to get through studying the historical significance of our 1934 gymnasium and our old high school before we can start tearing them down because we are going to have a new high school,” explained Mays.

And with the new beginning for the town, a place to come and remember the day that changed Phil Campbell forever.

Huntsville, AL-The Huntsville Police Department's Domestic Violence Unit is investigating a case of torture and willful abuse of a 5-month-old girl at a home in the 2200 block of Brookline drive.
 
Dr. Harry Hobbs, spokesman for HPD, says a black female brought the 5 month old to Huntsville Hospital for medical care. Doctors became suspicious of the mother’s story when the baby’s injuries did not seem to coincide with her claim. The baby had injuries to her arms and legs. Hospital officials called DHR and the baby was taken to a safe place.
 
The mother is being held for questioning and the investigation is ongoing.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY)  - Many tornado survivors face physical evidence each day that April 27th changed their lives.  It could be living in a new home, passing bare twisted trees in the neighborhood, or staring at an empty seat at the dinner table.  For many of them, this past year has been an emotional journey.

 

Fear, panic and prayer all ran through Nicole Burns' mind as she huddled in the hallway of her home, clinging to her family for dear life.  She recalls, “At that moment, I just wanted to take my three people and find the safest place that I could find and just hold them, because that's all I cared about was me and my family."

 

When it was over, Burn's Phil Campbell home was demolished.  Survivor's guilt set in as she realized several of her neighbors didn't make it.  As she and her family sifted through the rubble over the next few days, that guilt turned into sadness and grief.

 

Burns says, “There was a moment on Saturday that I was pulling one of my husband's shirts that had been wrapped around a barbed wire fence, and I was trying to meticulously unwrap it and try to salvage it, and it hit me that I was a tornado victim.  That's not supposed to be, and it was just a real knock in the head, and I had to kind of sit down and go, wow."

 

Psychologist Dr. Patrick Quirk says natural disasters don't only wreak havoc on homes, businesses and schools, but also strike within those who are impacted.

He explains, “You've experienced a traumatic event, and it's stuck in the emotion centers of your brain…In a way, it's like a part of ourselves continues to live in that moment continuously."

Those critical moments: questioning whether they'll live through the storm, then realizing the scope of the destruction, elicit a wide variety of reactions. To demonstrate this, we took a look at WAAY31 stories shot right after the storms. A common theme among survivors is turning to God.

On May 2nd, 2011, survivor Brian Reeves recalls what went through his mind when the storm struck a few days earlier: "We looked up and there were four different boards leaning across the roof of the bathroom in perfect shape of two crosses and it was just like God had His hand over us through the whole ordeal."

Quirk says, “When people can make sense of their experiences and feel like there's something else with them, working with them, to me that's a very functional thing to do."

Other survivors sensed a shift in their outlook on life. After the deadly tornadoes, Hackleburg tornado survivor Angelleah Markham felt thankful for her second lease on life: “I used to say I hate my life and I wish I was dead and all this but I prayed and said no please don't let it come back."

Quirk explains, “Adversity has great value. The only way we grow as people is to move through adversity."

Burns also changed her perspective on life, particularly when it comes to possessions. The mother of two explains, “My priorities have changed a lot because things aren't so important anymore. We set aside time last summer to do family vacations and making those memories, because that's something you can't lose."

Beyond initial reactions, the storm's impact is long-lasting. A year later, Nicole's two children are still swept with panic and stress when a loud noise, or anything, brings back memories of the storms.

Fifteen year-old Chris Burns says, “Jets fly over every day, and I'll be sitting in class and you can hear it's very loud, and I still jump."

His younger sister Danielle adds, “Instead of just having a normal thunderstorm, I go to the worst possible thing."

Quirk says these are symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly experienced by survivors. He says PTSD doesn’t usually go away on its own: “You really do need some kind of therapeutic intervention to get that resolved, otherwise it's likely to stay in your nervous system and become a more and more complicated issue, where you become more depressed over time, and develop other kinds of anxiety problems. So if you've had a severe trauma, we just aren't made in a way that allows us to resolve that completely."

The storm's one-year anniversary could be the biggest reminder of all, but with it, comes the opportunity for healing.

Thinking about the future, Burns says, “We're still trying to figure out normal, and but I don't feel like a victim anymore, I feel like I'm a survivor, and you move forward. The new milestones that happen, parks being built and families moving home, those things you celebrate."

Alabama's Department of Mental Health is reaching out to anyone experiencing grief and emotional stress around this one-year anniversary. Project Rebound offers free and anonymous counseling and assistance. To get started, you can call their hotline at 1-800-639-REBOUND.

SYLVANIA, Ala. (WAAY) - Dekalb County suffered North Alabama's highest death toll. Thirty five people were killed another 100 were injured.

On April 27th David Hairston lost one of the most precious things in his life. His 90 year old mother Violet was killed after an EF-5 tornado destroyed her home in Hennegar. "We were very close, and I miss her a lot" Hairston said. "In less then a minute it was all over. So she didn't have time to be scared or hurt much. So in some sense that's a blessing".

Hairston says her house was only yards away from his. Since that horrific day David Hairston has leaned on his family and his church to help with his grief. He's the pastor of the Hennegar Baptist church. "I would not have had her to have went out this way. To come out of my house which was not completely torn down to find her house 150 yards from my house completely gone just as clean as the floor nothing left. And finding her under the floor I would not have had that for nothing in the world to have found her that way" Hairston said.

On April 27th 300 homes in Dekalb County were destroyed. One of the hardest hit area's was this neighborhood in Sylvania. The storm wiped out dozens of houses leaving only concrete foundations.

It took months for work crews to clean up all the damage in the neighborhood. Many residents vowed to rebuild their homes, but only a few did. Weeks after the storm hit dozens of volunteers from a religious group known as "Carpenters For Christ" helped to rebuild the Mountain View Baptist Church in Sylvania. The sanctuary is now brand new.

Many other area's took a beating that day in dekalb county including the Plainview school in Rainsville. The school built a safe room on school grounds that can house more then 600 students or those in the community if another storm hits the area. On April 27th the tornado damaged the school and county sports coliseum. Student Courtney Mcgaha was killed that day. Principal Ronald Bell says if another storm hits, the school will be ready. "Well it is peace of mind, you take a look at the destruction a tornado can cause and its a good feeling to know that you can go into a room and feel in safe in it" Bell said.

A memorial honoring the Dekalb County tornado victims will be dedicated Saturday. It's located outside the county coliseum in Rainsville. The memorial is made up of two large granite murals that bear all 35 names of those who died.

MADISON COUNTY, AL - People say time heals all wounds. But for Cindy Mitchell, the loss of her daughter is still raw.

"The pain is just unbelievable. It is unbearable at times," says Mitchell.

39 year old Shannon Sampson's life was taken by the EF-5 tornado that ravaged East Limestone county on April 27th, 2011. Mitchell says when her daughter left home that afternoon, she never imagined it would be the last time she would see her alive. 

"She said I'm going to go check on Gran Gran. I'll be back. She never made it back."

With no cell phone service, Mitchell says she lost contact with her daughter. Early the next morning, she got the worst phone call of her life.  

"I got a call saying my mom was in the hospital, she was in critical condition, that her house had been hit and that I needed to go find Shannon," says Mitchell. "I put me on some boots, grabbed me some work gloves. I figured I was going to have to dig her out."

But by the time she arrived, emergency crews had already discovered Shannon's body.

Through tears, Mitchell admits, "A part of me died that day. I just feel like I'm not whole anymore."

Mitchell says Shannon was trying to get from her car into her grandmother's home off Orville Smith Road. Witnesses say the home was hit head on by the tornado, and exploded into thousands of pieces. Shannon's body was discovered under debris. Her grandmother, was thrown from the home and sustained serious injuries. In just two weeks, she underwent nearly a dozen surgeries to try and save her legs. 

Since Shannon's death, Mitchell says she often struggles to find a reason to keep living. 
 
"It would have been very easy for me to go to bed and pull the covers up over my head and stay there. But I couldn't," she says.  

A few months after their daughter's death, Cindy and Ken Mitchell began work on Gilwood Park. They say the labor of love has helped them heal.

"Instead of going to bed I get my work gloves out and I come over here and I do something. Usually pulling weeds," Mitchell says. "This is therapy because you have no idea how easy it would be to just go shut the door, shut the world off and to just give up." 

The Mitchell's say this park isn't just about Shannon. They say more than a dozen victims of the April 27th tornadoes have a special place here. Whether its a bench, a picnic table or a swing, they say those victims haven't been forgotten either. 

"I hope that a little bit of all of them are here. Each one. I didn't personally know any of the others that got killed. But I do know that grief that their family is going through and I want each family to know that their loved one has a spot here," says Mitchell. 

A swing in the corner of the park bears the name of a Tanner couple. A bench; the names of a Grandfather and his 15 year old granddaughter. Dozens of lives, cut short by the fury of the April 27th tornadoes. 
 
"I think that she's grateful that she's sharing this with the others that were killed also," says Mitchell. 

The park is filled with bits and pieces of the life Shannon spent with those who loved her including a flower bed for each of her sisters and the three children she left behind and a swing set for the granddaughter Shannon never got to meet. There are also whimsical animals modeled after ones Shannon loved as a child and a ferris wheel seat for the daughter the Mitchell's say was always a kid at heart. 

"God gives me little glimpses and she's always smiling. Always," says Mitchell. "I know she's looking down and she's saying you know momma I like that. That's pretty cool, I like that." 

There is even a place for Shannon's beloved dog "Bubba."

"She loved him dearly. He was in her arms when she was killed.and he survived. I have no doubt that she was protecting him. No doubt whatsoever," says Mitchell. 

The couple says their hearts ache everyday for their daughter. But, in the end they have faith that they'll one day get to hold their baby girl again.
 
"He does have a plan. His plan was to take her home," Mitchell says. "I do know that I'm going to get to see her again and spend eternity with her. I'm just thankful that she let me be her mom." 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WAAY) - Alabama backup quarterback Phillip Sims has left Tuscaloosa.

The former Parade All-American was in a heated battle with AJ McCarron at the beginning of the 2011 season to replace Greg McElroy behind center. In the end, McCarron won out and led the team to their 14th national title.

Sims saw playing time in 8 games last year, threw for a total of 163 yards and no touchdowns.

It's unclear where Sims will be transferring to.

ATHENS, Ala. (WAAY) - Early morning drama on the tracks in Limestone County.

According to city officials, a CSX train conductor spotted a trestle fully engulfed in flames around 3:00 Friday morning. However, by the time he saw it, he was unable to stop the massive diesel, and was forced to go forward, hoping the trestle wasn't so badly damaged that it would buckle under the weight of the train.

The conductor went ahead, through the burning bridge over Swan Creek, and made it through to the other side. Fire crews rushed to the scene and spent several hours putting out the fire.

The trestle is about 100 feet long and was build in 1972. CSX officials are inspecting the damage, determining what to do next. Trains are being diverted to other lines until any needed repairs are made and CSX engineers are satisfied with the bridge.

UPDATE 3:55 p.m. - Athens Police now say that the fire was the result of foul play. Three people were stopped in the area by an officer responding to the scene. One of them - 18 year Samuel Seth Morris - was arrested and charged with 2nd Degree Arson and Criminal Mischief. 

in this digital age, ... when we want something done ... we want it done now.
but, there's a place in huntsville that's bringing back the "time-intensive" art..... of print making.

"I found that when I graduated I could no longer make work. My focus was in print making and I just didn't have access to the machinery," said Rachel Lackey of the Green Pea Press.

So with a little help from her friends Rachel started up the Green Pea Press at Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment Center in Huntsville.

"We do entalio print making, relief, etching, letter press and screen print. We try to have workshops so that people who are interested can learn more about the processes," said Tyson Stinson of the Green Pea Press.

"Seeing other artists who walk in and go Oh My Gosh there's presses here, I can do work again. That's really fulfilling, but also having new people come in and watching them fall in love in the process."

Besides the weekly workshops, Green Pea Press takes T-shirt orders, does wedding invitations and cards of all types. You can hire them to do it or you can customize even more by getting involved in the design and production yourself.

"People are really wanting to go back to those hands on kind of things, like our forefathers and foremothers were doing."

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Alabama Legislature has voted to ban texting while driving.

The bill by Republican Rep. Jim McClendon of Springville cleared the House 95-0 and the Senate 28-0 Thursday. It now goes to the governor for signing into law.

The bill prohibits sending text messages, instant messages and e-mails while behind the wheel. It provides exceptions for contacting emergency services and for using global position services.

The bill includes a fine of $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second offense and $75 for a third or subsequent offense.

The Governors Highway Safety Association says 37 states already prohibit texting while driving, including two of Alabama's neighbors: Georgia and Tennessee.

FLORENCE, Ala. (WAAY) - A woman is recovering after being stabbed in the arm, according to our news partner - the Times Daily. 

The incident happened around 11:30 Thursday morning on North Crown Street. She drove away from the scene and met an ambulance a few blocks away and was rushed to Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital.

The attacker fled the area and was chased by several law enforcement agencies, finally being caught in Tuscumbia.

Neither the suspect nor victim has been publicly identified.