The Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa is racking up some prestigious awards.

For the sixth year in a row, AAA presented the four diamond award to the hotel on Friday afternoon, making it Alabama's only four diamond hotel north of Birmingham.

The 360 Grille at the hotel earned its first four diamond rating as well.  The restaurant is ranked number one among all full service Marriotts throughout North America.

"This gives us great opportunity to market the area," said hotel general manager Larry Bowser.  "Our goal has always been, since it's been here as an economic project, to really change the face of the Shoals and provide a great first impression for thousands of people that will come here for groups, conventions or vacations."

Only five other hotels and two other restaurants in the state received four diamond ratings this year.

The oldest fire station in Colbert County recently got a new addition to its fleet.  The trouble is, firefighters can't use it.

The brand new 2012 E-1 fire truck rolled up to the Colbert Heights Volunteer Fire Department three weeks ago, ready for use.  There was just one big problem-the truck won't fit inside the station.

"We got it up here to the station, got to looking at it and found out that it won't fit in the bay," said Assistant Fire Chief Michael McMinn.  "So, we're going to have to build on another bay with a taller door so we can get it in to service to protect our area."

McMinn said that the department bought the $273,000 truck through a FEMA grant. However, the 10 foot 1 inch truck just couldn't squeeze in to the 10 foot bay doors. So, for now, it's being stored in a Muscle Shoals building until a larger bay is built.

Yea, it is FRIDAY!!! TGIF!

Coming up at 4...

The Arthritis Foundation's Humanitarian Award Gala is coming up on Tuesday, May 15th. It will be at Merrimack Hall honoring its founders. Tickets start at $75 dollars and all the proceeds go towards the local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. You can find out more about getting tickets to the event at www.arthritis.org/alabama.

Dinner by Design wants to help you eat better without the effort. During this month, you don't even have to do the prep work. You can just call in your order and the staff will prepare your meals for free. All you have to do is heat and eat. Dinner by Design is also now offering free delivery in Madison. It doesn't get much easier than that! Check out www.facebook.com/dinnerbydesignhsv for more.

And our last performer of the week will be Payton Taylor. Payton is just one of many who will take the stage at the Lincoln County Music Festival tomorrow. All proceeds go to county athletics. You can get tickets at the door to catch liver performances from the likes of Charlie Daniels Band and Cowboy Troy. Log on to www.lincolncountymusicfest.com for more.

See you at 4!

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - Huntsville Police have arrested and charged four people following a break-in at a home on Rickwood Drive. Now, they believe the men may be connected with at least 20 other burglaries.

Arrested were : 18 year old Derell Hamlett, 22 year old Corderius Hamlett, 22 year old Dewayne Robinson and an unidentified 17 year old male.

GADSDEN, Ala. (WAAY) - An Etowah County jury took less than three hours to convict a man on murder charges. 

51 year old Harold Deal faces a minimum 99 year sentence.

According to the Etowah County District Attorney's Office, Deal shot and killed 30 year old Ian Brandon Taylor at his home in January of 2011. Prosecutors say Taylor was shot in cold blood, but the defense argued that Deal was defending himself and should not be convicted under Alabama's "Stand Your Ground" law. They claimed Taylor was preparing to attack Deal with a knife.

However, prosecutors don't buy that, and neither, apparently, did the jury. Witnesses testified that Taylor was sitting on a couch, unarmed, when he was shot. “The stand your ground law is not a license to kill without consequences, even when the shooting occurs in your own home”, Chief Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid said. “You can’t provoke a fight with a person in your home, pull a gun and shoot him just because he doesn’t leave quickly enough to suit you. These jurors had no problem at all determining the true facts.”

Sentencing is scheduled for June 21, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.

UNDATED (AP) - Archaeologists have found a small room in Mayan ruins in Guatemala that apparently served as a workshop for royal scribes. The scribes evidently used the walls like a blackboard to keep track of astronomical records and the society's intricate calendar some 1,200 years ago.

The walls reveal the oldest known astronomical tables from the Maya.

The Mayan calendar has gotten some attention lately because of doomsday warnings that it predicts the end of the world this December. Experts say it makes no such prediction.

The new finding provides a bit of backup: The calculations include a time span longer than 6,000 years, implying that the Maya expected the world to go on well beyond 2012.

GUNTOWN, Miss. (AP) - A family spokesman says two girls have been reunited with relatives after being rescued from a man wanted by the FBI for killing their mother and sister.

David Livingston, a family friend, said Friday morning that sisters 12-year-old Alexandria Bain and 8-year-old Kyliyah Bain are at home in Tennessee and are "doing well."

Authorities tracked 35-year-old Adam Mayes to a wooded area in north Mississippi on Thursday evening, where they said he shot himself in the head. He was wanted for the killing of Jo Ann Bain and 14-year-old Adrienne Bain.

Livingston said the girls' father, Gary Bain, is ecstatic about their return, but is also distraught over the death of his wife and older daughter.

Meanwhile, three new suspects have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident. Police have not publicly identified the three yet, but say one was charged with making false statements, and the other two are charged with illegal possession of a fire arm.

GADSDEN, Ala. (WAAY) - Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrkin says his deputies have arrested and charged a man accused of stealing copper from a local church and a volunteer fire department. 

19 year old Delandis Taylor was booked on May 7th. He's facing four felony theft charges.

Entrekin says Taylor stole copper from air conditioning units at New Faith Community Church, located on Whites Chapel Road, and from the Tidmore Bend Volunteer Fire Department. The crimes happened over a three week period.

Taylor was previously arrested for similar crimes and was out on bond at the time.

He's being held in the Etowah County Jail on $80,000 bond.

MOULTON, Ala. (WAAY, Decatur Daily) - Several busy Lawrence County roads will be getting a facelift over the next few weeks.

According to our news partner, the Decatur Daily, County Roads 81, 203 and 207 between Speake and Five Points will be getting resurfaced for the first time in a decade.

“This project was long overdue,” Lawrence County Commission Chairman Bobby Burch told the Daily. “The traffic count on that road is high simply from the fact that a lot of folks in the Speake area commute to Decatur.”

The project is funded by federal aid and requires a 20-percent match of $97,000 from the County Commission. County officials expect work to start next week. Work is expected to begin early next week.

GUNTOWN, Miss. (AP) - Police records show that the suspect in a double-slaying and kidnapping of two young girls was investigated in Tennessee for allegations of child abuse and child pornography two years ago.

Adam Mayes killed himself Thursday evening in northeast Mississippi when authorities closed in on him and his two captives, who were rescued without injuries.

The Madison County Sheriff's Office in Jackson, Tenn., investigated in 2010 after a family member claimed to see Mayes nude as he shaved the legs of a nude 7-year-old girl.

The case was closed after an investigator concluded that claim and an allegation Mayes had child pornography were unfounded.

The Associated Press isn't naming the child in the case because of the nature of the abuse allegation.

RAGLAND, Ala. (AP) - Police in an Alabama town are investigating the death of an 8-year-old girl who was found hanging from a rope attached to a tree at her home in Ragland.

St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell tells The Associated Press that authorities are treating the death as "a very suspicious" case.

Russell identified the girl as Katelynn Arnold. She was found hanging from the rope shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday. He said that an autopsy was planned in Huntsville to help determine how she died.

Neighbors told WBRC-TV the rope used to be part of an old tire swing. Russell described it as "like a big cotton rope."

Ragland Elementary School planned to have grief counselors available Friday for classmates of the girl.

Ragland is about 45 miles northeast of Birmingham.

GUNTOWN, Miss. (CNN) - Adam Mayes, accused of murder and kidnapping in a case involving a Tennessee mother and her three daughters, has died, said FBI spokesman Joel Siskovic. The two sisters he allegedly kidnapped were found alive, law enforcement sources said.

There had been conflicting reports about Mayes' fate since he was found after suffering an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound Thursday night in Union County, Mississippi.

Daniel McMullen, FBI special agent in charge in Jackson, Mississippi, told reporters that Mayes was pronounced dead.

The two surviving sisters "are suffering from the experience of being out in the woods and from being kidnapped. They are suffering from dehydration and exhaustion, but appear OK," a federal law enforcement source on the scene told CNN.

Mayes, 35, was suspected of abducting Alexandria Bain, 12, and Kyliyah Bain, 8, from their Whiteville, Tennessee, home, in late April, and killing Jo Ann Bain and her eldest daughter, Adrienne, 14.

Authorities had responded to the area after someone called to report what they believed may have been Mayes' vehicle, a law enforcement source close to the investigation said Thursday night.

A task force was nearby and as they approached, Mayes stood up and shot himself in the head, the source said. The two girls were not near him at the time.

When they found Mayes he was still alive, but he later succumbed to his wounds, the source said.

Adam and his wife, Teresa Mayes, each were charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping. He faced an additional count of making a false report, according to arrest affidavits filed in Tennessee.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - Elton John is coming to Huntsville! The famous singer will perform at the Von Braun Center in September.

John will perform September 12th at 8 p.m.  Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. May 18th on ticketmaster.com

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Huntsville Utilities crews are working to determine the cause of a power outage in the area of Research Park and Bridge Street.

The blackout began at 8:45PM Sunday and ended at 10:00PM.

Lauderdale County, AL - Investigators in the Shoals are trying to determine what caused a fatal fire Saturday night.

45 year old William South, Jr. died when his home on County Road 257 in the Cloverdale community caught fire around 8:45PM.

Firefighters from Cloverdale, Waterloo, Central and Zip City responded to the fire.

They found South's body after putting out the flames.

 

Huntsville, AL - Huntsville Police are investigating after a pedestrian is struck and killed while crossing Governors Drive.

It happened around 11:30 Saturday night in the 3700 block of Governors near the U.S. Post Office.  The male victim has not been identified pending notification of next of kin.

TUSCUMBIA, Ala. - "A famous Canadian photographer came and took her picture." A tour guide shows Ivy Green to visitors fasinated by Helen Keller.

Blind and deaf, Keller overcame her own challenges to fight for other people with disabilities.

Sue Pilkilton is exective director of Ivy Green.

"Helen Keller traveled all over the world speaking on behalf of the disabled," Pilkilton told WAAY 31 FirstNews. "We always like to refer to the birthplace as an international attraction."

Now, though, Keller is attracting international attention for another reason: Helen Keller sunglasses.

A Chinese fashion company, Xiamen Jinzhi, has seen fit to put Keller's name on its upscale shades.

"I was kind of shocked when you brought that to my attention," Pilkilton told us.

In its TV commercial, a glamorous looking woman steps off a plane where the paparazzi are waiting. They don't get excited until she pulls out her pricey sunglasses.

The eyeware company claims its paying respect to Keller's spirit of philanthropy.

But, Pacton Webb doesn't buy it.

"I don't know how it's respectful to name a sunglasses line after a blind person," Webb explained.

Bethany Hallmark sees it differently.

"She's an inspiring person," Hallmark told us. "And if it gets her name out there, that's great. More people will learn about her and see what she did when she was alive."

Helen Keller apparently never even wore sunglasses. According to the American Federation for the Blind, they don't have a single photograph showing her wearing a pair.

The tour continues.

"This is the dining room where Helen threw the big temper tantrum," the guide points out.

Any tempers flaring at Ivy Green over the sun shades?

"Having so many people from China and Japan, I really don't think they were trying to be disrespectful of Helen Keller," Pilkilton reasoned. "They are schooled so much about Helen Keller and they honor her in so many ways. I think it was just a tribute to her."

The company's slogan: "You see the world. The world sees you."

Sue Pilkilton chooses to see the up side. "They love Helen Keller and they respect her tremendously."

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - In Alabama, teens 14 years and older who are accused of committing crimes can be tried as adults.  But some feel locking up teens in adult prisons is more harmful than helpful. 

 

This issue has been brought to light several times lately in local murder cases.  This past week, youthful offender status was granted to 21 year-old Isaac Holdsambeck, who at 19, allegedly killed a high school student in a drunk driving wreck on prom night.

 

Meanwhile, 17 year-old Autumn Wood, recently charged with stabbing a 14 year-old to death in Florence, will be tried as an adult.  Accused Discovery Middle School shooter Hammad Memon, 14 at the time of the murder, will also be tried as an adult.  It’s something his family has taken desperate measures to avoid. 

 

Huntsville Attorney Mark McDaniel says determining whether teens should be tried as adults or juveniles isn't always easy: “Every case is different, every defendant is different."

 

By law, the judge must base the decision on the teen's mental health and behavior, previous crimes committed, and first and foremost, on the seriousness of the offense.  McDaniel explains, “If you have a heinous crime, an unwarranted crime, like walking up behind a person in the hallway of a school and shooting them in the back of the head, that's about as serious as you get."

 

But Clinical Psychologist Kenneth Sullivan believes locking teens up for life isn't always the best solution: “Children below the age of 18, there's more hope for rehabilitation generally."

 

Sullivan says that's because younger offenders are still maturing.  He says, “They act impaired compared to an adult.  They don't have the impulse control, they don't think things through, their sense of time, their sense of consequences, are very distorted and immature."

 

But McDaniel says his experience in court has shown him immaturity shouldn't be a "get out of jail free" card.  He explains, “It don't matter if he's 14, 24, or 34, if that person puts a gun to your head and forces you into a car and kidnaps you and takes you out and violates you, kills you, hurts you, rapes you, whatever, it don't matter if he's 14 or 24, that's a mean individual and that individual needs to be treated as an adult."

 

Ideally, Sullivan says the courts would find a way to punish these crimes without giving up hope for rehabilitation.  He says, “I think that what people are struggling with right now is, is there something in between for example, putting someone away for life, and letting them off with a slap on the wrist?"

Huntsville, AL -- On Thursday, May 17th, people representing a cross-culture of Madison County will come together to learn more about Islam. "Combating Islamophobia: Truths and Myths About Islam" is a community engagement workshop sponsored by the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Department of Justice, UA-Huntsville, and the Huntsville Islamic Center, among others. Aladin Beshir, director of community outreach for the Huntsville Islamic Center, hopes the event will help build bridges in the community. "This is a very, very small step and a very focused and great grand scheme of cooperation among law enforcement and the Muslim community, sending the message that we are all united to protect America."

Beshir says there are many misconceptions about Islam that have arisen, in part, by people taking portions of the Quran out of context. He says, "Islam does not teach violence. People love to pick and choose," adding, "the Holy Quran states, one destroys one soul as if he killed the whole humanity, and one saves one soul as if he saves the whole humanity." When it comes to addressing myths about Muslims, Beshir says the media represents one of the biggest challenges because, "if you listen to the media, you will think they're under the bed and coming to get you!"

The number of Muslims living in Madison County may be small, but they represent 20 percent of the world population. Beshir says it only makes sense to learn more about this faith shared by millions of people. "What we believe in doesn't need to be agreed upon by everybody else, but it will help for the majority to know more about the minority," he says. Through greater knowledge, he hopes will come greater understanding and acceptance.

The Huntsville Islamic Center is also working toward that end with a monthly open house. On the first Saturday of each month, the public is invited to attend a free pot-luck dinner at the HIC, which is located at 1645 Sparkman Drive in Huntsville. Also, Aladin Beshir is available to speak to community groups and schools. He may be reached at (256) 479-7221. For those who would like to learn more about Islam, he recommends www.whyislam.com and www.islamtomorrow.com

As for "Combating Islamophobia: Truths and Myths about Islam," it will be presented from 5:30-8:00 p.m. Thursday, May 17th in Room 107 of the Shelby Science Center at UA-Huntsville. There is no charge and no registration.

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Prescription pills and other abused drugs will be the topic of discussion at a Drug Forum hosted by the Madison County Drug Court and Partnership for a Drug-Free Community on Tuesday.

The event will be held at Redstone Federal Credit Union on Wynn Drive from 6:30PM until 8:30PM.

Parents, educators, social workers, counselors, law enforcement personnel, public health officials and anyone interested in the subject are encouraged to attend.

The forum is open to the public and there is no admission charge.

It will be moderated by Jackie Wolfe, Director of the Office of Alternative Sentence and Release who also serves as the Drug Court Administrator. 

The featured panelists will include Judge Martha Lynn Sherrod, Lt. Salomonsky of the Madison County Sheriffs Department, Rev. Dr. Dave Draper, Dr. Kitson Francis, Mr. Matthew Miller and the New Horizon Treatment Program.

For more information, call Partnership for a Drug-Free Community at (256) 539-7339 or email partner@hiwaay.net.

NASHVILLE, TN - OLED TV's are coming to a store shelf near you very soon. Samsung announced its ultra-thin HD TV sets will start being sold in June or July. When I say ultra-thin, I mean thinner than a couple of credit cards stacked on top of each other. And, they weigh just a tad over 16 pounds. Samsung will sell its 55-inch sets for a little more than $9,000. LG will start selling its version later this year. No word of any price just yet.

AT&T says it will soon offer family share data plans. This could be big for families with two, three or four phones in the house. It would allow you to buy a big chunk of data that is shared between all of the phones. Currently, AT&T requires you to pay for data plans on each phone, which costs $30 per device. That’s one of the things that bothers me the most about family plans and what keeps those bills so high. AT&T isn’t saying when the data packages might be available. Verizon says it will offer similar family data plans this summer.

Have you ever heard of the app Glancee? I hadn’t either, but Facebook knows about it. In fact, Facebook now owns it.
Glancee is an app that lets users know when people they know or share common interests with are near you. Using your phone’s location data, Glancee broadcasts to your friends where you are. Glancee users can then send messages and find each other. Of course, you’ll have to opt in for the feature. You can also turn it off when you don’t want to be found. Facebook isn’t saying how it’s going to use Glancee, or when we’ll see it.

When the Facebook announcement was made, the Glancee app was removed from the Google and Apple app stores. A spokesperson with Glancee says there are 30,000 people already using it.

Keeping you plugged in, I’m Jamey Tucker.

QUEENS, NY - The space shuttle Enterprise is one step closer to its final destination at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan.

Overnight, the shuttle was separated from a 747 aircraft at JFK Airport in Queens.

Last month, Enterprise arrived on that plane in New York City, in a thrilling flight over the city's major landmarks.

Beginning at 10PM Saturday, engineers carefully moved the shuttle back to a storage hangar.

They used two cranes and a special wind restraint system to gently offload
it from the 747 and onto a trailer.

NASA performed the operation Saturday night because the winds were less than
10 miles an hour.

The next step will come June 6th, when Enterprise is moved onto a tugboat
and carried around New York Harbor to the Intrepid.

The exhibit will open to the public July 19th.

Albertville, AL- The team from Montgomery took top prize Sunday at the FireFighters Combat Challenge in Albertville.  Firefighters from around the nation are in the fire hydrant capitol of the world for the competition. The men race head-to-head as they navigate an obstacle course which simulates real life challenges.

“You climb a tower, you hoist a hose, you come down the stairs, and you hit a sled,” explained veteran competitor Jake Baker. “Then you have got to drag hose, run around a little bit, and then the last thing is you pull a dummy backwards 100 foot,” he continued.

The dummy is 175 pounds of dead weight. The Montgomery fireman makes it sound easy but months of training is required to be the best at this tough physical competition.

The average time of completion is around 2 minutes but the individual record is 1 minute 19 seconds.

“Your top guys run 1:20s and the new guys will run up in the 2:00s a little bit but they get better as time goes on,” explained Baker.

Saturday was about individuals but Sunday was all about the teams. The men teamed up with their respective fire houses in the hopes of winning the top prize, a red fire hydrant. Each man took a different obstacle and a baton was passed between them, relay style. Montgomery won overall clocking in at 1 minute and 17 seconds.

It’s technically a friendly competition but when pride is on the line, these firemen are all business. Mark Hand from the Albertville FD says there is a rivalry between the regional teams.

“Boaz and are Guntersville are here. You have a little competition there between county teams and you have a little bragging rights.”

Guntersville, AL- Guntersville police have their hands full investigating 2 robberies that took place less than 24 hours apart.
 
The Chevron Food Mart on Highway 431 was robbed just before midnight Saturday night. According to the store manager, the clerk was cleaning behind the counter when three men armed with guns came inside. He says one of the men actually walked up to the clerk, put the gun against his chest, and demanded cash. The clerk complied handing over an undisclosed amount of money.
 
Just a few hours before and a few miles away another robbery took place. Bunch Pharmacy located on Henry Street was robbed early Saturday. Investigators say a man with a gun walked in the store around 9:30 am demanding prescription medication. He then fled the store.
 
Anyone with any information about either robbery is asked to call the Guntersville PD at (256) 571-7571.

DECATUR, Ala. – Saturday marked the beginning of a new tradition in the River City.  Roughly 4,000 people piled onto Point Mallard’s beach for the Dragon Boat Race and Festival: Decatur General Hospital's new big fundraiser.

 

Decatur General Foundation Chairman Wally Terry says, "You can't do this without a lot of folks in the community, and Toray was our lead sponsor.  They stepped up with a $25,000 donation anchor that got us going.”

 

This year, funds raised from these Dragon boat races will go towards cancer research.  Churches, companies and schools were happy to form teams and help out.

 

Paddling these exotic, canoe-like boats, based on ancient Chinese legend, is something Travis Cherry and fellow Epic Church members didn't want to miss.  Cherry explains, “We just wanted to be part of a community event, and support our community and be involved in something that was beyond our church walls, and just have fun doing it, all at the same time.”  He adds, “It was incredible, it was one of the most rushing rides of our lives."

 

The foundation’s chairman says the idea came from a similar competition in Montgomery.  Now, the River City's version will keep on growing.  Terry explains, “We've had so many suggestions on little things so we hope every year it'll be better and better."

 

The combination of fun and fundraising proved popular among competitors.  Cherry says his Epic Church team is already eager for next year’s race: “In fact we'll probably sign up as quickly as they have the signups."

 

But future competitors take heed: the enthusiastic West Morgan High School team is already set on defending their championship title.

 

West Morgan junior Jade Corum says, “We're very excited, we don't win much.  We were very excited to win this."  Fellow team member Nic Rogers adds, “It’s a great feeling, just knowing it's the first time us ever doing this.  We had one practice beforehand; we come out here and swept the whole thing, so it was a blast."