Huntsville, AL- When singer Stephen Mobley saw the damage left behind after a tornado struck Limestone County he was inspired to help in any way he could.

“It hit home and I really wanted to help them recover because I know what it’s like to go through something like that,” explained Mobley. He has faced personal tragedy as well and says music helped him through the hard times.

Preston Pylant, a poet, was also inspired. He wrote a poem about the volunteers and the spirit of community he encountered in the days following the twisters. Mobley heard the poem and loved it.

“I saw that it was really good and I figured it would make a really good song,” he said.

A month later “Southern Thing to Do” became a reality. Mobley says he hopes hearing his song will help storm survivors mentally and emotionally just as music helped him when he was in need.

“It’s kind of a memorial to the victims and those who were affected by the tornadoes,” he said.

The song is expected to be out on iTunes later this week but can currently be heard on YouTube.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Thanks to a trip to the BCS National Championship game in New Orleans, La., three University of Alabama students have come up with a way an affordable and safe way to enjoy the nightlife.

The innovative trio of Nick Neveu (Madison, Ala.), Benjamin Gordon (Madison, Ala.) and Matt Staples (Florence, Ala.) are college guys who are interested in the Tuscaloosa bar scene, not only that but an affordable bar scene.

“We're college students so we want to know where the best deals were if they had any,” Neveu said. “We just decided why don't we make an app for that?”

The app is called "Red Cup", and is available for several different cities. The group, now a company called Subvert, did not stop there.

“After that one, people were getting drunk and we knew we wanted to look out for them,” Neveu said.

Logically the next app is called "Get Me Home!", a quick access to local taxi service. The app originated when the guys went in New Orleans and needed an easy way to navigate the Big Easy.

“Honestly, it's just one step,” Gordon said. “Just open it up and press a button you're able to get home.

“When you're drunk and using the app, you don't want to go through ten screens. It’s not worth the effort.”

The trio is not looking to make any money right now because all of their apps are available to you for free. But later, they are looking to cash in.

“We want the most people to have our app as possible,” Gordon added. “Especially since ‘Get Me Home!’ is a service related app. Good for people, you don't want to charge for that.”

“Hopefully businesses will see what we're doing,” Neveu said. “Apps are the way of the future, web sites are something old, commercials, that kind of thing.”

Subvert recently unveiled their new app, called "Tip Accurately", which is an easy way to calculate how much you should leave for a particular service.

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - Hundreds gathered at Guntersville High School Sunday for a memorial service honoring a student killed in a car wreck.

 

The life of 17 year-old Kevin Yoder was tragically cut short on April 20th.  When the accident happened, he was heading to a pole-vaulting camp in Arkansas.

 

Kevin’s track coach, Chris Bashaw, says hearing the news felt surreal: "The young boy that was with him, that wasn't hurt, he called back and he told me.  And I asked him five times to repeat himself, and all five times he told me the same.  My heart just sunk."

 

The death of the football player and pole-vaulter was a shock to the student body.  Kevin’s football teammate, Nick McAnally, says, "It was bad.  The first couple days, no one said a word, everyone was crying."

 

Now, more than a week after his death, students, parents and faculty gathered at Guntersville High School's football stadium to memorialize Kevin and support his family.  His coaches, principal and pastor all gave emotional speeches, relying on religion to cope and build strength.

 

Bashaw says, “[God] says He'll never leave us nor forsake us, and there's comfort in it."

 

Another way the track team is trying to cope: wearing t-shirts to remember Kevin.  Fellow track team member Anna Beth Watson says, “We had sectionals Friday and Saturday, and we got them made to honor him at our track meet.”  Bashaw adds, “Trying to run for him, that's, I believe, part of the healing process for them."

 

The memorial service offered some closure, especially as Kevin's mom released balloons into the air.  McAnally says, “I think it allowed a lot of people to say goodbye, and finally maybe sunk in for a few people."

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

For some, thinking about Kevin isn't easy, but it's also a comfort.  His track coach recalls, “He just went out and gave his 100% effort.  As a coach, it's those kinds of kids you want to be around, because they'll just go out and lay it on the line, and he was that way."

 

Another student and an assistant coach also suffered injuries in the wreck.  The coach is facing multiple surgeries.  We're told the other athlete could be released from the hospital as early as Monday.

Huntsville, AL -- Local congregations played a vital role in the days and months following the April 27th tornadoes. Some organized food drives. Others raised money, and many pitched in with the cleanup.

In Madison County, some congregations got involved on a more individual basis. The Interfaith Mission Service, which is made up of around 40 congregations representing a wide variety of faiths, asked its members to "adopt" families that had been devastated by the storms. IMS Chief Administrative Officer Jeannie Robison says, "we were sort of the conduit behind finding the people who were most needy and the congregations that were willing and able to help."

Robison says the congregations were asked to commit to at least three months of financial and emotional support. She says that included, "helping them get their houses rebuilt, helping them pay rent if they had to move out of their houses, helping get them back and forth to the doctor, bringing them food." Back to school items for the children and Christmas gifts were also supplied.

For some, especially those who were uninsured, there would have been no recovery without the assistance. "A number of the families that were hit lived close to the edge anyhow, and when they lost their job and lost their home and lost their transportation, it pretty much almost put them on the street," Robison says.

The program has since ended, but many of the relationships that were formed still remain. The congregations have remained in touch with the families that were helped, and Robison says there's a real feeling of pride in their resiliency, adding, "we're so proud of people for hanging in there, getting their lives back into some normalcy."

Bo knows fund raising. Organizers say Bo Jackson's 300 mile bike ride raised more than $413,000 for long-term tornado recovery efforts in Alabama. Jackson and a group of cyclists began the trip on Tuesday, April 24th in the Dekalb County town of Henegar. They finished up Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

Along the way, they visited with some of the people hardest hit by the tornadoes of April 27th, 2011. Hundreds joined Jackson for the trip, which coincided with the first anniversary of the storms. Celebrity riders included Lance Armstrong and NBA star Scottie Pippen. Each of the five bikes Jackson rode during the journey will be auctioned off to raise more money for the cause. Contributions are also still being accepted online at www.bobikesbama.com

Decatur, AL -- Decatur police are searching for an armed robber who held up a convenience store early Sunday morning. Investigators say around 4:45 a.m., a white man, wearing a mask, walked into the Chevron at 14th Street and Central Parkway. Armed with a handgun, he reportedly stole the cash register before taking off in a vehicle that was parked on the east side of the building. Anyone with information about the case is asked to please call Decatur police.

Mobile, AL -- The University of South Alabama went on lockdown Sunday evening, after reports a gunman had been spotted on the Mobile campus. An alert on the university website warned students someone armed with a weapon had been seen in the housing area and advised them to remain inside until further notice. As of 6:30 p.m., a university spokesman said the campus alert was still in effect. Keith Ayers said the warning was prompted by an armed robbery, adding, "no one was hurt." A dispatcher for the USA police department said she was unaware of any shots being fired.

RAINSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - Hundreds gathered in Rainsville Saturday afternoon to witness the unveiling of a new stone monument.  It pays tribute to the DeKalbCounty residents who perished last April.  For many, Saturday's emotional ceremony offered the chance to reflect.

 

Henegar Baptist Pastor David Hairston experienced a nightmare on April 27th, 2011.  He found his 90 year-old mother dead, buried under her own home.  He recalls, "I got out of our house and saw hers was gone.  I went and found her about 200 to 300 yards up in a field with part of her house turned over on top of her.  So sad when I saw my little mom laying there, it just breaks your heart."

 

Now, her legacy will be immortalized, thanks to a new memorial unveiled a day after the tornado's one-year anniversary.  On one side of the monument, Violet Hairston's name is inscribed in stone, along with 33 other DeKalb County residents who perished on April 27th.  The other side features an inspirational quote and depiction of a tornado.

 

Monument planning committee member Lisa Chandler says, "In the beginning, there was someone who said, I don't know why you would memorialize a tornado because of the devastation, but that's not what we're doing.  We are memorializing the lives and celebrating the lives of those who are no longer with us."

 

Members of the community, first responders and officials were on hand to see the unveiling, and to support family members of the victims.  As each victim's name was read aloud, family members placed red roses on the monument, to honor their loved one.

 

Hairston says, "When I'm gone, the folks who didn't know my mom like I did can come by and read the name, and understand what happened to her.  It'll be a good time just to come by and reflect."

 

After the roses came white doves, released into the open sky.  They served as an uplifting reminder of DeKalb County's unity after the storms, and for those 34 victims who will never be forgotten.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- There's a new fitness studio in town that caters specifically to women.

Black Diamond Studio offers alternatives for those who want anything but the usual.

“Can my eight year old pole dance?” pole dance instructor Mia King said. “Don't really want to go down that road, just keep it to adults.”

Eighteen and older, that is the rule for the studio’s pole dancing classes.

King and Ashley Nelson brought the new fitness craze to the Tennessee Valley after vacationing in Atlanta.

“When we got back from vacation, we tried to find something like that here. We couldn't find anything,” King said. “We took it on like ‘Field of Dreams’, if you build it they will come. It might be easier to create a pole dancing studio where women can feel the same way we did.”

“We are in the south and everyone is kind of conservative,” Nelson added. “But the perception of it has been awesome.”

The ladies began "releasing their inner diva" on Huntsville six months ago. They say that an hour long class can burn up to 500 calories.

“We build upper body strength, lower body strength. We build it all,” Nelson said. “Once you jump on it, you won't want to get off.”

For more information, visit http://blackdiamondstudioshsv.com

Huntsville, AL- A nice bottle wine can be a good addition to an evening meal but sometimes it can be a waste. Currently in the state of Alabama if you do not polish off your bottle of vino it does not go home with you. A law that annoys some customers according to restaurant owner James Boyce. Boyce owns Cotton Row, a downtown restaurant, and says not all customers realize they can’t leave with their goods.  
 
"When they don't finish it they want to take the bottle with them," he says.
 
But that may soon change. House Bill 325 would allow restaurants to re-cork wine for customers who do not finish their bottles, meaning you could take your wine home and enjoy it later. Restaurant and bar patrons say the bill could potentially save them money.  
 
"I would be in support of it because it is less expensive to buy a bottle of wine than several glasses," says Amendment XXI customer Erica Trapp.
 
In addition to the corking law another bill being considered would allow open containers on city streets in designated entertainment districts.
 
"I think it’s ideal for downtown because we want that foot traffic to be able to go from restaurant to restaurant," says Boyce.
 
And patrons agree the changes could potentially boost the local economy.
 
“Maybe instead of having one glass of wine they would buy the whole bottle of wine and support that restaurant,” says Trapp.
 
Both bills need Senate approval and the signature of Governor Robert Bentley.

Athens, AL-Eating greasy foods will soon be celebrated in downtown Athens. City officials are preparing for the first ever Grease Festival.

The festival will feature all types of fried foods such as: chicken, fried green tomatoes and many more tasty dishes. Organizer Trisha Black says this event can be enjoyed by all. "Oh its going to be fun, I would encourage everybody to come out and drive over for the day and we'll have music, kids activities and food and its just going to be a great day in Athens" Black said.

Fifty vendors will have booths set up all around the courthouse square. The spirt of Athens group is hosting the event. Trisha Black says she expect this event to boost the economy. "You know anytime we can bring people into our city and encourage them to spend money here and stay here that is going to have a great economic impact on our city".

The event in downtown will take place on Saturday September 29th.

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- (AP) - The Alabama House is expected to spend much of Thursday debating a bill that makes changes to Alabama's immigration law.

The bill was the first issue on the House's work agenda for the day. The bill makes changes to the law that supporters and opponents have called the toughest crackdown on illegal immigration in the nation. The bill is being pushed by the Republican leadership in the House and Senate. It is mostly opposed by Democrats. Opponents say the new bill doesn't go far enough to address inequities in the immigration law, which they say encourages racial profiling by police officers.

Debate on the bill immediately stalled early Thursday when opponents began using delaying tactics to keep the House from adopting a work agenda that included the immigration bill.

CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) - Space shuttle Discovery settling into its new home at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum annex in northern Virginia.

Thursday morning, the world's most traveled spaceship was lifted off its Boeing 747 carrier and towed to the museum near Dulles International Airport. Astronauts including former Sen. John Glenn helped deliver Discovery to its retirement as an artifact representing the 30-year shuttle program.

A welcome ceremony drew thousands of visitors who want an up-close look at the shuttle after it flew over the Washington area Tuesday. The museum is hosting a four-day festival to showcase Discovery.

Curator Valerie Neal says Discovery will be displayed as if it just landed. There will be an interactive display giving visitors a look inside the shuttle.

FLORENCE, Ala. (WAAY) - A Florence woman is recovering at Huntsville Hospital after being shot Wednesday afternoon. Her ex-husband has turned himself in in connection with the crime.

Florence Police say that 27 year old Renisha Powers was shot in the lower back/hip area around 4:00 p.m. The incident happened outside the woman's Carver Heights apartment.

She was rushed to the Florence Lauderdale Coliseum, where an Air-Evac helicopter was scrambled to take her to Huntsville Hospital.

A manhunt was underway for about two hours after the shooting for Powers' ex-husband - 24 year old Desmond Powers. He turned himself in to police around 6:00 p.m. and has been charged with Attempted Murder.

Police say the couple was recently divorced, but declined to speculate on exactly what sparked the argument and shooting. They're also looking into the possibility that a second person exchanged gunfire with Desmond Powers. Witnesses told police they believed more than one person was shooting, but investigators have not yet confirmed that.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala - Alleged Discovery Middle School shooter Hammad Memon is now back in the Madison County jail.

Late Wednesday night, Memon arrived back in Madison County after being picked-up Friday night by deputies in Texas.

Memon walked silently from the patrol car to the entrance of the jail, ignoring the barrage of questions we asked of him.

WAAY 31 FirstNews spoke with Memon's attorney Bruce Gardner Wednesday night about his client's disappearance and upcoming trial.

"Given the fact that it's a very low threshold of evidence that they have to meet probable cause, I think the state's motion to revoke his bond will be granted and from here on out he will be held without bail," Gardner told WAAY 31 FirstNews.

Gardner added he may seek a change of venue for the murder trial, which is set for June 18th, due to the recent publicity surrounding his client.

Memon will be in court on Thursday morning. WAAY 31 FirstNews will be there, and have the latest as it happens.

Meanwhile, Memon's father returned to work on Wednesday, but had no comment for reporters. Dr. Iqbal Memon was arrested on at his home on Friday and charged with Hindering Prosecution. He was freed on bond Saturday.

His mother Safia had an extradition hearing in Texas on Tuesday morning. A judge ruled that she will be returned to Madison County on April 27th. She's facing charges of Hindering Prosecution and being a Fugitive from Justice.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala-

Howard Wright grew up in Jamaica. He remembers eating fresh fruits and vegetables ad a child and wants to pass on that love of fresh foods to his children.

“I get a chance to learn about new things that I can use for my garden at the house also… which I am trying to get the kids involved in gardening and to get them more outdoors,” Wright said.

On Thursday, he and hundreds of others enjoyed the annual Green Living Expo at Alabama A&M’s Agribition Center. Wright says green living is something everyone should care about.

“We need to know where our food is coming from so we can have some control over it. And with the cost of food right now, it is more economical for us to grow some of the simple foods that we can,” said Wright.

The expo’s theme is “living green from the inside out,” with a focus on being eco-friendly and living healthy.

“Everyone needs to learn about recycling and about being energy efficient because it is important in our everyday life,” said event coordinator, Tamara Warren.

The expo is designed to raise awareness about the environment and falls every year right around Earth Day. Event coordinators say they plan to continue the event for years to come.

HARTSELLE, Ala. (AP) — A north Alabama woman is criticizing a school's decision to eject her 4-year-old disabled daughter from class.

Brandy Borden says Hartselle Superintendent William Michael Reed kicked her daughter out of Burleson Elementary School after she moved a half-mile outside the city limits. The girl, Madison Nicole Borden, is blind and has cerebral palsy.

Reed tells The Decatur Daily the district doesn't allow preschoolers from outside the district to attend class. He says dismissing the girl wasn't pleasant, and he's sorry he had to do it.

Grandmother Penny Robinson says the family offered to pay out-of-district fees, but school officials refused.

The girl's mother says they had to move outside of Hartselle to a larger home that could accommodate her daughter's special needs. She says officials aren't being very compassionate.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is honoring the University of Alabama football team for winning the BCS championship in January.

It was the Crimson Tide's 14th championship. Alabama entered the game ranked second and beat top-ranked Louisiana State University 21-0.

Obama says it was a "fun season to watch" but also a "deeply meaningful season" for the Crimson Tide.

Obama praised the team for their efforts in the Alabama community, noting the importance of athletes helping rebuild Tuscaloosa, Ala., after devastating tornadoes touched down in April 2011.

Obama received an Alabama jersey and helmet. Obama says, "I'm probably going to need a helmet between now and November."

RUSSELLVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - Russellville Police are looking for three men who broke into the Drug Shop on Jackson Avenue early Wednesday morning.

The trio smashed through the front door and went straight to the prescription pills, stealing thousands of Hydrocodone tablets. The drugs have a street value of over $65,000, according to authorities.

Police believe the men tried to break in to another pharmacy in the area that same night, but were unsuccessful.

If you have any information on this crime, call Russellville Police at (256) 332-2230.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WAAY) - Everyone’s a great singer in the shower. But if you really want the full effect of an American Idol audition, there’s a new tech product that could help. It’s called iShower, and while it looks just like the dozens of shower radios and cd players already on the market - iShower leaves the others all wet.

"What makes it different is it’s not a radio" says Maya Tinajero, from the company that makes iShower. "It’s a bluetooth enabled speaker, so you can stream audio from any bluetooth capable device like your phone your computer, iPad. Anything that has bluetooth connection."

A couple of buttons connects your device to the wall-mounted waterproof iShower. And it’s more than just a tiny speaker. "The sound is located on the back so what happens is the sound reverberates off your shower walls to maximize the quality of the sound without using too much power."

The result is a full, bass rich sound that comes close to what you’d hear with a regular stereo. "It has a 200 foot range so whatever you’re streaming from you can actually leave it in a separate room. Not have to bring it into the bathroom with you and risk water damage occurring to your phone or iPad whatever it is you’re streaming from."

It connects with up to 5 blue-tooth devices and controls all of the playlists you create it attaches to your shower with a couple of hooks, or it will hang over the shower nozzle.

"It takes AA batteries that go into the back once it’s in there it’ll last about 15 hours of great streaming." The iShower is going to be available in the next few weeks. If you want a better singing in the shower experience, you’ll have to lather up $100.

Squeals and screams of excitement came from a Madison city school this morning.

After hundreds of facebook votes were cast, Ms. Chance’s 2’nd grade class at Horizon Elementary won the Earth Day Heroes Award.

The award was created to inform students how they can help the environment.

These creative kids brainstormed ways they could be an “earth day hero” by coming up with a project called Putting the Earth Back Together.

“It's been really important to them because learning has to be meaningful,” Ms. Summer Chance said.

“This has been a meaningful experience to them. We do recycle in classroom and now they are super excited because every little piece of paper, they say ‘can we recycle this?'”

The winning class won a fieldtrip to the Disney movie Chimpanzee, a Samsung Galaxy tablet for their classroom and a pizza party.

MADISON COUNTY, AL - After a failed attempt to flee the country, the most wanted man in the valley faced the music in Judge Karen Hall's courtroom Thursday morning. Hall revoked 16 year old Hammad Memon's $75,000 bond and ordered him jailed until his trial. 

Memon's attorney Bruce Gardner says he saw it coming. "I mean is there

probable cause that they tried to flee and is that a violation of bond? The answer to both of those questions is yes," says Gardner. 

But for the family of Todd Brown, the Judge's recourse is little comfort. John Lavender, Brown's uncle, says he's lost his faith in the court system. 

"I feel that the justice system has let us down. He should never have been out on bond. He should have been incarcerated," says Lavender. 

Nearly a dozen members of Todd Brown's family were seated in Judge Hall's courtroom Thursday morning. They all agree that Memon was given one chance too many.

"It just seems like the system had given him a license to run," says Lavender. "Its as if someone wanted him to run and to escape the country. I'm not an attorney or a judge, but you don't let someone charged with murder out on bail and expect them not to run," he say.

Brown's grandmother Lucile Herst agrees. "If you are a murderer, whether you
are ten or if you're 80, you should be punished for what you did," says Herst.

Last Friday, Memon and his mother Safia were arrested in Dallas, Texas. Investigators say they had two Pakistani passports and more than $3,600 in cash. Late Wednesday, a shackled Memon was returned to Madison County. Herst says Memon's parents should be held responsible for trying to take any hope of justice for Todd away from her.

"I think as a mother, you don't uphold your children when they do something as heinous as what he did. I would never have done that," says Herst. "When your child does something he hasn't any business doing, if you're the right kind of parent, you should make them reap the consequences."

Herst says both Dr. Iqbal Memon and his wife Safia should be prosecuted to the fullest extend of the law. "Instead of holding him responsible, they took it upon themselves to try and sneak him out of the country. They are just as guilty," says Herst.

Memon's trial is set to begin June 18th. In court Thursday, his attorney told Judge Hall he would likely need more time to build his client's defense. Gardner told WAAY 31 Memon will likely plead not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

Brown's family says enough is enough. "It has been prolonged now for two years," says Lavender. "Every time I've gone to the cemetery and looked at Todd's grave, I think that his killer is walking around with the luxury of being out of jail. It's been really hard," he says.

The family says healing for them won't begin until they see Memon go to trial. Judge Hall gave his defense 10 days to file any motions in the case. She set a status hearing for May 3rd.

Meanwhile, Safia Memon remains jailed in Dallas charged with hindering prosecution. She's scheduled to be returned to the valley on April 27th. Dr. Iqbal Memon was also charged with hindering prosecution. He bonded out of the Madison County Metro Jail last Saturday and will appear in court on May 15th.

WASHINGTON, DC - NASA has released some interesting ringtones for your phone.

You can hear the roar of a space shuttle launch, Neil Armstrong's famous words, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.", or even, "Houston, we have a problem."

The ringtones are available for multiple types of phones.
 
You can download them here.

Huntsville, AL-When the new Lee High school in Huntsville opens for classes in the fall it may have an added layer of security.

Administrators want to build an eight foot tall security fence that will encircle the campus. The security would be a first for Huntsville City schools. Many living in the Meridian Street neighborhood like Duonta Lanier say it's a good thing. "The fence will be a good idea, it will deter people who shouldn't there and the people who need to be there. Its for educational purposes. Their not trying to cage in the students, so I feel like it's a good idea and they should follow through with that" Lanier says.

School Spokesperson Keith Ward says the object is to protect students, and keep unwanted elements away from the school campus. "Well safety is one of the top priorities there and this being a new school that's scheduled to open this fall the Superintendent thought this needed to be something that was placed in the forefront" Ward said.

Administrators say the fencing could cost as much as 600-thousand dollars. A similar security upgrade is being considered for Butler High School.