These are some stories from the 9/24/12 version of Tennessee Valley news update (633, 733, 833am, 304, 404, 504, 604pm) …
HUNTSVILLE, AL (AP) - Jury selection is scheduled to begin around 10 this morning in the capital murder trial of Amy Bishop. Bishop is facing a sentence of life in prison without parole after pleading guilty two weeks ago to capital murder and attempted murder following the 2010 shooting of six colleagues at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Despite the guilty plea, Alabama law requires that the case be presented to a jury. The trial will be short since the facts are no longer in dispute and only a few witnesses will be required to testify.
HUNTSVILLE, AL (Huntsville Times) - Huntsville attorney Joe Ritch has been nominated by President Barack Obama to become the second Alabamian to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority board during its 79-year history. Ritch told The Huntsville Times that it's an honor to be nominated. His nomination is subject to Senate approval. Ritch has been active in economic development work and is the longtime chairman of the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee.
MADISON COUNTY, AL (AP) - Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney won't be the only candidates for president on Alabama's general election ballot Nov. 6. The secretary of state's office says that three other candidates have received the 5,000 signatures necessary to get on the ballot. Former U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode Jr. of Virginia is running on the Constitution Party ticket. Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson leads the Libertarian Party ticket. Massachusetts doctor Jill Stein tops the Green Party ticket.
MONTGOMERY, AL (AP) - A driver's chances of being hit by an uninsured motorist in Alabama may go down after Jan. 1. That is when a new system will start verifying within a few seconds whether a motorist is abiding by Alabama's law requiring liability insurance. The new system is the result of a law passed by the Legislature in 2011 to crack down on the estimated 22 percent of Alabama vehicles that don't have insurance. Revenue Commissioner Julie Magee says she hopes to get the rate below 10 percent.
GILES CO., TN (AP) - Two new distilleries planned for Giles County plan to produce the kind of Tennessee whiskey made famous by Jack Daniel. The Tennessee Spirits Co. and the Tenn South Distillery will use the so-called Lincoln County Process, filtering the just-distilled corn-barley-malt product through sugar maple charcoal before putting it into oak barrels.