The city of Decatur’s plan to hire an outside agency to review conduct and procedure within its police department is on schedule. That’s according to Decatur city council president Jacob Ladner. Ladner called for that review after some members of the city council expressed concern about police conduct. He told WHNT TV that both he and Mayor Tab Bowling met with Huntsville-based Green Research and Technology last week to discuss the contract details. NAACP president Rodney Gordon says a third-party review was needed for Decatur police in the days after the police shooting death of Stephen Perkins. Ladner said he expects the police review details to be in the next city council work session on Monday with a vote to take place on July 1.
A project to implement flood mitigation measures along Pinhook Creek in downtown Huntsville and construct a suspended pedestrian bridge across Memorial Parkway is moving ahead. The City will receive $47.3 million in two federal grants for the Pedestrian Access and Redevelopment Corridor project. The project will be constructed in four phases. A news item from the city says the first phase of the project will be the Pinhook Creek improvements. The work is projected to begin by the end of the year and should take 24 months to complete.
The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries says that feral swarms of Africanized honeybees, also known as "killer bees," were discovered in Jackson and St. Clair counties. Newsweek magazine reports local beekeepers worked to euthanize the killer bees once they were spotted. The department of agriculture says that while killer bees look like European honeybees, the invasive species behaves differently. Killer bees are more defensive than honeybees and will respond to threats in greater numbers. They will also chase a threat for over a mile, while honeybees only pursue for a few hundred yards. Africanized Honeybees pose a risk to humans and animals. It is important to avoid provoking any swarms and to seek professional assistance for bee removal.
Huntsville Animal Services is facing severe overcrowding due to an increase in stray pickups and litters of kittens and puppies. To help reduce overcrowding, adoption fees for most adult animals will be waived through the end of the month. If you can’t adopt, the shelter’s foster program allows you to care for animals until they find a permanent home. You can also take pets home for a weekend, giving them a reprieve from the shelter. Each pet is spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated before leaving the shelter and comes with a City license and free bag of pet food. Visit HuntsvilleAL.gov/Animal or visit HAS on facebook to learn more.
USA Today released their rankings of the top ten best chocolate shops across the US, and Huntsville-based Pizzelle’s Confections was ranked first. Huntsville Blast reports USA Today ranked the shops using a combination of a panel of experts in the chocolate-making field and user-submitted voting. Pizzelle’s shop was located at Lowe Mill but recently moved to a new location at Campus 805. Pizzelle’s Confections is an underwriter of WLRH.
NASA in the Park is coming back to Big Spring Park East in Huntsville on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and collaborators will fill the park with space exhibits, music, food vendors, and hands-on activities for all ages. Marshall is teaming up with Downtown Huntsville Inc. for this celebration of space and the Rocket City.