Escaped Inmate; Abortion Bill Controversy: The Week In News

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Unless it involves college football, if national attention is focused on the state of Alabama lately, the news is usually of a controversial nature. This past week was no exception as the Alabama Senate stripped a bill banning abortions in Alabama of its rape and incest exceptions before a vote on the bill was postponed until next week. If passed without the rape and incest amendment, the bill would be one of the strictest abortion laws in the country.

Also making headlines in the state this past week was the escape of a Childersburg Work Release Center inmate in Shelby County. Police are still searching for the inmate, who escaped for the second tine since being sentenced to 50 years for assault.

Here are some of the stories that made headlines on Patch during the week of May 6-11:

Body Found In Sicard Hollow Basin Identified

A body found floating in an intake basin Tuesday morning at the Birmingham Water Works facility on Sicard Hollow Road has been identified. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office identified the man as 23-year-old Leonard Docquan Bennett of Birmingham.

Jeff State Police Shoot Man Carrying Machete On Campus

A Jefferson State Community College police officer shot a person wielding a machete on the school's Carson Road campus Wednesday morning. The person has been transported to UAB hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Inmate Escapes From Work Release In Shelby County

An inmate at Childersburg Work Release Center has escaped from a job site in Shelby County. Jerry Randolph Anthony, 34, was last seen at 12:45 p.m. Thursday at the undisclosed site in Columbiana.

Alabama Senate Delays Vote On Abortion Bill

Although the Alabama Senate has opted to postpone a vote on the bill that would criminalize abortions statewide until next week, the passage of the bill seems a certainty. However, what happens after Gov. Kay Ivey signs the bill into law - assuming she does - is still a source of confusion among Alabama voters.

Teens Killed In Shades Crest Bluff Crash

Two teens are dead after their SUV plunged off the bluff on Shades Crest Road in Hoover across from Mr. P's Butcher Shop and Deli.