🌱 Return Of Annual Montgomery Race + Corrections Officer Charged

Happy Friday, people of Montgomery! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening in Montgomery today.

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First, today's weather:

Cloudy, a shower and t-storm. High: 65 Low: 33.

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Here are the top three stories in Montgomery today:

1. Former Montgomery police officer Aaron Cody Smith has been issued a stay while his latest appeal makes its way to the Alabama Supreme Court. Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey is fighting to get Smith placed behind bars. Smith was sentenced to 14 years in prison in January 2020 after being convicted of manslaughter but has yet to begin serving any of that time. (WSFA12 News)
2. An Alabama corrections officer has been charged with wielding excessive force against an inmate. Lt. Mohammad Jenkins has been charged with second-degree assault after the inmate later died. Inmate Victor Russo died in a Birmingham hospital on Feb. 25 after being found unresponsive in his cell two days prior. (US News And World Report)
3. The annual Montgomery half marathon and 5k race are set to begin on Mar. 12 at 7:00 a.m. This will be the first large-scale race to occur since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. There is still time to sign up for the race - just click the link. (Alabama News Network)

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Today in Montgomery:

• Y Ride At The Bell Road Branch YMCA (8:30 AM)
• 5th Annual Women's Leadership Summit At The Junior League of Montgomery (9:00 AM)

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From my notebook:

• Montgomery Police Department reports a 42 percent decrease in violent crime for the first two months of 2022. Click to read Mayor Reed's response. (Twitter)
• The City of Montgomery is hosting a Business License Workshop for the first 40 participants who register. Click to join. (Twitter)
• The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is asking the community to donate their old boomboxes. The donations will be used to create a unique sculpture. (Twitter)

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You're all caught up for today! I'll see you soon.

— Danielle Fallon

About me: Danielle Fallon is a writer who loves using her creativity to fuel her passion for communication. She is an employee of content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master's Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.