🌱 Grave Flowers Littering Arrest + Gardendale Drive Shooting

Hello again, Montgomery! Important update: You all, as readers, have made the Montgomery Daily so successful that it is my honor to announce the next stage of the newsletter. Patch is looking for a local writer and entrepreneur to take the helm of the Montgomery Daily. Although I have loved getting to know this community, we want to pass the torch to someone truly local to write about Montgomery long term. So if you're interested in earning extra income while making this newsletter a more valuable resource for your neighbors, learn more and apply here.

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First, today's weather:

Cloudy and cooler. High: 52 Low: 31.

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Here are the top 3 stories in Montgomery today:

1. An Alabama man was arrested on criminal littering charges related to placing flowers on his fiancé's grave. Winchester Hagans' fiancé Hannah Ford, 26, died a mile from her Montgomery home in a car crash on Jan. 17, 2021. Ford's father removed the flower boxes and reported Hagans, 31, to the authorities, which resulted in a warrant against Hagans for criminal littering. (AL.com)
2. The Montgomery County District Attorney is fighting a former police officer's efforts to avoid prison time related to the 2016 murder of Gregory Gunn. District Attorney Daryl Bailey has battled to deny an appeal issued by Aaron "AC" Cody Smith to overturn his conviction and sentencing of fourteen years in prison. The judge will issue a ruling related to Smith's case in the next few days. (WSFA12 News)
3. A man has been taken to a local hospital with serious injuries after a Montgomery shooting. The incident occurred around 6:00 a.m. on Thursday in the Gardendale Drive and East Street area, according to officials with the Montgomery Police Department. No additional information has been released regarding the shooting. (WSFA12 News)

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Today in Montgomery:

• Leadership Matters At The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce (9:30 AM)

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From my notebook:

• Montgomery Humane Society Adoptable Pets shares information about Dave. Click to see if this "smedium" best friend would be a good fit for your family. (Facebook)
• Sidney Lanier High Principal Joseph Roberson provided lunch at the Capitol City Club for the school's counselors, social workers, and parent liaison in celebration of National School Counseling Week. (Facebook)
• Sunshine is heading our way! Check out the Montgomery weekend weather forecast on Patch. (Montgomery Patch)

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Loving the Montgomery Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday! See you tomorrow morning for another update.

— 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.