NJN/am for Wednesday, December 19

 

It’s Wednesday, and you have six shopping days left until Christmas…

Weather: Gonna be a rough night. Today will be sunny with highs near 70, but the weather goes downhill from there. A cold front comes through overnight, bringing along storms and the chances of severe weather after about 4 a.m. Lows tonight will drop to the lower 50s. Storms should end early Thursday afternoon, and temps Thursday night will fall to the upper 20s.

Morris comes to terms with former chief. The town has settled with former Police Chief Brian Cochran, whom new mayor Joe Pylant did not reappoint after six years’ tenure. Cochran will receive a payment of more than $8,300 to cover unused vacation time and “other matters,” as Pylant put it. Cochran’s removal brought protests from residents after the announcement last month; the mayor never announced a reason for his action. Morris is now taking applications for a new chief.

You can be a winner, too — again. Milton McGregor is again taking on Alabama’s attorney general by reopening a bingo casino at his Victoryland greyhound track in Macon County. The casino opened Tuesday afternoon to overflow crowds, with about 500 gaming machines available at the opening; McGregor promises more machines soon. Attorney General Luther Strange has warned McGregor about the opening, while McGregor and the county’s sheriff claim the new machines meet the requirements of the constitutional amendment permitting bingo at the track.

Sports: Indians take two. Pinson Valley is enjoying one of its best wrestling seasons ever, pushing its record to 24-3 after taking down both Mortimer Jordan and host Fultondale in a tri-match Tuesday night. Hank Turner, Blake Treglown, Kyle Hurston and Barrett Crossley each scored two pins on the night for the Indians. The Blue Devils beat the Wildcats in the third match of the night… Boys basketball: Mortimer Jordan improved its record to 10-1 with a 49-37 win over Oneonta. In other games, Gardendale defeated Pleasant Grove, West Point toppled Hayden, Pinson Valley nipped Springville and Corner came back to beat Oak Grove… Girls basketball: After opening the 2012-13 campaign with eight straight wins, Hayden has now dropped three straight after falling to West Point 60-45. Elsewhere, Gardendale routed Pleasant Grove, Corner decimated Oak Grove Mortimer Jordan was demolished by Oneonta, the top-ranked team in Class 4A.