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The tenth annual GMAC Bowl will be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile on January 6, 2009. Mobile Bay will be filled with energy and excitement as two conference teams, Tulsa and Ball State, go head to head. Tonight there is a GMAC Mardi Gras parade, fireworks, pep rally, concert and much, much more. The fun kicks off at 6:30pm. The parade will be on Route A and feature 20 floats. (Read the full post about ‘Parade Tonight In Downtown Mobile’…)

The man arrested in a string of carjackings in Mobile pleaded not guilty Monday morning during his preliminary hearing.

Hicks is charged with four counts of robbery and kidnapping. He’s also charged with one count of rape.

Police arrested Hicks December 14th. They say two of the four carjackings happened in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart Supercenter on the I-65 Beltline. Hicks’ last carjacking victim was raped.

A judge denied Hicks bond on December 17th. His preliminary hearing is set for February 2nd. (Read the full post about ‘Serial Carjacking Suspect Pleads Not Guilty’…)

DETROIT (AP) - Ford Motor Co. says its U.S. sales plummeted 32
percent in December as buyers continued to steer clear of showrooms
due to economic uncertainty.
Ford’s sales for the full year dropped 21 percent, making it
likely that the Dearborn, Mich., company will trail Toyota Motor
Corp. and remain the No. 3 U.S. auto seller for the second straight
year.
Toyota and other automakers report December and full-year sales
later Monday.
Ford says it sold 138,458 light vehicles last month, down from
204,787 vehicles in December 2007.
For the entire year, Ford sold about 2 million vehicles, more
than half a million fewer than in 2007.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. (Read the full post about ‘Ford’s Sales Drop 32% In December’…)

GIBSON, La. (AP) - The company that owns the helicopter that
crashed in Louisiana marsh land, killing eight people, has released
the names of the dead an injured.
PHI Inc. identified those killed in the Sunday afternoon crash
as Allen Boudreaux, of Ama, La.; Andrew Moricio and Ezequiel Cantu
of Morgan City, La.; Randy Tarpley of Jonesville, La.; Charles W.
Nelson of Pensacola, Fla.; Thomas E. Ballenger of Eufaula, Ala.;
and Vyarl W. Martin of Hurst, Texas.
There was conflicting information on the name of the eighth
victim, a Bridge City man.
PHI said the injured man was Steven Yeltin of Floresville,
Texas.
The crash happened shortly after 2 p.m. (Read the full post about ‘Update: Helicopter Crash Victim From Pensacola’…)

The DTV converter boxes will now cost you an extra $40.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has been issuing each household up to two $40 coupons to help defray the cost of converter boxes. But funding for those coupons has dried up.

Starting February 17, you’ll need a converter box to watch TV if you use an antenna to watch TV on a set that has an analog tuner and don’t subscribe to cable or satellite.

For more information about the DTV switch, go to dtvanswers.com or call 1-888.DTV.2009.

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WKRG.com Related Resources DIRECTV and DISH Network Not Ready For DTV Switch Posted: 2 weeks, 4 days, 5 hours, 31 minutes ago Subscribers of both satellite providers are not receiving WKRG’s digital channel. (Read the full post about ‘Funding For DTV Converter Box Coupons Dries Up’…)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Scientists at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hope to begin clinical trials this spring on a vaccine to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer.

If successful, the vaccine would not replace traditional treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation but could be an additional treatment for patients, said Laura Hutchins, the principal investigator, professor of internal medicine, and director of the division of hematology and oncology.

Thomas Kieber-Emmons, director of basic breast cancer research at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, said the vaccine was developed over a decade of study on the immune system. (Read the full post about ‘Breast Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trials’…)

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi lawmakers face a long list of
familiar issues during their three-month session that begins
Tuesday, from voter identification to taxes on cigarettes and
hospitals.
Gov. Haley Barbour is urging the 122 House members and 52
senators to be cautious with public money because of the slumping
economy that has caused businesses to slash an estimated 20,000
jobs in the state during the past year.
Barbour says state tax collections fell about 9 percent short of
expectations in December.
Legislators convene at noon for a brief ceremony in the Old
Capitol museum in downtown Jackson. (Read the full post about ‘Mississippi Legislative Session Starts Tuesday’…)

FREEPORT, Bahamas (AP) - An official with a Bahamian funeral
home says Jett Travolta’s death certificate says he was killed by a
“seizure.”
Glen Campbell is assistant director of the funeral home handling
the remains of John Travolta’s 16-year-old son.
He tells The Associated Press that the body is in “great
condition” and shows no sign of head trauma, despite police
officials who said the teen may have hit his head on a bathtub.
Authorities performed an autopsy Monday but didn’t release the
results. (Read the full post about ‘John Travolta’s Son Killed By Seizure’…)