State officials are again pondering ways to take some of the racist wording out of Alabama's 1901 Constitution — and they're hoping that the third time will be the charm. The issue came up again Wednesday at a meeting of the Constitutional Revision Commission, a state committee tasked with an article-by-article revision of the Constitution. The commission is just beginning to take up Article XIV, which covers education.

“We’re very excited to be offering this program to our residents,” City Councilman Seyram Selase said. “Especially with the rising costs in health care, it’s our responsibility to do whatever we can to ease the burden on our residents.”

When Lisa Holtman began teaching in 1983, Welborn had a computer lab. Later, each of the school’s classrooms was outfitted with a lone computer and then came Internet labs, she said. Today the veteran teacher is learning how to use smartphones and tablet computers.

State Rep. Barbara Boyd, D-Anniston, has long been an advocate of closure of Tutwiler, the state's only maximum-security prison for women. As the state's receiving unit for female inmates, the Wetumpka prison houses not just violent, maximum security inmates but also many women imprisoned for nonviolent crimes.

The new bill cancels the water authority's earmark for the money and give it instead to the Randolph County Equine and Agricultural Association, a group formed last year to build an agricultural center and show barn in Roanoke.

Rep. Richard Laird of Roanoke said Tuesday that he decided years ago to move the tobacco tax money from the water board to some other project. He said the water authority hasn't completed projects that were supposed to be paid for with tobacco tax.