Hurricane Sally; Businessman Kidnapped: The Week In News

BIRMINGHAM, AL — This past week in Alabama, Hurricane Sally was front and center in the news, and the category 2 storm hit the Alabama coast bringing heavy rain and high winds, and leaving nearly half a million addresses without power.

Also in the news this past week, prominent Birmingham businessman Elton B. Stephens, Jr. was reportedly kidnapped and ordered to pay a large ransom before being released. The accused kidnappers are in custody.

Here are those and more stories that made headlines on Patch this past week:

Nearly 500,000 Without Power As Sally Leaves Alabama

Heavy rain, high winds and flooding has caused power outages in area along the coast, and some cities hit by Sally saw more than a foot of rain Wednesday.

Birmingham Businessman Kidnapped

Prominent Birmingham businessman Elton B. Stephens, Jr. was kidnapped from his Birmingham home Friday and ordered to pay $250,000 ransom to be released, according to police reports.

Alabama Schools Ranked Among 2021's Best Colleges: U.S. News

U.S. News & World Report on Monday remained steadfast with the release of its 2021 edition of Best U.S. Colleges, a list that includes several schools in Alabama.

Birmingham Woman Sentenced In Wire Fraud Case

A Birmingham woman was sentenced by a federal judge to 15 years in prison for her conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and intimidating a witness.

Man Charged With Capital Murder In Death Of Child

The July 29 death of a 2-year-old child has resulted in the arrest of the child's father on capital murder charges.