After listening to a day and a half of arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys, U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller handed down his findings this afternoon as to where the defendants fall on the scale of federal sentencing guidelines. The federal sentencing guidelines are only advisory, and now prosecutors and defense attorneys will argue what sort of departure from the guidelines, if any, might be appropriate for the defendants.

Fuller found that former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman’s crimes give him an offense level 32 — putting his potential sentence between 121 and 151 months (or 10 and 12.5 years) in prison. Siegelman’s fine range runs from $17,500 to $175,000.

Fuller found former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy’s offense level to be 30 — putting his potential sentence between 97 and 121 months (eight to 10 years) in prison.

Fuller’s decision effectively ends the first portion of the sentencing hearing.

Defense attorneys will call character witnesses and the defendants will have the opportunity to make personal statements to the court before Fuller finally sentences the defendants.

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The sentencing hearing for Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy entered its second day Wednesday as defense attorneys lodged objections to the probation office’s presentencing report. This portion of the proceeding involves the complicated and esoteric formulas used by the court to calculate an appropriate sentence for the crimes. The federal sentencing guidelines are only advisory and the judge may depart either upward or downward from the suggested sentence.

Beginning Wednesday morning, Scrushy’s sentencing attorney, Carmen Hernandez, argued that Scrushy poses no further threat as a public figure in political life, as he will not likely serve as an officer of a publicly traded company ever again.

“I seriously doubt, considering what has transpired over the last several years, that Mr. Scrushy will ever give any political contribution with any reach ever again,” she said. (Updates and more after the jump.) Read the full story

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The sentencing hearing for former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy began Tuesday morning, with the proceeding expected to last for as long as four days.

Before the hearing began, Scrushy, his family and several ministers prayed in a parking lot across the street from the Frank M. Johnson federal courthouse, and both defendants again proclaimed their innocence to the charges. Police had to separate and disperse protestors in front of the courthouse after a shouting match erupted among them.

Almost one year ago, a federal jury in Montgomery found Scrushy and Siegelman guilty on charges of bribery, conspiracy and mail fraud. Siegelman was convicted also on an additional charge of obstruction of justice. According to prosecutors, Scrushy arranged a total $500,000 to pay down debt on Siegelman’s failed 1999 lottery campaign. Siegelman had personally secured the debt and would have had to pay the money himself had not someone else done so. In exchange, Siegelman appointed Scrushy to the Certificate of Needs board, a state agency that regulates hospitals and healthcare providers.

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Jeremy Harper is counting to one million live on the Internet and it appears this afternoon he will break 100,000 — one tenth of the way there.

It’s a good thing then that Harper has a recipe known to some Birmingham bartenders as a Harper Shot. If you’ve got the ingredients, then knock one back. If not, then make your way down to the Barking Kudu, where Millioncount.com has set up a two-way live feed. In the meantime, here’s the recipe:

The Harper Shot.

One part Stoli Vanilla;

One part Bailey’s Irish Cream;

One part Frangellica;

and just a hint of Half-and-Half.

Pour, shoot, enjoy.

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According to the Capstonereport.com, former Hoover Gazette sportswriter Hunter Ford will again be a guest on the Paul Finebaum show this afternoon to answer questions about whatever the hell happened last week, when Ford was apparently fired live on the air.

Several times last week, Ford had been a guest on Finebaum’s show to talk about the on-going scandal at Hoover High School. Ford insinuated that Hoover High football coach Rush Probst had been having an affair, in addition to allegations of grade tampering to benefit athletes.

After Ford, who had been speaking to Finebaum over the phone, hung up, Hoover Gazette General Manager John Junkin called into the show hoping to speak with Ford about his employment status at the newspaper. Finbaum, his co-host and callers took the remark to mean that Ford was to be fired. Junkin told Finebaum that Ford did not need to be saying things on the air that they would not print in the newspaper.

Find out more at our previous post here. Or listen live to Finebaum here.

Updates after the jump. Read the full story

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Ted Kennedy joins forces with George W. Bush?

Rush Limbaugh agrees with the AFL-CIO?

If the political world has come unhinged over Immigration Reform, one thing remains constant, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is still against it.

This week on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Sen. Kennedy and Sen. Sessions gave competing arguments over a new push in Congress (as opposed to the old push about three weeks ago) for/against Immigration Reform.

Neither senator dug deep into the specifics of the legislation, and in fact it seemed they were talking about two different bills. Kennedy said the bill would fund border security, enact workplace enforcement and draw the illegal immigrants out of the shadows. Sessions said the bill brings us to the “brink of amnesty” and would not achieve any of those goals because … well, it’s just a bad bill and we need a national “mindset change,” whatever that means.

Read the full story

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Gazette sports writer canned on Finebaum show

Hoover Gazette General Manager John Junkin fired one of the paper’s popular sports writers today — live on the Paul Finebaum Show. The writer, Hunter Ford, had been a guest on the show, on which he insinuated that Hoover High School football coach Rush Probst had been having an affair. Junkin told Finebaum that Ford could not substantiate the rumor and that he had been told not to talk about it unless he could prove the allegations.

UPDATE: Listen to Finebaum’s interview with Ford here.

UPDATE: Listen to Ford get canned on Finebaum here.

The termination is a tangential development in a growing scandal surrounding Hoover High School’s football program. Murmurings began Monday, when the school’s athletics director, Jerry Browning, resigned to take a job with Saint James School in Montgomery. Browning told The Birmingham News that he had differences with the program in Hoover and that he had expressed his concerns to Hoover Superintendent Andy Craig.

Read the full story

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NOT YOUR MOTHER’S POTTERY CLASS. Take a moment and think of all the great works of art you have created while drinking. Napkin origami? Beercan towers? OK, well maybe it’s time to get your butt off the barstool and head out to the Imagine Clay Studio for a one of their Clay and Cocktail Workshops. Spend an evening creating a useful ceramic accessory while sharing a few good drinks with fellow potters. The workshops take place on selected Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and each night has a different theme. For example, Friday night is “Snack Bowl and Beer.” Bring some of your favorite brews, and at the very least you’ll get a cool new snack bowl to show off to your friends. The workshop takes place from 6 p.m – 8 p.m and the cost is $35. The studio is located at 210 41st St. South. For more information, call 706-8308 or visit www.imaginepartnersinart.com.

For more Weekly Picks visit Bhamweekly.com 

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After 59 years on her toes, Mona, the Birmingham Zoo’s Asian elephant, died early this morning surrounded by her human herd, the zoo keepers and staff, some of whom have taken care of her for more than 20 years.Mona arrived at the Birmingham Zoo in 1955, and was one of the oldest elephants in North America. According to a study published in the journal Zoo Biology, the average life span of female Asian elephants in North American zoological facilites is 44.8 years. That same study found that the life expectancies of elephants in zoos are consistent with elephants in the wild.

Last Monday, Mona had difficulty standing, and it took dozens of veterinarians, zookeepers and staff and a crane to get the 8,000-pound beauty back on her feet. Anticipating further age-related complications, the zoo staff made the difficult decision to euthanize her.

Read the full story

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IT’S RAINING BABIES. Baby animals, that is. We may be in a drought, but it’s still baby season at the Alabama Wildlife Center and over 1,500 furry, scaly and feathery little ‘uns will arrive during the next month. These little guys need extra special care, so the center needs some extra hands. The center, located at Oak Mountain State Park, will hold a volunteer orientation on Thursday, June 21, from 6-9 p.m. for animal lovers and anyone concerned with preserving native wildlife who wants to lend a hand. The AWC houses over 2,500 animals annually, rehabilitating them for return to the wild, and is supported wholly by donations of goods, services and time from private individuals and volunteers. The orientation is free and takes place at 100 Terrace Drive. For more information, call 663-7930 or visit www.awrc.org.

For more Weekly Picks visit Bhamweekly.com 

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