HALEYVILLE - A former co-owner and COO of a now-defunct pharmacy in Haleyville pled guilty Friday, March 27, in a long-running investigation into a prescription drug-billing scheme.

MONTGOMERY - The Alabama Community College System (ACCS) has announced that online instruction will continue at all of its campuses through the remainder of the spring semester. In addition, due to restrictions on event sizes by state and federal officials, all traditional commencement activities will be postponed.

WINSTON COUNTY - With the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus-2019 or COVID-19 increasing it seems by the minute within Alabama, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris put out a new health order effective Saturday, March 28, at 5 p.m. for the following types of "non-essential" businesses to be closed to non-employees:

DOUBLE SPRINGS - In a move that saddened all involved, Double Springs First United Methodist Church has regretfully had to cancel its annual Holy Week services, which were scheduled for April 6-10 , due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The health and safety of our friends and neighbors is of utmost concern to us.  So, for the first time in over 30 years, Holy Week will not be conducted this year,"  Lay Leader Jim Baird said.

As of Friday morning, March 27, at 8:25 a.m., the number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus-2019, or COVID-19 in Alabama stood at 538, with the number of deaths from the virus rising to 3.

BIRMINGHAM - The University of Alabama at Birmingham will take part in a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored global clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of novel therapeutic agents in hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19.