THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS

The latest news, sports, entertainment and more from Birmingham and surrounding areas

Local law enforcement officials say high dropout rates are contributing to violent crimes and murders, and that educating children earlier can help reduce the crime rate.

Birmingham police chief A.C. Roper, Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale, and Jefferson County District Attorneys David Barber and Brandon Falls held a special "Back to School" news conference Wednesday at George Washington Carver High in Birmingham.

Police are investigating at least one homicide at an apartment complex off U.S. 280 in north Shelby County on Cahaba Beach Road. Hoover police confirmed they were assisting with the investigation at Cahaba Lake Apartments. Multiple agencies, including Hoover police, the Alabama Department of Public Safety and the Shelby County Sherriff's Office, are on the scene.

The future Red Mountain Park is about to be 2.5 miles longer, after the Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Area Commission agreed to buy a 100-foot-wide strip of land extending from the park's current boundaries to the west.

Isaac Ray Bankhead committed murder in 2007, even though another man pulled the trigger on the shotgun that killed Raymond May, a Jefferson County jury ruled late this afternoon.

The developer behind a planned downtown entertainment district told Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex board members today that knowing the location of a proposed domed stadium could help him finalize bank financing for his project.

Responding to a question from Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford, John Elkington of Performa Entertainment Real Estate said being able to tell lenders that the proposed $500 million, 70,000-seat stadium is being built adjacent to the BJCC "would be a huge plus."

That prompted an exchange that suggested Langford might know the location.

A Hyundai executive said today that the Korean automaker will bring a gas-electric hybrid version of its Sonata sedan to the United States.

Samford head football coach Pat Sullivan announced this morning that the Bulldogs have games scheduled in 2010 at Florida State and 2011 at Auburn.

MONTGOMERY -- St. Vincent's Health System won two victories today at the Certificate of Need Review Board meeting in Montgomery.

Twenty-one Birmingham-area businesses are among the 67 Alabama enterprises on Inc. magazine's list of the 5,000 fastest-growing U.S. companies released today.

The death of a 90-year-old woman has been ruled a homicide caused by neglect, according to the Jefferson County Coroner's Office.