Troy Davis executed

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Troy Davis executed

By Michaela L. Duckett – September 22, 2011

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Good morning! Be sure to keep your umbrella handy. The weatherman is calling for more rain today. We will see more showers this morning with scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon and highs around 80°. More rain is on the forecast tomorrow as well. The good news is it should clear up before the weekend.

Here’s what’s brewing in the news:

Has justice been served?

"I am innocent," Troy Davis reportedly said moments before being executed by lethal injection Wednesday night at a state prison in Jackson, Georgia.

Strapped to a gurney in the state’s death chamber, Davis uttered his last words. He asked for God to “have mercy on” and to “bless” the “souls” of the prison guards who took his life, according to AP reports.

Outside, some 500 demonstrators held a vigil, many keeping hope until the final hour that Davis’ life would be spared. Davis’ execution was initially scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday but it did not occur until 11:08 p.m. due to a last minute review of the case by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately decided not to intervene.

Davis was convicted in 1991 of the 1989 slaying of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. In a phone interview with AP reporters, MacPhail’s widow Joan MacPhail-Harris said she continues to pray for Davis’ surviving family members as she as done over the past two decades.

"I will grieve for the Davis family because now they're going to understand our pain and our hurt," she is reported saying.

Moments after the execution, Davis’ lawyer Thomas Ruffin Jr. told reporters: “The state of Georgia legally lynched a brave, a good and indeed an innocent man.”

MacPhail’s family say they never questioned Davis’ guilt and believe justice has been served.

QUESTION: Do you believe the state of Georgia killed an innocent man?
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The sky is falling

A defunct 6-ton satellite the size of a school bus is plummeting towards the earth from outer space. Scientists do not know where it will land, but say the chances of somebody somewhere on Earth getting hurt are 1 in 3,200. The odds of you being struck are estimated at 1 in 21 trillion. Much of the NASA satellite is expected burn up in the atmosphere, but some 26 chunks weighing as much as 300 pounds could leave a 500-mile path of debris. The satellite is expected to hit earth anytime between today and Saturday. If you find what you think is a piece of the satellite, it’s government property. So don‘t keep it or sell it on EBay and then brag about it on Facebook. That would be illegal. (Read more)
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Shots fired at school bus

Police say someone fired a BB or pellet gun into a Charlotte-Mecklenburg school bus shortly after school let out Wednesday afternoon. There were about 50 students on board the bus departing Devonshire Elementary School in Northeast Charlotte. One student was taken to Carolinas Medical Center Main with non-life-threatening injuries after her face was scratched by glass flying from the window punctured by the pellet. The incident remains under investigation, and police say the children on the bus gave vastly different descriptions of the shooter. Parents were shocked. Some were frustrated, saying it took CMS officials too long to notify them of the incident. Just last week, many of the same children aboard the bus witnessed a deadly car accident after a driver ran a red light and collided with their bus. (Read more)
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