DRUG COURT GRANT APPLICATION APPROVED

TUSCALOOSA | The Tuscaloosa County Commission approved Wednesday an
application for a $500,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant for a new
juvenile drug court, despite some questions from commission members.

The three-year grant, which would be matched by $50,000 a year from the
county, would create a court modeled on the Tuscaloosa adult drug court,
which provides alternatives for incarceration.

Commission Chairman and Probate Judge Hardy McCollum and Commissioner Mike
Richardson questioned the need for the court at Wednesday's meeting, saying
that they want to see statistics from the judicial system about how many
cases the court would adjudicate.

The commission unanimously approved the application, however, after
Planning Director Farrington Snipes said today is the deadline to have it
in. But the commission did so with the stipulation that figures on the need
be provided in the next two weeks, and with the understanding that the
application could be withdrawn if the commission determines that the court
is not needed.