TODAY’S COUPONS

SAVINGS OF MORE THAN NEW LISTINGSOF AREA HOMES

SAVINGS THISYEAR: $2,407

REAL ESTATE$240 547

SUNDAY

March 14, 2010 ♦ Our 123rd yearwww.al.com E M 1 2 3 $1.55 home delivery ♦ $2 newsstand

Bracket MadnessNCAA TOURNAMENT | Section B

Whose bubblewill burst?

10 HOTSPRINGFASHIONSLIFESTYLE | Section E

At war in ‘The Pacific’PLAY | Section G

BIRMINGHAM: ARRINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ BARRETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ CHARLES A. BROWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ BUSH MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ CARVER HIGH SCHOOL ♦ CENTER STREET MIDDLE ♦ COUNCILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ MARTHA GASKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ GASTON K-8 SCHOOL ♦ GATE CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ GIBSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ GLENN MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ GREEN ACRES MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ HUDSON K-8 SCHOOL ♦ INGLENOOK SCHOOL ♦ JACKSON-OLIN HIGH SCHOOL ♦

ROBERT E. LEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ LEWIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ MINOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ DANIEL PAYNE MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦

POWDERLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ W.E. PUTNAM MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦

ROBINSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ SMITH MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ SOUTH HAMPTON ELEMENTARY ♦ SUN VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ WENONAH HIGH SCHOOL ♦

WHATLEY K-8 SCHOOL ♦ WYLAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ JEFFERSON COUNTY: BOTTENFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ BRIGHTON MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ WILLIAM E. BURKETT MULTI-HANDICAPPED CENTER ♦ ERWIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ ERWIN HIGH SCHOOL ♦ FULTONDALE HIGH SCHOOL ♦ TARRANT: TARRANT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ TARRANT HIGH SCHOOL ♦ TARRANT INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL ♦ TARRANT MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ FAIRFIELD: FAIRFIELD PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL ♦ FOREST HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦

ROBINSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ MIDFIELD: MIDFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ MIDFIELD HIGH SCHOOL ♦ RUTLEDGE SCHOOL ♦ BESSEMER:JAMES A. DAVIS MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ CHARLES F. HARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ♦ LEEDS: LEEDS MIDDLE SCHOOL ♦ SHELBY COUNTY: ♦ MONTEVALLO MIDDLE SCHOOL

OUR FAILINGSCHOOLS

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By MARIE LEECH

News staff writer

Fifty-one schools in the Birmingham metro area — including 31 Birmingham city schools— are chronic failures, according to a list cre-ated by the state under new federal guidelines.

Alabama has 264 “persistently low-achiev-ing” schools, defined by a formula that factoredin standardized reading and math test scores,graduation rates and other data from the past three years.

All of the schools on the list serve poor popu-lations and either receive federal Title I fundsor are eligible for them. Title I funds are givento schools that have a high poverty level, whereat least 35 percent of students participate in the free and reduced-price lunch program.

See FAILING | Page 8A

1 of 39ShelbyCounty

1 of 3Leeds

2 of 9Bessemer

3 of 5Fairfi eld

4 of 4Tarrant

6 of 52JeffersonCounty

31 of 57Birmingham

CHRONICALLY

FAILING SCHOOLS

3 of 3Midfi eld

WEATHER | 16A

High: 56

Low: 41

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Source: State Department of Education

51 in metro area listed as low-achieving

How

much did

BCS title

game cost?

SPORTS | 1B

GOVERNOR’S RACE

Hopefulsdiffer ongames ofchanceBy GEORGE ALTMANPress-Register

MONTGOMERY — Nearlyevery type of gamblingwould be legal in Alabamai n c l u d i n g c a r d g a m e s ,sports betting, craps androulette if two contendersfor the state’s top job wereto get their way.

State Agriculture Com-missioner Ron Sparks, aDemocrat, and RepublicanBill Johnson said they wouldfavor allowing those games,as well as all forms of bingo,slot machines and a lottery,if they were regulated andable to generate state reve-nue.

Sparks’ opponent in theDemocratic primary for gov-ernor, U.S. Rep. Artur Davisof Birmingham, expressedsupport for a lottery, as wellas paper and electronicbingo. Davis would not givehis opinion about othergames of chance.

Among the large GOPfield of candidates, Johnson,

See GAMBLING Page 2A

After 20executions, aserene outlookEx-warden gaveall of Alabama’slethal injectionsBy TOM GORDONNews staff writer

M O N T G O M E R Y —Strangers still ask GranttCulliver if they have seenhim on television.

Culliver tells them, yes,he was on that MSNBC“Lockup” documentary se-ries on the nation’s tough-est prisons. He was thewarden at Holman Correc-tional Facility when thecamera crews came downin 2006 and 2007.

He usually does not vol-

unteer other details — thathe was Holman’s warden2002-09 and that he ad-ministered all 20 execu-tions by lethal injection

since the statestarted usingthe method in2002.

The numberof people whoh a v e c a r r i e dout executionsin the U.S., let

alone in Alabama, is small.If it takes a certain kind ofperson to work in a prisonsystem, it takes a personwith a certain kind of out-look to become an execu-tioner.

See WARDEN Page 9A

GranttCulliver

Drywall woesdog homeownersChinese import blamed formedical, electronic problemsBy DAWN KENTNews staff writer

Four years ago, SusanWilkens was newly di-vorced and looking for afresh start, so she built anupscale custom gardenhome in Shelby County’sHighland Lakes neighbor-hood. That’s when thetrouble began.

At first, it all seemed sominor: a faulty air condi-tioning coil, a broken-down refrigerator, sterlingsilver jewelry that tar-nished within weeks ofcleaning, and several lin-gering sinus infections.One had nothing to dowith the other, or so shethought.

But over time, Wilkens’health problems acceler-ated. Things didn’t taste orsmell right anymore, andthe headaches worsened.She underwent CAT scans

for a possible brain tumorand contemplated sinussurgery.

See DRYWALL Page 8A

NEWS STAFF/BEVERLY TAYLOR

SusanWilkens has hadproblems withtarnished silver andsmoke detectors thatgo off randomly in herhome, which containsdrywall importedfromChina.