🌱 Montgomery Student Creates Alabama State Cookie + Shooting & Arson

Good morning, Montgomery! It's me, Rose Mendez, your host of the Montgomery Patch newsletter. Keep reading to find out the most important things happening in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Saturday: Mostly sunny. High: 91 Low: 71.
• Sunday: An afternoon thunderstorm. High: 86 Low: 70.

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Here are the top three stories in Montgomery today:

1. Mary Claire Cook, a fourth grader at Montgomery’s Trinity Presbyterian School, created Alabama's official state cookie, the Yellowhammer. The new bill was passed in the state’s House and Senate, and the legislation was signed by Governor Kay Ivey. Russel Powell, a Trinity senior, said, "We selected the cookie because it has three ingredients that really encapsulate the state of Alabama, with pecans from Mobile and Baldwin counties, nuts from the Dothan area and oats from central Alabama." (Upworthy.com)
2. On Thursday, Jun. 8, Montgomery Police arrested and charged 33-year-old Kimberly Nicole Edwards with first-degree attempted arson and attempted murder. On Bowen Drive, police found a man who was shot and transported him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Edwards had allegedly shot the man and then tried to burn down the home by turning on the stove burners. According to MPD’s Criminal Investigation Division, Edwards told investigators that she did not remember any of her actions during the incident and that she had been hearing voices for the past week. (WSFA)
3. A federal jury in Montgomery convicted 29-year-old Xiaoqin Yan, a Chinese national, of setting a fire inside Montgomery's First Baptist Church. According to court records, on Sep. 30, 2021, Montgomery firefighters were able to put out the fire but the church had significant damage. Surveillance videos inside and outside the church along with church employees' descriptions led to Yan's arrest. Yan was convicted of arson and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. (WAKA)

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Today and tomorrow in Montgomery:

Saturday, June 10

• Coffee For Cougars Conservation Event At Montgomery Zoo (9:00 AM)
• Music Night With Anson & Josh At Common Bond Brewers (6:00 PM)

Sunday, June 11

• Sunday Makebreak: Friendship Bracelets At East Chase Market Center (2:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Syphilis cases have more than doubled in Montgomery County from 2021 to 2022. Only five percent of the state's population lives in Montgomery County, but the county's cases accounted for more than 14 percent of the state’s total syphilis cases in 2022. (AL.com)
• Crumbl Cookies in Zelda Place in Montgomery had its grand opening on Jun. 9! The store has an open bakery concept, where customers can watch the staff make the cookie dough, bake, and then decorate the cookies. (Montgomery Advertiser)
• BooBoo, a six-month-old bulldog mix puppy, is looking for his forever home in the Montgomery area! Contact or visit the Montgomery Humane Society to see BooBoo and other adoptable pets in your area. (Montgomery Humane Society Adoptable Pets via Facebook)

Thanks for following along and staying informed. See you all soon for another update!

— Rose Mendez

About me: Rose Mendez is a freelance writer. She is studying English Literature at Hunter College. She loves reading, walking around the city, and coffee!