American Scene: First permanent female president named at Alabama

ALABAMA

TUSCALOOSA — The University of Alabama’s board of trustees voted Thursday to appoint the first permanent female president in the school’s 181-year history.

The board met in an executive session for about an hour before naming current Provost Judy L. Bonner, 65. She’s the older sister of Rep. Jo Bonner, a Republican, and served as interim president before outgoing President Guy Bailey took over in early September.

A native of rural Wilcox County, Ms. Bonner has two degrees from Alabama and said she was honored to be its first female chief executive.

“I love the University of Alabama,” said Ms. Bonner, who has advanced degrees from Alabama and Ohio State University.

Mr. Bailey announced Wednesday he was resigning after less than two months in the job, citing his wife’s health.

MASSACHUSETTS

Man sentenced to 17 years in terror plot

BOSTON — A Massachusetts man was sentenced Thursday to 17 years in prison in a plot to fly remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives into the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol.

Rezwan Ferdaus, 27, of Ashland, pleaded guilty in July to attempting to provide material support to terrorists and attempting to damage and destroy federal buildings with an explosive. As part of a plea agreement between prosecutors and Ferdaus‘ attorney, both sides agreed to recommend the 17-year sentence.

Ferdaus, a Muslim-American who grew up in Massachusetts and has a physics degree from Northeastern University, delivered a long, soft-spoken statement in which he offered no apology for his actions but thanked his family and friends for supporting him. He said he has accepted his fate and “can dream of a brighter future.”

TEXAS

County returning alleged shakedown cash

DALLAS — Authorities in a Texas county where a drug enforcement program was allegedly used to shake down black and Hispanic highway travelers are returning more than $100,000 taken during the traffic stops.

The stops in Tenaha, which often resulted in people being forced to hand over cash without any charges being filed, have led to multiple lawsuits and two federal criminal investigations.

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