STATE HEADLINES

TEACHER QUALIFICATION: A national report shows that Alabama is well on track to ensure highly qualified teachers in the public classroom. The report was completed by the National Council on Teacher Quality. It reflects state`s progress in meeting a key requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act, having all core academic subject teachers highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Alabama received the third highest score in the nation...87.1 percent. Hawaii took the number one slot while Colorado came in second. AUBURN INAUGURATION: More exciting news from Auburn University...as the University`s marching band has been selected to take part in the 55th Presidential Inaugural Parade...following the Inauguration Ceremony of President George W. Bush. Marching Band Director Rick Good, describes the event as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It`ll be the third time the Auburn band has marched in a Presidential Inaugural Parade...the last time was in 1989. Conincidentially, Good says that year the A. U. football team won the Southeastern Conference Championship, and played in the Sugar Bowl. The A. U. band was the only one from Alabama invited to participate in the parade, set to take place on January 20th. AUBURN HEALING: Also in state headlines...an amazing discovery out of Auburn University, where researchers say they`ve discovered a way to speed the healing of surgical incisions. They have secured a patient for the process and published their findings in a Professional Journal. The scientists discovered a protein in the saliva of the black fly, which increases the flow of blood to the area bitten. The researchers discovered that if the protein is combined with an antibotic and applied to a surgical incision, it then heals much more rapidly.