--Congressman Mike Rogers said the House of Representatives passed the 2008 Farm Bill today, legislation Rogers said was not perfect but a good compromise on behalf of East Alabama’s farmers. This Farm Bill, H.R. 2419, passed the House today by veto proof margin of 318 to 106. Rogers supported the bill and said it still must be passed by the Senate.

--A bill that would ban smok­ing in work places and many public settings in Alabama still has a chance of becoming law as the Legislature prepares for the final day of its 2008 session. House Speaker Seth Ham­mett, D-Andalusia, said the smoking ban will be one of the bills considered by the House when business concludes Mon­day.

--Governor Bob Riley joined state workers from the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Alabama Department of Public Safety, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and the Alabama National Guard as they began a two-day training exercise in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season this week. On Tuesday, they reviewed the state’s plan to make all lanes of traffic on Interstate 65 flow north in order to help speed evacuation from the state’s coast.  On Wednesday, they will stage a mock reversal of traffic on I-65 from Mobile to Montgomery.