West Alabama Monday Briefing

It is Monday March 25, 2024.

A windy and later stormy day and night are ahead. A Slight (2 in 5) Risk for strong to severe thunderstorms exists west of a Centreville to Tuscaloosa to Vernon line today and overnight. A Marginal (1 in 5) Risk exists east of that line.

A Wind Advisory is in effect for all of West Alabama 1:00 p.m. today until 7:00 am tomorrow. Use a few extra sprays of the hair spray today, it is going to be windy. It is already windy but non-thunderstorm winds will increase across West Alabama as the goes along. That will continue until around sunrise tomorrow morning. We have already had a few gusts 20-30 mph.

Later this morning or by early afternoon sustained winds 15 to 30mph are expected with gusts upwards of 30 to 45 mph and perhaps a bit higher. This could lead to downed trees and scattered power outages.

Damaging straight-line wind gusts and a few embedded tornadoes are possible across West Alabama, especially close to the state line with Mississippi. A more isolated damaging wind threat and perhaps a brief tornado or two exists more eastward.

Rainfall will be a significant story with generally 1 to 3 inches are possible. Brief flooding may occur in urban and poor drainage areas, but widespread flooding is not expected.

The Forecast:

Today

Cloudy, with a high near 70. Breezy, with a southeast wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Tonight

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 10pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 58. Breezy, with a southeast wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 2 and 3 inches possible.

Tuesday

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am and 1pm, then a slight chance of showers after 1pm. Cloudy through mid-morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 74. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 47. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph after midnight.

Wednesday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. North wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Remainder of the Week:

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Topping the News:

A woman is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Tuscaloosa this morning.

Details are sparse, but Jack Kennedy, the commander of the multi-agency Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said police are investigating the incident at Aspen Village apartments.

He said the shooting happened around 4:30 a.m. this morning. The apartments are just off Skyland Boulevard past Woods and Water.

This is the fifth homicide in Tuscaloosa County this year and the second deadly officer-involved shooting in four months.

Tuscaloosa Thread will have updates throughout the day.

Tuscaloosa Career and Technology Academy has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to turn classroom training into hands-on experience. Students have been working on the Nick's Kids "SEC Championship" house.

Bottom-line is the experience will give students the knowledge they need to apply for good paying jobs.

The Bridge Crossing Jubilee was celebrated in Selma a couple of weeks ago but today is the actual anniversary of the March 25, 1965, march that made it to Montgomery. The five-day, 54 miles march end at the state capitol with Dr. Mertin Luther King telling the crowd, “There never was a moment in American history more honorable and more inspiring than the pilgrimage of clergymen and laymen of every race and faith pouring into Selma to face danger at the side of its embattled Negroes.”

Activists want the Alabama State House to make a judicial override ban retroactive and allow inmates an opportunity to be resentenced. The bill is before the House Judiciary Committee.

In 2017, Alabama became the last state to abandon the practice of allowing judges to override a jury’s sentence recommendation in death penalty cases, but the change was not retroactive.

“Justice demands us to afford those individuals who are still on death row by judicial override the opportunity to be resentenced,” according to Tuscaloosa Democrat Rep. Chris England, the bill sponsor.

It is beginning to look like Alabamians will not get a chance to vote on a lottery, again. The bill passed by the house was changed significantly by the senate. Many lawmakers believe there is no way the two bodies will be able to agree on legislation that could pass.

Powerful out of state gambling interests and other special interests have been working hard behind the scenes to keep Alabama one of the few states without a lottery or casino gambling.

Estimates are that illegal gambling is a $1.2 billion untaxed industry in Alabama.

Public transportation in West Alabama is inadequate and some of it is duplicated. The Tuscaloosa Area Metro Planning Authority is working on description of each county in West Alabama's current available transportation and any duplication that exists in an effort to better meet the needs of the rural communities.

Topping Sports News:

For the third time in four years Tide Coach Net Oats has led his Crimson Tide Basketball Team into the NCAA Sweet 16. He did it last night on the strength of perhaps his team's best defensive effort of the season in probably the most physical game of the season.

No. 4 seed Alabama used a late run and clutch baskets down the stretch to advance past a stubborn 12^th-seeded Grand Canyon team in a virtual almost home court advantage in Spokane WA.

The Tide had to hold off a late surge that saw the Lobos take a 58-55 lead with 6:03 left to play.

"Character win, I think. We had a chance, could have folded, had a lot of things that didn't go our way, a lot of foul trouble. They lived at the free-throw line. Our guys started to show a little frustration and I thought we pulled it together and showed a lot of mental toughness. We've been using the word next a lot lately, next play, just go to the next play, like, forget about the call that didn't go your way, forget about the turnover, forget about the offensive possession where you missed or your teammate missed. It doesn't matter, just play hard on defense. This is one of our best defensive games of the year.

The #8 seeded Alabama Women's Basketball Team faced #1 seeded Texas in the Southwest Sunday. It was a preview of what we will see next year when the Longhorns join the SEC.

The Tide fought hard but fell short 65-54, Sunday night in the Second Round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

Bama finished one of its best seasons with a 24-10 overall record and 10-6 mark in Southeastern Conference play.

The euphoria of beating 3rd ranked Tennessee at the Joe a week ago has faded for the Crimson Tide Baseball Team after dropping three games at Georgia over the weekend. They suffered a 10-5 loss to Georgia on Sunday afternoon at Foley Field. Following the series finale with the Bulldogs, the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide is now 18-6 on the season and 2-4 in Southeastern Conference play.

From UA Athletics: The No. 7 Alabama gymnastics program finished in second place at the 2024 Southeastern Conference Championships with a score of 197.750 to secure a top-three finish at the conference meet for the 25^th straight year, while recording a top-two finish for the 21st time during that span. With the result Saturday night, the Crimson Tide is still the only program in the league to never finish outside the top four.

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