West Alabama Wednesday Briefing
It is Wednesday March 13, 2024.
There is a Marginal (1 in 5) Risk for strong to severe thunderstorms across all of West Alabama Friday morning through the evening hours. This low-end risk is for damaging winds to 60 mph and quarter size hail.
The Severe Weather Outlook is still forecasting several rounds of heavy rainfall with the potential for flash flooding. West Alabama is under an Excessive Rainfall Outlook. Rainfall count amount up to 2" or even higher in some spots.
However, don't forget there is still a possibility for overnight freezes Tuesday and Wednesday of next week across portions of North Alabama, just where has not been refined yet.
The Forecast:
State law gives the remaining four city council members 60 days to appoint a new council representative to serve the rest of the term, which will stretch into 2025 thanks to a 2021 decision of the Alabama legislature.
If the council cannot agree on an appointee, the decision will go to Governor Kay Ivey, who would then have an additional 30 days to make an appointment.
In the extremely unlikely event that neither the council nor the governor can or will make an appointment, a special election could be called for District 5.
Irresponsible actions can have tragic consequences. That is message sent to Pickens County students on "Fatal Decision Day". State, county and local law enforcement officers emphasized the dangers of not obeying traffic laws by speeding, testing while driving, drinking and driving and not wearing a seatbelt.
ALEA Trooper Reginal King told students from public and private schools that traffic laws exist for their safety. He pointed out that 60% of motorists killed in traffic crashes were not wearing seatbelts.
Growth in Alabama and underfunded schools have resulted in property taxes increases in some counties. Now some Alabama legislators want to put a cap on property tax rates.
Alabama has the lowest property tax in the nation, but some lawmakers worry that there is no limit on how much the assessed value of property can increase year-to-year.
After each county-wide appraisal, HB 73 would require the tax assessor to compare the assessed value of a property that was reappraised or reassessed to the prior year's assessed value.
If there is an increase for Class II and Class III properties, there would be a 5% limit.
Class III properties include single-family residential properties, agricultural properties, forest properties, and historic buildings and sites.
Class II properties include commercial and business properties.
Property taxes help fund schools and government budgets.
Former Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban told a congressional meeting on Capitol Hill that college athletics is broken, and misuse of Name, Image and Likeness is to blame.
Boosters have created so-called "collectives," independently run groups designed to sign players to NIL contracts on behalf of their preferred schools, which has only increased the sense of confusion around rules and regulations.
"We have collectives that in some places are raising huge amounts of money and going to compete against places that do not have the same resources to raise those kinds of funds to pay players," Saban said.
GOP Senator Ted Cruz said there's a 50-50 chance of Congress passing legislation that would provide antitrust protection and regulation to college athletics in the U.S. by the end of the year.
Appearing with Saban were Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne and Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips, Current women's college basketball player Haley Cavinder and sister Hanna, a former player, NIL attorney Darren Heitner and Collective Association president Russell White also took part in the panel.
The City of Tuscaloosa's non-emergency 3-1-1 call center has won national recognition by becoming the first such service in Alabama to be certified. 3-1-1 helps residents submit service requests, get assistance with permits and licenses, find information on city events or report a problem.
Former 2nd District Republican Congressman Terry Everett died peacefully in his sleep according to family members. The 86-year-old served 16 years in congress and before than was a journalist and newspaper publisher.
Topping the Sports News:
The Alabama Baseball Team fell behind early but almost mounted a winning comeback in a 9-7 loss to Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg last night. Bama score five runs in the top of the 9th inning but stranded the potential tying run at home plate to end the game.
UA hosts Tennessee for three SEC home games this weekend beginning Friday with a game each on Saturday and Sunday.
From UA Athletics: Alabama men's basketball guard Mark Sears has added a pair of awards to his resume in his senior season as the guard was named to the 2024 Sporting News All-America Second Team and the Associated Press (AP) First Team All-SEC, the organizations announced Tuesday.
Sears becomes the third UA player to earn All-America honors by Sporting News under head coach Nate Oats, joining Brandon Miller (Second Team, 2023) and Herbert Jones (Third Team, 2021). The senior from Muscle Shoals, Ala. joins Miller (AP First Team, 2023), Jones (First Team, 2021) and Kira Lewis Jr. (AP First Team, 2020) as the fourth player under Oats to be named an AP First Team All-SEC selection.
14th-ranked Alabama (19-3) is on the road for a key non-conference game tonight against No.16 Florida State (15-5) in Tallahassee. First pitch between the Crimson Tide and Seminoles is set for 6 p.m. live on the ACC Network.
Have a wonderful Wednesday and ROLL TIDE!!
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