West Alabama Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning West Alabama! It is Friday, May 16, 2025. This is the 136th day of the year with 229 days remaining.

In the Friday Morning Briefing:

Weather: There is stormy weather potential off and on through the weekend, beginning around midnight.
News: A large cocaine bust in East Tuscaloosa lands man in jail.
Sports: The NCAA Softball Tuscaloosa Regional gets underway with two games this afternoon.
Thursday Morning Observations (Commentary): Welcome softball visitors to Tuscaloosa.

Weather:

Mostly cloudy skies today will give away to multiple rounds of potential strong to severe thunderstorms over the weekend. The tornado threat is virtually non-existent, and the rain and storms will not last all day.

Round 1: Around midnight a weakening line of strong to severe thunderstorms will move across the area. The main threat from this Marginal (1 in 5) Risk is strong winds.

Round 2: Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms bring another Marginal (1 in 5) Risk of damaging winds to 60mph and possible quarter size hail to West Alabama. The main threat will begin around 3:00pm and run until mid-evening.

Scattered thunderstorms are possible Sunday but are not expected to reach severe limits.

Another brush with severe weather is possible Tuesday of next week. After that, over the next 8 to 14 days, rain chances reduce significantly and after a peak at summer, temperatures should drop to slightly below normal over the next six to ten days.

The Forecast:

Today

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. South wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tonight

A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Saturday

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Saturday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Calm wind.

Sunday

A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71.

Next Week

A mostly sunny and hot (91degrees) start to Monday sees good chances for showers and thunderstorms move back in by Tuesday afternoon. Highs will drop from near 90 Tuesday to near 80 Wednesday and mid to lower 70s by Thursday as the sun returns.

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News:

10 Pounds of Cocaine and $40,000 Cash Send East Tuscaloosa man to Jail

Narcotic agents netted a big bust in East Tuscaloosa home last week. 47-year-old Kenwanmorel Wilson has been charged with drug trafficking is being jailed on a million-dollar bond after narcotics agents reportedly found over 10 pounds of cocaine and $40,000 cash at his home last week.

Wilson remains in Tuscaloosa County Jail this morning.

Foster Families in Tuscaloosa Get Big Support Boost

Foster families in the area have more support. The Tuscaloosa Angels non-profit has launched its first home hub in Northport. The new facility will allow for more training and availability for long-term support for foster families.

According to the organization's website, their mission is to, "...walk alongside children, youth, and families in the foster care community by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building, and mentorship."

Tuscaloosa County has 150 foster children but only 45 available foster homes.

Burglary Arrest in Walker County

60-year-old Johnny Ray Herron has been charged with third-degree burglary in connection to a burglary and theft at a Walker County residence. The Walker County Sheriff’s Office said the theft involved a safe at the Sipsey residence.

According to a Walker County's Sheriff's Department Facebook post, Sheriff Nick Smith and a deputy were working in Sipsey when they obtained information about the break-in that led to Herron's arrest.

Repaving Expected to Show Down Traffic on Warner Parkway

Repaving of all four lanes on Jack Warner Parkway between Marr’s Spring to Randell Way is underway. There will be single lane closures throughout the work on the $650,000 project. Completion is expected by Memorial Day.

2025 Legislative Session Produced Major Legislation

Among the bills passed in the just completed 2025 Legislative session are:

Defining sex as man and woman, boy and girl.
School Cellphone ban
State Sales Tax cut on diapers, baby formula and menstrual hygiene products.
Glock Sitch ban
ALFA Health Plans for Farmers
Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM) regulations
Parental Leave for teachers and other state employees
Placed Venteran's Board under the Governor's Office
Speedy Trial Act to allow visiting judge to cut court backlog
New regulations on Hemp products.
Immigration regulations making it a felony to knowingly assist illegal immigrants and to allow finger printing and DNA to be collected from illegal immigrants.
Police Immunity
Shark Alert System on Alabama coast known as Lulu's Law
Officially set Juneteenth as a state holiday.
Change school funding to schools based on student needs. Added money to school voucher program.
Numerous local bills.

National Tourism Week Recognized

The Sumter County Welcome Center, near York, is celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week with displays emphasizing the importance of tourism to Alabama’s Economy. In 2024 tourism accounted for $1.4 billion in state and local revenues.

The Alabama Gulf Beaches, hunting and fishing are among to top tourist draws to Alabama.

ADEM Issues Regular Fish Consumption Advisory

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) has issued its regular fish consumption advisory. There are several West Alabama waterways on the DO NOT EAT or limit consumption Advisory list.

Advisories are posted at several spots on the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa and Greene counties, the Cahaba in Bibb County and Sipsey and Mulberry Forks in Walker County.

Most of the concern for fish in Alabama waterways centers around Mercury contamination.

Problem areas in West Alabama include:

Binion Creek, upstream from Highway 43.
DO NOT EAT Advisories are in effect for Largemouth Bass at the Oliver Reservoir on the Warrior River, the Bull Slough Crossing and the Black Warrior River at Moundville.
There are also Largemouth Bass Advisories at several locations on the Warrior River in Greene County.
There is a 1-meal per month advisory for the Cahaba River at Highway 219 in Bibb County.
There are also advisories in Walker County for Lost Creek, Mulberry Fork and Sipsey Fork.

ADEM reminds people fishing in these areas to always check signage.

Dick's to Purchase Foot Locker

CNBC is reporting that the sports retail giant Dick's will use a combination of cash on hand and new debt to acquire Foot Locker for $2.4 billion.

Foot Locker has approximately 2,400 retail stores in the U.S. and internationally, including Tuscaloosa. Dicks's has 854 stores, all located in the U.S, including Tuscaloosa.

According to a press release, Dick’s plans to operate Foot Locker as a standalone business unit within its portfolio and maintain the Foot Locker brands, which include Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, WSS, and atmos.

Sports:

Alabama Hosting NCAA Softball Regional This Weekend

For the 20th consecutive year, Rhodes House on the UA campus will be the site of an NCAA first round softball regional.

The Crimson Tide welcomes three other top-quality teams to Tuscaloosa: Virginia Tech, Belmont and Jackson State.

The tournament begins at 2:30 this afternoon with Virginia Tech (41-11) vs. Belmont (40-14).

Game two gets underway at 5:00 as No. 15 Alabama (37-21) takes on Jackson State (29-23).

The winners of game one play at noon tomorrow while the losers face each other in an elimination game at 2:30 Saturday.

Tide Coach Patrick Murphey told reporters at a pre-tournament press conference that he has apologized for such a difficult non-conference schedule. But he also believes that schedule has made the Tide a better team.

The Hokies and Tide matched up earlier this season in Tuscaloosa and split a two-game set. Tech won the first game 2-1 behind strong pitching. Alabama figured out Virginia Tech’s pitching in the second matchup for a 9-1 win for the home team.

Tickets are still available by clicking HERE.

Bama Baseball Blows 5-1 Lead and Loses 7-6 at Florida

The Crimson Tide lead 5-0 and 6-4 last night at Florida only to choke away the game 7-6. Alabama was beaten by a Florida team that struggled in SEC play this season evening their conference record at 14-14 at UA's expense.

The Gators (36-18, 14-14 SEC), ranked 23rd in the nation, scored in four straight innings from the fourth through the seventh to overcome the 5-0 deficit to the #18 Crimson Tide (39-14, 15-13 SEC).

The Tide and Gators tangle again at 5:30pm CDT this afternoon and play the series finale tomorrow at 3:00pm CDT.

Bama Baseball Star a Candidate for Best Player in College Baseball

Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron was named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy. The awards committee announced in conjunction with the National College Baseball Writers Association on Thursday that Labron is one of 67 candidates for the prestigious award.

A news conference will be held on June 13 with the recipient of the trophy presented at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., the home of the College World Series.

Birmingham Stallions Hit the Road in UFL Play

USFL Division leading Birmingham has their work cut out for them on Saturday UFL play. They travel to St. Louis to take on the tough Battlehawks in a noon kickoff on Fox Sports.

The game looks to be a defensive struggle. Birmingham is holding opponents to an average of 15 points per game. St. Louis is only slightly worse at allowing 16.1 points a game.

The Battlehawks are the favorite (-1.5) in a projected tight matchup with the Stallions. The over/under total is set at 39.5 points.

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Friday Morning Observations (Commentary):

Welcome to Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama Campus to all fans coming into town for this weekend's Tuscaloosa NCAA Softball Regional at "The Rhodes House". Joining Alabama fans this weekend are the backers of Virginia Tech, Belmont and Jackson State; all are great teams and deserve to be here.

This is the 20th consecutive year for the Crimson Tide to host a regional and it's always fun to have fans from the other three teams in town. It never gets old!

Hosting the tournament is not just fun, it's also good for Tuscaloosa's economy. Besides tickets for the games, the big bucks also come from sales of on-site sports apparel, beverages, concession snacks, hotel/motel/Airbnb rental, meals at restaurants, tourism, gasoline fill-ups and much more. It is estimated to mean more than $1.3 million added to the area economy.

And it's not just the money made. There is also the invaluable free publicity garnered by the games being played on national television.

So, enjoy the games, practice good sportsmanship and hospitality. Also remember that the whole event is about the players. Win or lose support your team and be respectful of the opposition. Afterall, they each earned their way here. It wasn't easy.

Have fun fans, players and coaches!

(Opinions expressed in Morning Observations are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the ownership, management, staff or sponsors of Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa.)

Click TuscaloosaThread.com for the latest West Alabama news, sports and weather. Better yet, download the app.

have a safe weekend, keep an eye of the weather and ROLL TIDE!