West Alabama Friday Briefing
It is Friday May 10, 2024.
Fortunately, the waves of thunderstorms yesterday and overnight did not have a significant impact on West Alabama other than tree and power line damage and power outages.
It should be a dry, sunny and cooler Mother's Day weekend. However, long range computer forecasts show the area could receive 2" to 4" of rain next week but no severe weather is expected.
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Speaking of Mother's Day weekend, it is time to put mom on that pedestal she deserves and thank her for all she means to us. Maybe one reason so many flowers are given on Mother's Day is because most of us struggle to find the right words to describe our feelings. A mother’s love and sacrifices are far more than can be described in a few lines on a card.
In the words of novelist Agatha Christie, "A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path." We should return that love to her each day.
An unknown author captures my personal feelings, "When we are little, mom is our first friend. When we’re adults, she becomes our best friend, and no matter how old we are, no matter how far apart we move, she is ALWAYS our forever friend." Though my mother has been gone for years, she is still all those things to me.
Happy Mother's Day!!! The weather should be perfect!
The Forecast:
Topping the News:
There was a lot of tree and power line damage across West Alabama from the passage of storms overnight. Especially in Bibb County some 1,500 residents have been without power since 8:00 last night. Alabama Power crews have whittled down the power outages in Tuscaloosa County to just over 29 hundred this morning.
No injuries have been reported from the storms, but a downed tree and power line was reported on El Dorado East at Skyland Blvd in Tuscaloosa.
A mistrial has been declared in 2021 Tuscaloosa County murder case due to misconduct by a juror. The case had gone to the jury Thursday before the judged declared the mistrial.
The defendant in the case, Terek Herron-Antone, is accused of murdering Syibrieka Underwood and leaving her body inside a parked car alongside U.S. 82 in Duncanville.
The Tuscaloosa County District Attorney's Office has announced it will retry the case.
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee held a hearing to examine how so-called junk fees affect consumers and their budgets, especially regarding financial services and rental housing. During the hearing, Alabama Republican Senator Katie Britt claimed regulators themselves are the problem.
Democrats call the fees hidden and predatory on the poor.
Alabama has one of the highest maternity death rates in the nation. That has prompted Alabama U-S Senator Katie Britt, herself a mother, to introduce the MOMS Act. It would provide critical support to women during prenatal, postpartum, and early childhood development phases.
As many as 1/3rd of Alabama's counties are now considered "maternity deserts", most are in West and south-central portions of the state.
For the last 25 years state lawmakers have refused to give Alabamians the right to vote on a state lottery and gaming. The denial was extended with the end of this year’s legislative session yesterday. Senate President Pro-Tem Greg Reed of Jasper told reporters some members made up their minds at the last minute.
The house approved the enabling legislation. It failed by one vote in the senate under pressure from special interests.
The lottery and gambling bills are not the only high-profile ones that failed to pass with the end of the session yesterday.
- Changes to the ethics law that most believe watered down the code for public officials and state employee to follow failed.
- The death penalty failed to muster enough votes. Tuscaloosa Democrat Rep. Chris England’s bill would have allowed new trials for some 30 death row inmates who were sentenced to death by a judge when a jury had recommended life imprisonment.
- Lawmakers also refused to pass a bill that would have given jail time to librarians who allow library content some consider offensive or inappropriate.
The Tuscaloosa Salvation Army is working with the Southeastern Grocers Community Bag Program to raise funds for its food and shelter programs. During this month each community bag purchased at Winn Dixie on Highway 43 North will result in one dollar being donated to the Salvation Army.
Alabama A&M University, an HBCU, has made a $52 million offer to purchase defunct Birmingham-Southern College with the intention to retain the school’s credentialed faculty and staff.
Under the offer, the university would operate the BSC property as a standalone campus under AAMU’s umbrella.
Topping Sports News:
The Bama Softball Team was one and done in this week's Southeastern Conference Championship Tournament in Auburn. They lost 3-2 to a hot LSU squad that also dumped #1 Tennessee out of the tournament.
The Hillcrest Patriots have a chance to join ACA in the Alabama High School Athletics Association Baseball Championship Round next week.
The Braves Country Road Trip is coming to Tuscaloosa Sunday. The Atlanta team's traveling roadshow will be at the Alabama vs LSU game from noon until 4:00pm.
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