West Alabama Friday Briefing

Good morning West Alabama! It is Friday July 12, 2024.

Sorry I am so late getting the Daily Briefing to you today. Blame gremlins in the technology for it.

After a few nice days of lower temperatures and humidity, the furnace heats back up over the coming days. The weather will continue dry despite a stray shower or two, so there will not be much help with the drought situation over the next few days.

Today is forecasted be in the mid 90s, followed by upper 90s tomorrow. Saturday we will see the temperatures bump up to the high 90s, close to 100 by the start of the new work week.

The best news for now is there is no tropical activity expected over the next seven days. A disturbance off the southeast coast in the Atlantic has zero chance of developing according to the National Hurricane Center.

The Forecast:

Today

Sunny, with a high near 96. Calm wind.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 72. Calm wind.

Saturday

Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Calm wind.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind.

Sunday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 75.

Next Week:

Small 20 to 30% rain chances thru Thursday. Highs in the upper 90s, overnight lows in the mid 70s.

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A 62-year-old was killed by a dog in northern Tuscaloosa County just off Highway 69 North close to the Berry community Thursday night. Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Deputies were called to the scene and found the woman dead inside a dog pen just before 9:30 last night.

When a family member attempted to check on the woman the dog attacked them. Law enforcement on the scene were then forced to put the dog down.

The dog was a family pet which family members claim had never shown aggressiveness before.

No identities will be released for family privacy.

Read More: Dog Fatally Mauls Person in Tuscaloosa County Thursday Night

The non-profit organization Baby Steps is expanding operations into Tuscaloosa. The group's "Mission Statement" says their goal is to "empower pregnant and parenting college students facing an unplanned pregnancy to have their education and their baby by providing housing, support, and community."

The group has launched an “Open the Doors” campaign, a nine-week initiative running from June 18 to August 21, with the goal of raising the final $250,000 needed to fund Year 1 operations for Baby Steps at The University of Alabama.

So far more than $25,500 has been raised to

Open the Baby Steps House and prepare it for Student-Moms to move in.
Hire additional staff members to assist the Hub Executive Director in operating Baby Steps’ full range of services and programming.
Open the Baby Steps Boutique, to provide essential items at no cost for Student-Moms and their babies.

You can support Baby Steps online at Alabama - Baby Steps.

Tuscaloosa City Schools hopes to fill some 65-job openings at a job fair next Thursday. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Central High School's auxiliary gym.

The system is seeking applicants for classroom teachers, transportation, facilities staff and within the Child Nutrition Program.

The city school system is also looking for substitute teachers.

Read More: Tuscaloosa City Schools Aims to Hire 65 at Career Fair Next Week

A search of former Lake View Mayor Paul Anthony Calhoun's electronic devices has revealed thousands of illegal photos and videos depicting child pornography, according to a new court document filed Thursday.

Calhoun was arrested earlier this week and charged with possession of one image depicting child porn. A subsequent search found an additional 1671 confirmed images of child pornography.

It's unclear Thursday how many charges Calhoun will ultimately face.

Read More: Police Say Former Lake View Mayor Had Over 1,600 Child Porn Files

July is one of my favorite months of the year because it is "National Ice Cream Month". In honor of that, Blue Bell is launching a new flavor, Cookies & Cream Cheesecake. Sounds good if you are an ice cream-aholic like myself.

Topping Sports News:

Retired Alabama Football Head Coach Nick Saban has picked up another post-career honor. The ESPN Espy Awards selected Saban to receive the "Icon Award" during last night's nationally televised ceremonies. Two of Saban's four Heisman Trophy winners, Mark Ingram and Bryce Young presented the trophy to their former coach.

Congrats to coach, Miss Terry and all the players and coaches that shared in such a stellar career!

The SEC Media Days begin in Dallas Monday. Below is the schedule for each school's coach.

Monday, July 15

LSU -- Brian Kelly
Ole Miss -- Lane Kiffin
South Carolina -- Shane Beamer
Vanderbilt -- Clark Lea

Tuesday, July 16

Georgia -- Kirby Smart
Missouri -- Eliah Drinkwitz
Oklahoma -- Brent Venables
Tennessee -- Josh Heupel

Wednesday, July 17

Alabama -- Kalen DeBoer
Florida -- Billy Napier
Mississippi State -- Jeff Lebby
Texas -- Steve Sarkisian

Thursday, July 18

Arkansas -- Sam Pittman
Auburn -- Hugh Freeze
Kentucky -- Mark Stoops
Texas A&M -- Mike Elko

One of the brightest defensive minds in pro and college football has died. Monty Kiffin, the father of Old Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin and inventor of the "Tampa-Two" defense passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends in Oxford MS. He was 84 years old.

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lane Kiffin and his family in the passing of his father. I met and interviewed Monty on a number of occasions. He was always friendly, classy and willing to talk.

Have a blessed and fun weekend!!