West Alabama Friday Briefing
Good morning West Alabama! It is Friday July 19, 2024.
A warm front just off the Florida Panhandle Coast is interacting with a stalled cold front to our north and that means a lot of rain over the next few days. But each day will not be a complete washout.
The good news is the 2" to 4" possible over that time period will help abate the ongoing drought conditions and reduce the possibility of wildfires. Currently there are six wildfires in the state but none in West Alabama.
Rain chances for today, tonight and tomorrow.
The Forecast:
Topping the News:
A tragic mass murder occurred in Bibb County last night. Multiple law enforcement agencies spent all night at a crime scene in West Blocton investigating a multiple homicide.32-year-old Brandin Kendrick has been charged with five Capital Murder counts for killing a woman and four children at a residence on Green Tree Drive in West Blocton.
Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a 9-1-1 call around 8:00 last night.
A neighbor told news partner ABC3340 that another nearby resident called him and told him he had heard shots. The neighbor says the house involved is usually quiet and there have been no previous problems there.
This is an ongoing story, and more information will be made available as it is released by authorities.
A worldwide Microsoft technical outage has impacted flights for American Airlines, United and Delta Airlines at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth and other airports across the country this morning.
Persons flying out of Birmingham are being urged to contact their airline for departure information. However, a BSI spokesperson reports the outage only impacted a handful of flights in Birmingham and normal flight operations should resume this afternoon.
The Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is underway. It began at 12:01 this morning and ends at midnight Sunday night. There will be no state, county or local sales tax on school supplies, computers, and related items. Many West Alabama schools begin in three weeks.
A complete detailed list is available on the Department of Revenue website HERE.
Most schools in West Alabama begin in three weeks.
An Item on the agenda of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees today will give retired Tide Head Coach and now ESPN football analyst Nick Saban’s name to the playing surface at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The naming will officially take place on September 7 to make the facility Bryant-Denny Stadium, Nick Saban Field.
Delegates and attendees from Alabama are headed back home today from the Republican National Convention that concluded in Milwaukee last night. Consensus of the delegation is that the GOP is the most united it has ever been coming out of its national convention.
Topping Sports News:
Private equity funding is an idea that is growing among some college sports programs as the cost of paying players looms bigger as a line item in school budgets. But SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is cautioning schools about giving control over to a private investment company, especially if the school is a public institution.
The All-Star break is over and the second half of the Major League Baseball season gets underway later today. And the top subject will be the trade deadline, which is quickly approaching on July 30. Many teams, including the often-lacklustre Atlanta Braves are facing some hard personnel decisions if they want to remain in the post-season race.
SEC Media predictions for the coming football season are expected to be released later today.
Have a wonderful weekend!!