West Alabama Friday Briefing
Good morning West Alabama! It is Friday August 9, 2024. TGIF!
Get prepared for a nice weekend ahead. A drier, continental airmass will bring lower humidity levels and cooler nights. There is a Heat Advisory for southwest Alabama today but that will move out overnight and make way for a relatively comfortable weekend.
This should be a perfect weekend for outdoor activities, finally!
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NOAA previously called for 17-25 named tropical systems this year with eight to 13 hurricanes and four to seven major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger storms).
That outlook has updated but the change is minimal. NOAA now says there will be 17-24 named storms (including the four we’ve had already), eight to 13 hurricanes and four to seven major hurricanes.
As we approach the peak of the 2024 hurricane season September 10th, we need to be aware of any possibilities of tropical weather forming. A tropical wave located over central Atlantic several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing widespread disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Any development of the wave should be slow to occur during the next couple of days while it moves westward.
According to the National Hurricane Center, conditions are expected to become more
conducive for development (60% chance) by early next week while the system approaches the Lesser Antilles. The system is then forecast to continue moving generally west-northwestward and could approach the Greater Antilles by the middle part of next week.
The Forecast:
The suspect in the May murder of 62-year-old Russell Thomas Andrews at Tuscaloosa Alcoholics Anonymous has been officially charged with a third murder in Oklahoma. 50-year-old Stacey Lee Drake was charged with the murder of Phillip Emerson at his home in El Reno, OK. Authorities believe the two met at an AA meeting.
Canadian County OK DA Tommy Humphries told reporters Drake should be put away forever and has forfeited his right to live in society.
Drake was earlier charged with the shooting deaths of Tara Huber Underwood and Taylor Sharp at a business in Gans, OK. That incident occurred just three days before Emerson was killed.
Read More: Tuscaloosa Murder Suspect Faces New Charges
Alabama ranks 11th in the nation in the percentage of children living in poverty. According to a study by the Children's Defense fund and featured by WalletHub, our state is 11th worst in children's socio-economic welfare, 8th worst in children's health ranking and 23rd in education quality.
Mississippi is 3rd in the number of children in poverty, worst in the quality of child healthcare and 26th in education quality.
Seven of the worst rated states are southern and are dominated by the Republican Party.
Eastbound I20/59 reopened early last night after being shut down for more than 12 hours due to a fatal traffic crash near exit 62, just before Joe Mallisham Parkway.
The crash between a car and an 18-wheeler just after 6:00am Thursday resulted in the truck catching fire and debris being spread across the road. Traffic was diverted to U.S. 11 until the interstate was reopened just after 6:30pm.
Early move-in begins today for potential new sorority members on the UA campus. It is "Rush Week" at the University of Alabama.
Tomorrow more than 25-hundred hopefuls will begin the whirlwind of activities that lead up to Bid Day on August 18th. A documentary entitled “Bama Rush” brought national attention to UA, which has one of the largest Greek systems in the nation.
It will take more than a month for ALDOT to paint a small Tuscaloosa bridge that spans Interstate 20/59 near Skyland Boulevard, they announced Thursday. Lane closures will take place between 7:00pm and 6:00am on the small Tuscaloosa bridge near Skyland Elementary School.
Read More: ALDOT to Paint Small Bridge Over I-20 in Tuscaloosa, Expect 5 Weeks of Nighttime Delays
Walker Baptist Medical Center in Jasper is one of seven hospitals in the state to pilot a postpartum awareness bracelet program. New mothers are being asked to wear the bracelet for six weeks after giving birth because they are at higher risk for issues including infection, stroke, and preeclampsia.
COVID19 has dropped to the 10th leading cause of death in Alabama. Heart disease remains #1 followed by drug overdoses, firearms deaths and homicides.
Medical experts say there will continue to be COVID19 surges, just as we experience regular surges of the flu.
Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has requested the Montgomery Circuit Court dissolve or modify the existing Temporary Restraining Orders that have prevented investigative hearings from moving forward in the dispensary and integrated facility license categories.
The medical cannabis program has been delayed more than 2-years due to licensing disputes and lawsuits. Thursday the commission award a cultivator license to Pure by Sirmon Farms, LLC and Blackberry Farms, LLC.
Alabama is one of fifteen states that filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the Biden administration over a rule that is expected to allow 100,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to enroll next year in the federal Affordable Care Act's health insurance. The lawsuit argues that the rule violates a 1996 welfare reform law and the ACA. They also said it would encourage more immigrants to come to the U.S. illegally.
Topping Sports News:
Current 2024 Paris Olympics Medal Count:
- United States, 103 (30 Gold, 38 Silver, 35 Bronze)
- Communist China, 74 (30 Gold, 25 Silver, 19 Bronze)
- Australia, 46 (18 Gold, 14 Silver, 14 Bronze)
- France, 55 (14 Gold, 19 Silver, 22 Bronze)
- Great Britain, 52 (14 Gold, 17 Silver, 21 Bronze)
Former Alabama running back Damien Harris will join the Crimson Tide Sports Network broadcast team for the upcoming football season. The former New England Patriot and Buffalo Bills star will be the sideline reporter, joining play-by-play voice Chris Stewart and former Tide QB Tyler Watts doing color commentary in the booth.
Read More: Former Tide RB Joins CTSN
Sunday is "Fan Day" for the Alabama Football Team. The Crimson Tide will hold a practice on Saban Field inside Bryant-Denny Stadium at 11:15 a.m. and will conclude with an autograph session exclusive to those with "Yea Alabama" tickets.
Stadium entry begins at 10:30 a.m. through Gates 13 and 24 for seating in the west side lower bowl (sections A-N). For security purposes, all items are subject to inspection as fans enter the stadium for both practice and Fan Day activities.
Yea Alabama members are permitted to bring one child (ages 12-and-under) as their guest to the autograph session. All adults attending the autograph session will be required to present their official digital autograph session ticket. In an effort to facilitate as many autographs as possible in the window of time, Yea Alabama members will be limited to one item per person for autographs and no posed photographs will be permitted.
Fans can sign up for Yea Alabama in advance to support UA student-athletes by visiting yea-alabama.com. Monthly memberships start at $18 with subscribers gaining access to exclusive content and event invitations throughout the year.
Click TuscaloosaThread.com throughout the day for the latest West Alabama news, sports and weather coverage.
Have a blessed and enjoyable weekend.
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