West Alabama Friday Briefing
Good morning West Alabama. It is Friday, February 7, 2025. It is the 38th day of the year with 327 days remaining.
In Today's Edition:
- Morning Observations (opinion)
- Weather
- Topping the News
- Topping the Sports News
Friday Morning Observations:
It is the weekend of one of the most overhyped annual events in the U.S. - the Superbowl. A week of partying and endless media stories are about over. (Just how many times can the sports media ask the same questions over and over?)
It's just plain too much hype, it's too much media, it's too much about the halftime show, it's too much commercialism, it's too much about the overpriced commercials, it's too much about player opinions on matters that don't matter. it's too many people yelling at each other and making predictions, it's too much Taylor Swift, Payton and Eli Manning. Basically, it is just plain too much. Yet, that is the American way!
But the hype doesn't stop when gameday arrives. There is too much pre-game, seven hours of it. I don't care how many thousands of pounds of avocados are being eaten or how many pizzas are being delivered, how many times toilets will flush during commercial breaks (better not miss the Harry Met Sally reprise commercial) or what celebrities are at the game to get some TV facetime.
Nearly the same overhype was given to the new 12-team college football playoff. The games were almost secondary to the buildup and all the off-field things going on.
Let's just kickoff and see if Kansas City can pull off a never done before Super Bowl three-peat or if former Tide QB Jalen Hurts can lead Philadelphia to the victory over the Chiefs that eluded them by seconds in the Super Bowl season before last.
(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.)
Weather:
Tuscaloosa’s 81 degrees Thursday was the hottest on record for that date. And all of West Alabama remains abnormally dry with areas south of the I20/59 corridor still under moderate to severe drought conditions.
However, some help may be on the way 2.5 to 3 inches of rainfall are expected across all of West Alabama beginning Tuesday of next week. That will also be accompanied by cooler temperatures.
Read More: Weekend Temp Guide: Will the Warm Weather Last in West Alabama?
The Forecast:
Weaver's Gender Establishment Bill Gets Alabama Senate OK
Gov. Ivey's two gender identification proposal is making its way through the Alabama Legislature. Bibb County State Senator April Weaver’s "What is a Woman" bill defining only two genders in state law, male and female has passed the state senate and now goes to the house for action next week. The bill passed in the upper chamber with a 26-5 vote.
“Sex is based on fundamental truths that are as old as the book of Genesis and as reliable as the sun in the sky,” Weaver told senators during debate. “Men are born men, and women are born women—one can never become the other.”
The only no votes on the bill came from senate Democrats.
Northport Residents Get First Look at Proposed Improvements to LBW Blvd.
Northport residents got a look at ALDOT’s Lurleen Wallace Blvd. improvement plans at a come and go meeting last night at the First Free Will Baptist Church. The upgrades will improve traffic flow and runs between 5th Street to Northwood Lake Drive in Northport.
Proposed improvements include traffic signal modifications; striping modifications, turn lane extensions, roadway realignment, median construction, and closure of median openings, closure of driveways and modifications of driveways.
Another Incident at Creekwood Village Apartments Leads to Arrest
21-year-old Keanthony Durrell Robinson after the Tuscaloosa Police Department's SWAT Team was dispatched to Creekwood Village Apartments in the city's west end Thursday evening to respond to a barricaded suspect.
Robinson was wanted for allegedly discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling at the same place - Creekwood Village - on January 18th.
Read More: SWAT Team Heading to West Tuscaloosa for Barricaded Suspect Thursday
Complaints About Mail Delivery Voiced
Residents in Moundville, Brookwood and other communities have taken to social media to voice their frustrations over missing mail. Residents claim they have experienced multiple incidents where expected mail and packages were not received after being told that they had been mailed.
The postal service, in a written statement to ABC3340 said confirmed all mail and packages are being processed and delivered as soon as they enter the mail system.
Tuscaloosa County to File Suit Against Holt Business
The Tuscaloosa County Commission has approved a nuisance lawsuit against Alonzo's Auto Sales LLC and its owner Alonzo Little in Holt. Commissioner Jerry Tingle tells news partner ABC3340 the business has been a nuisance for those who live in the area for more than a decade. Tingle says the commission has received numerous complaints about the way the property is maintained, and cars being worked on in the street.
Alonzo's is asking for more time to clean-up the problem on 39th Avenue NE.
Duncanville Storm Shelter Gets Commission Assistance
- Bibb County April Weaver's bill identifying men and women as the only genders have passed the Alabama Senate and is headed for the house for concurrence.
- ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor told lawmakers he needs $3 million to bring in at least ten additional officers to help expand a statewide crime suppression unit as called for by Gov. Ivey in her State of the State Address Tuesday.
- .Senate bill 132, sponsored by senator Tim Melson, would classify Delta 8 and other products that contain psychoactive CBD as a controlled substance making it illegal for not only minors, but adults.
- A bipartisan group of Alabama lawmakers introduced a package of bills that they say aims to combat gun violence and support law enforcement.
- At a Thursday hearing, Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm requested a $50 million increase for the ADOC’s 2026 fiscal year budget, which would raise the department’s total budget to over $800 million.
- Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, introduced a measure to create the Alabama Veterans Resource Center, a centralized hub for supporting military personnel and their families.
- Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, is proposing HB309 to provide paid parental leave for teachers and state employees.
- Rep. Leigh Hulsey, R-Helena, has introduced HB166, which would ban cell phone use in classrooms and require school boards to implement stronger internet safety policies.
- SB53 would create a crime of concealing a person without legal immigration status if a person “conceals, harbors, or shields from detection an illegal alien if he or she knows or reasonably should have known that the other individual is an illegal alien
- SB55 would revoke driver’s licenses from those who haven’t proven their legal status in the US.
- SB63 sponsored by Sen. Lance Bell, R-Pell City, would require fingerprinting and DNA collection from non-citizens in custody.
The house and senate reconvene for week two of the session on Tuesday.
Topping Sports News:
Bama Women Get Big Basketball Win
Jalen Hurts Getting Praise from His Coach
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST Saturday night in Fayetteville. The game will be televised on ESPN. You can hear it on the Crimson Tide Sports Network on 95.3 The Bear, Tide 100.9 and 1230AM WTBC.
Surtain is NFL Defensive MVP
Former Alabama defensive back Patrick Surtain has been named as the NFL Defense Player of the Year, announced Thursday at the NFL Honors in New Orleans.
Surtain is the first player from the Univ. of Alabama to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award according to a release from the Southeastern Conference.
Click TuscaloosaThread.com for the latest West Alabama news, sports and weather. Better yet, download the app.
Have a wonderful weekend and ROLL TIDE, FLY EAGLES FLY!
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