West Alabama Monday Briefing
It is Monday December 18, 2023. It is less than a week until Christmas and everyone is keeping a close eye on the weather for those family get togethers. While the official Christmas Holiday Season doesn't begin until 6:00pm Friday night there are some clues to what to expect from short and long-range computer predictions. Basically, it is a mixed bag.
After a dry day in the high 50s today, temperatures will plunge into the 20s each night through Wednesday. So. cover those tender plants, bring in the pets and check on the elderly. You will also need to dress the kids warmly for school each morning.
A warming trend for the remainder of the week will bring chances of rain for Christmas weekend, especially on Christmas day. High temperatures will rise into the 60s through the remainder of the work week. Friday, clouds will likely increase during the day ahead of a weather system to the west. That will bring us rain chances Saturday and Christmas Day,
The Forecast:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 58. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 27. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 50. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. North wind around 5 mph becoming east after midnight.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 61.
Christmas Weekend: Clouds begin to increase as holiday traffic builds Friday night. Lows will be into lower 40s... A 20% chance of rain Saturday increases to 40% Saturday night as Santa begins his rounds... The kids will awake Christmas morning to a 50% chance of rain and lower 60 temperatures.
Topping the News:
Northport Council President Jeff Hogg is making a last attempt to keep the Kentuck Arts Festival in Northport. He has published a letter this morning asking Kentuck officials to meet with the Northport Council before the Tuscaloosa City Council considers a memorandum of agreement with Kentuck tomorrow night.
The plea from Hoggs comes after several weeks of deteriorating relations between Northport and Kentuck officials.
The Tuscaloosa City Council is also expected to approve a resolution regarding a request by the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education for sending to the legislature a request to set a referendum in the city to raise property taxes to better fund education. The measure was held over until tomorrow night because it failed to receive unanimous approval on December 12th.
Demopolis Police are investigating claims that artificial intelligence (AI) was used to create pornographic images of four underage girls. Tiffany Cannon, Elizabeth Smith, Holston Drinkard, and Heidi Nettles say they learned of the images of their daughters on Dec. 4 and demand that Demopolis City Schools take action.
Two male students used a website to create the fictitious porn and then sent it to Demopolis Middle School students.
At the Dec. 11 Demopolis Board of Education meeting, the parents of the young girls confronted board members over the handling of the situation, stating that the school system has not done enough to protect their children.
Demopolis City Schools Superintendent Tony Willis, in a written statement, said the school’s hands are largely tied on the issue.
“The school can only address things that happen at school events, school campus on school time. Outside of this, it becomes a parent and police matter,” Willis said in a statement.
22-year-old Jazlyn Danielle Thomas has been charged with aggravated child abuse. The woman offered multiple causes for the child having seizures, but a DCH child abuse pediatric nurse practitioner was consulted and stated that the infant's brain injury was the result of either being shaken or a rollover car accident.
Grant money from Tombigbee Resource, Conservation, and Development is helping fund resources that emergency services in Bibb County could not otherwise afford. Advanced EMT Katie Chance told news partner ABC3340, among the items at Brierfield Fire/Rescue are IV pumps.
Car cams and body armor are among the law enforcement equipment provided by the six-figure grant.
Through a partnership with BabyLiveAdvice, DCH is now providing virtual live maternal education classes taught by certified registered nurse practitioners and other professionals. The classes are interactive and enable participants to ask questions in real time.
Some insurers will cover the courses and self-pay is also available.
15 people lost their lives on Alabama’s roads this past Thanksgiving holiday and ALEA is hoping the Christmas/New Year's Holiday will be better. Trooper Reginal King tells us there is one part of the job troopers hate most, informing a family they have lost a relative due to a traffic crash.
AAA forecast Monday that 115.2 million people will go 50 miles or more from home during the 10 days between Dec. 23 and New Year's Day. The auto clubs predict the worst day for travel will be this coming Saturday and Thursday Dec. 28th according to triple-A.
Six Jewish organizations in Central Alabama received bomb threats over the weekend. Email threats were sent to Jewish temples and groups in Auburn, Dothan, Montgomery and Selma. No explosives were found, and authorities continue to investigate.
Estimates are this will be a Merry Christmas for Alabama retailers. The Alabama Retail Association projects $18.75 billion to be spent in the holiday months of November and December this year due to stimulus checks. Nancy Dennis, Director of Public Relations for the Alabama Retain Association says the numbers have improved steadily since the COVID19 shutdown years. Dennis says retailers have seen more customers shopping in stores this season.
A significant traffic crash near the Mercedes Benz Blvd. exit on I20/59 East backed up traffic for miles this morning during rush hour. All traffic was diverted to the inside lane while ALEA Troopers, Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue and wreakers worked to remove the wrecked vehicles.
In Sports:
From UA Athletics: The Alabama women's basketball team defeated Louisiana-Monroe, 70-54, Sunday afternoon at Coleman Coliseum. With the win, the Crimson Tide captured its eighth-straight home victory and improved to 11-2 to start the season.
NBC Sports Commentator Maria Taylor was honored by her network cohorts on Sunday Night Football last night. She is taking maternity leave. It was all love and good wishes from the NBC crew in a congratulatory video, that is until it was Matthew Berry’s turn…He told Taylor, a University of Georgia graduate, that it is a remarkable year for her, especially since her Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. He then stood up, wearing an Alabama Crimson Tide sweater. Berry is a fantasy football analyst for NBC.
Have a great countdown to Christmas this week. Stay safe and remember the "Reason for the Season".
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