West Alabama Monday Briefing
It is Monday January 8, 2024. Look for some active weather across Alabama this week. We begin the work week with forecasts for strong to severe storms overnight tonight and that is how we will end the week Friday night according to the National Weather Service in Birmingham.
A Wind Advisory for sustained winds of 15 to 25mph with gusts upwards of 45 mph possible begins at 3:00 this afternoon and runs through 6:00 tomorrow night.
There is a Marginal (1 in 5) Risk for strong to severe storms between Tuscaloosa and Demopolis and a Slight (2 in 5) Risk south of that line. The primary threat will be damaging winds and heavy rainfall, but a brief tornado cannot be ruled out. 2” to 4” of rainfall are expected across West Alabama.
Another chance for strong to severe storms, according to computer models, will move into the area last Friday running into Saturday morning.
Topping the News:
Tomorrow is special election day for the Alabama House Seat in District 16. The seat was made available when incumbent Kyle South resigned to become the head of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.
Republican and Northport attorney Bryan Brinyark will face Democrat and Fayette County Commissioner John Underwood.
District 16 encompasses Fayette, east Tuscaloosa County and southwest Jefferson County.
Marion residents are still without drinkable water. As of late Friday, the City of Marion had not completed the paperwork or audit required to receive a grant from the Alabama Department of Emergency Management to repair two water pumps that broke down on Christmas Day. Citizens of the city have had to depend on bottled water for consumption ever since. Perry County Commissioner Albert Turner, Jr. told news partner ABC 3340 he doesn’t understand why the city is dragging its feet. Turner adds that the county can provide water for the city if they are willing.
$400,000 in state funding will be used by Tuscaloosa County to pave nearly a dozen streets in the Holt community. The work will include resurfacing, milling, and possibly paving two gravel roads with asphalt and it should begin this coming summer. The money is coming from $27.5 million provided by the governor’s office.
Spring semester classes begin today at the University of Alabama so traffic congestion should be on the rise. Tuscaloosa City and County schools resumed classes last week.
The long-awaited Tiger Woods" Popstroke" is opening on January 16th at 680 Harper Lee Drive. That is near Baumhower's Restaurant.
The two 18-hole putting courses are built entirely with synthetic turf, incorporating fairways, bunkers, and rough just as you would see on a traditional golf course. There is also a full-service restaurant and bar.
The Tuscaloosa course will be the 10th for the chain which has locations in Florida, Texas, and Arizona.
A 24-year-old man shot to death by Tuscaloosa Narcotics Officers during a traffic stop on December 20th was laid to rest over the weekend.
More than 200 people gathered at the Greater Faith Church in Moundville Saturday to mourn the death of Tristian Clark.
The circumstances surrounding the incident near Bower's Park is still under investigation by the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. Occupants of the car admit Clark had a gun but refute police claims that he pointed it at officers.
U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld has announced the arrest of 33-year-old Benjamin Britford of Tuscaloosa and 29-year-old Brandon Watkins of Douglasville, GA. The pair are charged with conducting unauthorized transactions from accounts held at Bayer Heritage Federal Credit Union in New Martinsville, WV.
The defendants were able to withdraw more than $10,000.00 between July and August 2023 according to a federal court press release.
A Central Alabama man is dead, and a woman was injured in a single-vehicle wreck in Bibb County Saturday afternoon. Senior Trooper Brandon Bailey of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said 39-year-old Timothy Knox, Jr. was driving a 1996 Dodge Ram on Alabama Highway 139 near Six Mile Creek when the truck left the roadway, struck a tree, and overturned, Bailey said the wreck occurred about 10 miles east of Brierfield in Bibb County. Knox was not wearing a seatbelt.
The Mardis Gras Tree has been officially lit in downtown Mobile signifying the beginning of "Carnival Season" in the port city. Mobile Mardis Gras predates the more famous on in New Orleans. It was started in Mobile in 1703, a decade and a half before New Orleans was founded.
The first parade is this coming Saturday afternoon at 1:00pm on Dauphine Island. The first parade through the streets of downtown Mobile will be 6:30pm, Friday, Jan. 26.
In Sports:
The College Football National Championship Game is set for tonight in Houston, TX. The contest will be a battle of the unbeatens.
The Michigan Wolverines defeated Alabama at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day to make to the title game to face the Washington Huskies.
Michigan is a five-point favorite.
With NFL Playoffs beginning this coming weekend, Philadelphia and former Alabama QB Jale Hurts injured his hand. The middle finger on his right hand was bent into an unusual and uncomfortable-looking position early in the second quarter of the Eagles’ game against the New York Giants.
The Giants defeated the Eagles 27-10 to continue Philly's late season struggles.
Have a blessed week!!
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