West Alabama Monday Briefing

Good morning West Alabama. It is Monday, December 30, 2024.

Monday Morning Observations:

Jimmy Carter turned 100 in September, making him the first former president to live to the century mark. His death yesterday slipped him into our nation's history probably more accolade than any other one-term president. He only served four years in the White House, but he had a lifetime of service to the nation.

The "Man from Plains" was a peanut farmer, U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Navy submariner, Sunday School teacher, Georgia legislator and governor before surprisingly winning the presidency from Gerald Ford amid the aftermath of the Nixon Watergate scandal. However, Carter's inability to end the Iran Hostage Crisis, inflation and high gasoline prices limited him to one term in the White House. He lost in a landslide to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Historians point out that Carter most likely could never have won the presidency had it not been for the unusual circumstances surrounding Watergate and President's Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon to spare the nation the division of a trial.

The man with the huge smile and southern ease about him caught the attention of a nation needing a leader who exemplified great humanity and trustworthiness. His family was truly small town southern, even redneck, and that seemed to inspire additional endearment from a public weary of partisan bickering.

As a TV political reporter in Atlanta, I covered his one term as Georgia governor. I never knew him well, but you could not help but like him. His southern charm and demeanor were disarming. He was, however, a mediocre governor. As another capitol reporter described him, he was more like a middle level manager than a leader. He was over controlling and did not like to delegate. Those shortcomings and in his inability to be accepted by the Democratic Party power structure helped take down his presidency in comparison to the movie star turned politician Ronald Reagan who replaced him in the White House.

What outweighs Carter's shortcomings as a leader were his philanthropy and humanitarian efforts in his post-presidency. He cared about people, especially those who had the least and were most marginalized by society.

Partnered with his wife Roselyn, the Carters volunteered time and again with UA grads Millard and Linda Fuller to build homes for those who needed a better place to live. He traveled the world to mediate conflicts, he was known for his rabid support of the civil rights movement and the pardon of Vietnam War draft dodgers.

The peak of his service was winning the Nobel Peace Prize with the Camp David Accords to bring peace between Israel and Egypt.

The joke that Carter was a better ex-president than president is fairly accurate. You could not help but admire his humanity and his faith. Those were his guiding points. The most accurate thing you can say about Jimmy Carter is he cared about other people, and that is what we all should do.

January 9th has been declared a day of mourning for Jimmy Carter by President Biden.

(Opinions expressed in Morning Briefing are those of the author and not necessarily those of the ownership, management, staff or sponsors of Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa.)

Weather:

Partly sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid to upper 60s today will be followed by mostly cloudy conditions tonight with lows in the lower 50s. As the week moves along, overnight lows will be colder and next week a blast of cold air from Canada will drop temperatures into the 20s. High winds will accompany the front.

The Forecast:

Today

Patchy fog between 9am and 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Increasing clouds, with a low around 53. South wind around 10 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 62. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.

New Year's Eve

Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

New Year's Day

Sunny, with a high near 54. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 29.

Remainder of the Week:

Sunny days with highs in the lower 50s and clear nights with lows at or below freezing.

Get our free mobile app

Topping the News:

Mayor Maddox Lauds Jimmy Carter

In a social media post, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox has lauded the life and service of former president Jimmy Carter who died at the age of 100 Sunday.

"The City of Tuscaloosa - Government joins cities across the nation thanking President Carter for his life of service," Maddox wrote. "Whether President, Governor, or as an officer in the United States Navy, President Carter was steadfast in his duty and true to his convictions. Although we mourn his passing, we celebrate a life that strived to reflect the best of American ideals."

Missing Livingston Man

The Livingston Police Department is looking for 91-year-old Nelson Hughes. The black male may be living with a condition that impairs his judgement. He was last seen yesterday morning wearing an Alabama State University shirt and dark jeans in the area of MLK Parkway in Livingston.

Hughes may be traveling in a tan 2002 Ford Explorer with Alabama license plate 693ASH.

Anyone with information is asked to called Livingston Police at (205) 652-9525 or call your local 9-1-1.

Crews Still Work to Restore Power

In the wake of high winds and severe thunderstorms Saturday night, Lamar County is the only jurisdiction in West Alabama to till be dealing with significant power outages to start the new week.

Power crews have restored power to most of the 4,000-plus customers in the county who lost power due to downed trees and power lines resulting from the powerful squall line that moved across the area Saturday evening.

More than 700 customers are still without power this morning, but crews hope to have most restored later today. 175 continue without power in Marion County this morning. Across the state line in Mississippi more than 32,000 await power restoration.

More than 36,000 lost power across the state Saturday, most in West Alabama.

Triple- A Cautions Drivers

The number of vehicles on state roadways may have decreased as we head toward New Year's Eve but Triple-A Alabama's Clay Ingram is cautioning drivers to take adequate precautions over the New Year's Holiday.

"Driving distracted and under the influence are the major causes of traffic crashes New Year's Eve," Ingram stated. "Typically, those same people are not buckling up which increases their possibility of injury and death in an accident."

Deadline for Star ID Approaching

Starting May 7th, you will need to possess a Star ID if you want to fly domestically in the U.S. ALEA Trooper Sgt. Jeremy Burkett tells us you will need additional documentation to obtain a Star ID such as birth certificate, Social Security Card, passport and address verification.

The Star ID adds an extra layer of passenger safety and can be obtained at your local driver's license office.

Death Sentence Appeal

Tuscaloosan Alvin Mack is appealing his death sentence handed down from his 1995 murder conviction. He was found guilty of killing Patrick Cory Holman during a robbery.

Mack's appeal alleges he received ineffective assistance from his trial counsel during the penalty phase of his 1995 capital-murder trial.

Topping Sports News:

Tide Concentration on What it Can Control

Questions about Alabama and Michigan not making the College Football Playoffs have dominated practice for tomorrow morning’s ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa. But Bama QB Jalen Milroe is telling reporters that is old news. He says the team's attention is on preparing to play the Wolverines and not, "something we cannot do anything about".

The game is a rematch of the CFP Semi-final game between the two teams last season in the Rose Bowl. Michigan won that game in overtime.

Tomorrow's bowl game kicks off at 11:00am CST. It can be seen on ESPN and heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network on 95.3 The Bear, Tide 100.9 and 1230 WTBC.

Bama Basketball Now 11-2

The 5th Ranked Alabama Men's Basketball Team knocked down a season high 19-three-point shots to bury South Dakota State 105-82 at Coleman Coliseum Sunday. As a team, Alabama shot 22-for-42 (52 percent) from the field, 12-for-29 (41 percent) from deep and sank its one and only try from the free throw line

Bama opens the Southeastern Conference Season at Coleman Saturday at 5:00pm.

Bama Women Continue Winning Ways

The No. 20/21 Alabama women's basketball team picked up another blowout win Sunday, defeating Jacksonville, 93-46. It was the Tide's final non-conference matchup of the 2024-25 campaign. With the 47-point victory, the Crimson Tide's 13-1 record is the best start to a season in program history.

Bama opens conference play against Florida at Coleman Coliseum on Thursday. Tipoff is 6:00pm on SEC Network+.

Click TuscaloosaThread.com for the latest West Alabama news, sports and weather. Better yet, download the app.