West Alabama Monday Briefing

Good morning West Alabama! It is Monday, March 3, 2024. This is the 62nd day of the year with 303 remaining.

Monday Morning Observations:

Tomorrow is Municipal Election Day within the City of Tuscaloosa. Polls will open at 7am and close at 7:00pm. This is a chance for voters in the city to have their say about who is in charge of the city government and the city school board. As we saw in the property tax vote last year and in far too many previous elections on all levels, too few registered voters make it to the polls.

There are so many reasons why someone might not vote, ranging from inclement weather (there is a Wind Advisory tomorrow afternoon) to not knowing enough about the races and candidates or not having faith in the system. But those are poor excuses for not exercising your most fundamental right at as a citizen. After all, people have died to ensure the right-to-vote!

Why should Tuscaloosa residents cast their ballots tomorrow? There are some basic reasons...

Local government has the most impact on your daily life: Municipal government controls the most basic of services such as public safety, streets, Planning and Zoning, budgets, education, municipal court, water and sewer, garbage and trash, parks and recreation, stormwater management, building permits, business licenses, job development and so much more.
A few votes can make a difference: Because so few people vote the future of the city is too often decided by a very few people. A recent Ipsos Poll revealed about 2 in 10 nonvoters don't believe their vote matters. If you don't you are assured of having no say in your government.
An opportunity to exercise a vote a lot of people in the world do not have. While there is still some contention over voting rights, most anyone who wants to can vote. That has not always been the case in Alabama, in this country and is still an issue with some other countries. Honor those who fought for the right by voting.

Below is the information you need:

Click on TuscaloosaThread.com for the election results tomorrow night.

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

Weather:

Dry conditions and gusty winds will further exacerbate the wildfire threat across West Alabama and the state. A WIND ADVISORY beginning at noon Tuesday will run through the evening with wind gusts to 40mph.

We are also keeping a wary eye on potential for severe weather Tuesday evening with a Slight (2 in 5) Risk for strong to severe thunderstorms. A line of storms is expected to move out of Mississippi into West Alabama around 7:00pm and track across the region until around 11:00pm. Damaging winds to 60mph will be the major threat but a tornado cannot be ruled out.

The Forecast:

Today

Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 69. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tuesday

A 40 percent chance of showers after 3pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Windy, with a southeast wind 10 to 20 mph increasing to 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.

Tuesday Night

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before midnight, then a slight chance of showers between midnight and 3am. Low around 52. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 25 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Wednesday

Increasing clouds, with a high near 61. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 35.

Remainder of the Week

Sunny to partly sunny Thursday and Friday with a return of small rain chances Friday night. Highs will be in the upper 50s Thursday and upper 60s Friday. Overnight lows in the upper 30s Thursday and lower 50s Friday.

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Topping the News:

Tuscaloosa Cheerleaders Escape Injury in Dallas Chaos

Cheerleaders from Tuscaloosa and Birmingham escaped without harm after chaos broke out at the 2025 NCA All-Star National Championship in Dallas over the weekend. Several loud noises that many people interpreted as gunshots caused a panic as hundreds ran for exits.

Cheerleaders from ACE Cheer Company in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham were competing in Dallas at the weekend-long All-Star National Championships at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center when an incident erupted

WAFF TV in Dallas reported that police responding to the scene found a fight had broken out leading to several metal polls being toppled to the concrete floor with the noise resembling gunshots.

Dallas Fire Rescue said 10 people were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. None of the injured were from Alabama.

The competition concluded without further incident last night.

Counseling will be available to the Alabama athletes when they return to the state later today.

Tuscaloosa Municipal Elections Tomorrow

Longtime incumbent Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox faces a challenge from political novice Denson Ferrell Jr. in tomorrow's election for the city's chief executive seat. Maddox earned a major endorsement for a sixth term in office from Nick and Terry Saban who have worked with him on numerous projects, most notably the future Saban Center.

In the only contested city council elections, in District 1, incumbent Matthew Wilson is being challenged by Que Chandler and Joe Eatmon.

In District 2, incumbent Raevan faces Dennis "Quick" Collins and Ashley R. Wheat.

In District 6, incumbent John Faile is challenged by Eric Gaines and Lisa M. Young.

In District 7, incumbent Cassius Lanier is facing competition from Oliver "Maurice" Sealey.

There is only one City Board of Education incumbent facing challengers. Karen Thompson-Jackson is facing a challenge from Tony Humphries for the District 1 seat.

The Tuscaloosa City Board of Education will have at least one new member as Clint Mountain is running unopposed to succeed Patrick Hamner for the District 4 seat.

Voters can confirm their registration status, ballot status, polling location
and address by visiting the Alabama Secretary of State website.

Multi-Vehicle Crash Kills One in East Tuscaloosa

TPD reports one person was killed in a multiple vehicle crash on University Blvd. East last night. The accident happened at the Hurricane Road intersection and had traffic blocked for some time. No other details have been released.

Benevolent Way to Assist Kentucky Students Impacted by Disaster

Former Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon’s Benevolent Way is again collecting supplies to help those is need after the devastating storms and flooding in Kentucky. Herndon’s organization is returning to Kentucky to help students in need of school supplies after last month’s flooding.

Persons interested in contributing can bring supplies to 728 Lurleen Wallace Blvd. in Northport.

Bell/Tindol in Running for College Presidencies

UA President Stuart Bell is scheduled to leave the University of Alabama presidency this summer, but he may not be out of higher education long. The Abilene, Texas native and a Texas A&M graduate, is one of five finalists for the chancellor position at Texas A&M, according to an article published Feb. 24 by the school's newspaper, The Battalion.

Another UA officer is also up for a college chief executive's seat. Chad Tindol, UA's chief administrative officer, is a candidate for president at Murray State University in Kentucky.

Topping the Sports News:

Bama Baseball remains Undefeated

Alabama Baseball ran its record to 12-and-0 with an 11-3 win over North Dakota State Sunday at the Joe. The Tide is at Jacksonville tomorrow night.

Paul Bryant High, 6A Boy's State Basketball Champions

Congratulations to the Stampede for picking up the 6A Boy's state title over the weekend at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Paul Bryant beat Pinson Valley 66-54 to grab their second state championship in school history.

Congrats also go out to the Tuscaloosa Academy Boys and Hillcrest Girl's Basketball teams for making it to the finals in their classifications.

Additionally, hats off to Stillman College for doing a tremendous job of hosting the HBCU Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament this past week. Both teams represented us well also!

It has been quite a year for basketball on all levels in Tuscaloosa.

Bama Women Drop Road Game at OU Sunday

The 20th ranked Alabama women's basketball team fell at #13 Oklahoma, 91-84, Sunday afternoon in Norman. The loss marks Alabama's first game this season with at least four players scoring in double digits.

The game was tied at 45 at the half but stronger second half shooting by the Sooners spelled the difference. OU shot 46% from the field compared to the Tide's 40%.

Alabama will have a first-round bye in the 2025 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament and will open tournament play on Thursday, March 6, in the final game of second round in Greenville, SC.

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

Have a blessed week and keep an eye on the weather tomorrow!