West Alabama Monday Briefing

Good morning West Alabama! It is Monday, March 24, 2025. This is the 83rd day of the year with 282 days remaining.

Monday Morning Observations:

John “Paddy” Hemingway passed away in England last week at the age of 105. What makes his death a worldwide news story is he was the last surviving pilot of the iconic Battle of Britain. One of "The Few" as described by wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." was Churchill's famous quote in describing the bravery and skill displayed by Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots, outnumbered as they were, in giving Adolph Hitler and his vaunted Luftwaffe its first defeat of World War II.

Hemingway and his fellow pilots stemmed the tide of Naziism, proved the German's were not super-human and showed the world the Nazi military machine could be defeated. It also ended Hitler's plan to invade England, an event, if it had happened, would at minimum lengthened the war by years and at its worst could have given Hitler control of all of Europe permanently.

There is a Tuscaloosa connection to death of the last Battle of Britain pilot. RAF pilots, many who would go on to be some of "the few" flying in the Battle of Britain trained at the then Van de Graaff Field in Tuscaloosa (now Tuscaloosa national Airport).

A group of former RAF pilots, including some Battle of Britain veterans visited Tuscaloosa with their families in the 1984.They pointed out how crucial it was for the RAF pilots to train here because their entire country was a war zone making training there virtually impossible.

John Hemingway did not train in Tuscaloosa, but his death brings to a close the Battle of Britain era. Sometimes flying five or six missions a day, that handful of British, and a few American, pilots defeated the Nazis and prevented a devastating German invasion of England. They were the true definition of heroes. Their actions paved the way to the eventual Allied victory in Europe. And some of them passed through Tuscaloosa on their way to historic immortality.

Weather:

A line of overnight strong to severe thunderstorms passing across West Alabama left a few hundred customers without power but there were few other impacts.

With this morning's thunderstorms and showers passing out of West Alabama we should see decreasing clouds later today.

The work week should have mostly sunny days and mostly clear nights. Highs will be in the upper 70s to near 80. Lows will be in the upper 40s to near 50.

The Forecast:

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Martha A. Baird of Reform died Friday in a two-car collision on Romulus Road, about six-miles south of Coker in Tuscaloosa County. Baird was transported to DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased. ALEA Troopers are still investigating the cause.

Tuscaloosa SROs Getting Specialized Training

TPD School Resources Officers are receiving mental health training as part of the role in preventing violence in city schools. They are learning to identify the signs and symptoms of mental illness and intellectual development disabilities. The training is intended to deescalate situations.

New Pastor for Tuscaloosa's First United Methodist Church Revealed

New pastoral appointments have been announced by the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. Ten changes have been made in the West District, which includes Tuscaloosa County.

Tuscaloosa First United Methodist Church's first black pastor Rev. Clinton Hubbard Jr. has been appointed Superintendent of the East District of the North Alabama Conference. He will be replaced by Rev. Robin Crews Wilson, who will become FUMC senior pastor effective July 1.

Rev. Wilson is an alumna of Vanderbilt University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science, and Duke University Divinity School, where she received her Master of Divinity. She is currently the Executive Director of Stakeholder Relationships for Discipleship Ministries (General Board of Discipleship) of the United Methodist Church.

Forest Lake UMC will also be welcoming new pastor on July 1, Rev. Belinda Rives. Current Senior Pastor Rev. Kevin Thomas is being moved to Birmingham First United Methodist.

Rev. Rives received an undergraduate degree from Millsaps College in 2006 in comparative theology and interfaith dialogue and her Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University with a concentration in personality and society.

Wildfires Continue to Burn in West Alabama and Statewide

Five controlled and four contained wildfires are burning across Alabama according to the Alabama Forestry Commission's "Wildfire Map". Statewide more that 130 fires are burning.

Helping exacerbate the wildfires are continued Abnormally Dry soil moisture conditions across West Alabama and much of the state.

Harassing First Responders Could Soon Be a Crime in Alabama

A bill in the Alabama legislature is drawing controversy. The legislation would make it unlawful to talk back to or not obey a first responder. But critics claim it is a violation of free speech.

Alabama House Bill 224 says if you harass or threaten a first responder in the state after being asked to get back a certain distance or leave then you could face arrest. Representative Allen Treadaway discussed the bill in a house committee meeting…(SB/at).>>If passed, you could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor and spend up to a year in jail with fines.

Sen. Britt Backs Shuttering U.S. Department of Education

Alabama's Junior Republican U.S. Senator Katie Britt has been an unrelenting supporter of President trump's policies since he took office in January. She is again backing his in his plan to do away with the U.S. Department of Education and return control of education to the states.

.“Educational decisions should be made at the most local level possible - starting with parents,” she said in a post to X Thursday.

A federal education department did not exist until it was created by the President Jimmy Carter in the 1970s.

More Alabama Hospitals at Risk for Closure

Alabama Hospitals Association President Dr. Donald Williamson is warning that 27 of the state's existing rural hospitals are at risk of closing over the next few years. He is imploring the Alabama Legislature to take action to keep Alabama's quality of healthcare plummet further.

Lawmakers have been consistently warned that rural poor and elderly cannot afford to drive an hour or more to larger city hospitals for care.

Dr. Williamson identifies the governor and legislatures unwillingness to expand Medicaid as leading to much of the healthcare crisis in the state. He says about one in five Alabamians are currently covered by Medicaid. However, Williamson calls out state's program unreasonably restrictive. To qualify a family with minor children can make up to only 18% of the poverty line ($4,648 for a family of three).

Topping Sports News:

Alabama Men Heading to Sweet 16

The Alabama Men's Basketball Team overcame a season long problem with turnovers and beat St. Mary's 80-66 in Cleveland last night to advance to the "Sweet 16" on the NCAA Championship Tournament.

The Crimson Tide (27-8) had six players reach double figures with none scoring more than 13 points to lead a balanced scoring attack.

Bama plays a tough BYU team in Newark, NJ at 6:09pm CDT Thursday. The Tide is a 4.5-point favorite.

The Gaels end their season at 29-6.

NCAA Men's Basketball BRACKET.

Read More: Crimson Tide Depth Wore Down Gaels in Victory

Bama Women Have Chance for Payback Today

The last time #5 seed Alabama (24-7) met #4 seed Maryland (24-8) was in the NCAA 2021 playoffs 2nd round and the Terps embarrassed the Tide by 36-points. The two teams meet at 4:00 this afternoon in Maryland's home arena in a battle to move on to the "Sweet 16".

Maryland, playing on their home court, is a 1.5-point favorite.

A win by Alabama will allow the team return to Alabama to play the next two rounds in Birmingham at Legacy Arena. Tickets are still available.

You can catch the game live on ESPN2 and hear it on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

NCAA Women's Basketball BRACKET.

Bama Softball Loses 2 of 3 to Aggies

Alabama (22-12, 2-4 SEC) dropped two games of this past weekend's three game series on the road at Texas A&M (26-5, 6-3 SEC).

The Tide plays at home Wednesday at 6:00 pm CDT against North Alabama.

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

Have a great weekend and enjoy the weather.