WEST ALABAMA MONDAY BRIEFING
It is Monday, July 24, 2023, and the work week begins with more typical summertime weather for West Alabama. No temperatures near or in the hundreds and no dangerous heat indices are in the forecast for this week. Highs will be in the 90s and it will be humid, but that is summer in the south.
Today's forecast calls for sunny, with a high near 91. Tonight, mostly clear, with a low around 67.
We should see highs and lows gradually increase as the week progresses, but they will stay within annual averages for this time of year. The next chance of rain is this coming Sunday.
Topping the News:
The Tuscaloosa Police Department, like many across the nation, is struggling to retain officers. The force is currently 40 officers short of full authorized strength. A proposal to establish a onetime $10,000 retention bonus is on the agenda for tomorrow afternoon’s city council finance committee meeting. No opposition is expected, setting the stage for a full council vote on the proposal at next week’s meeting.
A Tuscaloosa man remains in Shelby County Jail this morning after being arrested over the weekend. James Porter III was arrested by that county’s drug enforcement task force and charged with trafficking drugs in northern Shelby County. Porter was caught with three pounds of marijuana and a loaded firearm.
33-year-old Cory Ace Dean walked into the woods near Moundville around 8:30 yesterday morning. He wasn’t seen for the remainder of the day, sparking a search. Around 4:30 this morning authorities located him walking down a road. His condition has not been released.
Gov. Ivey approved the new congressional district map passed by the Republican controlled legislature Friday. Now the governor and lawmakers are waiting to see if the U-S Supreme Court, which ordered a 2nd majority/minority district, will accept or reject a map that basically defied the court order.
The new congressional district map makes changes to all seven districts and moves about a dozen counties to different districts. It places more of Tuscaloosa County in the 4th District of Republican Robert Aderholdt. Previously Aderholdt represented roughly the northwest portion of the county with Democrat Terri Sewell (7th District) representing the southern and eastern portions of the county. Sewell's area of the county has been slightly reduced.
Tuscaloosa business, education and government leaders are in Raleigh, NC today beginning their annual "benchmarking' trip. This is the sixth trip organized by the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama to view what other metro areas are doing to bring growth and economic success to their communities and how those ideas can be adapted at home.
Promoters of the mega "Rock the South" three-day concert in Cullman County last weekend are offering a $10,000 reward, plus lifetime tickets to Rock the South, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the physical assault of Reid Watts on Saturday.
The Cullman Police Department is reviewing all footage from venue security cameras and video submitted by concert goers to establish the identities of the suspect(s) and determine what took place.
According to various reports, Watts was beaten unconscious in the middle of a crowd of people. He was taken by ambulance to a Cullman hospital where he received stitches and was diagnosed with a fractured nose and a concussion.
In Sports:
It is 33 days until the beginning of the 2023 college football season.
Former Gardner-Webb pitcher Bobby Alcock is transferring to the University of Alabama. The 2023 Big South Conference, Pitcher of the Year winner is a Massachusetts native and is the fifth player recruited by new Crimson Tide coach Rob Vaughn.
Make this week a great one!!
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