West Alabama Monday Briefing

Good morning West Alabama! It is Monday, April 5, 2025. This is the 125th day of the year with 240 days remaining.

In Today's Briefing:

Weather
News
Sports
Monday Morning Observations

Weather:

An unsettled weather pattern moves in this week with scattered showers and thunderstorms daily and into the coming weekend. This will include an Elevated (2 in 4) Excessive Rainfall Risk for all of West Alabama tomorrow through Wednesday morning. This means the probability of a flash flood threat over a short period of time. There will be a Slight (1 in 4) Risk for all the area Wednesday and A Slight (1 in 4) Risk from Demopolis southward on Thursday.

The Forecast:

Today

Sunny, with a high near 74. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 52. Calm wind.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 59. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 73. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Wednesday Night

A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Thursday

A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday

Showers likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Friday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

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News:

Senate Bill Would Make UA Center for National Water Policy

The Alabama Water Institute at the University of Alabama has made water-related research a priority as national water quality and shortage problems increase. That move has established UA and Tuscaloosa as a national hub for water science and prediction. Now Alabama U-S Senator Katie Britt is co-sponsoring a bill (Water Research Optimization Act of 2025) that would make the National Water Center on the UA campus as the primary center for research, development, and coordination of water related operations.

Rep. Figures' Bill Would Assist Struggling Rural Hospitals

President Trump’s cuts in federal grants and funding for health programs and possibly Medicaid will make it even more difficult for rural hospitals in Alabama and nationwide to remain open according to Alabama U-S Rep. Shomari Figures. He has submitted a bill that would provide financial support to rural hospitals.

Th e Rural Hospital Stabilization Act of 2025 would provide $5 million in grant money to hospitals in danger of closing. As many as 16 rural hospitals in Alabama and elsewhere are struggling due to lower patient volumes, higher costs of specialized care, and an aging population in some areas

Figures says the bill is about saving lives.

Sulligent Police Chief Remains Suspended

Sulligent Police Chief Ricky McDaniel remains suspended this morning as an investigation continues into an altercation Thursday that landed the chief in the Fayette County Jail. No details were given by Sulligent Mayor J. Scott Bowman about the incident that led to McDaniel’s arrest other than to confirm the chief had an altercation was with a family member after a UTV crash.

Police Capt. Michael Franklin as the acting police chief. as the district attorney's office and State Bureau of Investigation look into the matter.

Mercedes Enhancing Tuscaloosa's Role in the Company

Tuscaloosa's role within the global Mercedes-Benz production network has taken a jump forward. The German owned company has announced it will produce a new vehicle at its Vance plant; a move aimed at enhancing its U.S. footprint by localizing production in Tuscaloosa County.

Company officials would not comment on what impact President Trump's tariffs might have had on the decision.

Red Cross Hoping to Mitigate Traditional Summer Blood Shortage

Traditionally summer is a time for vacation travel and that creates two problems, an increased number of car crashes with victims requiring blood and a shortage of blood donors. The shortage not only can impact emergency surgery but also elective surgeries.

ARC of Alabama is encouraging residents to make an appointment to give blood to reverse the summer shortage trend by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Or you can click HERE for a list of future blood drives in the Tuscaloosa/Northport area.

Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower Can Be Seen Overnight

You might want to get to bed early tonight so you can get up around 3:00 Tuesday morning to see the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower. According to NASA, the peak viewing time will be between 2:00am and 5:00am.

You will need to look low in the eastern sky to see some; expect 10–20 meteors per hour. The forecast is for skies should be mostly clear and ideal for viewing.

The Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower is comprised of debris from Halley's Comet. Earth crosses the debris trail each spring from now through the end of the month.

McCalla Man, 3 Other, Sentenced in Stolen Checks and Bank Information Case

24-year-old Michael Christopher Rowser, aka “Muney Mike,” of McCalla is one of four men sentenced in a conspiracy to sell stolen checks and bank login information.

The other men are:

24-year-old Joshua Kendarius Rogers, aka “Lucky Luciano,” of Irondale
24-year-old Duane Wiley Smith, aka “Dubskii,” of Springville, and
25-year-old Levar McGhee-Parrish, aka “Ja Moracks,” of Fultondale

The charges included bribery, bank fraud, stolen checks and bank login information. Each received varying sentences.

Unpaid Student Loans Being Sent to Collectors

The U.S. Education Department has resumed reporting defaulted student loan payments to collections agencies, potentially affecting as many as 5 million borrowers, as many as 600,000 in Alabama alone.

The reporting began this morning of any loan that has not been on for about nine months.

Experts say borrowers at risk should take proactive steps before some of their wages and other income can be taken.

Detailed information to help borrowers get out of default is also available at StudentAid.gov/end-default.

Tuscaloosa County and City School System's Graduation Ceremonies This Week

Tuscaloosa County System Wednesday:

Holt High School: Coleman Coliseum at 4 p.m.
Brookwood High School: Coleman Coliseum at 7 p.m.
Hillcrest High School: Coleman Coliseum at 1 p.m.
Sipsey Valley High School: Coleman Coliseum at 4 p.m.
Tuscaloosa County High School: Coleman Coliseum at 7 p.m.

Tuscaloosa City System:

Central High School: Coleman Coliseum Friday at 5:30pm
Paul W. Bryant High School: Coleman Coliseum Friday at 3:00pm.
Northridge High School: Coleman Coliseum at 8:00pm.

Sports:

Alabama Baseball Chokes at Vanderbilt Sunday

After being blown out 12-2 in Friday's opening game, the #18 Crimson Tide (32-12 overall, 13-11 SEC) bounced back with a 5-2 win over #16 Vanderbilt (34-14 overall, 14-10 SEC) Saturday to even the three-game SEC series.

Then came the Sunday afternoon rubber match on the SEC Network. Bama held a 7-2 lead going into the eighth inning and looked to be in command until the wheels began to wobble with bullpen pitching. The Tide allowed three runs by the 'Dores in the bottom of the eight.

The bottom of the nineth saw the wheels come completely off as Vandy plated four runs for only their second walk off win of the year.

The Tide next faces #15 Troy on the road in a hostile environment Tuesday night at 6:00pm.

Bama Softball Opens SEC Tournament Play This Week

Coming off losing two of three at South Carolina this past weekend, the Alabama Softball Team (36-20 overall, 12-12 SEC) opens play in the SEC Championship Tournament tomorrow. The tournament opening is against Auburn (32-21 overall, 6-18 SEC) at 6:00pm in Athens, GA.

Alabama is the tenth seed in the tournament and Auburn is 15th.

The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to play No. 7 seed South Carolina on Wednesday, approximately 35 minutes following the conclusion of the 4 p.m. CT game between Florida and either Ole Miss or Missouri.

Birmingham Stallions Bask in First Place Tie

The Birmingham Stallions (4-2) bounced back from last week's loss in dominating fashion on Sunday afternoon, defeating the San Antonio Brahmas (1-5), 26-3 inside Protective Stadium. Birmingham’s defense put together another standout performance, holding San Antonio’s offense to only 178 total yards, including just 24 yards on the ground. Both the 178 total yards and the 24 rushing yards are new season-lows for Birmingham’s defense.

The win put the Stallions back in a first-place tie with Michigan.in the USFL Division of the UFL.

The Stallions will cap off their three-game home stand in a Week 7 matchup against the Houston Roughnecks at Protective Stadium. The contest will be played on Sunday at 11:00am and will be aired live on ABC.

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Monday Morning Observations:

President Trump seems to be his own worst enemy. He knows the national media will pounce on any comment that is not totally accurate, and he makes outlandish, non-presidential, statements. He attacks people, calling them names and even seeks battles within his own party when he doesn't need to. The bottom line is he seems to be in continual campaign mode instead of acting like the duly elected President of the United States.

By his very nature Donald Trump is combative. That showed well before he was elected the first time. But often he seems to seek battles he knows he cannot win. This past weekend he told NBC News' Kristen Welker on "Meet the Press" he doesn't know if he has to follow the constitution as president. While there have been past presidents who have stretched the parchment thin, as Trump himself has a few times, they are required by oath of office to swear to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.

The word "compromise" is not in his vocabulary. His style of politics is winner-take-all. In his mind he never makes a mistake or is wrong on an issue, in his way of thinking, he must always win and always be right. Unfortunately, he is surrounded by "yes" people who never dare counter him out of fear of losing their jobs.

There are indeed issues where compromise may not be preferable. However, compromise is essential for achieving consensus and moving forward in a society where diverse interests and opinions exist. It involves parties making concessions to reach agreements that may not perfectly align with their individual goals but serve the greater good.

The definition of compromise needs to be learned by both political parties otherwise our democracy will crash and burn.

A lot of times I think Mr. Trump is pulling the media and our legs. He seems to relish controversy. I know people who know the president and like liberal comedian Bill Mahr said after dinner with him at Mar-a-Lago, they think he is actually a pretty nice guy with a good sense of humor in person.

Hopefully that is true, and he is pulling all our legs.

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

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

Have a magnificent Monday.