West Alabama Thursday Briefing

Good morning West Alabama. it is Thursday, December 12, 2024.

Thursday Morning Observations:

The internet is one of the greatest inventions ever! The internet is one of the most dangerous inventions ever! Both of those statements are correct. Both statements are accurate.

In a comparatively very short time in history. The computers and the internet have changed how we live. We shop, meet people, learn, get information and entertain ourselves differently. That is both good and bad.

The good is you have an enormous library of information and resources just a few clicks away. The bad is not all the information available is accurate, reliable or trustworthy and clicking on the wrong site can leave you vulnerable to malware.

The good is you can keep up with current news and events as they happen. The bad is fake news, internet sites and apps used to spread negative and false messages.

The good is you can bank and shop online. The bad is these sites can be hacked, or you access a fake website and compromise your money and personal information.

The good is availability of social media to meet new people, keep in contact with friends and be entertained. The bad is not everyone is who they say they are, not all entertainment is innocent fun and it gives an opening to cyberbullying.

The good is the internet provides countless ways to be entertained without leaving home. The bad is it can become addictive and result in isolation.

The good is internet accessibility is mobile allowing connectivity via our PCs, laptops, tablets and phones. The bad is our mobile devices make us more vulnerable to hacking and too often causes us to miss out on reality by providing virtual reality.

The bottom line is to use the internet safely:

Don’t share personal information. Theis can make you vulnerable to all sorts of threats.
Don’t download from untrustworthy sources. Check the URLs for accuracy. Clicking on untrustworthy sources can lead to downloading trojan horses, viruses and spyware.
Do avoid suspicious attachments. They could contain malicious links and malware.
Do avoid using public access wi-fi, it is not secure.
Do use strong passwords with double authentication.
Do use VPN and firewalls.
Do use anti-virus software.

During the holidays the internet reaches high usage, but it should be used safely. The internet is like driving. It is convenient and takes you places quickly but if you don’t do it safely it can lead to tragic, long-term negative consequences.

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

Weather:

Those eternal optimists that hope for a white Christmas each year look to be out of luck, again. The 8-to-14-day outlook reveals near normal temperatures and below normal precipitation possibilities.

The rain has helped roll the drought across most of West Alabama back to Abnormally Dry according to the new Drought Monitor released this morning. However, Moderate to Severe Drought conditions continue to hang on in southern Greene, Hale, Perry and Sumter counties and across all of Marengo County.

The Forecast:

Today

Sunny, with a high near 54. Calm wind.

Tonight

Increasing clouds, with a low around 33. Calm wind.

Friday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 41. East wind around 5 mph.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Saturday Night

Showers. Low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday

A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64.

Sunday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.

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Topping the News:

The investigation into the Wednesday morning shooting death of a 37-year-0ld male at Forester Garden Apartments on Tuscaloosa's southside continues this morning. More information is expected today from the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit detailing circumstances surrounding the incident that led to the man's death after he was transported to DCH Medical Center.

Two Greene County Bingo Halls, River’s Edge Bingo and Frontier Bingo, both just across the Greene/Tuscaloosa County line in Knoxville, have been shut down. According to sources, the bingo machines in the establishments are not up to state code.

Tuscaloosans will soon lose one of its locations to obtain driver's licenses. Effective Monday, Dec. 23, driver’s license transactions will no longer be processed at the Tuscaloosa County License Office in Spiller Market Center located on Skyland Boulevard.

Licenses will remain available at three other sites at the main Tuscaloosa County License Office at 2501 7th St., Suite 100, the ALEA post located at: 2645 Skyland Blvd. E. in Tuscaloosa and the Northport office at 3500 McFarland Blvd. in city hall.

The ribbon will be cut at 4:00 this afternoon in advance of a reception marking the opening of the new Benjamin Barnes YMCA in West End. Located at 3011 Martin Luther King Blvd. at the McDonald Hughes Center; the new facility replaces the previous branch that was aging, inadequate and suffered from infrastructure problems.

Construction began on the new $10 million facility is 2023.

The murder of the United Healthcare CEO in New York last week has placed the problems with healthcare in the U.S. at the forefront of public interest. At greatest risk is the health of those living in rural areas where hospitals have closed and ambulance services struggle to stay in business.

A rural healthcare forum recently at Stillman College highlighted the plight in West Alabama. The picture immerging is not a pretty one. ADPH revealed some concerning statistics. Seven percent of the counties in the state don’t have a hospital. Additionally, 28% of the women living in rural areas don’t live within 30 minutes of a hospital with birthing services.

Governor Kay Ivey has joined 25 other governors in supporting President-Elect Trump's immigration policies.

Below is a portion of the statement released by the governors...

“As Republican governors, we stand united in support of President Donald Trump’s unwavering commitment to make America safe again by addressing the illegal immigration crisis and deporting illegal immigrants who pose a threat to our communities and national security.

The statement noted that GOP Governors mobilized, "...state resources, including law enforcement and National Guard units, to protect Americans from disastrous open border policies and prevent illegal immigration from overwhelming our country."

Topping Sports News:

As head coach Kalen DeBoer predicted, it looks like most of the Alabama Football Team will play in the Reliaquest Bowl against Michigan on New Year's Eve. The game will be a rematch of the Tide's loss to Michigan in the CFP Semi-final game in the Rose Bowl last year.

One of the key players on the Alabama offensive line is returning for 2025. Washington transfer center Parker Brailsford has announced he will remain in Tuscaloosa.

The 6-2, 295-pound Brailsford started all 12 games at center for Alabama

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

Have a terrific Thursday!