West Alabama Thursday Briefing
Good morning West Alabama! It is Thursday, April 24, 2025. This is the 114th day of the year with 251 days remaining.
In The Thursday Briefing:
- Weather
- News
- Sports
- Morning Observations
Weather:
Another day with periods of showers and thunderstorms are expected today across West Alabama. High temperatures will be in the low to mid 80s, with temperatures cooling behind any rain moving through an area.
Shower and storm chances continue tonight across West Alabama. Activity should become more isolated after the early to mid-evening hours. Overnight low temperatures will be in the low 60s most areas.
The Forecast:
News:
More Opposition to Trump UA Commencement Address
Former VCU Commander Throws Hat into Northport Mayor's Election
Mayor Maddox Wants to Improve Traffic Flow
The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) investigated a report of sexual abuse of a child, which led to the identification of three additional child victims. The Boone County (West Virginia) Sheriff’s Office assisted with the investigation since Adkins was residing there at the time.
News partner ABC 3340 reported that Adkins faces charges including first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, and two counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12. His bond is set at $500,000 cash.
Increased Police Immunity Legislation Gets Pushback
A part of Gov. Ivey's "Back the Blue" package of legislation supporting law enforcement is getting some pushback. The bill that would give law enforcement more civil and criminal immunity is being questioned by Birmingham Democrat Senator Robert Smitherman who calls it a "green light for more black folks to get killed, and it’s gonna be done under the name of immunity,"
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Smitherman told fellow lawmakers the law would allow officers who are afraid or biased to open fire on blacks without fear of consequences.
Proponents of the legislation point out there will be a hearing after an officer involved shooting to determine if it was justified.
The bill already passed the house and now goes to the full senate.
Sports:
NFL Draft Begins Tonight with Some Alabama Players in Attendance
The Crimson Tide Football team will have three players in attendance for tonight's first round of the NFL Draft in Green Bay. linebacker Jihaad Campbell, offensive lineman Tyler Booker and quarterback Jalen Milroe all could be first round picks. However, some draft experts believe Milroe may not go until the second round.
Alabama has 11 players who entered the draft this year.
Crimson Tide Baseball Opens Three Games Series with Mizzou Tonight
Alabama (32-10 overall, 9-9 SEC) will host its net to last conference series beginning tonight. The Tide will welcome a struggling Missouri (13-7 overall, 0-18 SEC) team to "The Joe".
The Tigers are on a four-game losing streak and are 1-11 on the road. Alabama has won seven-straight games against Mizzou dating back to 2018 and holds a 12-7 overall series edge.
Scoring has not been a problem for Mizzou this season. The Tigers have produced an average of 6.4 runs per contest over their first 40 games thanks in large part to a lineup that has received balanced production in the clutch. Shutting down opposing hitters has been a struggle for the Tigers.
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
- Tonight:
- RHP Tyler Fay (UA) vs. RHP Brady Kehlenbrink (MIZZ)
- Friday:
- RHP Riley Quick (UA) vs. TBA (MIZZ)
- Saturday:
- LHP Zane Adams (UA) vs. TBA (MIZZ)
Tonight's first pitch is 7:00pm, tomorrow night's is at 6:00pm and Saturday's series finale is at 1:00pm.
Bama Softball Also Hosting Missouri
The Alabama Athletics Department reports there are still a few tickets left for this weekend's SEC series against Missouri at Rhodes Stadium. The Tide and Tigers open the three-game series at 6:00 Friday night, play against 8:00 Saturday night and 2:00pm Sunday afternoon.
Among the academic recipients were 46 student-athletes from the Alabama men's (18) and women's (28) swimming and diving programs. The honorees tallied a combined 24 All-America accolades as both teams concluded impressive seasons with top 15 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
Alabama gymnastics contributed nine student-athletes to the academic list, following the program's 39th top eight NCAA finish. Highlighted among the squad were four NCAA Championships All-Americans.
To qualify for the SEC Academic Honor Roll, student-athletes must have achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher for either the previous academic year or their cumulative career and must be in at least their second year of academic standing. The winter list honors those student-athletes that participate in men's & women's basketball, gymnastics and swimming & diving as well as equestrian and rifle.
Thursday Morning Observations:
The Trump Administration is cutting back on a bloated and at times inefficient federal bureaucracy. That is a good thing. The bad thing is there seems to be no rhyme or reason to how they are doing. It seems little consideration has been given to impacts the sledgehammer cutbacks could have on people in need, many who voted for Trump.
A classic example is Trump's denial of post disaster assistance to Arkansas. More than 40 people died after a series of tornados and severe storms hit Arkansas and neighboring states Mississippi and Missouri in March according to National Weather Service surveys. Damage is running into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Arkansas Republican Governor Sara Huckabee and GOP lawmakers are begging Trump to reconsider. Arkansas, a poor GOP controlled state simply does not have the money to help disaster victims in need. Huckabee, a major Trump backer, is being left in the lurch.
Trump has admitted he hates the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and wants to shut it down and push all disaster response and recovery expenses onto the states. Problem is that few states have anywhere near enough money or resources to handle major disasters. Even worse, neither does social support organizations like the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Team Rubicon, United Way, Samaritan's Purse and others.
There were 27 weather and climate related disasters that exceeded $1billion in damages in 2024. That was second only to the record 28 events in 2023. These disasters, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), included severe storms, tropical cyclones, winter storms, flooding, drought/heatwaves, and wildfires.
Only approximately 2% of disasters receive a Federal Disaster Declaration (FEMA statistic) so it is not like FEMA is being called on to provide recovery to every disaster.
State and local governments are typically the first responders, handling immediate needs like search and rescue, evacuation, and basic support. States can, for the most part, manage response and recovery to most small to medium disasters.
Without FEMA, states would face significant costs, particularly for large-scale disasters, potentially leading to financial strain or outright bankruptcy. Already understaffed state and county emergency management agencies and other state and local response organization would be forced to find and train additional personnel to manage tasks like damage inspection, aid distribution and long-term recovery, which could be challenging in most poor states like Alabama.
The increasing frequency and scale of disasters would place financial and personnel strain on all states. Without federal support, recovery efforts might be delayed due to resource limitations and coordination challenges.
Legally, dissolving FEMA would take congressional approval but with a GOP controlled congress kowtowed by Trump, that is a possibility. And the president has already taken actions that appear to exceed his executive authority, including an attempt to freeze trillions of dollars in federal funding that had already been approved by Congress.
As a former county and state emergency manager I can speak from experience that forcing states to be completely responsible for all phases of disaster preparedness, response and recovery will be devastating, not only to state bank accounts but to the lives and safety of its citizens.
Mr. President don't let your hatred of FEMA overshadow the federal government's duty to protect and defend its citizens, not just from foreign adversaries but natural and manmade disasters as well.
(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.)
Click TuscaloosaThread.com for the latest West Alabama news, sports and weather. Better yet, download the app.
More From 95.3 The Bear
