West Alabama Tuesday Briefing

It is Tuesday Marck 19, 2024.

Temperatures crept up just above freeze a little after 8:00 this morning after dropping to 30 degrees around 5:00am. Temperatures will rebound into the upper 50s and lowers 60s today and drop back into the lower 30s tonight before a more significant warm-up as the week progresses.

While the overnight freeze cannot be classified as the last one of the winter seasons, it more than likely is one of the last ones. But we won't be completely out of the cold until mid-April.

It will be a dry week until we get to Friday when a rain chance returns. We could hear a couple of claps of thunder, but no severe weather is expected, and rain amounts should be a half inch to an inch.

The good news is the coming weekend looks good/.

The Forecast:

Today

Widespread frost before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 60. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Areas of frost after 5am. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 37. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday

Areas of frost before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 73. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Friday

A 40 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 68.

Friday Night

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Topping the News:

An old idea is being revived. Tuscaloosa/Northport is the largest metro area in Alabama without significant limited access expressways and bypasses to reduce traffic congestion and travel times. Today, Cottondale Senator Gerald Allend hopes to do something about that. He will introduce legislation that would allow a public vote on a plan to complete the decades delayed eastern bypass.

The bill would take a novel approach in creating a savings account of sorts where the cities of Tuscaloosa and Northport and the county would make quarterly contributions to cover the local portion of the cost.

District 2 Northport City Council representative Woodrow Washington III has been selected by his counterparts as the new Council President Pro Tem. He replaces District 1's Christy Bobo who was elevated to Council President following the resignation of the 5th District's Jeff Hogg in the wake of alleged death threats and harassment stemming from his support of the University Beach project.

The council has until early May to select a replacement in District 5 or risk having Governor Ivey make the selection.

Ground was broken of the new River Run Sports Complex yesterday. City officials, business leaders and civic leaders turned out for the event just off the Oliver Lock and Dam Road.

The 36-acre sports complex's nine new baseball and softball fields are expected not only to serve youth sports, but act as a draw for tournaments and 2.5 million visitors a year.

The Northport City Council has approved $815,000 for engineering cost for the River Run project as well as $8.9 million for a new pump station on Highway 82 West.

City officials point out the pumping station will help with city growth and with the new University Beach Resort complex.

The Tuscaloosa City Council is set to vote on a demolition order for the Veteran's Memorial Parkway pedestrian bridge at tonight's meeting.

Yesterday afternoon residents from several surrounding neighborhoods conducted a protest in an effort to save the four-decade old structure.

Tuscaloosa County President Kip Tyner, who represents the area, is having second thoughts about his support for the bride removal as recommended by the city's Public Projects Committee.

Alabama's Senior U.S. Senator has taken a shot at the state's Junior U.S. Senator. Tommy Tuberville has told CNN that Katie Britt's Republican response to President Biden's State of the Union, “That obviously didn’t go over too well.”

Topping Sports News:

Tuscaloosa native, the late Frank "Swede" Kendall was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame last night. As head football coach at Pell City two years and the remainder of his career at Tuscaloosa High, Kendall compiled a 112-53-15 record. He had five undefeated seasons and two winning streaks of 28 and 19 games. He also coached two state championship track teams. He was a part of high school athletics in Alabama for 47 years.

Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne has had to make some pretty significant coaching hires in recent years - football, basketball and baseball. Now he is being rewarded with a new contract worth $1.885 million dollars per year beginning in July.

By the end of the current contract Byrne will be making $2.305 million annually.

From UA Athletics: Alabama baseball will begin a five-game stint away from Tuscaloosa starting tonight when the ninth-ranked Tide travels to Alabama State. The matchup in Montgomery is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex on ASU's campus.

Bama then travels to Georgia to take on the Bulldogs in a three-game series beginning Friday. Fans can listen to all the action live on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

From UA Athletics: Alabama (22-5) begins a four-game home stretch with a pair of in-state matchups at Rhoads Stadium this week, hosting Samford (6-19) tonight at 6 p.m. and UAB (12-15) on Wednesday, 6 p.m.

Have a terrific Tuesday and ROLL TIDE!!