WEST ALABAMA TUESDAY BRIEFING
It is Tuesday, June 20, 2023, and the day has begun with blue skies which have become a rarity recently. However, cloud cover is expected to increase as the day moves forward with a 40% chance of rain after 4:00pm. The high will be near 87° with a low of 66° and a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight.
Chances for showers and thunderstorms will remain with us through Monday of next week according to the National Weather Service in Birmingham.
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Topping the News:
Damage assessments teams will fan out across the Ralph community in southwestern Tuscaloosa County today to identify damage left by those 70 to 80mph winds Friday night. Tuscaloosa County Emergency Management Agency Director Nick Lolley tells Tuscaloosa Thread that debris removal crews have been working hard and more assistance for property owners is coming as several church groups arrive in the area at the end of the week. Lolley is urging residents to report damage either on the Tuscaloosa County EMA website or come to their staging area at Robertson’s BBQ on Ralph Loop Road.
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Hundreds of residents of the Ralph area remain without power this morning. Black Warrior EMC says they have had crews in 12 counties working non-stop to restore power. A spokesman points out BWEMC has not been able to get assistance from other companies because damage has been widespread across the region.
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Northport City Councilman Woodrow Washington is claiming those opposed to the potential sale of the Northport Community Center to property developers are harassing council members, making personal attacks, spreading allegations and threatening to boycott businesses owned by council members. Washington told reporters the opposition group is small but very vocal. The council conducted took a preliminary vote two weeks ago to sell the property to developers for 1.1-million dollars.
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A petition has been started in Northport to demand that the city council not sell the Northport Community Center to property developers. Sandra Barnidge was one of two people on the council’s agenda to address last night’s meeting. She told the council she has hundreds of signatures to make sure the community center remains where it is.
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Property owners on Kirkwood Drive, Kingdom Court and Ridgemont Avenue in Northport are suing the city and Tuscaloosa County. They claim clogged drainage pipes pushed storm water on to their property during the 2021 flooding event, which they allege could have been prevented.
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Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputies are searching for a runaway teenager. 14yo Silvia Sebastian Pascual was last seen on Friday in the 800 block of Crescent Ridge Road NE. She is a Hispanic youth, standing 4-6, weighing approximately 90 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt, jeans and red shoes.
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In Sports:
It will be an all-Southeastern Conference match-up this afternoon that determines which league team stays in Omaha and which team is out of the Men’s College World Series. Tennessee edged Stanford yesterday in an elimination game yesterday while Wake Forest knocked off LSU last night to give the Tigers their first loss.
Florida remains undefeated in the national championship tournament.
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Enjoy the sunshine if you can today!
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