Good morning West Alabama! It is Tuesday, January 28, 2025. This is the 28th day of the year with 337 days remaining.

Tuesday Morning Observations:

Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is a time to remind ourselves how quickly and easily evil can take over when the world doesn't pay attention. The dwindling numbers of those who survived a horror worse than anything Hollywood can makeup are desperately attempting to caution us to not make the same mistakes that have led to oppression and genocide throughout history, not just in Nazi Germany.

The first recognized genocide was 1209 to 1229 and there have been dozens of other through time. Literally hundreds of millions of men, women and children have been killed, many brutally, through genocide.

Holocaust survivor Tova Friedman told world leaders about her hopes of history not repeating itself. She was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau with her mother when she was almost six years old. During her time there she witnessed atrocities and escaped death multiple times. More than once she hid among corpses with her mother before the camp was abandoned by the Nazis in January 1945.

Friedman speaks from experience and what she has to say we should pay attention to.  "We were victims in a moral vacuum," she told world leaders in front of the infamous death wall. 

She described watching from her hiding place at a labour camp "as all my little friends were rounded up and driven to their deaths, while the heartbreaking cries of their parents fell on deaf ears".

The warnings from history were clear: the survivors more than anyone understand the risks of intolerance and separation.

Friedman points out that intolerance and hate are easy when we separate ourselves from each other. She sees that happening now across the world, just like in the 1920s. She says it is easy to hate people you don't know.

Being different does not make anyone less human. God made us different! It is our job to not let our differences lead to hate, intolerance and dehumanization. If we separate ourselves from each other, it is easier for that to happen.

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


Weather:

Thick fog across North Alabama this morning led to hazardous driving conditions. As the fog burns off partly cloudy conditions will emerge with an afternoon high in the upper 50s to lower 60s across West Alabama.

For the first time in quite a while the overnight low will remain above freezing with warming building in through the remainder of the week.

The Forecast:

Today
Areas of fog with clearing beginning around 9:00am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday Night
Showers likely, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

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Topping the News:
UA Conducting Presidential Search Listening Sessions
The University of Alabama Presidential Search Advisory Committee is seeking input. They will conduct six listening sessions via Zoom with the first being tomorrow at 11am with alumni and the second at 4pm with faculty. Other sessions involving the community, staff and students will follow each day through Friday. An open session is set for 3pm Monday. You must register at the UA System website to participate.
Current UA President Dr. Stuart Bell steps down in July.

Teens Arrested on Multiple Charges

18-year-old Amarion Dewayne Smith and 19-year-old Korbyn Markeith Williams have been charged with first-degree kidnapping, trafficking marijuana, and failure to affix a tax stamp. The weekend arrests are the result of a family reporting that a relative was being held against his will and they were receiving demands for money.

Multiple law enforcement agencies worked together, and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office believes the victim was abducted at gun point from his residence after an acquaintance failed to pay for a large delivery of drugs.

Read More: Tuscaloosa Area Police Save Kidnapping Victim After Alleged Drug Deal Ripoff


 

Hale County Man Arrested on Multiple Sex Charges
27-year-old Broderick Ward has been charged by the Hale County Sheriff’s Department with a half-dozen sex crimes and there may be more charges. Investigators discovered Ward was using social media to communicate with several victims, including a child, both locally and in other states.


Tuscaloosa City Board District 1 Member Running for Re-election
Dr. Karen Thompson-Jackson, the Tuscaloosa City School Board District 1 incumbent has announced her re-election bid in the March 4th Municipal Elections. She is the Executive Director of Temporary Emergency Services.

Boyfriend Charged in Death of Girlfriend's Infant
30-year-old Devonte Crumel has been charged with murder after an infant he allegedly abused died on Sunday. An investigation found that Crumel, who is the boyfriend of the girl's mother, had been left alone with the 1-year-old.
Court documents obtained by the Tuscaloosa Thread say Crumel told investigators that the baby had been crying, and he became frustrated, then left the room to smoke marijuana and returned to find her unresponsive.

Major Intersection Improvement Coming to Northport
The Alabama Department of Transportation has announced that construction will start later this year on the $9-plus million-dollar Highway 82-43 intersection project.
According to ALDOT West Division Spokesperson John D. McWilliams the work will include additional turn lanes and an additional through-lane, better access management, and pedestrian improvements.


Topping Sports News:
Auburn #1, Alabama 4th in This Week's AP Men's Basketball Poll
Ten Southeastern Conference teams are ranked in this week's men's top 25.

Week 13 AP Top 25 Poll (SEC Teams Highlighted):

  1. Auburn
  2. Duke
  3. Iowa State
  4.  Alabama
  5. Florida
  6. Houston
  7. Michigan State
  8. Tennessee
  9. Marquette
  10. Purdue
  11. Kansas
  12. Kentucky
  13. Texas A&M
  14. Mississippi State
  15. St. John's
  16. Oregon
  17. Wisconsin
  18. Illinois
  19. Memphis
  20. Missouri
  21. Louisville
  22. Texas Tech
  23. Ole Miss
  24. Vanderbilt
  25.  UConn

Bama Women Drop from 19th to 24th in Poll

  1. UCLA
  2. South Carolina
  3. Notre Dame
  4. USC
  5. Texas
  6. UConn
  7. LSU
  8. Ohio State
  9. TCU
  10. Duke
  11. Kansas State
  12. Kentucky
  13. Oklahoma 
  14. Maryland
  15. North Carolina
  16. Michigan State
  17. North Carolina State
  18. Tennessee
  19. Cal
  20. Georgia Tech
  21. West Virginia
  22. Alabama
  23. Vanderbilt
  24. Oklahoma State
  25. Florida State

Alabama Athletics Losses Millions

According to a report from Bama247, the athletics department operated at a near $28 million loss in 2024 with a bulk of the expenses related to the coaching search upon Saban's exit. Total operating revenues were a staggering $234 million, but total operating expenses added up to $262 million.

The UA Football Team reported $140.3 million in revenue and $113.8 million in expenses, for a $26.4 million surplus.

The Crimson Tide Men's Basketball success translated into a $6-million surplus, partly due to its Final Four run last season.

This is the second straight year Alabama has shown a loss on athletics. But the Tide is not the only collegiate athletic department in the red. According to the Columbus Dispatch, The Ohio State University athletics department ran an operating deficit of nearly $38 million during the past fiscal year.

Players wanting millions to play college athletics point to the millions made by school on sports but never mention the cost of fielding an entire athletic program eats up much of a program's income.


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Have a terrific Tuesday!!

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