West Alabama Tuesday Briefing
Good morning West Alabama! It is Tuesday, February 26, 2025. This is the 56th day of the year with 309 days remaining.
Tuesday Morning Observations:
The U.S. Government is bloated, too regulatory heavy and out of touch. A nation with trillions of dollars in debt has to make some cuts somewhere. Most politicians us the innocuous title of “Rightsizing Government” when talking about doing that.
So, along comes the present administration with plans to take a meat cleaver and reduce the fat. But whose fat are you going to cut and are you going to cut so deep and indiscriminately that you are going to cut into the bone?
Reorganization and streamlining government services is not an easy task on the state level much less the national level.
The largest portion of federal spending is mandatory. This includes Social Security, (the largest), Medicare and Medicaid, veteran benefits, and unemployment insurance. So where are the cuts coming?
Elon Musk and his DOGE forces are running around like a bull in a China shop, breaking everything without paying attention to their importance or worth.
For instance, they are already beginning the cutback process at NOAA, the parent organization of the National Weather Service. Outside of the defense department and FEMA, if there is one agency that doesn’t need any reduction in funds or personnel, it is the already short-staffed field offices of the NWS.
Draconian cuts in meteorologists and cutting-edge forecasting equipment will cost lives. There are already dozens of weather radar gaps across the country, including one here in West Alabama. This comes at a time when climate change is resulting in bigger, stronger, more frequent and deadly storms.
Other cutbacks, if not complete elimination, are coming at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The vast majority of FEMA’s workers are not full-time, they are response only personnel who are paid only when an event takes place.
Preparation for and response to a disaster cannot be paid for solely by the states. It would bankrupt states like Alabama.
There are about 14,000 air traffic controllers right now. These are highly skilled workers who keep planes from crashing into one another on the runway or in the air. There is already a shortage, further cuts may have me taking the train more often.
There are many other government programs where unthinking cuts will have long lasting consequences and could cost Republicans congressional control in a couple of years.
It is understandable that President Trump is trying to deliver on his campaign promise of reducing the size and cost of the federal government as fast as possible. But for it to be effective and not devastating, it needs to be done with the skill of a surgeon and not a butcher.
(Opinions expressed in Morning Observations are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the ownership, management, staff or sponsors of Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa.)
Weather:
Spring-like conditions are expected through the coming weekend with slight chances for scattered showers toward the second half of the week.
As a heads up, some computer models are forecasting a potential for a severe weather risk across the South next week. However, it is still way too early for there to be much accuracy at this point. But remember, the Primary Severe Weather Season begins Saturday and runs through the end of May.
The Forecast:
Eutaw City Council members on a 5-1 vote have approved a $1,000 per month raise. Council salaries will move from $600 to $1,600 per month in a city and county that is struggling financially.
Eutaw Mayor Latasha Johnson vehemently opposed the raise claiming it will require the mayor to lay people off in order for the city to be able to afford the raise. The raise will go into effect with the new council next year.
Rep. Terri Sewell Issues Warning About Trump Budget Cuts
West Alabama Democrat Congresswoman Terri Sewell claims Tuscaloosa’s Maude Whatley Health Center, a healthcare provider that serves roughly 60 thousand patients in West Alabama, could be at the top of the list of healthcare organizations impacted by Trump Administration budget cuts.
Sewell, speaking during her “Congress in Your Community” tour stop in Tuscaloosa, cautioned, "You know the common theme throughout today has been that very vital services that vulnerable communities right here in Tuscaloosa rely on, are being cut by this administration and we simply cannot sit back and do nothing,"
Sewell identified Head Start, Meals on Wheels, and Medicaid as some of the critical programs at risk.
Environment Activist Groups Petition Mayo Maddox Over Sewer Spills
The Black Warrior River Keeper and Friends of Hurricane Creek have placed a petition on ActionNetwork.org telling Mayor Walt Maddox to, "stop Tuscaloosa's Chronic Sewage spills."
The petition states, "The city of Tuscaloosa’s sewage system chronically overflows harmful sewage and industrial wastewater into yards, roadways, creeks, and the Black Warrior River. For decades, the city of Tuscaloosa has allowed its sewer system to fall into disrepair. Broken and leaky components create system failures and unpermitted raw sewage overflows, which threaten public health."
In October, after being sued by ADEM over spills, Maddox defended the city, which he said treats more than 6 billion gallons of sewage each year. He said though the city has experienced and reported overflows spilling more than 40 million gallons of wastewater in the last five years, that still represents a near-perfect success rate.
Read More: Help Stop Tuscaloosa’s Chronic Sewage Spills
Search for Originator of Email Threat to Walker County Schools Continue
Local, state and federal authorities are working to find the originator of an email threat yesterday that locked down Jasper High School and Walker County Schools. A large law enforcement presence was seen at the schools Monday. Authorities say they have ramped up school security.
Hooters Planning to File for Bankruptcy
Hooters, which has a restaurant in Tuscaloosa, is likely preparing to file for bankruptcy, according to a new report from Bloomberg. It has been reported that Hooters has been struggling to pay its bills for a while, and in 2024 took about four times longer to pay its vendors than the average restaurant chain.
The chain has already closed 40 seriously underperforming stores across the country.
Another Gas Station Shooting in Tuscaloosa
A teenager has been arrested in yet another gas station shooting in Tuscaloosa. This one late yesterday morning at the Shell gas station at 3112 Greensboro Avenue. The victim was transported by a private vehicle to DCH where they were treated for a gunshot wound.
Jason Martez Curry-Benson, age 19, has been charged with Attempted Murder and Discharging into an Occupied Building.
Read More: Teenager Arrested for Monday Morning Shooting at Tuscaloosa Shell Station
Wes Allen Supports Repeal of Corporate Transparency Act
Tuscaloosa native and current Secretary of State Wes Allen has joined 19 other conservative secretaries of state in signing a joint letter to repeal the Biden Administration passed Corporate Transparency Act.
Allen, who announced a run for Lt. Gov. recently, wrote, “The requirements of the CTA punish legitimate small business owners and allow bad actors to slip through loopholes unscathed. Hardworking men and women across Alabama and the country have been unnecessarily burdened in their pursuit of the American Dream for too long. This is no way to encourage growth of the business community or the wellbeing of our economy. I, along with 19 other Secretaries of State, am fighting for this to end now.”
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville introduced the “Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act,” which he claims will protect small business owners from its confusing and burdensome requirements.
Topping Sports News:
Bama Men Face Much Improved State Team Tonight
The #6 Crimson Tide (22-5 overall, 11-3 SEC) Men's Basketball team hosts #24 Mississippi State (19-8 overall, 7-7 SEC) tonight at Coleman Coliseum. They will face a Bulldog team much improved from the one they struggled to beat 88-84 in January at Starkville.
In the last Alabama-Mississippi State matchup (Jan. 29) Josh Hubbard scored a career-high 38 point. That prompted Bama Coach Nate Oats to tell reporters his team needs to quit letting opponents score career highs.
Alabama leads the series 136-78
The game will be televised on ESPN2 and on the radio from the Crimson Tide Sports Network (95.3 The Bear, Tide 100.9, 1230AM WTBC).
Tide Wins but Losses Ground in Polls
The Bama Men’s basketball Team beat Kentucky Saturday but dropped out of the top five this week. The Tide is 6th in both polls.
AP Poll (SEC Teams Highlighted)
1 - Auburn
2 - Duke
3 - Florida
4 - Houston
5 - Tennessee
6 - Alabama
7 - St. John's
8 - Michigan State
9 - Iowa State
10 - Texas Tech
11 - Wisconsin
12 - Texas A&M
13 - Clemson
14 - Missouri
15 - Michigan
16 - Maryland
17 - Kentucky
18 - Memphis
19 - Louisville
20 - Purdue+
21 - Marquette
22 - Arizona
23 - Sant Mary's
24 - Mississippi State
25 - BYU
Other teams receiving votes include:
Creighton
Ole Miss
Kansas
New Mexico
VCU
Oregon
UCLA
Drake
UC San Diego
Gonzaga
High Point
Illinois
Vanderbilt
Utah St.
Yale
USA Today/Coaches Poll
1 - Auburn
2 - Duke
3 - Florida
4 - Houston
5 - Tennessee
6 - Alabama
7 - St. John's
8 - Michigan State
9 - Iowa State
10 - Texas Tech
11 - Texas A&M
12 - Wisconsin
13 - Michigan
14 - Clemson
15 - Maryland
16 - Missouri
17 - Louisville
18 - Memphis
19 - Purdue
20 - Saint Mary's
21 - Arizona
22 - Marquette
23 - Kentucky
24 - Mississippi State
25 - Creighton
Click TuscaloosaThread.com for the latest West Alabama news, sports and weather. Better yet, download the app.
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