WEST ALABAMA TUESDAY BRIEFING
Tuesday, July 18, 2023, will be a scorcher with thermometer temperatures in the mid and upper 90s and a heat Index around 102 to 103 degrees. That is just below the 105-degree heat index criteria the National Weather Service uses to issue a Heat Advisory.
Tomorrow and Thursday, expect an advisory to be issued as heat indices are expected to top that 105-degree criteria.
Today: Partly cloudy Highs will range from the low to mid-90s. Tonight: Cloudy with lows in the mid-70s.
Topping the News:
Day two of work to redraw Alabama’s Congressional District Map is underway in Montgomery. Lawmakers from both houses of the state legislature have been presented with several options. But they must make a final decision by Friday. That is the deadline given by the U- Supreme Court to produce a map with two minority majority districts.
Walker County is seeing the largest investment in the county in history. The county commission has approved tax and sale abatement for a half-billion-dollar solar farm. It will be developed on 2,500 acres of land that was once strip mined for coal. Once constructed, energy from the solar farm will be sold to Alabama Power Company. The project is expected to earn more than $20 million in profits for schools in the first 20 years.
In its first year of operation, the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Hotline received more than 45,000 calls across the state of Alabama. Operation director Emily Roebuck tells news partner ABC3340 the problem is a shortage of staff is causing some calls to be rerouted out of state. Currently Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile are the only 9-8-8 call centers in the entire state but centers for Tuscaloosa and Dothan have been funded by the legislature.
Jasper Police have identified the person whose body was found in Jasper. The JPD said the body of 24-year-old Brandon Marquez Porter was found in a wooded area near the 1100 block of Highway 78 W on Sunday, July 9. Police said Porter's body was taken to the Department of Forensic Science in Huntsville for examination.
A public hearing this morning is bringing leaders in business and education together with the public together to discuss the Tuscaloosa Zone Pilot Program. The program is aimed at isolating a certain neighborhood, finding out about the needs of residents and help them address obstacles to resolving those needs. The hearing is at 9:00 at Tuscaloosa River Market.
In Sports:
SEC Media Days continue in Nashville today. Coaches highlighted today are Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Mississippi State’s Zach Arnett and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea. The Tide’s Nick Saban will be first up tomorrow morning.
Have a terrific Tuesday and stay hydrated!
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