West Alabama Valentine's Briefing

Good morning West Alabama! It is Friday, February 14, 2025, Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day Morning Observations:

It is the 'Day of Love', Valentine's Day. You love it especially if you sell flowers, greeting cards, own a restaurant, make candy or sell jewelry.

St Valentine's Day is the annual festival to celebrate romantic love, friendship and admiration and to collectively spend a record-breaking $27.5 billion to say, "I love you", according to the National Retail Federation.

Here is the federations breakdown on sales for this Valentine's Day:

Jewelry, $6.5 billion
Dinner Out, $5.4 billion
Flowers, $2.9 billion
Candy, $2.5 billion
Greeting Cards, $1.4 billion

All of the above adds up to an average of $188.81 per person, up significantly from last year.

As the late comedian Henny Youngman used to say, “You can’t buy love, but you can pay heavily for it.” Love may be free, but it isn't cheap.

On this day of love it might serve well to remember a quote from author Carroll Bryant, "Love is a two-way street constantly under construction."

Happy Valentine's Day!

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

Weather:

A cold start to Valentine's Day will become mostly sunny with daytime high temperatures in the lower to middle 60s. But it is tomorrow night that everyone should pay attention to.

A warmup into the lower 70s during the day Saturday will portend potential for an Enhanced (3 in 5) Risk for severe weather tomorrow night. A squall line with strong to severe thunderstorms and embedded tornados will be possible between 9:00 and 11:00pm across West Alabama.

Be sure to have a way to receive possible watches and warnings during the overnight hours.

The Forecast:

Today

Sunny, with a high near 60. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

A 50 percent chance of rain after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Any new precipitation amounts will be less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday

A chance of rain before noon, then a chance of showers after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 72. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday Night

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 49. South wind around 15 mph becoming west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Sunday

Partly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 47 by 5pm. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Next Week

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Topping the News:

Former Walker County Jailer Changes Plea

Former Walker County Jailer Benjamin Shoemaker was arraigned in Birmingham Federal Court yesterday and changed his plea to not guilty. He had agreed to charges of conspiracy and depravation of rights in the medical neglect and hypothermia death of inmate Tony Mitchell. He now says he was not directly involved in welfare decisions. Shoemaker is also accused of assaulting two other inmates. He remains free on a $5,000 unsecured bond.

Shelton State Celebrates Area Impact

Shelton State Community College is celebrating recent data that demonstrates just how valuable they are to west Alabama, with an estimated economic impact exceeding $300 million. Selton also published a fact sheet highlighting key metrics, showing that for every dollar spent at Shelton State, students can expect a return of more than $4 in future earnings.

State Grant to Improve Tuscaloosa Industrial Park

Tuscaloosa County and Fayette County will receive two of 29 grants from the Alabama Industrial Development Authority to accelerate development of industry-ready sites statewide. $296,000 will benefit the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Park, along with a local match of the same amount. Fayette County will also receive a portion of the SEEDS grant funding.

Trump NIH Cuts Could Harm University of Alabama

President Trump's ordered cuts to the National Institutes of Health could cost the University of Alabama $2.85 million annually.

UA received $13.6 million in NIH grant funding in FY 24, up from $9.8 million in FY 23.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the cuts.

Legislative Action Wrap-up

A bill before the Alabama House would require all law enforcement agencies in the state to reveal how many sworn officers they employ. Updated reports would then be required annually.
If you head to Alabama’s beaches this summer, you might be swimming in the Gulf of America. That is if a bill introduced in the Alabama legislature passes. The bill that mirrors President Trump’s proposal would go into effect July 1^st.
Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill defining terms like male, female, and sex in state law. Before being passed in the Alabama House of Representatives Wednesday, lawmakers were limited to 10 minutes of debate on the controversial piece of legislation, which some view as anti-transgender.
The Senate considered measures for law enforcement to verify the immigration status of those in custody using DNA and fingerprint analysis, as well as a move that would invalidate a driver’s license issued without proof of lawful legal status.
The Senate also altered SB53, which would ban transportation of immigrants without status into Alabama. The bill was amended to take out the crime of concealing, and there were provisions added to the crime of human smuggling to avoid “unintended consequences.”
HB231, is a state constitutional amendment that would appear on ballots in a future election. It would require schools to start their day with the Pledge of Allegiance and a Judeo-Christian prayer. Schools found in violation could have millions withheld.

Greene County Water Board Stipend Still Pending

The Greene County Water and Sewer Authority Board receives a yearly stipend of $250.00, but now they are asking for a $400 monthly stipend. Board Chair, William Morgan, believes the increase would attract better qualified, college educated individuals to serve.

The proposed increase has met opposition from some county commissioners and members of the general public.

Topping Sports News:

Saturday is the Most Important Basketball Day Ever in T-Town and State

Basketball is a big deal in Alabama now. Tomorrow is a battle of #1s at Coleman Coliseum. Bama is #1 in the Coaches Poll while Auburn is #1 in the AP Poll. Each team is #2 in those polls this week.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl told media he is excited because the game will have implications as to who will win the SEC regular season and be a tournament #1 seed.

Adding to the rivalry game is the presence of Tide Star Aiden Holloway who transferred to Tuscaloosa from the Plains.

ESPN GameDay will be at Coleman at 10 tomorrow morning with game tipoff at 4.

Opening Weekend for Alabama Baseball

The 2025 Alabama baseball Team opens the season with a three-game set against Bradley this weekend. Game One is 4:00 this afternoon at The Joe. Game Two and Three at scheduled for 1:00pm Saturday and Sunday. (Weather could impact game times or cause delays Saturday).

Probable Friday starters are LHP Zane Adams (UA) vs. RHP Travis Lutz (BU).

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Tide Softball Has Five Games in Clearwater This Weekend

No. 14/12 Alabama softball plays five games at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex this weekend at the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational presented by EvoShield.

Below is the weekend schedule: