WEST ALABAMA WEDNESDAY BRIEFING
Topping the News:
The Tuscaloosa City Council has unanimously approved a $10,000 dollar retention bonus for Tuscaloosa Police who stay with the department for the next two years. Council President Kip Tyner proposed an amendment for program oversight with representatives from several city committees. If officers decide to leave the force early, they will have to pay back the bonus.
More than 150 emergency managers, elected officials and stakeholder organization representatives are in town today for a “Preparedness for Resilience” Summit. State EMA Director Jeff Smitherman describes disaster resilience as a whole community approach to being able to handle a significant event and to recovery from a disaster. The one-day event is at the Bryant Conference Center.
Deposition papers filed in Marengo County reveal the arrest of a Tuscaloosa woman and a man identified as being from West Alabama. They are charged with felony corpse abuse after attempting to dispose of a deceased newborn at several funeral homes in the region. The baby was born in the Tuscaloosa County portion of Moundville, but the couple gave conflicting accounts about what happened.
Austin Patrick Hall, the man accused of shooting Bibb County Sheriff Deputy Brad Johnson to death and wounding Deputy Chris Poole has pleaded innocent of all charges filed against him in the July of 2022 incident in eastern Bibb County. Hall has a long violent criminal record. A massive 24-hour manhunt captured Hall not far from the shooting scene.
West Alabama Democrat Congresswoman Terri Sewell is criticizing President Biden’s decision to not move the U-S Space Command from Colorado to Huntsville. In a written statement she accused him of bowing to the whims of politics over merit. Numerous federal agencies selected Huntsville’s Rocket City as the best choice because of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and aerospace industries.
A 30yo man is recovering from non-life-threatening wounds after he called TPD yesterday and told them he had been shot from a passing car on I20/59 near the Mercedes Plant. The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit is investigating.
School bells will begin ringing across West Alabama next week. Fayette County Schools will be among the first to begin classes on Monday. Jasper, Greene County, Marengo County and Bibb County begin Tuesday. Tuscaloosa City and County Schools, Hale County, Pickens County, Walker County begin a week from today. Linden public schools do not return to class until September 7th.
In Sports:
There are just 24 days remaining before the first college football game of the 2023 season.
The Crimson Tide Football Team officially reports back to campus today to begin preparation for the upcoming season. Players will undergo physicals today and begin practice tomorrow for the September 2nd opener against Middle Tennessee.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!!
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