West Alabama Wednesday Briefing
It is Wednesday December 6, 2023. The weather for all the activities from the GOP Presidential Debate to the Bama Women's Basketball later this morning to the AHSAA Super 7 High School Championship Finals will be perfect. That is good because the weather this weekend will be lousy.
Seasonal temperatures and mostly sunny to sunny skies will rule the day until Friday night. That is when a small chance for showers will move in overnight. That will be the beginning of a rainy and stormy weekend across West Alabama with rain chances through Sunday.
The is severe weather potential for the area along with strong to severe thunderstorms Saturday and Saturday night. Isolated damaging winds up to 60 mph and a brief tornado will be possible.
The Forecast:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 54. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 29. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 66. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54.
Saturday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Saturday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 52. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then a slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 57. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Topping the News:
We are just hours away from local and state history as Tuscaloosa hosts the Republican Presidential Debate at 7:00 tonight on the UA Campus. Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Christie will take the stage at the Moody Music Building. Inflation and the economy are expected to be the main issues debated and Tuscaloosa County GOP Chair Quinn Roe told News Nation those issues be central throughout the election. The southern border, immigration, crime and education.
The front runner for the nomination, former President Donald Trump will not be in attendance.
News nation will televise the debate.
The area surrounding the site of the GOP debate at Moody Music Building has been locked down for security. Motorists are urged to use Campus Drive off Warner Parkway to access the eastern area of campus.
Alabama GOP U-S Senator Tommy Tuberville’s months long hold on senior military leadership promotions in a battle over Pentagon abortion policy is over. Tuberville ended the block yesterday after considerable pressure was applied by both parties. Tuberville admitted to reporters that his blockage did not have the effect he had hoped.
A two-month investigation by the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force has led to the arrest of 24-year-old Efon Guiseppe Carter, a convicted sex offender from California. He is accused of communicating with a minor in Tuscaloosa. He was arrest in LA and will be extradited to Tuscaloosa. Further charges are pending.
34-year-old Robert Scott Evans allegedly invaded a home on Harmony Lane in north Tuscaloosa sometime last Friday, December 1st. Police said the house belonged to a woman they called Evans' who was soon-to-be an ex-wife.
After the break-in Evan's, is reported to have killed a dog there and then shot another man.
Evans' presence reportedly violated a restraining order the woman was granted earlier this year. Evans has been charged with a series of felonies.
Columbus MS City Councilman Pierre Beard apologized for his weekend arrest in Pickens County. Beard was stopped due a vehicle tag problem when officers found marijuana and paraphernalia along with illegal alcohol. Beard has a history of run-ins with police, all misdemeanor charges.
The woman struck while walking in the middle of McFarland Blvd. earlier this week has been identified as 56-year-old Janithy Ann Campbell, a Tuscaloosa resident. Officers initially thought a second vehicle struck the woman and kept driving but said Tuesday they no longer believe that to be the case. The case is still under investigation.
Anger has spread through Pickens County after a viral video that shows a handcuffed 24-year-old Black male Micah Washington being tased by a white female officer this past weekend. Protests have taken place, and more are planned.
Washington is charged with obstructing governmental operations, resisting arrest, marijuana possession, being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm and drug trafficking.
The unnamed officer is on administrative leave while the investigation was ongoing.
Tuscaloosa's Shelton State Community has again increased its student body size. According to figures released by the school, there are no more than 4,500 students enrolled for fall classes. That is a just above 8% increase above last fall.
In Sports:
The AHSAA Super 7 High School Football Championships begin tonight at Bryant-Denny. Tonight's 7A title game matches Thompson and Centra-Phenix City at 7pm.
Click here for the entire Super 7 Brackets.
Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban is a finalist for the Coach Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. He is currently in 3rd place, well behind FSU Coach Mike Norvell and James Madison’s Curt Cignetti for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award. Fans can vote for the Bryant recipient by going to the Bryant Awards website.
Due to the GOP Presidential Debate tonight, the University of Alabama Women’s Basketball game with Coastal Carolina will be played at 11:30 this morning. The SEC-Plus Network will carry the game.
Have a wonderful Wednesday and don't forget to cast your vote for Bama's Nick Saban at the Bryant Award website!
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