WEST ALABAMA WEDNESDAY BRIEFING
It is "Hump Day", Wednesday, July 12, 2023, and it is National Pecan Pie Day! Pecan Pie, a sweet staple of the south! There are claims of the pie being made in the early 1800s in Louisiana but one of the earliest printed recipes for a pecan pie didn't appear until 1897 in the Lady’s Home Journal.
Better Homes and Gardens lists pecan pies as the favorite in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee and North Carolina, but not Alabama. Here, key lime pie tops the list as it does in Florida and South Carolina.
A nice start to the day will morph into possible showers and thunderstorms this afternoon across West Alabama, mainly this afternoon and early evening. Highs today will be in the upper 80s and lower 90s with lows in the lower 70s.
Topping the News:
Tuscaloosa City Council President Kip Tyner is apologizing on social media for being tardy returning phone calls, text messages and email. The longtime 5th District council representative writes he was just released from DCHRMC with what turned out to be a kidney stone. Many can relate with the excruciating pain he says he suffered.
9-month-old Harlow Darby Freeman was checked out by doctors yesterday and spent the night with her parents after being kidnapped in Walker County when the car she was in was stolen Monday night. That car was found yesterday with the child still inside. Now, some are wondering why it took so long for an Amber Alert to be issued. ALEA Sgt. Jeremy Burkett explains accurate information must be obtained first. There have been no arrests in the case.
Convenience stores and gas stations in Mississippi are profiting big time from West Alabama residents crossing the state line to purchase Powerball lottery tickets. There were no winners again Monday night, so the jackpot is up to $725 million. Tonight’s drawing is at 9:59 on the Powerball website.
West Alabama Democrat Congresswoman Terri Sewell is calling the furor created by Alabama Republican U-S Senator Tommy Tuberville’s refusal to classify White Nationalists as racist, disappointing and unacceptable. Tuberville has since admitted the group is racist but not until after days of refusing to do so on numerous national news programs.
Cottondale State Sen. Gerald Allen is taking heat from Pickens County residents who blame him for not supporting legislative funding for reopening the Pickens County Medical Center. During an hour-long town hall in Carrollton yesterday, Allen and other leaders faced an angry crowd who blames the legislature for residents dying because they have to be transported to Tuscaloosa or Columbus, MS. Allen says funding the hospital will be brought up again next legislative session.
Because so many rural hospitals, like Pickens County Medical Center, have closed, critics claim a proposed new rule from the Alabama Department of Public Health will increase infant mortality. That rule impacts midwife birth centers, they are not hospitals, and according to ADPH they must contract with a hospital within 30 minutes to operate. Critics claim the rule will increase the already high infant mortality rate in West Alabama because some of the midwife birthing centers are more than 30 minutes away from a hospital.
The public has until August 4th to comment on the proposed rule changes.
With the new school year less than a month away, the Tuscaloosa County School Board has named County High Assistant Principal Danny Jones as the new principal at Sipsey Valley High School in Buhl.
Ashlee Woods is making history at the University of Alabama as the first black woman to become editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, Crimson White. Woods is a junior from Delaware and is majoring in news media.
In Sports:
Three nights of rodeo fun will take place at the Ray C. Jenkins Arena in Tuscaloosa over the next few days. Returning for its 15th annual run, the Sokol Park Pro Rodeo will begin tomorrow and run through the 15th.
Doors will open to the public each night at 5:30 p.m. Mutton Bustin' (sheep riding for young performers) will be at 7 p.m., with the main event starting at 7:30 p.m.
Admission is $20 for adults, $15 for children 6-12, and free for children five and under. Family night on Thursday will have prices reduced by $5 for children and adults.
The National League edged the American League 3-2 in last night’s MLB All-Star Game in Seattle. It is the senior circuits 1st win in 9 years and give the national league home field advantage in the World Series.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!!
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