Good morning West Alabama. It is Wednesday, January 22, 2025.

Wednesday Morning Observations: 

After a tremendous start to his second term as president, Donald J. Trump quickly made his first major mistake, giving a blanket pardon to some 1,500 January 6 rioters (600 of whom were found to have participated in violence). He called them "hostages" instead of what they are, criminals. That could not have made the families of true hostages in the Middle east happy.

His decision apparently caught his own team off guard. Comments in recent days apparently led most to believe he would not pardon anyone who had been violent that day four years ago.

"If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned," now Vice-President JD Vance said a little over a week ago.

Trump's nominee for Attorney General Pam Bondi even agreed with a Democratic senator who asked her to condemn the violence of that day.

"I do not agree with violence against any police officer," she said during confirmation hearings.

But Trump has a history of pulling the rug out from under his own staff, so I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that he pardoned rioters who physically assaulted and injured police officers, damaged and destroyed parts of the historic capital building, threatened to hang the vice president and attempted to halt the certification of the election.

"The overall consensus was that we would see a differentiation between those who committed violent acts and those who did not," Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a progressive not-for-profit group that opposed the pardons told CBS. But Trump let them all go.

Some Republican leaders voiced concern, but most chose to look the other way and tell reporters it is the president's prerogative.

It will now be interesting to see just how much Trump has damaged his support from law enforcement and other first responders. It will so be interesting to see if the move will embolden groups like the Proud Boys.

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


Weather:

With some spots in West Alabama beginning the day in the single digits, finally we will bump up to above freezing later today. But then we plunge into another hard freeze tonight with clear skies and lows in the teens and 20s.

The warmup will begin in earnest Thursday as daytime highs climb into the mid 40s

Down on the cost where residents are still dealing with 8" of snow, daytime highs will rise above freezing but overnight lows will remain well below until Sunday night.

Read More: Rare Southern Winter Storm Breaks Alabama Snow Record

The Forecast:

Today
Sunny, with a high near 38. Calm wind.

Tonight
Increasing clouds, with a low around 19. Calm wind.
Thursday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 46. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 21. Calm wind.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Friday Night

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Topping the News:

West Alabama Shivers While the Gulf Coast Digs Out
West Alabama woke up to temperatures in the teens and single digits this morning. Fortunately, the winter storm did as forecast and covered South Alabama and the Gulf Coast Beaches with up to 8" of snow.
There have numerous reports of water pipes busting across West Alabama but no travel issues.
Down south roads remain hazardous, and business/school closures continue. Some 3,500 power customers from Mobile County eastward to the Wire Grass Region remain without power this morning.

Sheriffs Meet to Discuss Issues and Strategy
58 out of Alabama's 67 sheriff's offices from across the state wrap up four days of meetings in Hoover today. Sheriffs and deputies have been discussing strategies and resources that can be used to keep each community safe.
One of the key issues discussed is the group's backing of a proposed bill in the coming legislative session that would ban Glock switches.
Training was also offered in sexual assault response, drone programs, threat assessments, human trafficking, drug trafficking, gang activity, missing persons, and 911 preparedness.


New Visit Tuscaloosa Online Portal

With Black History Month just days away, a new digital passport highlighting the Tuscaloosa civil rights history trail has been announced by Visit Tuscaloosa.
The digital passport tells the stories of Foster Auditorium, First African Baptist Church and 17 other locations in the city that played a key role in the fight for equal rights.
For information on how to access the digital passport visit: https://visittuscaloosa.com/civil-rights-trail-passport/ .
A second phase of the project is already in the works.


I 20/59 West Bound Completely Blocked in Greene County

A collision between two commercial vehicles has shut down the westbound lanes of I20/59 near Mile Marker 48. ALDOT, the Greene County Ambulance Service, Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue and more agencies are working the scene.
ALDOT ALGO Traffic Map shows the interstate closed from the accident site to just past Knoxville on the Greene/Tuscaloosa County line.

City of Tuscaloosa recognized

The City of Tuscaloosa has announced it will receive the 2025 Audrey Nelson Award from the National Community Development Association (NCDA). The presentation recognizes the city for its role in developing affordable housing at Springer Estates.
Springer Estates project was funded using grants, local funds, and land donated by the city. It is a development of single-family affordable housing, made possible through a collaboration between the City of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority to increase the number of quality affordable housing units for low- to moderate-income residents.
The award will be presented at the NCDA’s winter conference in February.



Topping Sports News:

Bama Drops the Anchor on Commodores
What a difference a week can make. During the last midweek game played at Coleman Coliseum the Alabama Men's Basketball Team was embarrassed by Ole Miss. After a weekend upset of Kentucky on the road the Tide returned home to face a Vanderbilt team that has just upset a powerhouse Tennessee team. The Tide took a 103-87 victory over Vanderbilt.

Milroe Getting Pittsburgh's Attention

Andrew Fillipponi covers the Pittsburgh Steelers for 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. He reported earlier today that the Steelers scouts "love" Milroe, and view him as a first-round talent and potential franchise quarterback.
That could make things interesting in the State of Pennsylvania because former Alabama QB Jalen Hurts evokes the same feelings from the Steeler's archrival, the Philadelphia Eagles,
Click TuscaloosaThread.com for the latest West Alabama news, sports and weather. Better yet, download the app
Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

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