Your Daily News Outlook

1) With a debilitating strike by union railroad employees and conductors looming, Amtrak is cancelling reservations for it "Crescent" service between New Orleans and New York.

An Amtrak statement confirms passengers on the Crescent and nine other trains will continue to run thru tomorrow. Amtrak is making the cancellations to keep passengers from being stranded if the nation’s railroads are shut down by the strike early Friday morning. A strike would hurt auto companies like Mercedes and lead to higher gas and goods prices as well as exacerbate the current supply chain shortages.

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2) Black Warrior Riverkeeper has sued Warrior Met Coal in federal court for discharging polluted wastewater from Mine No. 7 at locations that have not been permitted.

The unpermitted discharges from Mine No. 7’s Slurry Impoundment No. 14 flow into an unnamed tributary that eventually feeds into Texas Creek, a tributary of Davis Creek, which flows into the Black Warrior River at Holt Lake in Tuscaloosa County. Black Warrior Riverkeeper filed the lawsuit over the company’s failure to comply with the Clean Water Act and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.

3) Habitat for Humanity has updated the Kaulton Park Community about the recently approved 40-lot residential project under construction there.

Last night, Director Ellen Potts updated the Tuscaloosa City Council telling them several homes have already been completed and more are beginning construction. In his FY23 Budget, Mayor Maddox has proposed Tuscaloosa provide half the infrastructure cost. Habitat is asking the county to do the same.

4) The official flu season is still 2 weeks away but doctors across the state are already reporting patients coming down with the annual virus.

ADPH Dr. Wes Stubblefield is telling reporters all indications are that this will be a severe flu season. Currently, West Alabama is beginning to see instances of the flu but NE AL and East central Alabama are experiencing unusual early flu activity.