West Alabama Tuesday Briefing
It is Tuesday May 7, 2024. It is National Teachers Day as part of National Teachers Appreciation Week!
This is a time to thank teachers for the tough job they have in educating America's children. The often thankless and low paying career is drawing less interest from young people entering college these days largely because of unruly youth, non-supportive parents, political meddling and lack of administrative support in some school systems.
While there are problem teachers, as there are problem employees in all professions, teaching is a calling. By-in-large these women and men chose the classroom because they are called to educate our future generations. The future of our nation depends on the job they do.
The 81st Congress declared a National Teacher Day for 1953 at former 1st Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s urging. The holiday didn’t catch on right away, though. In 1980, Congress declared March 7 National Teacher Day, but it was only for that year. It wasn’t until 1985 that the National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week in the first full week of May, with Teacher Appreciation Day held on Tuesday of that week.
Thank you, teachers, our future depends on you!
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There will be some unsettled weather over the next couple of days. Click here for the latest.
The Forecast:
Another step is expected to be take tonight in an effort make the old Mcfarland Mall site useful again. A resolution will be considered by the Tuscaloosa City Council tonight that will authorize Mayor Maddox to execute a development agreement to provide economic assistance for developer Stan Pates proposed Encore mixed-use facility. The agreement will provide tax abatements but no upfront money from the city for the project on the old McFarland Blvd. property.
A complaint by the United Auto Workers Union to the German government is being investigated in advance of next week's union vote. UAW alleges union busting activates by Mercedes Benz have taken place at its Vance plant as the UAW attempts to organize foreign owned southern auto plants.
The union backing Biden Administration and European Union are looking into union claims that Mercedes fired activists and conducted mandatory anti-union meetings.
A Mercedes employee union vote will be conducted by the union friendly National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) beginning Monday.
There were mass shootings in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville this past weekend. The recent jump in large scale, often indiscriminate shootings have many deeply concerned about public safety.
Several of these shooting have taken place at gas stations and other public settings leading an increasing number of citizens questioning what is being done to counter the growing problem.
Tuscaloosa resident Tre Lanier told news partner ABC3340 holding meeting after meeting has produced no plan of action. Other residents point out the ready availability of guns don’t mesh with uncontrolled tempers and a lawless attitude among many youths.
According to court documents, former West Blocton Police Officer Jerry Douglas Cannon Jr. has been charged with misuse of confidential information and use of his position for personal gain.
Authorities said Cannon admitted to showing "highly confidential information from the digital detective system dispatch center and to alerting people of general public and/or suspects."
The old Tuscaloosa County Jail opened in 1995 and is now being demolished to make way for a new one. That new facility will be state-of-the-art. It will also house a medical and psychiatric wing. The new jail will take some two years to construct.
Prisoners are currently being housed in a temporary secure facility located across from the old jail site.
With days heating up as we move toward summer, Northport Fire/Rescue is beginning a new “Look Before You Lock” campaign. The goal is to remind parents to make sure they do not leave their children in a dangerous hot car. The campaign is in conjunction with Safe Kids Tuscaloosa.
One of the biggest controversies of this year’s legislative session is a bill that would repeal and replace Alabama's ethics code for public employees and officials. Some say it is loosening ethics, others claim it is tightening loopholes. Jasper Senator Greg Reed told reporters legislators who are also lawyers are working on the bill.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshal and the Alabama Ethics Commission oppose the legislation.
Topping Sports News:
Former Alabama Football Star and later Athletics Director Cecil "Hootie" Ingram has passed away. Ingram was a a multiple sports star at Tuscaloosa High, a defensive back at Alabama from 1952 to 1954. He was named All-SEC during the 1952 season.
Ingram played one season with the Philadelphia Eagles before beginning a high school coaching career in Florida, then Brookwood and Tuscaloosa County Highs locally.
Ingram moved up to the college coaching ranks at Wake Forest, VPI, Georgia, and Arkansas. In 1970, he became the head coach of the Clemson Tigers until 1972.
He was the AD at Florida State from 1981 until 1989 when he became the Alabama AD for the next six years.
In 1991, Ingram was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and in 1999, he was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame.
Cecil "Hootie" Ingram was 90 years old. Funeral services are set for Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, with visitation from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
The Alabama Baseball Team plays its last mid-week game of the season on the road tonight. The 25th-ranked Tide travels to Troy to take on the 21st ranked Trojans at 6:00. The game can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network and seen on ESPN+.
On3's way-too-early college basketball top 25 poll is out, and it should be interesting to Alabama Basketball fans. The online site has Alabama ranked #1 followed by Kansas, Houston, two-time defending national champion UConn and No. 5 Baylor. Duke, Iowa State, Gonzaga, Auburn and Creighton round out On3's top 10.
The new look Crimson Tide is expected to be better than this past season's final four squad with significant new additions, not the least of which is 6-foot-11-inch former Rutgers centers Clifford Omoruyi.
Who would ever have thought there would be two SEC teams ranked in a top ten and they would be Bama and Auburn and not Kentucky and Tennessee?
Have a terrific Tuesday and watch out for the weather!