West Alabama Monday Briefing
Good morning West Alabama!! It is Monday, April 7, 2025. This is the 97th day of the year with 268 remaining.
Monday Morning Observations:
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." Most of us heard that rhyme from a parent or grandparent while growing up as a defense against name-calling and verbal bullying. It carries a simple defensive sentiment, but it is not always true.
Words can be impactful in a person's life; they can hurt, or uplift and they can stick with you, in some cases the rest of your life.
On the positive side, words can inspire a person to a better life, to being a better person. On the downside, words (usually in the form of bullying) can permanently damage a person's self-confidence and view of themselves.
Yes, words do matter and nowhere more so nowadays than on social media. Name calling and threats run rampant, and it is having a negative impact on society. Mental health issues from the use of negative words are rising at a frightfully rapid rate.
Political leaders, sports figures and Hollywood celebrities use obscenities that once would be a career ender, with ease. Name calling and demeaning people by political leaders and national media, instead of raising a red flag, has become the norm.
Words can inspire or inflame an entire nation. They can turn people against each other or unite.
No period in world history documents the power of words more than the years prior to World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to calm the panic spreading across the U.S. during the "Great Depression". To do that he harnessed the power of the verbal medium - radio. In a series of calm and positive "Fireside Chats" FDR eased tensions and kept the nation from spiraling into socialism, communism or fascism as a result of fear.
On the other side of the Atlantic Adolph Hitler also realized the power of radio as he used inflammatory rhetoric to turn citizens of the most educated nation in the world into a nation of hate filled monsters willing to do Hitler's biding. The Fuhrer used powerful words to turn a society with the most advanced degrees of any country in the world, at that time, into a savage nation willing to commit, or overlook, the Holocaust.
What you say and how you say it impacts how you connect with others (children and adults), build relationships, and gain positive outcomes. Words can build community or escalate tensions. Words can empower people or diminish them.
Often people use derogatory words to prop up their own self-confidence. If you're experiencing harmful, negative words, remember that it's not your fault.
Weather:
Record breaking high temperatures are giving way to a brief reprise of winter this week. By the early morning hours of Wednesday, a light frost is possible from Tuscaloosa northward according to the National Weather Service in Birmingham. Low lying normally colder spots could see a freeze.
According to ABC3340 Weather Watchers, locations across West Alabama either topped or were close to record rainfall for April 6.
Here are some of the rainfall amounts recorded Sunday:
- Mobile 6.51
- Carbon Hill 5.77
- Coaling 5.04
- Tuscaloosa (Five Points) 4.95
- Montgomery 3.56
- Birmingham (Oxmoor Valley) 3.46
- Tuscaloosa (Airport) 3.33 (Record amount for April 6th)
Temperatures begin a slow warming over the latter half of the week and a chance for showers and thunderstorms return early Thursday morning.
The Forecast:
News:
88-Year-Old Northport Man Still Missing
Lake Lurleen State Park Undergoing Renovation
Tuition Increases at All UA System Campuses
Alabama Impacted by Weekend Weather
River Flood Warnings Across West Alabama
Due to the heavy weekend rainfall, River Flood Warnings remain up for area tributaries. West Alabama rivers impact are as follows:
- Locust Fork At Sayre affecting Walker, Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties,
- The Tombigbee River at Bevill Lock and Dam affecting Greene, Pickens and Sumter Counties, and
- The Cahaba River at Centreville affecting Perry, Bibb and Dallas Counties. Water levels should recede by midweek.
Most rivers and streams are expected to recede by midweek.
Fayette County Gets Rain Damage
Fayette County Schools operated on a two-hour delay this morning due to road conditions left by heavy weekend rainfall. At least two roads in the county were washed out by the torrential rain.
The National Weather Service in Birmingham reports some areas of the county received up to five inches of rainfall.
That weight of that heavy rain is suspected as the cause of an awning at a Shell Station in Fayette to collapse.
Alabama's U.S. Senators Support Tele-Health Legislation
Alabama U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt have joined a bi-partisan effort to expand access to tele-health services. The legislation would expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make permanent COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities, improve health outcomes, and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors.
In address on the senate floor, Britt pointed out the nation’s mental health crisis is not a partisan issue, and it must be dealt with by both parties.
Recently, Alabama was ranked among the worst states in the nation for access to mental health care.
Scams and Frauds Center of Conference Concern
Scams and frauds are becoming more numerous, and too many people are falling for them. That is the theme of a summit hosted by the West Alabama Agency on Aging.
It is not just the elderly that are falling prey to crooks, a growing number of young people are too. But it is the older generation that more frequently are scammed according to experts at the summit.
44% of those 20 to 29 have reported being scammed out of money. While 24% of those 70-79 report being scammed, the dollar amount they have lost has been over $1500 more than the amount reported by younger people.
Experts say young people are too trusting online while older generations buy into fraud where someone pretends to be in authority.
Click Tuscaloosa Therad.com for the latest West Alabama news, sports and weather. Better yet, download the app.
Sports:
Bama Gymnastics Rally to Make NCAA Semi-finals
With a 197.675 score the Alabama Gymnastics Team came from behind in the NCAA Regionals at Coleman Coliseum Sunday to punch its second consecutive ticket to the NCAA Championships Semifinals at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX on April 17-19.
The Florida Gators edged the Tide with a 197.700 and will also advance to the national semifinals. Cal finished third (197.575), while Oregon State took fourth (196.875) to round out the regional final.
With the top two regional finish, Alabama will head to the NCAA Championships Semifinals for the 40th time in program history.
Auburn Dominates Alabama in Baseball to Win Two of Three in Weekend Series
After being blasted 10-0 in Friday's series opener, Alabama won game one of a Saturday double-header 6-5 but dropped the nightcap 7-5. The two loses dropped the Tide's overall record to 27-6 and conference mark to 7-7.
The Tide dropped from 8th to 12th in this week's D1Baseball.com Poll. Auburn moved up from 16th to 11th.
The Crimson Tide hosts 23rd ranked Southern Mississippi at 6:00 tomorrow night at "The Joe".
Read More: No.8 Alabama Drops Series Against No.16 Auburn in 7-5 Game Three Loss
SEC Dominates Baseball Poll
Six of the top ten teams in this week's D1Baseball Poll are from the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas is #1, followed by Texas and LSU at #2 and #3. Defending national champion Tennessee is #5 followed by #6 Ole Miss and #7 Georgia.
After winning the weekend series from Alabama, Auburn jumped the Tide to 11th while Alabama fell to 12th. 17th ranked Vanderbilt and 19th ranked Oklahoma are the only other SEC ranked teams this week.
Troy is rated 20th in this week's poll.
Bama Softball Ends Road Trip with Win Over LSU
Alabama (28-15, 5-7 SEC) beat LSU (34-5, 8-4 SEC) 8-5 in Baton Rouge Sunday afternoon. The win avoided the Tide from being swept in a series since April 25-27, 2013 at LSU.
The Crimson Tide has the midweek off before hosting defending national champion and 2/3 ranked Oklahoma this coming weekend at the Rhodes House. Game times 3:00pm Saturday, 5:00pm Sunday and 6:00pm Monday. The Saturday game will be televised by ESPN2, Sunday and Monday contests will be on the SEC Network.
Click Tide100.9 for more of the latest sports news.
Have a magnificent Monday and stay warm!