Good morning West Alabama! It is Wednesday, March 5, 2025, Ash Wednesday. This is the 64th day of the year with 301 days remaining.

Wednesday Morning Observations:

If you needed any more confirmation that this is a terribly divided nation all you had to do was watch President Trump's speech to congress last night. The evening was marked basically by Republicans and Democrats sticking their tongues out at each other. It was more like reality TV than political discourse as the president aggressively outlined his agenda.

Instead of offering an olive branch to Dems, Trump spent the 1-hour-40-minute speech taking potshots at and insulting them in a very partisan address. He is still angry at the way he was treated by Democrats when he was out of office and still wants to exact retribution.

Democrats, for their part, acted like spoiled brats holding up signs, some walking out and some, like Rep. Al Green (D-TX) having to be removed from the chamber after shouting at the president. (Green has already filed impeachment papers against Trump claiming war crimes in the Gaza Strip. He apparently forgot that the bulk of the fighting in Gaza and U.S. support for the Israeli incursion took place under Democrat Joe Biden).

When South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted "You lie" at President Obama during his 2009 State of the Union they wanted Wilson censured, so far there has been nothing but silence from them after Green's outburst last night.

The sullen Dems even refused to applaud for a young 13-year-old survivor of brain cancer who was made an honorary Secret Service Agent, they sat on their hands when a number of victims of a variety of crimes were introduced. they failed to welcome Marc Fogal who was released from Russia last month after being wrongly imprisoned and they didn't celebrate the appointment of a young man to the military academy.

For their part, cooler Democrat heads had advised their fellow party members not to act so immature. These were the Democrats that understand that American voters, many who actually don't like Trump, were sending a message to their party via the GOP landslide last November.  Most Americans are fed up with being told how bad they are by the 'holier than thou' Democrat party attitude.

Dems played into Trump's hands in November and continue to so today as he exacts revenge against the party that repeatedly hauled him into court.

What took place in the U.S. House Chamber more resembled the WWE than adult political discourse, on both sides. It might have been entertaining but it was not a good look for our nation.

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

Weather:

A Wind Advisory remains in effect for all of West and Central Alabama through 3:00pm today. Sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts up to 35 mph are likely. Secure loose objects and exercise caution if driving high-profile vehicles in crosswinds.

The rain of yesterday helped knock down some of the wildfire activity but there are still 11 wildfires statewide, 12 wildfires burning across West Alabama. Four fires in Tuscaloosa County are listed as contained.

The Forecast:

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• Bibb County: 938
• Fayette: 734
• Greene: 2,600
• Hale: 382
• Lamar: 1,578
• Marengo: 256
• Perry: 633
• Sumter: 167
• Tuscaloosa: 3,120
• Walker: 1,228
• Total: 11,636

Power crews hope to have most of the power in the region restored by this evening.

Holt Home Destroyed by Fire

A brush fire, possible sparked by lightning during last night’s storms, has completely destroyed a home in Holt. There were no injuries.

Read More: Brush Fire Destroys Home Tuscaloosa Firefighters Couldn’t Access

Alabama Senators Praise Trump, Blast Democrats

According to a CBS News Poll, 76 percent of those who watched Presidents Trump's speech to congress last night said they "approve" of the address, with 23 percent saying they disapprove.

Two people who voiced strong support were Alabama's two Republican U.S. Senator's Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt.

Tuberville praised the president for masterfully laying out his game plan for the remainder of his term in office. Britt says Trump is getting America, "Back on track."

Governor Tuberville?

Alabama Senior U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville has told Alabama Daily News that he believes he has a good shot at succeeding Kay Ivey as Alabama Governor. The Republican told AND he has not made a final decision about the race but believes he could make a greater impact as governor. Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth voiced interest in moving to the governor’s office but has not made an announcement.

Smoke Sparks Evacuation at Tuscaloosa Walmart

Shoppers were evacuated and the Tuscaloosa Walmart store on Skyland Blvd. was temporarily closed just before 7:00 last night as Tuscaloosa Firefighters investigated the cause of smoke in the store. No fire was ever found according to TFRS.

Read More: Walmart on Tuscaloosa’s Skyland Boulevard Evacuated Over Reports of Fire Tuesday

Other Stories:

• Alabama Property owners learn about minerals under their land

• City of Tuscaloosa to Host 16th Annual Druid City Arts Festival

• Hey Alabama, It’s Spring Forward O’Clock

• “The Party Lives On” in Tuscaloosa without Party City

Topping Sports News:

Texas A&M Outmuscles Auburn 83-72

Last night's Aggie win over Auburn was A&M’s first-ever win over a team ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll.

Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl told reporters at the postgame press conference at College Station last night, that Texas A&M learned from other teams how to beat his #1 Tigers, “They just physically dominated the game. If you look at Florida – or the best teams on our schedule – what does Florida do? They physically dominated us. Texas A&M physically dominated us. We didn't have a physical advantage against Duke,” Pearl said.

The Tigers (27-3 overall,15-2 SEC) committed 13 turnovers and Texas A&M outrebounded the Tigers 40-25.

According to Jerry Palm's NCAA Tournament Bracketology, Auburn will remain an overall #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Auburn will close out the regular season Saturday by hosting Alabama, a team the is not physically dominant.

Alabama Men's Basketball Wraps Up Home Season Tonight

#7 Alabama (23-6, 12-4 SEC) will host #5 Florida (25-4, 12-4 SEC) in a battle of national top ten teams tonight at Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6:00pm CST.

The Crimson Tide will face a Gator squad that has been tough defensively. They have held opponents to an average of 70.0 points per game.

Florida is a 3.5-point favorite to give Bama their third home loss of the season.

Bama Baseball Blasts Jax State

The Alabama Crimson Tide maintained their 13-game winning streak with a phenomenal 11-1 victory over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Tuesday at Rudy Abbott Field in Jacksonville.

The Tide will have their work cut out for them this afternoon when No. 19 Troy visits at 4 p.m. CST at Sewell Thomas Stadium. The Trojans are 12-1 on the young season.

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It is Ash Wednesday; may it be a blessed one!