West Alabama Thursday Briefing

West Alabama Thursday Briefing

Canva, Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa

Good morning West Alabama. It is Thursday, May 8, 2025. This is the 128th days of the year with 237 days remaining.

Inside the Thursday Briefing:

  • Weather
  • News
  • Sports
  • Thursday Morning Observations

 

Weather:

Dense fog this morning created hazardous driving conditions all across West Alabama. Once it burned off, we found mostly blue skies but those will give way to gathering clouds during the late afternoon and evening hours.

There is a Slight (2 in 5) Risk of strong to severe storms for most of Walker and NE Fayette counties. The Rest of West Alabama has a Marginal (1 in 5) Risk. The main threat timing is between 4:00pm and 9:00pm across West Alabama. This is a relatively low-end severe weather threat, and not all areas of West Alabama will experience rain or storms.

There will be an Elevated (2 in 4) Risk for lightning from Fayette northward later today. A Slight (1 in 4) Risk elsewhere across the region.

Read More: Alabama, Stay Alert: Damaging Winds, Hail, and Brief Tornadoes Possible

The Forecast:

Today
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a low around 60. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Friday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
The Weekend
Good chances of rain each day with highs in the lower 70s and lows near 60.
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News:

BREAKING: White smoke has appeared from the chimney at the Vatican indicating a new pope has been selected by the conclave of cardinals. His identity and name selected should be revealed soon.

Davis Capital Murder Trial Continues
Day 3 of the Michael Davis Capital Murder trial is underway in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court. He is on trial for the January 2023 shooting death of 23-year-old Birmingham woman Jamea Harris.
Yesterday jurors viewed graphic evidence and heard from five prosecution witnesses.
Senior State Medical Examiner Dr. David Rydzewski told the court, “The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the neck.” Multiple graphic images of Harris' autopsy were shown with Dr. Rydzewski testifying, based on the type of weapon used, the gun would have been fired between 18-20 inches away from Harris.
Harris' boyfriend, Cedrick Johnson, testified as did UAPD Officer Marshall Wade who was the first officer to respond to the incident. Other who took the stand were former UA basketball player Jayden Bradley and Skylar Essex, the girlfriend of former Tide player Darius Miles who also faces Capital Murder charges in the case.
Read More: Second Shooter Takes the Stand During Michael Davis Murder Trial

Prosecutors Want Bong Revoked in Child Disappearance Case
Prosecutors in the Kahleb Collins disappearance case want bond revoked for the 1-year-old’s mother, Wendy Bailey and Grandfather John Bailey. The request is being made under Aniah’s Law due to the pair’s alleged violence against the child.

Aniah’s Law allows judges to hold defendants accused of extensive violent acts to be held without bond.  The 1-year-old's mother and grandfather were both indicted on aggravated child abuse and domestic violence charges. The Fayette County DA’s office wants the judge to revoke the $1.8 million bond currently set for each.

Collins has been missing since 2024 and is presumed dead by authorities who have conducted extensive searches for him.

Pickens County Man Dies After Shooting in Reform

30-year-old Deke Duke Simmons was taken to the Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle after a shooting on May 6 at his home in Reform. That is where he was pronounced dead according to reports from WCBI TV.

The shooting reportedly occurred during an argument.

Read More: West Alabama Man Shot, Killed in Argument

 

Greene County Gaming Legislation Faces Opposition

West Alabama State Senator and Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) introduced a gaming bill for Greene County that brought work in the upper chamber to a halt for quite some time before passing.
Senate Bill 90 would update the current law allowing racetracks and pari-mutuel wagering in Greene County. The law also would provide for the disbursement of gaming fees and revenue to local entities. The legislation would also add a provision for historical horse racing on a computerized machine.
 The debate came to the House floor when Rep. Curtis Travis, D-Tuscaloosa, moved to suspend the House rules and bring up SB90. This brought opposition up in the lower chamber.

Juneteenth State Holiday Bill Goes to Governor for Signature

The legislature has now officially passed a bill declaring June 19 a state holiday. "Juneteenth", as it is known, celebrates the day the final slaves learned of their emancipation soke two months after the end of the Civil War. The bill now goes to Gov. Ivey for her signature.
Ivey has previously issued an executive order declaring Juneteenth a day of commemoration, but it did not have the weight of law as an official state holiday. All state offices and courts will be closed for the holiday.

County Commission Approves "No Parking" Signs

"No Parking" signs will be posted on Sanders Ferry Road, the county sections of Johnson Rd., and all of 52nd St. after a vote of the Tuscaloosa County Commission Wednesday.
The action is a result of complaints made to the commission by residents concerned about a neighbor who has frequent large parties resulting in attendees parking creating traffic hazards and blocking private property
The parking issue has led to threats; property damage a traffic congestion according to 4th District Commissioner Reginald Murray.

It Is Senior Appreciation Day at the Bryant Conference Center

The 2025 West Alabama Senior Citizen Appreciation Day is underway at the Bryant Conference Center. The event sponsored by the Area Agency on Aging of West Alabama has music, games exhibits and prizes available until 1:30 this afternoon.

Sports:

Saban and Trump Taking NIL Action
Former Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban conferred with President Trump about the problems that have arisen in college athletics, especially football, about the misappropriation of name, image and likeness (NIL). Now Saban has been named to a presidential commission to examine the issue.
The commission does not come without controversy as the NCAA and plaintiffs in a $2.8 billion court settlement Called "The House Settlement" see the commission as meddling.
The House v. NCAA settlement is a proposed legal agreement that addresses lawsuits filed by college athletes claiming the NCAA's rules have restricted their earning potential. It involves a $2.8 billion payout to athletes who played before 2021 and establishes a framework for how schools can compensate athletes for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) moving forward. 
Some attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case are calling the commission review of name, image, and likeness compensation, transfer portal volatility, and whether college athletes should be considered employees as "unmerited interference,"
"They don’t need this unmerited interference from a coach only seeking to protect the system that made him tens of millions.” plaintiff attorney Steve Berman claimed in a press briefing.

Read More: Nick Saban Elected Co-Chair of Trump Committee

Bama Softball Blows Another Lead
The Alabama Softball Team (37-21) encountered a season-long problem last night, not being able to hold a lead. They started out the game with South Carolina in the second round of the SEC Tournament strong, taking an initial 2-0 lead, but then faded offensively and defensively, eventually losing 6-2.
Tide Head Coach Patrick Murphey's post-game comments had a familiar ring, "It was just not a good game for us. The pitches we threw that they hit were not good pitches. We missed our spots a lot unfortunately and they took advantage. They did a great job capitalizing on the mistakes. We didn't capitalize enough in the first inning when we had our opportunity."
Bama will find out their NCAA fate during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show Sunday at 6:00pm CDT during the telecast on ESPN2. Odds are Bama will not be hosting first round games.
Stillman Softball Breaking Records
Stillman College's softball team, champions of the HBCU Athletic Conference, has secured its first automatic bid ever to the NAIA Softball National Championship. The Tigers are 33-11 and will be the No. 4 seed next week.

Several Area Teams Still Alive in AHSAA Baseball Playoffs
The Alabama High School Baseball Playoffs are in high gear and several West Alabama teams are still at the gear shift.
One team, the Gordo Green Wave can wrap-up their three-game series with Winfield with a win in the 4:30 3-A game this afternoon in Gordo.
Other area teams will be in action tomorrow:
  • In 7A: Tuscaloosa County hosts Bob Jones tomorrow,
  • In 5A: American Christian is home to Madison Academy Friday,
  • In 4A: Bibb County won their series with Oak Grove and will now face Deshler.

Thursday Morning Observations:

Seems this is a week to give recognition to a lot of people who make a difference. It is "Small Business Appreciation Week", "Teacher Appreciation Week" and today we feature "National Nurses Appreciation Week".

The theme for "Nurses Appreciation Week" this year is "The Power of Nurses." We recognize the invaluable contributions of nurses and the real-life challenges they face every day.

As the National Nurses Association states on its website, "Whether you're a nurse, a healthcare professional, a patient, or simply someone who appreciates the critical role nurses play in our lives and society, National Nurses Week is the perfect time to share your gratitude and celebrate nurses."

There are more than 5,000,000 nurses across the country and the part they play in healthcare is critical. As we saw during the COVID19 pandemic, nurses faced immense challenges, put their own lives at jeopardy, worked extremely long hours and often made the difference in the survival of their patients.

The demand for nursing services will be greater than ever because of the aging of the American population, emerging health challenges, the continuing expansion of life-
sustaining technologies, and the explosive growth of home health care services.

Underpaid, overworked and too often underappreciated, we say thank you for all you do and all you mean to our nation's healthcare. Whether in the emergency department, on a floor or in a specialty department; nurses make the difference!

(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.)

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Categories: News, Local News