First Rain After Drought is Both Good and Bad
Groups that monitor Alabama’s waterways are welcoming the rain after months of drought. However, they say, there are some drawbacks and are warning of potential health risks found in and around rivers and streams.
Members of the Cahaba River Society say the only thing worse than a drought is the first rain after a drought.
They say, for months now hazardous sediment has built up around the metro Birmingham area. The first rain after months of dry weather washes that residue into the waterways causing contamination, says Gordon Black, Education Director at the Cahaba River Society and an avid canoeist.
“I’m not about to go get in the water, today, tomorrow, this week. Because what that runoff brings into the river is not water. It’s all the chemicals, all the manures, all the awful bacterial growths,” Black says.
Black says it could be several days before the waterways are safe for human contact. The National Weather Service is predicting sunshine and clear skies for the rest of the week, with more rain in the forecast over the weekend.
You read that white: Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year is ‘Cloud Dancer’
This is the first time Pantone has chosen a shade of white. The company says it's "a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection."
CDC advisers delay planned vote on hepatitis B vaccine for infants
After a contentious discussion, the vaccine advisory group pushed the vote to Friday to give members time to study the language of proposed changes longstanding policy on the shots.
DOJ orders prison inspectors to stop considering LGBTQ safety standards
A memo obtained by NPR shows the Justice Department is telling inspectors to stop evaluating prisons using standards designed to protect trans and other LGBTQ community members from sexual violence.
U.S. reconsiders Tanzania ties after deadly post-election crackdown
The U.S. is "comprehensively reviewing" its relationship with Tanzania after hundreds were killed in a violent post-election crackdown.
How old is your music taste? Spotify will tell you, though you may not like it
Spotify Wrapped is bluntly telling users their "listening age," which in many cases is several decades older or younger than their actual age. It's a calculated strategy.
Tune in to a mini-concert with Nation of Language
The New York band performs tracks from their latest album, Dance Called Memory.
