Snowfall Brings Hazardous Conditions
Snowfall early Friday morning sparked a reaction statewide with schools, government, and medical facilities closing and roads deemed unsafe to drive.
In a statement from Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, the Warming Station at the BJCC South Hall re-opened early — at 12 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. Requests are also being made for meal deliveries from individuals and businesses in the Downtown area to the BJCC until 2 p.m.
All city streets in Oxford are closed; state and federal roads there remain open. Roads in Vestavia Hills became extremely hazardous but are open. In Pelham there’ve been many reports of downed power lines and power outages, according to the police department. Traffic was moving Friday morning at a crawl along I-65 south near the Shelby County airport. Birmingham City Hall is closed and UAB canceled classes and non-clinical operations; the hospital is open.
According to a tweet from Alabama Power, around 40,000 power outages have been reported state-wide, and crews are already at work trying to restore power:
- 20,000 in the metro Birmingham area
- 13,000 in eastern Alabama counties
- 4,200 in western Alabama counties
- 3,400 in south-central Alabama counties
Government and healthcare facility closures:
- UAB announced the early closure of UAB clinics. UAB Hospital will remain open.
- Cooper Green Mercy Health Services’ clinics, Urgent Care, and Pharmacy have closed.
- Birmingham City Hall and Jefferson County offices will be closed for the day.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir. He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
‘It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you’: a visit to a special healing Shabbat
Members of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham gathered recently for their traditional Friday Shabbat service. But this particular service was different, as could be seen by all the people dressed in their finest pink.
Space Command is coming to Huntsville. What might that mean for first-time homebuyers
While Huntsville has been a more affordable market than other growing cities, what’s it been like for those looking for their first home?
Colorado says relocation of Space Command to Alabama is ‘punishment’ for mail-in voting
The litigation announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser asks a federal judge to block the move as unconstitutional.
