Oct 25, 2023

Welcome back, folks. Within a couple hours of this newsletter's publication yesterday, U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) dropped out of consideration for speaker of the House. Which was probably best for his own sanity, considering how the scene has unfolded in Washington D.C.

Meanwhile, a local primary took place in Alabama last night. We'll get to that and cover some more news along the way. Thanks for reading,

Ike Morgan

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Alabama's drought continues, and it has forestry officials concerned.

The Alabama Forestry Commission said that firefighters have responded to 111 wildfires that've burned nearly 2,000 acres over the past week.

AL.com's William Thornton reports that the Commission has now re-issued a Fire Alert for every county in the state. Along with the alert come restrictions on burning.

Roughly the northern half of the state won't be issuing burn permits at all. There are 35 counties south of Interstate 20 that may issue one-day permits for certified prescribed burns.

If you burn a field, grassland or woodland without a permit, it could end up costing you one Class B misdemeanor.

Birmingham Police Officer Travis Hendrix will be the next member of the Alabama State House of Representatives, reports AL.com's Joseph D. Bryant and Hannah Denham.

A primary was being held because former House Rep. Fred Plump had resigned the District 55 seat and pled guilty in a kickback scheme involving public money. In Tuesday's Democratic primary runoff, Hendrix was running against Sylvia Swayne, the first openly transgender candidate for a state office in Alabama.

Hendrix won with around 65% of the vote despite being more than doubled up in fundraising by Swayne, whose campaign pulled in $209,352. More than half of that came from gun-control activist David Hogg's D.C.-based organization.

All that money was pumped into Swayne's campaign despite the fact that there's no Republican opposition in the election. Which means the primary victory puts the 40-year-old Hendrix, who's from Birmingham's Ensley neighborhood, into the seat.

Jimmy Buffett might've been called home over Labor Day weekend, but that doesn't mean his bid to take over the world is over.

AL.com's Lawrence Specker reports that a Margaritaville Restaurant is planned to join a 27-acre project along the Intracoastal west of I-59 in Gulf Shores. That project is billed as "the ultimate in luxury boating experience" with a marina, boat storage, a clubhouse, a pool, an amphitheater and plenty that's TBA.

The Margaritaville restaurant will provide relief to Parrotheads who have had to endure a Margaritaville desert between Biloxi and Destin.

One of the hottest stories in college football right now -- Michigan's alleged sign-stealing operation -- may have an Alabama connection, reports AL.com's Matt Stahl.

According to all the allegations, Michigan analyst Connor Stalions would buy tickets to games involving future Michigan opponents, Stalions would forward the tickets to others who would attend the games and record the play signals between the sideline and the players.

The Alabama connection? An ESPN report claims Stalions bought tickets to the 2021 SEC championship game between Alabama and Georgia.

“The protest on the bridge was not a planned protest; my car stopped on the bridge, okay? And people know it was me, and they just started chanting, and that’s what happened."

Rodney Gordon, the president of the Morgan County chapter of the NAACP, after people were arrested for blocking traffic during a protest over the police killing of Stephen Perkins.

3.5%

That's the portion of filled positions cut Tuesday by Birmingham-based Shipt.

In 1951, Ransom Wilson of Tuscaloosa, a Yale music professor, conductor and accomplished flutist.

Today is National Greasy Foods Day. So go support your local catfish joint.

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