Aug 07, 2024

It's a good day for history buffs to check out the podcast. This past weekend, today's guest covered a reunion -- for descendants of slaves at an Alabama plantation.

Today's report follows. Thanks for reading,

Ike Morgan

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Passenger rail service has taken another step toward returning to Mobile for the first time in nearly 20 years.

AL.com's John Sharp reports that the Mobile City Council voted in favor of authorizing the final agreements that were needed to restart Amtrak service between Mobile and New Orleans. The route will include stops in Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis.

The deal includes a commitment of a little more than $3 million over three years, offset by a million from the Alabama State Port Authority and a hoped-for million from the state (the state money isn't yet in the budget and would need legislative approval).

Southern Rail Commission Chairman Knox Ross said he's hoping that by the end of October there'll be a groundbreaking for the downtown train depot and a branding announcement on the new train.

Check out last Thursday's podcast episode, in which we talked at length with John about the pending return of Amtrak to Mobile.

Jazz bassist Ron Carter was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, reports AL.com's Shauna Stuart.

Carter, who's 87 years old, is said to be the world's most recorded jazz bassist. During the 1960s he was a member of Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet along with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams.

The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame museum is in the Carver Theatre in Birmingham. It's been closed for years for renovations but officially reopened this week.

Hoover City Schools announced that Hoover High School football coach Drew Gilmer and defensive coordinator Adam Helms are on administrative leave, reports AL.com's Dennis Victory and Ben Thomas.

School officials didn't comment beyond Tuesday's press release, which said there would be "a thorough and impartial review of recent developments."

Some video clips were circulating on social media showing activity at a Hoover football practice. Some viewers were interpreting those clips as showing inappropriate behavior by some coaches. After the news of the administrative leave broke, several players took to social media to voice support for the coaches.

Gilmer took the job at Hoover after spending eight years at Clay. There he won two of the past three Class 6A titles.

In 1941, jazz musician Howard Johnson of Montgomery.

In 1966, co-founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales of Huntsville.

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We talk with reporter William Thornton about his day at a reunion of the descendants of slaves at a cotton plantation in Etowah County.

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