May 27, 2024

Here's to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to serve our country and keep the wolves from your door and mine.

Here's your Memorial Day Alabama news report.

Ike Morgan

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A 110-year-old dam in Coffee County is being taken down, reports AL.com's Dennis Pillion.

The Elba Hydroelectric Dam on the Pea River is one of the oldest in the state. Auburn University records say it's Alabama's oldest reinforced concrete hydroelectric dam.

Construction was completed in July 1913, by February it was generating power, and that summer in nearby Troy customers were saying "These electric lights are amazing. Now how about some air-conditioning?"

The dam hasn't been functional since a 2015 flood. By taking it down it not only removes an artificial hazard but also allows the Pea River to flow as God intended.

Which in turn allows species of fish to follow their instincts upriver. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the dam's absence will open up 34 miles of river habitat for the gulf sturgeon and the Alabama shad. Conservationists are concerned about both of those fish, and they both live in the Gulf and swim upriver to spawn.

The removal is being funded with $3.7 million in federal grant money.

Congressman Dale Strong, a Huntsville Republican, wrote a letter to the Postmaster General to make a pitch for a postal processing and distribution facility in Huntsville, FOX 54 has reported.

No word yet on whether Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has received the letter.

The Huntsville distribution center was consolidated with the one in Birmingham a little more than a decade ago. Since then, we've seen Huntsville's population boom from 180,000 to 226,000, making it the most populous city in Alabama. And Strong argues in his letter that the Birmingham facility can't efficiently handle both areas.

Birmingham-Southern College will cease its operations Friday after more than 150 years of molding minds.

We've mentioned that here before. Several times. And it's been all over the news.

Still, the Birmingham-Southern baseball team isn't having it. Not yet at least.

On their school's last day as a school, the Panthers will be playing in the first round of the Division III College World Series. They're guaranteed to play at least through Saturday. The championship series is scheduled for June 5-6.

In 1912, St. Louis Cardinals all-star outfielder Terry Moore of Vernon.

Here are the answers and how we did, cumulatively, on Friday's quiz:

Last week's workers' election on whether to organize resulted in a rejection of what workers' union?

The United Auto Workers (CORRECT) 98.5%

United Steelworkers 1.0%

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union 0.5%

The International Longshoreman's Association 0.0%

Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr filed an amicus brief to formally ask a judge to grant a new trial for this Death Row inmate.

Toforest Johnson (CORRECT) 55.8%

Jamie Ray Mills 23.3%

Anthony Ray Hinton 18.9%

Bloody Bob Sims 1.9%

During a large music festival it's almost guaranteed you'll have some arrests for possession of a controlled substance, public intoxication and similar crimes. But a man made news when was arrested during the Hangout Festival after he allegedly did which of these things?

Illegally flying a drone over the event and buzzing a police drone. (CORRECT) 86.4%

Tossing a mullet onto the stage. 10.7%

Slashing the tires on Zach Bryan's tour bus. 2.9%

Wearing black socks with sandals on the beach. 0.0%

GoBankingRates.com recently projected current housing affordability and projected increase in home values to determine the best cities to buy into. Which two stood out for Alabama.

Huntsville and Daphne (CORRECT) 57.8%

Athens and Fairhope 36.9%

Homewood and Auburn 4.9%

Slapout and Smuteye 0.5%

U.S. News & World Report recently ranked Alabama the 44th "best" state. In which of these categories did we rate highest?

Fiscal stability of state government (CORRECT) 67.0%

Health care 17.0%

Infrastructure 10.2%

Education 5.8%

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