Nov 18, 2024

Today's report moves from eagles to turkeys, with mayors somewhere in between.

Also, don't miss the quiz results down lower.

Thanks for reading,

Ike

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Messing with some animals will get folks' dander up quicker than messing with others.

Horses, dogs and manatees come to mind.

Also, bald eagles. Auburn in particular would seem like a place where people might feel a kinship with eagles golden or bald.

Efforts to persuade a developer to change plans because of an eagles' nest ended over the weekend when the tree in question was unceremoniously felled, reports AL.com's Diane Mwai.

The builder, Hughston Homes, wasn't available for comment after the tree came down but had explained previously that it had communicated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The developer said it initially wanted to save the tree that held the eagles' nest but that regulations would've required a 330-foot radius of undisturbed habitat. It said its plan prioritized wetlands surrounding the property.

The development is expected to place 46 homes near Auburn University’s E.W. Shell Fisheries Center.

Thousands had signed an online petition calling for the developer to change their plans and leave the nest undisturbed.

Auburn city council member Beth Witten posted on Facebook that she had been told removal wouldn't take place until a meeting today. And Auburn City Manager Megan McGowen Crouch said she's told the city attorney’s office to ask for an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make sure the terms of the permit were followed.

Area residents say the nest had been around since 2017 and belonged to a pair of eagles they had named Jim and Pam.

The most lucrative mayoral job in Alabama probably isn't where you thought it was.

AL.com's Joseph D. Bryant reports that the 25th-largest city in the state, at least for now, appears to be about to have the highest-paid mayor.

The Bessemer City Council last week approved raises for the next mayor and council. The mayor will be paid $170,000 a year plus $1,000 a month for a discretionary account.

That ain't bad work if you can get it.

The council president will make $28,568, and the rest of the council will make $27,568.

The vote was 5-1. I'll let you guess how many plan on running for higher office.

The Carolina Panthers just had an off weekend, and that means cornerback Michael Jackson was back home in Birmingham giving out turkeys for the fourth year in a row, reports AL.com's Carol Robinson.

Jackson played high school ball at Parker and Spain Park. On Saturday he handed out 1,000 free turkeys with sides to local folks at the Ensley Recreation Center. The event is through his foundation.

Said Jackson: “We just want to be able to give families a sense of a holiday and not put stress on the parents knowing Christmas is just a month away and some have to decide if they want to do Christmas gifts or something for Thanksgiving.’’

Readers knocked this one out of the park, with three of the clues drawing more than 80 percent correct answers.

We'll have to make this week's quiz a little harder.

Here are the answers/results:

The University of North Alabama is considering bringing back another live mascot to campus. Previously, the male and female Lions in Florence were named:

Leo and Una (CORRECT) 62.3%

Simba and Nala 19.7%

Jack and Jill 11.3%

Burt and Lonnie 6.7%

A board recently decided to name the new prison that's being built in Elmore County after:

Gov. Kay Ivey (CORRECT) 83.2%

Department of Correction Commissioner John Hamm 11.3%

Attorney General Steve Marshall 4.6%

Businessman Richard Scrushy 0.9%

What will be the name of the new amphitheater coming to Downtown Birmingham next summer?

Coca-Cola Amphitheater (CORRECT) 83.8%

Regions Amphitheater 10.7%

Larry Langford Memorial Amphitheater 4.6%

Grapico Amphitheater 0.9%

A Harris-Walz campaign 757 was last seen ...

At Mobile’s Aeroplex at Brookley to be painted over (CORRECT) 85.8%

At the Port of Mobile to be taken offshore to become a reef 7.8%

In Huntsville to become an I-65 roadside attraction 4.9%

In Mentone to be converted into a carbon neutral, off-the-grid home 1.4%

The recently departed Bobby Allison was originally from South Florida but moved to Hueytown to famously found NASCAR's Alabama Gang, he said, because there were more of these in the region:

Quality paved tracks 60.0% (CORRECT)

Auto parts suppliers 16.2%

Elite Ford mechanics 12.8%

Eligible bachelorettes who liked stock-car racing 11.0%

$500,000

That's how much the Alabama company "Y'all Sweet Tea" won on the ABC reality show "Shark Tank."

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