Oct 09, 2024

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Alabama State Parks have been accepting reservations from Hurricane Milton evacuees, reports AL.com's Patrick Darrington.

Milton has been forecast to make landfall as a major hurricane this evening between Tampa and Fort Myers. Evacuees from the Florida peninsula have been flooding I-75 North for a couple days to get out of the way.

The Alabama State Parks Division has invited them to go to Alapark.com to look for openings at any of the 21 parks. Tropical cyclones being a way of life for the southeastern U.S., states are poised to share resources before a storm strikes.

Said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey: “Ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall in Florida, here in Alabama, we are actively working to prepare various state assets to be on standby to quickly deploy to Florida, when needed.”

Alabama is far from the projected impact zone of Hurricane Milton, although rough surf conditions were expected throughout the week along the Gulf Coast.

There are now four former jailers in Walker County who have agreed to plead guilty to charges related to the 2023 death of inmate Tony Mitchell, reports AL.com's Howard Koplowitz.

Mitchell was the man who allegedly shot at Walker County deputies when they responded to a welfare check called in by Mitchell's family. He died at Walker County Baptist Medical Center after being jailed in conditions that have been the subject of legal scrutiny and a lawsuit filed by Mitchell's mother.

The county coroner's death certificate called the death a homicide. It said he died of hypothermia and sepsis tied to infections and medical neglect.

The two most recent jailers' pleas admit they knew he was being subjected to cruel conditions but they didn't act on it.

Free genetic tests that determine health risks are coming to Alabama courtesy of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, reports AL.com's Mike Cason.

That's right: We're still spending that pandemic money.

The program is called Catalyst, and it's costing $25 million of federal ARPA money and $5 million of the city of Birmingham's share.

Southern Research CEO Josh Carpenter said a goal is to bolster healthcare and healthcare decisions in some of Alabama's small towns and rural areas where people more often go without.

The tests provide information that allows patients and doctors to better understand a person's genetic predispositions and to plan care accordingly.

Organizers plan to hold kickoff events in Selma, Tuskegee, Demopolis, Jasper, Florence, Dothan and Mobile.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is part of a group of 25 governors -- all Republicans -- who released a letter critical of the Biden Administration's Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela Parole Program, reports AL.com's Patrick Darrington.

That's the federal program that's led to the influx of Haitian migrants in various cities and towns across the country. It allows nationals from the four countries mentioned in its name to stay in the U.S. legally for two years if they have a financial sponsor.

The governors complained about a lack of information coming from the White House about when and where the migrants have taken up residence.

The letter reads, in part: “We believe the merits of the CHNV program are misguided and administration of the program has been abused. ... Due to the Biden-Harris Administration’s CHNV program’s policy of placing hundreds of thousands of migrants in our states, and potentially in need of state and local services, our states have unwittingly been placed [in] a support role without our consent, any advance notice or resources.”

Homeland Security has said the Biden Administration would not be extending the migrants' legal status.

Things get a little rowdy during NASCAR races at Talladega Superspeedway. Fans pack the infield and party for days leading up to the Sunday races. A person could get divorced, fired, saved and engaged all during a single Talladega weekend. And they're liable to lose or leave some belongings somewhere along the way.

Coming out of big race weekends, the Talladega Superspeedway social-media team has a little fun sharing photos of some of the crazy things that are left behind. They did that this week as well, following the YellaWood 500 on Sunday.

Say what you will about NASCAR fans, they're not the kind of people who let you down.

There appeared to be enough raggedy couches, loveseats and armchairs left behind to furnish a small neighborhood ... as long as all the neighbors are up-to-date on their shots.

There was a propane smoker, which the track said was already spoken for, and there were a number of TVs.

There was a pool table. I don't know whether it was level and true. If you played pool in the same joints I have, you probably aren't used to level and true anyway. We're accustomed to undulating. Like the greens at Augusta.

Also left for the Talladega clean-up crew was a deer head-and-shoulder mount. Of course, we all understand why somebody would want to bring their deer mount to a race. But why would they leave it at the track?

Well, this one was in sorry shape. It was missing hide in several places and was only a 4-point to begin with.

NASCAR returns to Talladega in April.

There will be new design for this year's MoonPie over Mobile on New Year's Eve. (Photo courtesy of Spire Effect & Design)

In 1888, actor Hank Patterson of Springville. (He was Fred Ziffel on Green Acres and Petticoat Junction and Hank Miller on Gunsmoke.)

In 1989, Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Sewell of Elmore County.

In 1908, two-time Gov. Jim Folsom of Coffee County.

Was last week the Week the 1970s Died? I offer a few thoughts on celebrity deaths and what I consider the first modern decade.

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