New Stadium Named, Missing Man Found Alive: The Week In News

BIRMINGHAM, AL - The week of April 8-13 saw one of the biggest downtown projects of the year get its official name, as the new sports stadium at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex gave naming rights to Protective Life Corp. The stadium is expected to open by 2021.

Also this week, some fortunate news hit the metro area when a missing Homewood man was found alive in Winston County after he had been lost for three days on a hiking excursion.

Here are some of the news items from the past week on Patch:

Missing Homewood Man Found Alive

While many missing persons cases do not end happily, the most recent one in the Birmingham area has, apparently. Sid Burgess, a 70-year-old Homewood man who had been reported missing since leaving for a hiking excursion Saturday morning, has been found alive.

Protective Life Gets Naming Rights To New Stadium

The new sports stadium at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex has an official name now, as an announcement came Thursday that Protective Life Corp. has secured naming rights to the new 55,000-seat stadium. Protective Stadium, as it will be called, will host home games for UAB football, in addition to other sporting events.

Hoover Breaks Ground On New Police Training Center

City and police officials in Hoover broke ground this week on the Hoover Police Department's $4.5 million training facility. The 16,000-square-foot facility, expected to open at the beginning of 2020, will be located next to Hoover fire station No. 4 on Municipal Drive.

UAB Launches Opioid Overdose Program

The UAB Department of Emergency Medicine is launching a new initiative to help patients with opioid use disorders get appropriate therapy and referral for further assistance in an effort to put a dent in the epidemic.

Two Shot Outside Vestavia Chuck E Cheese's

A man and young child have been taken to area hospitals after being shot in the parking lot of the Chuck E Cheese's restaurant in Vestavia Hills.