Huntsville Helps the ISS - Surprising Trash Pandas Update

Rise and shine, Rocket City! We're going to kick off your Wednesday morning with the latest and greatest from Huntsville! In today's Daily, we'll talk about how a group at the Marshall Space Flight Center is helping a team aboard the ISS, how well the Trash Pandas have done without ever playing a game, and what's going on with their game that got postponed yesterday.

First, today's weather:

Today will start out cloudy, but clear up as the day goes on. All of the severe weather should be gone. High: 71 Low:49

Here are the top five stories in Huntsville today:

1. A team at the Payload Operations Integration Center at the Marshall Space Flight Center is helping a group of astronauts at the space station. The POIC is the mission control for science experiments performed in the U.S. Operating Segment. The team helps schedule and guide the group on the International Space Station through investigations by teaming up with scientists and space agencies around the world. They recently helped guide seven astronauts on the largest long-duration crew mission. (NASA)
2. Even though the Trash Pandas haven’t played a single game, they’ve already sold $4 million worth of merch and tickets. According to Brendan Menapace, they have had sales in all 50 states and around the world, and with a name and mascot so unique, it doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon. (PromoMarketing)
3. The company that owns Parkway Place filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy that helped dissolve $1.6 billion of debt, but they just had to do some major restructuring to keep the doors open. Caroline Klapp says that the mall is still open for business, with two new stores open. (WAFF)
4. Decatur was one of four cities in Alabama to receive a grant from the state’s Community Development Block Grant program. This grant was $750,000 for COVID-19-related recovery or prevention. Decatur will use it for rental and utility assistance, small business loans, and improve equipment for fire and rescue. (WZDX)
5. The Madison County Police and Fire Departments responded to a woman that allegedly was driving under the influence and reversed her truck into a pond at Dublin Park. According to authorities, this happened around 11:30 Monday night. (WAFF)

Today in Huntsville

• Ribbon Cutting Ceremony @ Restoration Financial Services (3 p.m.)
• Golden Hour @ Huntsville Botanical Garden- Join the Garden for extended hours to enjoy the sunset. (5 p.m.)
• Family Outdoor Storytime- Join the Madison Public Library on the green space behind the patio for stories, rhymes, and songs (10 a.m.)
• First Wednesday Car Show @ Providence (6 p.m.)

Huntsville Patch Notebook

• Nini Nguyen, a student at Bob Jones, was elected 2021-22 1st Vice President/ Secretary for Alabama’s HOSA and will be eligible to compete at the International Leadership Conference.
• Dr. Jason Barnett was named Superintendent of Guntersville City Schools. (Details)
• The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber won the Mac Conway Award of Excellence in Economic Development for the third year running!
• Civil and Environmental Engineering students from UAH won three first places, two seconds, one third, and one fourth at the American Society of Civil Engineering Southeast Student Conference’s competition. (Details)
• Students in UAH’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering won first and third places in team competition and third in the undergrad category at the virtual competition for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Region II Student Conference. (Details)
• The opening game for the Trash Pandas got postponed… again. This time due to weather. The opening game will be tonight at 6:15 p.m. and the rescheduled game became a double header with their game Thursday. (Details)

That's it for today's update! Come back tomorrow and I'll keep you in the loop!

-Amy