SNL Star in Huntsville - HudsonAlpha Tech Challenge

Good morning, Huntsville! Amy here with today's rundown of the most important things happening in town. In today’s Daily: a big national event in Huntsville this weekend, a former SNL star tours the city, and who Mayor Battle spent time with yesterday. Let's get to it.

First, the weather:
Cool and overcast during the day, with occasional showers in the evening. High: 68 Low: 45. The sun sets today at 7:19pm.

Patch Pick:

• Parts of Old Highway 20 and Greenbriar Parkway are opening back up and running this morning, so keep that in mind for your morning commute!

Here are the top five stories in Huntsville today:

1. The Paralympic cycling trials will be in Huntsville this weekend at Research Park. Jennifer Schuble, is a three-time competitor from Birmingham, Alabama and is going for her fourth Paralympic medal. Reporter Kailey Schuyler says that Huntsville will bring her one step closer to representing the state in Tokyo this summer. (WAFF)
2. Mayor Battle visited a Parkinson’s boxing class with Rock Steady to celebrate April as Parkinson’s Awareness Month. According to the City of Huntsville, boxing is one of the ways to manage effects of the disease and Rock Steady Boxing was founded for the cause. (Facebook)
3. Chris Kattan from SNL will be coming to Huntsville for his new comedy tour. According to Lawrence Specker from AL.com, “Back and Vaxxed” will be at Stand Up Live on April 21. (AL.com)
4. The Morgan County Jail made some new safety upgrades as phase one of a bigger plan. After a sex offender managed to escape in 2019, the jail started making plans, and more fencing is to come later, according to Kailey Schuyler. (WAFF)
5. GMSI is opening a new office at the Arsenal. The new location will get them closer to a big customer base and let them share their telecommunications services with military and government agencies in the area. (GlobeNewsWire)

Today in Huntsville

• Today kicks off the HudsonAlpha Tech Challenge (HATCH)- Join the hackathon that starts today and ends April 25 (4 p.m.)
• Huntsville Havoc vs Birmingham Bulls- Throwback Night (7 p.m.)
• This is the last weekend the Big Ole Ballpark Fair will be in town so if you’ve been putting it off, this is it! (5 p.m.)
• Lego Mania @ Earlyworks (10 a.m.)
• Huntsville High School's "Something Rotten" production opens tonight and is only open this weekend and next! (7:30)

Huntsville Patch Notebook

• Union Chapel Missionary Baptist Church will give out 400 boxes of nonperishable foods Saturday at 8 a.m. (Details)
• Madison County Farmers Market will open on April 24.
• Employees of Brass Tap are being offered $100 gift cards if they get fully vaccinated.
• The Foundry, a mixed-use facility next to Stovehouse and the rest of Campus 805, broke ground Wednesday. (Details)
• Prep is underway for the Paralympics cycling trial at Research Park starting Saturday at 9 a.m. (Details)
• The Sushi Burrito is back at the Camp for this weekend only!
• The City of Huntsville has released a list of cleanup events around the city to celebrate Earth Month. (List here)

You're all caught up! Have a great day Huntsville. I’ll see you in your inbox tomorrow with weekend happenings and news.

-Amy

About me: I grew up near Tuscaloosa and graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. You can find me wherever there's good food, good music, or at any play in town.