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🌱 Patch AM: How a lost Black high school still shapes Mobile’s leaders today

Coming up on the Mobile Patch calendar: Mac Mcanally

Wednesday August 19th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hey hey Mobile! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How a lost Black high school still shapes Mobile's leaders today
  • Why Mobile police are adding tethered drones despite privacy worries
  • Can prosecutors revive a dismissed Mobile murder case after evidence issues?

Also on today's calendar: An Evening with Adam Cesare at The Haunted Book Shop and 1 more event.

Today's riddle: What do evil hens lay? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Wednesday: Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm, with a high of 93 and low of 75 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Thursday: Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm, temps: high: 94, low: 76.
  • Friday: Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm, with a high of 93 and low of 75 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. The Legacy of Mobile's Central High School (mobilebaymag.com) — Central High School's story is a cornerstone of Black education and civil rights history in Mobile, from its 1947 opening in the old Mobile Medical College to its controversial court-ordered closure during desegregation. Alumni later helped save the Davis Avenue campus from demolition, leading to its rebirth as Bishop State's Baker-Gaines campus and cementing Central's lasting influence on Mobile's civic and professional leadership.
   

2. Despite privacy concerns, Mobile City Council approves drone purchase (fox10tv.com) — Mobile's City Council has approved spending about $139,000 on two tethered drones, cameras, and floodlighting to give police extended aerial views during Mardi Gras and other big events. Despite a constituent's privacy concerns, city leaders and public safety officials insist the drones are for situational awareness, not spying, and will be based at the Gulf Coast Technology Center.
   

3. Prosecutors, defense clash over whether murder charge can be reinstated in Mobile slaying (fox10tv.com) — A Mobile man's dismissed murder case is now at the center of a legal fight over whether prosecutors can revive the charge after citing evidentiary problems. A Mobile County judge will hold a hearing next week on whether double jeopardy applies, after the defense argued prosecutors dropped the case only after key evidence was excluded and trial delays piled up.
   

4. Waterman Transport Wins $9.5M Navy Contract for Military Cargo Ship Charter (envzone.com) — A Mobile-based shipping company, Waterman Transport Inc., has secured a $9.5 million U.S. Navy contract to charter a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship, underscoring the city's role in military logistics. While the vessel will operate from Tacoma, Washington, the deal brings significant federal dollars and visibility to Mobile's maritime sector.
   

5. Today in History—August 23: The End of the Battle of Mobile Bay (britannica.com) — This piece revisits how Union forces seized control of Mobile Bay in 1864, cutting off Mobile's role as the Confederacy's last major Gulf Coast port. It walks through Farragut's famous charge past underwater mines, the fall of Forts Gaines and Morgan, and how the bay's capture reshaped the war along Alabama's coast.
   

📸 Around Mobile

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Mobile

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

    Friday September 11
  • Mac Mcanally →
    Saenger Theatre Mobile, 6 S Joachim St, Mobile
    7:30 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

📣 Mobile Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

    Wednesday August 19
  • Site Preview - Planning Commission →
    Daphne, AL Calendar
    8:30 am
  • Mobile County Board of School Commissioners Work Session
    Dunbar Creative Performing Arts Irvington, AL 36544
    10:00 am
  • LMS Football vs Spanish Fort - Home Game
    Lott Middle School 8200 W Lebaron Ave, Citronelle, AL 36522, USA
    6:00 pm
  • Thursday August 20
  • Chess Club for Everyone at Semmes →
    Semmes Regional Library - Mobile Public Library, 9150 Moffett Rd, Semmes
    3:00 pm
  • 2025 Science Lecture Series →
    Daphne Public Library, 2607 US-98, Daphne
    4:00 pm
  • CMS Volleyball vs. Clark-Shaw/Denton
    Bernice J Causey Middle School 3800 Pleasant Valley Rd, Mobile, AL 36609, USA
    4:00 pm
  • Volleyball Tri-Match at LMS vs Washington and Hankins
    Lott Middle School 17740 Celeste Rd, Citronelle, AL 36522, USA
    4:00 pm
  • Friday August 21
  • Kellen Erskine →
    Crescent Theater, 208 Dauphin St, Mobile
    7:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Mobile PatchAM possible:

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • I finally have somewhere safe to store and shower!
    I'm Trying to Get Back on My Feet — All I Need Is an Opportunity I want to be honest with my Nextdoor community about what I have going on right now… (Nextdoor Thornhill)
  • Please use caution if you are using this sight to sell anything.
    I posted an item for sale yesterday and got a message from someone that looked legit. However, he was trying to scam me. The scam was that he asked… (Nextdoor Spring Brook Farms)
  • Costco Wholesale Corporation posted a job opening for Bakery Wrapper / Clean Up in Mobile. Apply here.
  • ANR Group | Hospitality Management posted a job opening for Housekeepers in Mobile. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Mobile here.

Ok Mobile! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Deviled eggs (Thank you Karla H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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