ACA Football Coach Resigns + New Tuscaloosa Councilman Sworn In

Happy Wednesday, Tuscaloosa! Here's everything you need to know to get your day started.

In today's Daily, we have these stories and more ...

• Two-week spike in Tuscaloosa coronavirus cases
• Chris Smelley out at ACA.
• Police investigate death in Tuscaloosa County Jail.

First, today's weather: Clear throughout the day. High: 88 Low: 65.

---

Patch Pick

City of Tuscaloosa District 7 Councilman Cassius Lanier was sworn in Tuesday night at City Hall ahead of his first official meeting after winning a special election for the seat in late July.

---

Here are the top stories in Tuscaloosa today:

1. Another day brought more coronavirus hospitalizations in Tuscaloosa, as DCH Health System topped 90 total inpatients on Tuesday. This represents the highest one-day mark in virus-positive patients since Feb. 9, when numbers were on a downward slope from a surge over the holidays. (More on Patch)
2. A fight between two inmates in the Tuscaloosa County Jail this morning left one man dead, investigators with the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit said Tuesday afternoon. (More on Patch)
3. The American Christian Academy Patriots are in the midst of a coaching change after football coach Chris Smelley resigned his position effective immediately on Tuesday, citing "personal reason." The news comes less than a month before the start of the 2021 season. (More on Patch)
4. The University of Alabama is defending its longstanding tuition practices and approach to student recruiting following a widely-read story published online Sunday by The Atlantic.
(More on Patch)
5. Police are asking for the community's assistance in locating a Northport man — Brandon Harris, 26 — who was last seen July 31. (More on Patch)

---

Today's Tuscaloosa Daily is brought to you by our friends at GoodRx — the best way to save money on your prescriptions. GoodRx helps you locate the lowest prices for medications at local pharmacies, so you're not overpaying. Works for pet medications too! To see how much you can save, go to GoodRx.com.

---

Other stories I'm reading today ...

• Poole sworn in as state finance director; special election set (Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News)
• Teen Charged With Attempted Murder After Dice Game Leads To Shooting in Tuscaloosa (Stephen Dethrage, Tuscaloosa Thread)
• Unvaccinated account for nearly all Alabama COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations (Eddie Burkhalter, Alabama Political Reporter)
• Bright Spots: SPAN hosts graduation (WVUA 23 News)
• Putting Nick Saban's new $84.8 million contract into context (Michael Casegrande, AL.com)
• Contracts Extended for 12 Alabama Coaches including Brad Bohannon, Dana Duckworth, Patrick Murphy (Katie Windham, BamaCentral)
• Alabama football recruiting nuggets (Andrew Bone, BamaInsider)

---

Tuscaloosa Patch Notebook

• Tuscaloosa area schools are gearing up for a return to in-person instruction in the coming weeks, which coincides with a noticeable spike in new coronavirus cases, low demand for the vaccine and a reluctance among state officials to reimplement public health guidelines that were allowed to expire when cases flattened over the summer. (More on Patch)
• The 2nd Avenue Overpass on the University of Alabama campus is expected to open this morning, so stay tuned for more. (More on Patch)
• Here's a reminder that a celebration of Nick's Kids Foundation donation to the Saban Center project will be celebrated by the City of Tuscaloosa and the foundation with a street renaming celebration and parade on Thursday, Aug. 5 at 9 a.m. (More on Patch)
• Two men from outside of the state were arrested over the weekend in Tuscaloosa on human trafficking charges following an extensive investigation. The bust also identified five potential human trafficking victims. (More on Patch)
• The City of Northport says approximately 47 people had come in for face-to-face interactions with SBA officials following flooding from Tropical Storm Claudette, with 24 applications completed and roughly half being processed. (More on Patch)

---

You're all caught up for today. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with a new update! If you're feeling these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

Have a great Wednesday!

— Ryan Phillips

---

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.