🌱 Leadership Tuscaloosa + Holy Spirit Softball + T-Town NCAA Regional

Rise and shine, T-Town! Here's everything you need to know to get this Saturday started.

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

• COLA bonuses for Tuscaloosa County retirees.
• Waste Management addresses issues facing Tuscaloosa County customers.
• The 2022 Class of Leadership Tuscaloosa.

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First, today's weather: Partly sunny. High: 92 | Low: 73. 🌥

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🗣 Patch Shout Out 🗣

Our Shout Out for this Saturday morning goes to the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama's class of 2022 for Leadership Tuscaloosa. This group of community leaders continue to put in the work to make where we live a special place. (Tuscaloosa Patch)

🗞 Here are the top 5 stories today in Tuscaloosa 🗞

1. DCH Board of Directors Chair Jim I. Harrison III on Friday penned an open letter addressing current challenges and upcoming leadership changes for the hospital system. This comes following a rocky week for the hospital system in terms of public perception due to criticism from Northport's appointed board member, coupled with the resignation of DCH Chief Operating Officer Paul Betz and the hiring of a new CEO. (Tuscaloosa Patch)
2. The West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force says it located a missing Chicago-area teen in Tuscaloosa on Thursday, thanks to the quick thinking of employees at a Tuscaloosa hotel. A Michigan man was then taken into custody for sex trafficking and misdemeanor marijuana possession. (Tuscaloosa Patch)
3. The Tuscaloosa County Commission received updates this week on ongoing issues with the firm contracted to collect garbage in the county, as Waste Management Inc. works to address problems with staffing, truck maintenance and customer service. (Tuscaloosa Patch)
4. Retired Northport Police Captain Ron Bolton announced a key endorsement from Republican State Rep. Rodney Sullivan in his bid for Alabama House of Representatives District 61 on Friday, which comes less than a week before the May 24 GOP Primary. He will appear on the Republican Primary ballot against former Tuscaloosa-area radio personality Kimberly Madison. (Tuscaloosa Patch)
5. In other Tuscaloosa County Commission news, those drawing retirement from Tuscaloosa County will soon see one-time cost of living adjustment (COLA) bonuses on their checks later this year, after the measure was unanimously approved this week. (Tuscaloosa Patch)

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🗓 Today in Tuscaloosa 🗓

• Tuscaloosa River Market (More)
• The Dance Centre presents 'Sweet Home Chocolate Factory' @ The Bama Theatre (More)
• Saturday Art Market (More)
• Druid City Arts Festival 2022 (More)
• Flow Tuscaloosa Lantern Parade @ Tuscaloosa Riverwalk (More)
• An Evening at the Pool @ Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum (More)
• Summer Blues Concert @ Shindig Family Entertainment Center (More)

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🏆 Winners of the Day 🏆

Holy Spirit Catholic School softball won all three of its games Friday at the ASHAA state tournament in Oxford and advanced to the Class 1A state championship game Saturday at 5 p.m. in Choccolocco Park. Find out here who they could be facing and what's at stake as the Saints aim for their first AHSAA softball title in school history (Tuscaloosa Patch)

✏️ Tuscaloosa Patch Notebook ✏️

Alabama softball used the long ball in a 3-0 win over Chattanooga in the opening round of the NCAA Softball Regional at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa Friday afternoon. The Crimson Tide will now face Stanford at 2 p.m. on Saturday. (More)

Alabama baseball (27-25, 11-17 SEC) topped No. 7 Arkansas 8-6 in Tuscaloosa Friday afternoon to even the series ahead of Saturday's matchup in the last series of the regular season for the Crimson Tide. (More)

The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help locating a man who has been missing from the McCalla area since Wednesday night. (Tuscaloosa Patch)

A Walker County man is behind bars and charged with 19 counts of possession of child pornography following a search warrant on Thursday of a residence near the Argo community. (Tuscaloosa Patch)

The Alabama men's basketball team is set for a 10-day foreign tour in August to Barcelona, Spain, and Paris, France. The trip will feature the Crimson Tide playing two games and spending four days in Barcelona before traveling to Paris for another four days and one game. (More)

🏃‍♂️On The Move 🏃‍♀️

North River Christian Academy senior and softball standout Anna Marie Johnson signed this week to continue her softball career at Stillman College.

5️⃣ Other Stories I'm Reading Today

1. 'That was a mistake and I apologize': Coach Saban apologizes for comments made on NIL (WBRC Fox 6 News)
2. For Jimbo Fisher, beef with Nick Saban reaches back a long way (Joseph Goodman, AL.com)
3. A product of Alabama Soccer: Nealy Martin in the NWSL (Martha Glen Sease, Crimson White)
4. After Two Years Off, Bowers Park Pool Opening Up Again (Aajene Robinson, WVUA 23 News)
5. Alabama basketball announces foreign trip destinations (AJ Holliday, CBS 42 News)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you around!

— RP

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Tuscaloosa Daily? Contact me at ryan.phillips@patch.com