Community Corner
🌱 New Bama Arena + Chamber Awards + Pickens County Vote?
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Tuscaloosa.

Rise and shine, Tuscaloosa! Let's get this day started with everything you need to know going on around town.
In today's Daily, we have these stories and more ...
- Storms leave one dead in Hale County.
- West Alabama Chamber gives awards
- Pete Golding arrest updates
First, today's weather: Cloudy and chilly. High: 43 | Low: 28.
🗣 Patch Shout Out 🗣
Our Shout Out for this Friday morning goes to Michele Coley of the Allstate Coley Agency, who was named Charles H. Land Member of the Year on Thursday by the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama, which is the highest honor presented to an individual Chamber member. The Chamber also acknowledged its top volunteers and most dedicated members during its 121st annual celebration at the Bryant Conference Center, so click here to see the honorees! (Tuscaloosa Patch)

🗞 Here are the top 5 stories today in Tuscaloosa 🗞
- Alabama football defensive coordinator Pete Golding released a statement Thursday evening apologizing for a DUI arrest earlier in the day in Northport that grabbed national headlines. (Tuscaloosa Patch)
- The University of Alabama is one step closer to a new 10,000-seat competition arena for basketball and gymnastics, along with a new practice facility for its golf programs. The final vote by the UA System Board of Trustees is set for Friday. (Tuscaloosa Patch)
- A severe weather system moved over west Alabama Thursday afternoon and evening, with an unconfirmed tornado causing widespread damage along Highway 14 in Hale County that left at least one person death and several injuries in Sawyerville. (Tuscaloosa Patch)
- Wednesday marked the filing deadline for monthly campaign finance reports in Alabama legislative races, so Patch took an even closer look to bring the campaigns into context. Here are our biggest takeaways from the latest round of campaign finance reporting (Tuscaloosa Patch)
- State Rep. Rodney Sullivan, R-Northport, saw a bill pass through the Alabama House of Representatives Thursday — House Bill 154 — which calls for a referendum vote in Pickens County to let residents decide how the county's ad valorem tax revenue will be used. If signed into law, it would see the tax revenue distributed to volunteer fire departments in Pickens County for fire protection purposes, in addition to being used to finance other necessary emergency services. (Tuscaloosa Patch)
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🗓 Today in Tuscaloosa 🗓
- First Friday Opening Reception @ Hotel Indigo (More)
- The Vegabonds w/ The Stews @ Druid City Music Hall (More)
- Live Trivia Game Nights @ Druid City Brewing Co. (More)
- Alabama Blues Project @ Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center (More)
✏️ Tuscaloosa Patch Notebook ✏️
The University of Alabama's Center for Economic Development recently launched its 16th annual Books for the Alabama Black Belt campaign that encourages UA students, faculty, staff and local residents to donate K-12 books for students in the region. (More)
A Birmingham man police say posed as a Lyft driver and sexually assaulted a passenger has been charged with rape, sodomy and kidnapping. (Birmingham Patch)
The Stillman College women's basketball team pulled off a stunning a 71-70 upset over Talladega College, with Amaria Strong logging a put-back with 8.5 seconds left to give the Lady Tigers a conference win in Birthright Alumni Hall. The men's team would go on to win 64-57. (More)
The University of West Alabama basketball team (17-4, 10-3) rode a dynamic second half at home to defeat the West Florida Argos 79-69 Thursday night. (More)
The No. 9 Alabama gymnastics team will host No. 17 Western Michigan and No. 25 North Carolina in Coleman Coliseum Friday night for a tri-meet, with the contest set to start at 7:30 p.m. (More)
📉 Number of the Day 📈
$26,000
- The total amount contributed by local and national businesses to candidates in January for west Alabama legislative races. Click here to see who donated. (Tuscaloosa Patch)
👨💻 Other stories I'm reading today 👨💻
- Woman killed in Hale County tornado (CBS 42 News)
- Hale County Board of Education Announces Closures Due To Storm Damage (Dre Day, Tuscaloosa Thread)
- Our View: Autherine Lucy Foster's name does not belong beside a Klansman's (Crimson White Editorial Board)
- Boston helps No. 1 South Carolina women beat Alabama 83-51 (Associated Press)
- Alabama expected to hire Charlotte's Joe Cox as tight ends coach (Charlie Potter, BamaOnline)
- Man sues Alabama police after K-9 bite nearly cost him his arm (Ashley Remkus, AL.com)
- Analysis | What the Corfman v. Moore verdict really means (Jacob Holmes, Alabama Political Power)
- School choice bill gets first favorable vote; testing requirement added (Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News)
- Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United relocates office space to Patriot Park (Stephanie Rebman, Birmingham Business Journal)
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Alrighty, you're all good for today! See you tomorrow for your next update.
— RP
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