Patch Headline Roundup: Tuscaloosa Stories We're Reading Today

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Here are some of the most important stories from around Tuscaloosa to get your week started, along with a few of our favorites.

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Tuscaloosa mayoral virtual debate set for Monday night: Ugochi Iloka of WBRC Fox 6 News reports that two of the three candidates vying for mayor of Tuscaloosa will square off in a virtual debate Monday night. Incumbent Walt Maddox and former Alabama football player Martin Houston will both participate, while the television station reports candidate and UA faculty member Serena Fortenberry will not participate due to the group’s affiliation with a city contract and a Tuscaloosa Police Department diversity training program.

DCH ends contract with Pinnacle Physician Group: Aaron Bonner of the Northport Gazette reported the three-hospital system will soon begin a search for a new company to manage hospitalist services at both DCH Regional Medical Center and Northport Medical Center after opting to not renew its contract with Pinnacle Physician Group.

See Monday’s AHSAA regional semifinal and final schedule and results: AL.com's Ben Thomas and Mike Perrin provided a breakdown of Monday's AHSAA basketball playoff action, which will be updated with scores throughout the day as several west Alabama teams take to the hardwood, including Holt, Marion County, Pickens County and Carbon Hill.

Campaign donations top $280,000 in Tuscaloosa mayor's race: Jason Morton of the Tuscaloosa News took an in-depth look into campaign finances in Tuscaloosa's three-candidate mayoral race. The newspaper reports incumbent Mayor Walt Maddox received $140,637 in recorded cash contributions since August, while former Alabama football player Martin Houston raised $116,809 in cash and in-kind contributions. UA faculty member Serena Fortenberry has raised $22,875.48 since she first announced her candidacy.

Politics and wills collide in Tuscaloosa mayoral race: Bill Britt of Alabama Political Reporter takes an up-close look at one dynamic in play during the Tuscaloosa mayoral races — the battle between businessman Stan Pate and incumbent Mayor Walt Maddox. Read in it full here.

United Way of West Alabama raised $4 million in 2020 campaign: Noah Lueker of the Tuscaloosa Thread reports that the United Way of West Alabama raised $4,025,773 for its 26 partner agencies during its 2020 fundraising campaign. The organization reportedly shifted its fundraising focus toward providing aid for families and individuals impacted by the economic downturn due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The SGA candidates have been announced. They’re unopposed again: The Crimson White's Kayla Solino reports that all eight executive positions for the University of Alabama's Student Government Association are uncontested as the official campaign period kicks off Monday.

Students’ Knowledge on Black History Tested in Inaugural Scholar Bowl: WVUA 23 reports that Alabama college students will gather at the University of Alabama’s Bryant Conference Center Saturday for the first Dr. Trudier Harris Intercollegiate Black History Scholar Bowl.

Prosecutors plan to re-indict capital murder suspect after error: Emily Enfinger of the Tuscaloosa News reports that "prosecutors plan to re-indict a capital murder suspect after his indictment named a living person as the deceased, and the prosecutors' motion to amend the indictment was denied."

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