Vaccine Registration In Northport Today; Shots Fired On 8th Ave.

It's Monday and the start of a new week, so peel yourself out of bed, pour that first cup of coffee and let's get going.

In today's Daily, we have all the best coverage of the Crimson Tide's run in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, along with an update on the status of the City of Northport mulling the possibility of starting its own school system.

First, today's weather:

Still sunny! Tuscaloosa can expect a high near 73 degrees and a low around 55, with some wind in the forecast.

Tuscaloosa Daily is made possible in part by Patch sponsor JamisonMoneyFarmer. To become a sponsor of Tuscaloosa Daily or the Tuscaloosa Patch website, email ryan.phillips@patch.com.

Patch Pick: If this doesn't warm your heart, you might want to check your pulse. Big kudos to the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter for finding homes for numerous pets on Saturday at Pet Sense on Rice Mine Road.

Here are the top 5 stories today in Tuscaloosa

1. The No. 2 seed Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team will face off against the No. 10 seed Maryland Terrapins tonight at 7:45 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The game will be played at Banker's Life Fieldhouse and will be broadcast on TNT.

2. The Tuscaloosa Police Department responded to multiple calls of gunshots at an apartment complex in the 2000 block of Eighth Avenue Saturday night, Noah Lueker reports. As of the publication of this story, no victims or suspects had been identified. (Tuscaloosa Thread)

3. Following the Northport City Council's regular meeting a week ago, Steven Greenlow caught up with officials to provide an update on the continuing discussion of a proposed Northport city school system. (WVUA 23)

4. Check out this thoughtful column by Cecil Hurt. Reporting from Hinkle Fieldhouse, he gives an eloquent portrayal of "a cathedral of college basketball."(Tuscaloosa News)

5. Spring is in the air on the University of Alabama campus. Take a look through these beautifully-composed photos by Ben Flanagan to get your first glimpse of the colors of the season. (AL.com)

Tuscaloosa Patch Notebook

- The City of Tuscaloosa says a total of 2,000 second doses of the coronavirus vaccine were administered during the last week.

- Tuscaloosa County EMA will make Northport its next stop for its pop-up coronavirus vaccine registration site today and tomorrow from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The event is open to Tuscaloosa County residents 65 and older.

- There will be a potential for severe weather on Thursday, which comes after officials confirmed three different tornadoes touched down in Tuscaloosa last Wednesday. I'll keep you updated on this story through the days to come.

- The Lab Awards Gala will be held today at 4 p.m. at the Bama Theater. The event is sponsored by Tuscaloosa Tourism & Sports and honors west Alabama’s top high schools athletes in men’s and women’s basketball, track and field, volleyball and football.

- Theatre Tuscaloosa will host its sixth annual Lights, Camera, Auction Facebook fundraising event March 25-28, beginning Thursday at 9 a.m. All of the proceeds raised will go to benefit the theatre company. Click here for more.

- Be sure to mark your calendars for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama's spring membership luncheon, which will be held in-person at Embassy Suites Tuscaloosa on April 20. Click here for more. Tuscaloosa Patch is proud to be a Chamber member.

Now you're all caught up on everything you need to know to get this week started! But don't miss out during the rest of the day! Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates and more.

I'll see you around,

- Ryan

About me: I grew up in Tuscaloosa. I'm a graduate of the University of Alabama, an experienced journalist, editor and columnist and the founder of Tuscaloosa Patch. You can find me at baseball games, public meetings, events in the local arts community and wherever live music is played