UA Students Recall Crowded Storm Shelters; TPD's New Look

Good Morning Tuscaloosa!

In today's Daily, we look at how the Stillman Tigers men's basketball team fared in the first round of the Final 16 in the NAIA tournament, along with firsthand accounts from student journalists after storm shelters filled to capacity during Wednesday's storms and all of the other storied I'm reading and working on.

First, today's weather:

Mostly cloudy for Tuscaloosa with a high temperature near 55 degrees and a low around 43.

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: Watch my latest Patch Digital Feature as the interviews for Northport city administrator came to a close Thursday.

Here are the top 5 stories today in Tuscaloosa

1. Stillman College saw its historic 2021 men's basketball season come to a close in Kansas City Thursday afternoon, as the No. 8 seed Tigers fell in a 69-67 heartbreaker to No. 9 St. Francis in the 83rd annual NAIA Men's Basketball Championships Round of 16 at Municipal Auditorium. Stillman ended the season as the last HBCU eliminated from postseason play in NAIA, while also representing only the second time the Tigers (17-4) have made it to the Final 16 in program history. Read more from Kansas City here.

2. Three University of Alabama student journalists — Keely Brewer, Zach Johnson and Alexander Plant — recounted their sheltering experiences during Wednesday night's storms. The anecdotes include students singing "Dixieland Delight" in one of the shelters, along with a noticeably low number of people wearing face-coverings. (Crimson White)

3. Northport author Rae Yung was the subject of a video featured by a Tuscaloosa television station this week to discuss her latest children's book. "In Chadwick's Eyes" examines numerous themes, including bullying. (WVUA 23 News)

4. This week's print edition of the Northport Gazette is on news stands now, and features Aaron Bonner's coverage of Monday night's Northport City Council meeting. One of the highlights saw Jeff Campbell, principal of Northport Elementary School, address the council to express gratitude after the school was on the receiving end of two rounds of Northport First funds. The school has received roughly $50,000 in the form of two separate grants since the payouts began.

5. Stephen Quinn led up-close coverage of Wednesday's storms and reports that approximately 30 houses in Hale County were damaged as a result of an EF-1 tornado that hit Moundville before crossing into Tuscaloosa County. (ABC 33/40)

Today in Tuscaloosa

- The fifth annual Grand Slam Outdoors Turkey Invitational (5:30 p.m.)

- Mason Horne will perform live at Druid City Social (7 p.m.)

- Theatre Tuscaloosa will kick off its virtual production season with 'A Lesson Before Dying' at 7:30 p.m. (Click here for more on the event)

- Midlife Crisis Band at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6022 (8 p.m.)

Tuscaloosa Patch Notebook

- A big Tuscaloosa Patch "Thank You!" to our newest sponsor JamisonMoneyFarmer. I'm proud to partner with businesses like JMF who share my core values of community service and engagement. It's important to point out that sponsorship opportunities are limited and slots are going fast!

- In another shameless bit of self-promotion, I'm proud to say Tuscaloosa Patch on Wednesday hit 100,000 overall page views over the last month. Our email product is also nearing 2,000 subscribers since our launch early last August. Thank you all for the support!

- Tuscaloosa Patch was excited and relieved to hear that longtime Tuscaloosa broadcaster and former Northport City councilman 'Cap' Ray Allen returned home Thursday after an extended hospital stay. We look forward to the return of his valuable traffic updates on social media and heartwarming pictures of Patches the Traffic Kitty

- DCH Health System hit a recent low of 14 total coronavirus hospitalizations on Thursday, marking the lowest inpatient total since the first months of the pandemic.

- The Tuscaloosa County Commission reports that its crews and volunteer fire departments were able to clear well over 100 trees in under three hours Wednesday to make many roads passable. Probate Judge Rob Robertson, District 3 Commissioner Mark Nelson and County Engineer Scott Anders assessed the damage on Wednesday and commended the efforts of emergency crews during the severe weather event.

- Shelton State Community College is now accepting applications for a new evening nursing class option beginning in summer 2021. The application window closes on April 2.

- A spokesperson for State Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, tells me that Senate Bill 157 — the Alabama 2nd Amendment Preservation Act — should be coming around again for discussion in the second week of April. The pro-gun bill, if signed into law, would do away with required permits for concealed carry in Alabama.

- Steven Patrick Musgrove, 25, was arrested on a long list of felony charges in Fayette after officers recovered 77 grams of methamphetamine, a quantity of marijuana, several firearms, cash and drug paraphernalia during a search warrant.

- The Hillcrest High Patriots baseball team won three games on Thursday, outscoring opponents 23-5 to claim the championship in the Gulf Coast Classic hosted at Gulf Shores High School. The Patriots defeated Pascagoula High (8-2) and then Hendersonville High (7-1), before taking down Bob Jones 8-2 in the championship game.

- The Tuscaloosa County High Wildcats baseball team put up four runs in the 5th inning on its way to a 7-1 road win over Fairhope Thursday. Will Keller had two hits on the night, including an RBI double during the 5th inning. T.J. Glasgow also notched a pair of hits and an RBI. Brax Garrison logged a stellar performance on the mound for the Wildcats, throwing 93 pitches in a 7-inning complete game effort that only saw him surrender a pair of hits and a single earned run.

The Tuscaloosa Police Department will soon roll out a new look for its patrol vehicles. Here's a first look, courtesy of TPD:

Now you're all caught up heading into the weekend. But don't miss out during the rest of the day! Be sure to follow me on Tuscaloosa Patch and its social media platforms for 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!