Union Strikes At Warrior Met; Grant Money For Area Airports

TGIF Tuscaloosa!

In today's Daily, you can read the absolute latest on a strike at one of the area's largest employers, a University of Alabama professor doing big things to help those in need, and all of the other stories I'm chasing and reading today.

First, today's weather:

BRRRRRR .... Tuscaloosa can expect patchy frost before 9 a.m. ahead of an otherwise sunny day with a high near 58 degrees and a low around 31.

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

Here are the top 5 stories today in Tuscaloosa

1. United Mine Workers of America followed through on a threatened labor union strike Thursday night for its members employed by Brookwood-based Warrior Met Coal. Previous totals reported by Patch this week said as many as 1,100 workers could walk out until a collective bargaining agreement suitable to the union was reached with the west Alabama coal producer. As of the publication of this story, no agreement had been reached.

2. If you're in need of a good pick-me-up headed into this Easter weekend, Gary Cosby Jr. has what you're looking for. Check out his photo gallery as students at the University of Alabama's Rise Center enjoyed a parade and egg hunt on Thursday. (Tuscaloosa News)

3. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby announced that three west Alabama airports will be receiving grant money for improvements: North Pickens Airport ($449,464), Walker County Airport-Bevill Field ($233,902) and Richard Arthur Field Airport in Fayette ($72,000 ).

4. The Northport City Council this week handed out ceremonial checks to schools in the city as part of the latest round of educational grant funding, Aaron Bonner reports. The grants are made possible by revenue generated from Northport's 1% sales tax increase, dubbed "Northport First" (Northport Gazette).

5. Mark Elliott, an associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at the University of Alabama, will be part of a $4 million project to address the wastewater crisis in Alabama's Black Belt, Isabel Hope reports. (Crimson White)

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Today in Tuscaloosa

- Seeking Seven at Egan's Bar, beginning at 11 p.m.

- Artist Reception for Sydney Gruber's "Between Us" at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

- Kentuck's Gallery at Hotel Indigo will host a reception and artist talk for "Reality is Not Real" by Winfred Hawkins beginning at 6:30 p.m.

- Kung Fu Gripp at Big Al's, beginning at 9 p.m.

Tuscaloosa Patch Notebook

- The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater celebrated a decade in operation on Thursday. Click here to see some of the photos from the very first concert (which I attended).

- DCH Health System reported a total of 11 coronavirus-positive inpatients on Thursday, showing little change over the last couple of weeks.

- North River Christian is currently accepting applications for its summer camp program, which begins Tuesday, June 1 , and ends Aug. 5. Click here for more information.

- Theatre Tuscaloosa announced its next virtual offering will be a presentation of its 2012 production of "The Sweet Delilah Swim Club" by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, which will be available April 16-18.

Area baseball scores:

West Alabama 4, Montevallo 14

Hillcrest 13, Northridge 8

Hillcrest 7, Northridge 2

Area softball scores:

Alabama 11, Texas A&M 3

Tuscaloosa County 12, Hoover 8

American Christian 9, Gordo 5

Now you're in the loop to get this Friday out of the way and start your weekend! But don't miss out during the rest of the day. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates!

If you see me out, don't be a stranger

- 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