YEAR IN REVIEW: Tuscaloosa Storylines That Gave Us Hope In 2021

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The year 2021 will be remembered as a heartbreaking and tumultuous one in many ways for Tuscaloosa. But even during the hardest of times, glimmers of hope and inspiration can be found if you know where to look.

As we think back on the year that was, Patch has collected some of the Tuscaloosa storylines that gave us hope and served as reminders of the good that is possible in our community.

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TCHS Senior Celebrates Mars Rover Landing After Naming Helicopter

Students and faculty at Tuscaloosa County High School watched along with the rest of the world in February as NASA landed its most advanced rover yet — Perseverance — on Mars, which happens to have been named by TCHS senior Vaneeza Rupani. (More)

Glenda Webb Becomes First Woman To Serve As Northport City Administrator

The Northport City Council in March unanimously chose to hire Tuscaloosa City Attorney Glenda Webb as its next city administrator, making her the first woman to ever serve in what is arguably the most powerful staff position with the city. (More)

PRESSING ON: Druid City Brewing Funding Record Of Local Musicians

After hosting an online concert event at Druid City Brewing Company's 15th Street location last December featuring numerous Tuscaloosa musicians, owner Bo Hicks decided to raise the money in February to have a vinyl record pressed through Oz Music, which is the brewery's neighbor and the city's only independent record store. The record features certain selections from the five-hour event, with Hicks saying Oz Music will get its margins from each sale, while the rest of the cost paid by the customer will go to the musicians. (More)

Quite The Honor: TCS Names Debate Tournament For Judge England

In May, Tuscaloosa City Schools Superintendent Mike Daria surprised the now-retired Judge John H. England by inform him that the TCS debate tournament would be named the Judge John England Tuscaloosa City Invitational Debate Tournament. (More)

Get To Know Lollipop - The Newest Face At Echols Middle School

The Tuscaloosa County School System in May officially introduced Lollipop — Echols Middle School's first Facility Intervention Dog. Lollipop, or Lolly, recently completed her training earlier this year and began her important job at the school. (More)

Tuscaloosa Mayor Appoints Scott Holmes As Next City Attorney

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox in June announced that Scott Holmes as the next city attorney for Tuscaloosa. Holmes has been instrumental in many widely-praised initiatives relating to criminal justice reform. (More)

Volunteers Aid In Northport Trailer Park Flood Cleanup Effort

Volunteers in red and yellow shirts darted from one mangled mobile home to another in June as more than 200 people gathered at Willowbrook Trailer Park to aid in cleanup efforts in the wake of devastating flooding brought on by Hurricane Claudette. (More)

5 Things I Learned About My Hometown On T-Town Civil Rights Trail

I grew up in Tuscaloosa and have always considered myself a bit of a local history buff. But sitting in June, I was reminded that there are so many stories I've never heard in my own hometown. Click here to learn more about Tuscaloosa's complicated history, which is now preserved through the Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History Trail. (More)

Northport Moves Forward On Largest Resurfacing Project In City History

The Northport City Council in July unanimously approved a long list of highly-anticipated resurfacing projects for roads around the city, marking the most ambitious street repaving initiative in the city's history. (More)

Tuscaloosa's Tim Anderson Steals Show In 'Field Of Dreams' Game

Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson — a former Hillcrest High Patriot — hit a two-run homer to right field in the bottom of the ninth for the Sox to win 9-8 in the Field of Dreams Game in August. The nationally-televised game was played on the titular baseball diamond from the 1989 movie starring Kevin Costner. (More)

SEC Network Personalities Sport Signature Look To Honor 'Fluff'

The Alabama Crimson Tide opened its 2021 home football schedule Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, which featured a modest, yet touching tribute to Alabama superfan Luke Ratliff, who died in April after contracting COVID-19. (More)

Meet The Bama Fan Who Crashed The 'White Out' Against Auburn

Patch tracked down Ed Harding in September, after the Pennsylvania native achieved overnight stardom in Tuscaloosa for wearing an Alabama shirt amid a sea of white shirts, as Penn State hosted Auburn earlier this season. His story is one of friendship and devotion that all college football fans can appreciate. (More)

Almond Sworn In As First Woman To Represent House District 63

Former Tuscaloosa City Council President Cynthia Lee Almond was sworn in to represent District 63 in the Alabama House of Representatives in October, becoming the first woman to represent the district that covers a large part of Tuscaloosa. (More)

Tuscaloosa Runner, DCH Nurse Discusses Boston Marathon Finish

Former Michigan State All-American and DCH Health System nurse Ann Besanceney took part in the second marathon of her running career in October, but it would be far and away the most memorable yet as she was one of a select class of athletes to finish the 2021 Boston Marathon. (More)

Tuscaloosa StoryWalk Finds Permanent Location

The Tuscaloosa StoryWalk now has a permanent home after a spring and summer of testing out the concept in parks across the area. The new walkable storybook can be found at Jaycee Park and debuted in October. Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority, along with the Tuscaloosa Public Library officially unveiled the first StoryWalk in April, turning the Tuscaloosa River Walk into a walkable storybook, with podiums displaying laminated pages of a children's storybook that can be read as participants walk the path. (More)

The Cashier & The Country Singer: A West Alabama Christmas Story

Here's the story of up-and-coming country singer Fordie Hays' unbelievable act of generosity, which saw more than $10,000 raised in a little more than weekend in mid-December for 75-year-old Annie Myrick — a cashier at the McCalla McDonald's just off Exit 100. This was far and away my favorite story from the entire year, so don't miss it. (More)

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