Witt says UA employees deserve raises
Tuscaloosa News – April 30
University of Alabama President Robert Witt said Thursday he wants to raise pay for employees next academic year. If approved by university trustees, it would be the first campuswide, merit-based raise for employees in three years. “Our highest priority remains increasing faculty and staff salaries,” Witt told employees gathered for the spring university meeting Thursday.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 29
Tuscaloosa County’s air quality given an ‘F’
Tuscaloosa News – April 30
Tuscaloosa County’s air quality is an “F,” according to a recent report by the American Lung Association. But even that isn’t as bad as the Birmingham area, which ranked in the top 10 most polluted cities in the country for air pollution. . . . In the 24-hour particle pollution category, which looks at the number of days in which an area scores high in both ozone and short-term particle pollution, Tuscaloosa County received a “C.” “It surprises me; I wouldn’t have expected that,” said David Brommer, an assistant professor in the department of geography at the University of Alabama. The source of any air pollution in Tuscaloosa County likely comes from local industries and not from larger cities like Birmingham, Brommer said. But weather and air flows also have a hand in pollution levels, Brommer said. Air pollution levels can also vary, depending on the time of year. “Certain times of the year we are more prone to a stagnant air mass, which could cause pollutants to build,” Brommer said.