Members of UA’s Phi Beta Pi help kids at Holt Elementary learn to read
FOX6 (Birmingham) – Nov. 19
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 19
Three cheers for reading is what third graders from Holt Elementary School are excited about. Members of the University of Alabama’s Pi Beta Phi teamed up with the school for their community service project. The month-long event is called Champions Are Readers. To mark a successful ending, everyone took part in a pep rally.
McElroy not chosen as Rhodes Scholar
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 21
…“We gave it our best shot, going up against a few MIT students, a Yale grad, a Harvard grad, a Naval Academy grad, I’m just proud to have been able to make it to this point and represent Alabama for that,” McElroy told The Tuscaloosa News. McElroy said a Naval Academy graduate and a Harvard graduate were chosen for the honor. Final interviews were held at the Protective Life Corporation in Birmingham. “They were both very deserving,” McElroy said. “Meeting the other individuals going out for it was as special as anything. Just being able to compete for this on a level playing field, and understanding that we all come from different backgrounds, we’re all striving to achieve the same thing. That’s to make the world a better place.”…McElroy was among 12 finalists from District 7, which comprises candidates from Alabama, Tennessee and Florida.UA Associate Athletics Director for Student Services Jon Dever said he was proud of McElroy’s efforts to reach the finalist stage. “I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for him, and a great honor for him to be considered for the Rhodes,” Dever said. “This is my nineteenth year and this is our first Rhodes Scholar finalist and that says a lot that he made it this far. Being an athlete, he’s got 20 hours a week devoted to a sport, whereas other candidates might have that 20 hours to devote to academics. He’s technically got a part-time job and he’s still made it this far.”…
ESPN – Nov. 20
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 20
WHNT (Huntsville) – Nov. 20
Iron Bowl may derail shoppers on Black Friday
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 21
… “Some local retailers may be worried about Black Friday and the Iron Bowl falling on the same day. However, there are still some shoppers that will let nothing stop them from obtaining Black Friday bargains,” said Kristy Reynolds, the Bruno professor for marketing at the University of Alabama. “For many consumers, shopping on Black Friday is a family tradition as much as football is. In addition, many of the deepest discounts are available very early that day. Shoppers can go out early and then get home in time for the game.” Reynolds said some retailers have already started their holiday sales and plan sales throughout Thanksgiving weekend. “So shoppers who are going to the game can take advantage of these,” she said. “Other consumers may simply shop online before, on or after Black Friday and still get deals.” Reynolds, who teaches courses in retailing said the holiday season started earlier than ever this year. “Some stores held ‘Christmas in July’ sales. No one is taking any chances. Many other stores launched sales and ads, and sent e-mails to customers before Halloween,” she said. “Some shoppers will be turned off by this, but the folks out there who are what we call the true smart shoppers and bargain seekers will enjoy completing their shopping early.”…“It is the official kick-off of the holiday season, and the momentum created on Black Friday and over the weekend is very important to the success of the remainder of the holiday shopping season,” she said…
Madison County’s jobless rate is unchanged, but number of unemployed rises slightly
Huntsville Times – Nov. 20
…Ahmad Ijaz, director of Economic Forecasting with the University of Alabama’s Center for Business & Economic Research, noted there was also an increase in the number of jobless in the metro Huntsville area, which includes Madison and Limestone Counties. The number of unemployed was 14,999 in September and 15,046 in October in the metro area, according to preliminary state data. “The economy is growing slowly, but we’re just not adding jobs,” Ijaz said. “We lost so many jobs” with the economic slowdown, “it’ll take four or five years to get back to the employment levels we had before the recession.”…
Sale of children’s consignment items booming
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 21
… The recession has turned us into a nation of bargain hunters,” said Kristy Reynolds, marketing professor at the University of Alabama. “More and more people are finding a way to find deals and sticking to their budgets.”…
Taking BP claims check now a gamble
Montgomery Advertiser – Nov. 22
…Bill Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama, said conservative Democrats have lost support in the South. “If you’re conservative-minded, why would you vote for a Democrat?” he said…
CNN spotlights the Million Dollar Band
CNN – Nov. 21
Here’s a look at the University of Alabama Million Dollar Band…
UA students make recycled art
FOX6 (Birmingham) – Nov. 19
…about 35 University of Alabama students…were given the assignment to go out into the community and find a painting at a garage sale, rummage sale, thrift store…I really like the assignment it really opens a lot of doors. It takes someone’s idea and twists it this is the second year for the student exhibition.
Post office will sell Iron Bowl logo envelopes
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 20
…On Friday, the day the cross-state rivals meet in Tuscaloosa for the annual showdown, the postal service will offer collectible envelopes with team logos of the University of Alabama and Auburn University. The envelopes will be available for $10 each at the main post office branch on 13th Street in Tuscaloosa and the Auburn post office. There will be 500 with Alabama stamps available in Tuscaloosa on Friday and 250 that feature two stamps for people who live in a “house divided,” said Carol Brekle, manager of retail for the postal service’s Alabama division. Five hundred envelopes with an Auburn stamp and 250 with both logos will be available at the Auburn post office…
City gathers to celebrate national honor
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 21
At least 200 people gathered in the old City Fest lot downtown Saturday to celebrate the selection of Tuscaloosa County as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People…Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon and Charles Nash, vice chancellor of academic and student affairs for the University of Alabama System, spoke. Nash said the process was strenuous and the county had to pool all of its resources and programs together to complete the 20-page application. “We also had to outline what challenges still lie before our community,” he said. “In the end, we found that a lack of parental role models for our children is our main challenge.”…