UA releases plans for national championship celebration
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 13
The University of Alabama will celebrate the BCS National Championship, January 21, at 2 p.m. in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The event, which is free and will last about an hour, will feature the Crimson Tide football team and head football coach Nick Saban. Tickets are not required to enter the stadium, and all seating, which will be limited to the west side of the stadium, is general admission and will be first-come, first-served. This event will be held regardless of weather conditions.
Crimson White – Jan. 17
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 16
WAFF-NBC (Huntsville) — Jan. 16
WCBI-CBS (Columbus, Miss.) — Jan. 16
New concrete recipe developed by Auburn, Alabama researchers reuses toxic coal ash
Birmingham News – Jan. 16
Researchers at Auburn University and the University of Alabama have teamed up to devise a new recipe for a concrete, one that has the potential to reuse a form of toxic waste, cut greenhouse gas production and introduce new technology to the world’s most common building material. Jialai Wang at Alabama and Xinyu Zhang at Auburn are perfecting a process that takes a power plant by-product — coal ash — and uses it in place of cement in their recipe for concrete.
Hands on Tuscaloosa Service Day
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Jan. 16
The University of Alabama Community Service Center and several student organizations are hosting a Hands on Tuscaloosa service day in honor of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Saturday, Jan. 21, from 9 a.m.-noon…UA students will have the opportunity to work on projects including tornado disaster relief and working with city schools. Volunteers will disperse around the city to work with community partners and local nonprofit organizations.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) — Jan. 16
UA’s Creative Campus to host Zen Buddhist priest and poet this week
AL.com – Jan. 16
Zoketsu Norman Fischer, a poet and Zen Buddhist priest, will appear at a series of events hosted by the University of Alabama’s Creative Campus from Tuesday through Thursday. Fischer, a longtime teacher at the San Francisco Zen Center, will read from “Conflict,” his latest book of poetry, and will lead meditation sessions and forums held on campus. All events are free and open to the public, but reservations are encouraged for some events.
Crimson White – Jan. 17
Morgan housing market shows some improvements; average price slightly higher
Decatur Daily – Jan. 17
Housing statistics for Morgan County have been relatively stable in the past year, as some key numbers improved while others dropped. This could be a good sign for a struggling market that has seen home sales drop by nearly half in the last five years. Residential home sales for the first 11 months of 2011 totalled 1,006, almost identical to the 1,015 sold through November in 2010, according to the University of Alabama’s Center for Real Estate. The average sales price for homes increased slightly in 2011, from $129,709 to $132,671.
Analysis: China’s reforestation programs: Big success or just an illusion?
Yale Environment 360 – Jan. 17
Scientists and conservation groups are beginning to voice concerns about the long-term viability of significant aspects of China’s reforestation push…Nevertheless, says David Shankman — a geographer at the University of Alabama and a co-author of the study — over years or decades the plantings have tended to eventually deplete local soil moisture and die en masse simply because the planted species “are not native to the region, and don’t tolerate local conditions.” Because it has evolved locally, native vegetation tends to function in equilibrium with the resources available to it, including water. And in early years, the newly planted tree species appeared not to suffer because they were effective at pushing their roots ever-deeper in search of stored soil moisture.
Alabama governor’s education plan draws controversy
Stateline – Jan. 17
Weeks before Alabama’s legislative session is scheduled to begin, Governor Robert Bentley has sparked debate among legislators about a proposal to use money earmarked for education to fill other holes in the budget. . . . It could also unite the K-12 and higher education community, says Bill Stewart, an emeritus professor in political science at the University of Alabama. “Even though the AEA and the higher education folks are at each other’s throats,” he says, “this is one thing they can agree on.”
Brokered deal for councilman’s resignation leaves many wondering: Whodunnit?
Anniston Star – Jan. 15
In November, embattled former Councilman John Spain and his attorney arrived nearly 15 minutes late for an arraignment appealing a guilty verdict for misdemeanor assault. They were, said the attorney, William Rutledge, trying to work out a deal to dismiss the assault charge, along with a second charge pending against Spain for allegedly exceeding his authority as a councilman. . . . A month later, Spain announced his resignation and all charges against him were dropped. The deal, according to a news release McVeigh distributed, was negotiated with the help of a group of local residents who wished to remain anonymous. He wouldn’t say much else…Richard Fording, professor and chair of the department of political science at the University of Alabama, thinks behind-the-scenes wrangling by residents is not all that uncommon. “I would suspect that that happens often, especially at the local level where there’s maybe less scrutiny and less visibility,” Fording said. Fording said there may be a danger in such dealings, especially when things happen behind closed doors.
Economic forecast panelists expect more of the same in 2012
Birmingham Business Journal – Jan. 13
The slow pace of economic recovery last year will remain relatively unchanged in 2012 and could continue into 2013 or longer, experts said Friday at the Birmingham Business Journal’s 2012 Economic Forecast Panel at Samford University’s Brock School of Business…The four panelists – among them Sara Helms, an economics professor and research associate at the Lister Hill Center for Health Policy; Rick Davis, senior vice president of economic development for the Birmingham Business Alliance, and Ahmad Ijaz, director of economic forecasting at the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research – listed uncertainty stemming from indecision and political infighting in Washington and Europe’s sovereign debt crisis as primary factors causing the slow growth.
College news
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 16
UA’s Opera Theatre program competed in the National Opera Association’s Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition on Jan. 5. . . . The ninth annual 2012 University of Alabama Church Music Conference featuring Joby Bell and K. Lee Scott will be Jan. 27-28.
Attractions: Only in Alabama
Birmingham Black and White – Jan. 17
Insurance Hall of Fame Museum: The museum houses portraits of and personal items donated by hall of famers. Also features exhibits with photographs and statistical material about such natural disasters as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the San Francisco earthquake, and the Chicago fire, and the ways the insurance industry assisted in the aftermaths of each. Fourth Floor, Alston Hall, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Free admission.205-348-4611 or www.insurancehalloffame.org or http://cba.ua.edu/insurance/ihof.
Fans: Trophy brings triumph amid recovery
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 15
Eyes across Tuscaloosa and the state of Alabama were glued to TV sets on Jan. 9 as the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team tore apart the LSU Tigers to bring back the school’s 14th national championship to a still-rebuilding Tuscaloosa. The tragedy-to-triumph theme resonated with fans who came Saturday to Academy Sports and Outdoors to have their picture made with The Coaches’ Trophy, awarded to the BCS national champion.
Birmingham News – Jan. 15