Photographer with University of Alabama ties captures “real” Cuba for global exhibit
Tuscaloosa News – May 31
Photographer Chip Cooper is no stranger to Cuba. He’s traveled there several times to capture the vividness of a land just 90 miles off our shores. It’s a land that, because of the decades-long embargo, remains mysterious to most Americans. A number of international exhibits and the 2012 University of Alabama Press book “La Habana Vieja” (“Old Havana”) resulted from Cooper’s work. They add to his rich list of publications, awards and accolades. Novelist Harper Lee said of Cooper: “You are a very great American photographer plus Georgia O’ Keeffe rolled into one. O’Keeffe, because you have her eye. You paint with film.” But his most recent project, a collection of photographs from the Cuban countryside shot with photographer, publisher and gallery owner Julio Larramendi, will stretch that renown wider than ever. “Campesinos” goes up this week in the Massimiliano Massimo Institute in Rome as part of the 80th anniversary celebration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the Vatican. “I’d say for every project that I’ve ever done, you always want some sort of wind underneath the project,” Cooper said, a few hours before departing on an international flight. “Campesinos” has already been on exhibit in Havana and is scheduled for Washington’s Smithsonian in 2017; a New York exhibit is also in the works.
University of Alabama students win NASA space mining competition
AL.com – May 30
Though the University of Alabama has its fair share of athletic national championships, a group of engineering and computer science students are racking up academic trophies in a national robotics competition. Alabama Astrobiotics won UA a second national championship in NASA’s Robotic Mining Championship last week, having constructed their own autonomous robot capable of navigating chaotic Martian terrain. The competition, hosted at Cape Canaveral, consisted of simulated Martian terrain. Robots were tasked with navigating obstacles and excavating soil. According to a UA release, robots were tasked with gathering “simulated ice buried beneath the regolith” as an added challenge. “The 2015 UA robot was among the lightest, fastest and most robust designs ever entered in the competition,” Dr. Kenneth Ricks, UA associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and team adviser, said in a UA release. “Combining the mechanical design with the onboard intelligence, overall this robot has no rivals from all those that have competed in the six years of this competition.”
Science Times – May 31
Repurposing the rubble: University of Alabama salvages bricks from Bryce Hospital property
Tuscaloosa News – June 1
Amid the brick rubble that was once the outer ward of historic Bryce Hospital’s east wing, workers scrape old mortar from bricks with the claws of hammers. The men clean the bricks — made by hand from local clays on the Bryce grounds more than 150 years ago — under tents made of black filter fabric and PVC frames to shield them from the rays of the late spring sun. The bricks are lighter and coarser in texture than their modern counterparts. Some bear the indentions left by fingers pressed into wet clay so long ago. “There are probably no two bricks alike,” said Tim Leopard, assistant vice president for construction at the University of Alabama. The university hopes to salvage about 275,000 bricks during demolitions on the historic property for future reuse.
Alexis Carreno: ‘Model of perseverance, love and support’
Santa Maria (Calif.) Times – May 30
Alexis “Lexi” Carreno will be one of 78 graduates in St. Joseph High School’s Class of 2015 accepting their diplomas Sunday, and while many of her classmates share a common background, having been together since elementary school, she has a perspective unlike most of her friends. Learning hasn’t been easy for Lexi, but even though she has struggled at times with classes and tests, she takes those little challenges in stride after helping her brother Jacob with his. Jacob, one of Lexi’s two younger brothers, was born with severe cerebral palsy. She doesn’t talk much about it, but along with being involved in 4-H and studio dancing since she was little, she’s been helping her parents, Ubaldo and Heather Carreno, take care of Jacob since she was old enough to help. She has also learned some valuable lessons from him. “He is one of the happiest people, and continues to show me that I should cherish the happy things in life. The happy moments should be our focuses,” she wrote this year in an essay about “perspective.” . . . Lexi has been a member of the St. Joseph dance team ever since she stepped on campus and it’s a passion she wants to take with her to college. She will be attending the University of Alabama next year and would like to dance for the Crimson Tide. Lexi chose Alabama after receiving acceptance letters from the University of Tennessee, Louisana State University, Colorado State and Texas A&M.
Granville Christian Academy grad looking forward to next chapter in life
Newark (Ohio) Advocate – May 31
Like many of her fellow classmates, Kellie Madson has her eyes set on the future in a big way. Saying goodbye to high school is tough, she said, but she can’t help but be excited about the prospect of starting college, meeting new friends and learning more about what she is passionate about. “I’m mostly excited to start the new chapter to my life at Alabama,” Madson said. “It’s kind of a weird feeling (to graduate). It’s bittersweet but mostly sweet; I think you can just tell when you’re ready to move on to new things.” This fall, Madson will be moving to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to attend the University of Alabama to study engineering. She absolutely fell in love with the campus after visiting, saying it quickly trumped her top two choices at the time. It was important for Madson to find a school with a lot of pride, and Alabama certainly fit that description, she said. With a love for puzzles and natural abilities in math, Madson always knew she would end up in a math-related field.
Boys State expected to draw about 600 seniors to Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa News – May 30
About 600 high school seniors from across Alabama will be in Tuscaloosa for the American Legion Alabama Boys State convention beginning Sunday. Boys State is a leadership and government training program, held annually on the University of Alabama campus. During the week, students conduct mock elections and learn about civic processes as well as participate in community service projects. Boys State will open with a speech by Gov. Robert Bentley at 2 p.m. Sunday in Morgan Auditorium. Boys State will wrap up June 6. Girls State will be held June 7-12 in Tuscaloosa.
Analysis: Poarch Creek bailout offer is complicated
Montgomery Advertiser – May 31
As Alabama lawmakers consider options for the state to fill a reported $700 million General Fund budget, one of the many choices on the table is a proposal by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to provide a substantial sum of money up front — either a gift or a loan, reportedly as much $250 million — and negotiate a compact with the state that would provide the tribe with exclusive gaming rights. The proposal has, of course, drawn the ire of other interested gaming parties — particularly those that stand to benefit from a separate proposal that would implement a lottery and open four casinos (with table games) in the state. . . . In most states, what’s traded is exclusivity, in some form or fashion. But that also raises an interesting question in Alabama, where Section 22 of the state constitution has a clause that states, in part, the Legislature shall make no “irrevocable or exclusive grants of special privileges or immunities … .” That language has been referenced by courts in the state to strike down exclusive deals cities entered into with various service providers. However, University of Alabama political science professor William Stewart, who has written numerous books and articles about the Alabama constitution, said he believes the clause wouldn’t “in and of itself prevent the state from making a gaming deal with (the tribe).”
Profiles: pop music critic and scholar Eric Weisbard
Indiana Public Media – May 31 (Audio report)
Mark Chilla speaks with Eric Weisbard, the founder and longtime organizer of the Experience Music Project Pop Conference. Eric Weisbard is a former music editor at The Village Voice who teaches American Studies at the University of Alabama. He has edited the collections This Is Pop: In Search of the Elusive at Experience Music Project and Listen Again: A Momentary History of American Music. His newest book is Top 40 Democracy: The Rival Mainstreams of American Music.
Confessed cop killer representing himself in Georgia death case
Atlanta Journal-Constitution – May 31
Jamie Hood is an admitted cop killer. He confessed during court hearings leading up to his trial, to the media as he was being taken into custody. Yet, when his death penalty trial for the murder of Athens-Clarke County, Ga., police officer Elmer “Buddy” Christian and Public Works Department employee Omari Wray starts on Monday, he will plead not guilty to the crimes listed in a 70-count indictment. Hood, who is acting as his own attorney, hasn’t revealed what his defense will be as he tries to get himself acquitted. Death penalty trials are complicated as a rule. The one for Hood has been even more so. It’s the first time an alleged murderer facing the death penalty has represented himself in a Georgia courtroom. … Georgia law requires the defense team to be two lawyers with experience trying capital crimes. But the U.S. Supreme Court and the Georgia Supreme Court have ruled defendants competent to stand trial can defend themselves, something that is rare in capital cases. “These people can be ill-equipped to represent themselves, but they have a constitutional right to try. They just don’t know how to go about it,” said University of Alabama law professor Joseph Colquitt, a retired judge and an expert on the death penalty. “He doesn’t get the benefit of any errors he made when he was his attorney.”
The Boom of Baldwin County
Alabama Public Radio – June 1
Residents of Baldwin County got some news from the U.S. Census Bureau which may, or may not, come as a surprise. The agency issues reports every ten years on how many people are living in the United States. The Bureau also ranks the fastest growing communities in the U.S., and Baldwin came in at number twelve. This outranks cities like Florida’s tourism mecca in Orlando, and even Raleigh, North Carolina. APR’s MacKenzie Bates reports this is leading to more than a few growing pains for the region. . . . Back at the Village Deli, it looks like there won’t be a lack of customers anytime soon. A new study from the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research predicts another 100-thousand people could soon relocate to Baldwin County. Meaning more kids in school and more customers jockeying for a table.
Valley residents mark Memorial Day weekend
Decatur Daily – May 31
Most folks equate the beginning of summer with the Memorial Day weekend. Valley residents are not alone in that respect. Terry Moore left the Decatur area several years ago to become a staple at the University of Alabama. This summer, he will once again work with Summer Tide on location in the Orange Beach area as they perform Ring of Fire. He remembered what Memorial Day is all about and spent time talking with his father, an 89-year-old World War II veteran who served as a turret gunner.
Spotlight on education: Two Manatee District students announced as National Merit Scholarship winners
Bradenton (Fla.) Times – June 1
BRADENTON — Two Manatee District students were announced Wednesday by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities. The two local scholarship winners are Abigail E. Chetlain of Manatee High School, and Lydia J. Super of the State College of Florida Collegiate School. Earlier this month, Southeast High senior Andrew Klein was awarded a National Merit Scholarship of $2,500 by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. . . . The University of Houston is providing the National Merit Scholarship for Abigail Chetlain while the University of Alabama is providing the National Merit Scholarship for Lydia Super.
Historian William Rogers’ book delves into murder case
Tallahassee Democrat – May 31
Some historians have a knack for bringing to light stories that have long been forgotten: fascinating episodes that have escaped everyone’s attention. Retired FSU historian William W. Rogers is a master of this “resurrection” genre, as he has proved with many works of Alabama history, including biographies of “outlaw sheriff” Stephen S. Renfroe and stalwart freedman Jack Turner, both victims of post-Civil War lynch mobs. Just as often, Rogers has used his skills to examine the contexts of life in communities; consider his four-volumes on the history of Thomas County, Georgia (published 1963-2002) or his Outposts on the Gulf: Saint George Island and Apalachicola from Early Exploration to World War II. . . . Review by Paul M. Pruitt Jr. of Bounds Law Library at University of Alabama.
Casting call held for extras for faith-based film
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – May 30
It looks like Hollywood is coming to Tuscaloosa. Today, New Life Cinema Productions held a casting call at University Mall. They are looking for extras for the feature faith-based film called “The Fight Within.” They are looking of men, women and children of all ages and ethnicities. The movie will be filmed in Tuscaloosa. Jeremiah Chapman says, “About half of our crew is based here in Tuscaloosa and the two leads, as well, go to The University of Alabama, and we just thought it would be a great place to shoot the film and be involved with the community as well.” Production will begin on June 15 and end on July 24.
National Water Center opens at The University of Alabama
WCNC-NBC (Charlotte, N.C.) – May 30
The National Water Center was unveiled at The University of Alabama. The 65,000 square foot building includes an operation center with a large video screen that the workers can use to zoom into maps of areas being affected by floods or draught and predict trouble spots as well.
Be The Match Drive held to help find donor for UA student
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – May 30
Another potentially life-saving campaign in Birmingham: The National Bone Marrow donor registry held a “be the match” drive at the Starbucks in Five Points to help find a donor for Martin Townsend. The University of Alabama student is undergoing chemotherapy for a rare form of leukemia.
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – May 30