BBJ names Top HR Executives award winners
Birmingham Business Journal – Sept. 29
The Birmingham Business Journal has unveiled the winners of its 2015 Top HR Executives awards. This year, the BBJ is partnering with the University of Alabama and its Human Resources Management Conference to present the awards. Honorees will be recognized at a luncheon at the conference on Oct. 7 at The Club. You can register for the luncheon, or the entire conference, by clicking here.
FBI data: Calhoun County had top violent crime rate per capita in state in 2014
Anniston Star – Sept. 29
Calhoun County had the greatest number of violent crimes per capita in Alabama in 2014 and the bulk of those offenses happened in the city of Anniston, FBI figures released Monday show. According to the annual FBI figures on crime in the U.S., reported violent crimes in the county jumped 21 percent from 2013 to 2014, securing the Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville metro area with the top rate per population in the state. Some city officials and criminal justice experts say, though, that the annual FBI report isn’t always a true reflection of crime at the local level … Matthew Dolliver, associate professor in the department of criminal justice at the University of Alabama, said the yearly FBI report doesn’t always accurately reflect crime in local communities. “It’s an interesting measure that tends to be much more accurate in the aggregate, meaning it’s better for the state and national level instead of the local level,” Dolliver said. “Looking across the state of Alabama or the southern region of the state, you can get a fairly accurate picture … for local, when you’re relying on individual agencies, it makes things more difficult.”
New intersection coming to Jack Warner Parkway
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 29
Site preparation has begun for a new road being built at the University of Alabama that will connect the old Bryce Hospital campus directly to Jack Warner Parkway. North Campus Way is part of the $24 million road project on the historic hospital’s campus that will connect Fifth Avenue, Hackberry Lane and Jack Warner Parkway. Peter Bryce Boulevard, which is already under construction, will connect Hackberry Lane with Fifth Avenue. North Campus Way will connect to Jack Warner east of Clara Verner Apartments and Peter Bryce Boulevard north of the historic main hospital building. Tim Leopard, UA’s assistant vice president for construction, predicted construction of North Campus Way would not cause any major disruptions to traffic on Jack Warner Parkway. “We will coordinate with (the Tuscaloosa Department of Transportation),” Leopard said of the connection to Jack Warner Parkway. “There won’t be any major closures.”
UAPD names John Hooks as Chief of Police
Crimson White – Sept. 29
Former University of Alabama police department Lieutenant John Hooks has been named the new UAPD Chief of Police according to Chris Bryant, Interim Director of Media Relations. The selection was announced to all UAPD employees Monday, Sept. 28 The selection comes after an internal search since Tim Summerlin, the former policechief, was promoted to assistant vice president for strategic planning and operations within the Department of Public Safety, according to Bryant. In 2012, Hooks was one of the recipients of the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club’s Officer of the Year award, due to his actions during the April 27, 2011 tornado that struck Tuscaloosa, according to an article in 2012 by the Tuscaloosa News. Hooks has worked for the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and as a crypto-linguist with the U.S. Air Force, according to the Tuscaloosa News article. He was the lead investigator in more than 300 criminal cases in 2011.
Get to know an organization: Black Warrior Film Festival brings a cultural experience to Tuscaloosa
Crimson White – Sept. 29
Established in the spring of 2013, the Black Warrior Film Festival unites local and national filmmakers in a cultural experience designed for the entire community to enjoy. Student filmmakers from the University of Alabama, joined by students from several other universities across the South, entertain audiences every year at the festival. Additionally, featured professional filmmakers attend the Black Warrior Film Festival for screenings, lectures and workshops with the student filmmakers. “One of our most popular guests was Ava DuVernay, the director of “Selma,” who came to Black Warrior in 2014,” Trent Carlson, executive director of Black Warrior Film Festival, said. Carlson said students of all majors and passions are welcome to contribute to the annual Black Warrior Film Festival, and it provides students a great opportunity to organize and manage an entire professional film festival.