Tuscaloosa Exchange Club honors law enforcement officers of the year
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Feb. 19
The Tuscaloosa Exchange Club honored several people nominated by their agencies as the law enforcement officers of the year. Awards were handed out during a luncheon on Thursday morning at the Indian Hills Country Club. Former Tuscaloosa Police Chief Ken Swindle said these individuals represent those in law enforcement who make a difference in their communities every day. The winners included … Micah Rodgers with the University of Alabama Campus Police Department … Rodgers was recognized for his investigation into a phishing case where 68 University of Alabama students were targeted and 47 had their identities stolen. His work led to the arrest of a suspect in Childersburg who used the students’ identities to funnel money from their campus accounts to almost untraceable Green Dot accounts. Rodgers told FOX6 News he’s proud his coworkers think so highly of him.
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Feb. 19
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 19
UA to hold summit on helping veterans transition to civilian life
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 19
One of the hardest things for returning veterans is the transition from active duty to civilian life. In April, The University of Alabama will host a summit designed to help. The summit will include veterans, their families and experts who can help. And though, there are many issues to discuss, Dr. Karl Hamner, with the college of Nursing and Social Work says they have narrowed it down to four.
Cheaper Gas Leads to More Car Crashes
Claims Journal – Feb. 19
As the price of gasoline drops, the number of car crashes increases, according to Guangqing Chi, an associate professor of sociology at South Dakota State University. However, the time frame within which this occurs varies based on the driver’s age. Chi, who is the state demographer for South Dakota and director of the Rural Life and State Data Center, has been leading a multi-institutional team of researchers who analyzed crash data from three states—Minnesota, Mississippi and Alabama—in relationship to gasoline prices. The study was supported by the Mississippi Office of Public Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Researchers gathered monthly traffic crash statistics from the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety for 1998 to 2007, the Center for Advanced Public Safety at the University of Alabama for 1999 to 2009 and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety for 2004 to 2012. The analyses were done separately for each state.
Here’s proof that what happens in Alabama stays in Alabama: Thursday’s Numbers to Know
Al.com – Feb. 19
Admit it – you hear the opening bars of the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic “Sweet Home Alabama” and you’re compelled to start belting it out. After all, the aptly named “Alabama” may be our state song but “Sweet Home Alabama” is very much the people’s anthem. It turns out, there is some truth behind the lyrics. A recent look at migration patterns by the New York Times used Census data to show Alabama has one of the highest percentages of native residents. In other words, people born in Alabama tend to stay here … Why do people in Alabama tend to stay in Alabama? University of Alabama geography professor Bobby Wilson offered this explanation in 2011 and it still rings true today: “People tend to be very place-based in the South. They have strong kinship ties. They try to stick with their network,” Wilson said. “Many spend a great deal of time and effort to try to stay in the state. If you do migrate, you might tend to come back.”
Professor plays euphonium concert
New Journal Online (Daytona Beach, Fla.) – Feb. 19
A university professor will perform on euphonium, a baritone-voiced brass instrument that takes its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning “good sounding.” Demondrae Thurman, a professor of euphonium and tuba and director of orchestral studies at the University of Alabama, will be in concert at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Mary McLeod Bethune Performing Arts Center, 698 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach. Thurman will be accompanied by pianist Rose Shlyam Grace, a member of the music faculty at Bethune-Cookman University. Admission is free and open to the public. For information call 386-481-2745.
Swender sits on panel for community colleges
Garden City Telegram (Kansas) – Feb. 19
Garden City Community College President Herbert Swender was chosen as one of three college presidents in the nation to sit on an exclusive panel for community colleges at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss. The panel, which began meeting Tuesday and was slated to wrap up Friday, has been discussing state and federal policies in relation to rural community colleges and President Obama’s “College Promise Plan.” … The panel is hosted by the John C. Stennis Institute of Government’s Education Policy Fellows Program, along with the Department of Leadership and Foundations at Mississippi State, the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama and Mississippi Appalachia Higher Education.
Anonymous donor to match gifts to Karnes endowment
Hattiesburg American (Miss.) – Feb. 19
Frances A. Karnes can be considered the “Mother of Gifted Education” in Mississippi. Thanks to her tenacity and lobbying efforts in the 1970s, all Mississippi public high schools now offer advanced placement courses and second- through sixth-graders and some seventh- and eighth-graders have access to gifted studies classes. In 1972, no such classes existed until after Karnes joined the faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi and began her campaign for gifted education. And though she retired in 2014, she ensured exceptional educational opportunities would continue with the Frances A. Karnes Endowed Chair in Gifted Education. Established in 2002 with a $1 million goal, the endowment had a balance of $500,000 — until Thursday … “Dr. Karnes is really good at seeing talent in people. She has a knack of bringing that out of you,” said Besnoy, who is now a professor of gifted and talent education at the University of Alabama. “To this day, in addition to my family, Dr. Karnes is my biggest cheerleader.”