Saving prehistoric Painted Bluff cliff art brings Alabama national honor
Al.com – Dec. 1
Prehistoric images on Alabama’s famous Painted Bluff cliff have been cleaned of modern graffiti and given a hopeful future by a team of preservationists honored in Washington this week. More than 80 images dating back 600 years have been in danger from weather, graffiti, rock climbing and vandalism at the site near Guntersville owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority … The preservation partnership included 15 Indian tribes, the University of Alabama’s Office of Archaeological Research, the University of Tennessee, TVA and the Alabama Historical Commission. “The prehistoric artwork was in danger of being lost,” Matt Gage, director of the UA Office of Archaeological Research, said. “The graffiti was covering the artwork and damaging it. TVA wanted to protect that artwork.”
Experts expect dry winter
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 1
This week brought about 2.5 inches of rain to the Tuscaloosa area, but meteorologists and climate experts said that has done little to pull West Alabama and the rest of the stateout of a drought that has been ongoing since at least September. Now, weather models indicate the dry weather could continue throughout the winter, according to experts at the University of Alabama.
University of Alabama Center for Advanced Public Safety looking at how to better inform people when severe weather strikes
WCFT-ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Nov. 30
Here is a map of Alabama. Here’s the question: without the counties labeled, can you pick out the county you live in? The county where you work? If you could, great. If not, you have a lot of company. Many people can not pinpoint their locations which can be problematic during severe weather…Weather service officials are in the critical stages of a study on mapping. They are finding out what we know about our own locations. “A lot of times people know where they are, but when the look at a map they can’t figure out how to place themselves on that map. So, how do we present a map that helps them?” Said Dr. Laura Myers, Director of the Center for Advanced Public Safety at The University of Alabama.
What Is the “Alt-Right”?
Yahoo! – Dec. 1
The “alt-right” movement has surged into the spotlight this year, thanks to the candidacy of Donald Trump. Many of the adherents of the “alt-right” – white supremacists who, for the most part, want America or large swaths of it to be dominated by white people – have embraced President-elect Donald Trump, seeing him as sympathetic to their cause, if not an outright ally … The movement’s core, however, is “white nationalism – or, at least, white identity politics,” according to George Hawley, a political scientist at the University of Alabama, who is writing a book about the “alt-right.”
UA’s Child Development Resource Center Receives Grant
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – Dec. 1
Five organizations based in Tuscaloosa have received grants to help our state do a better job of supporting children. The University of Alabama is one of those groups. The University of Alabama’s Child Development Resource Center received about $110,000 today for their Baby Talk and Parenting Line Assistance Programs. Baby Talk is a resource new parents can use to learn how to properly nurture their small children through suggested developmental activities. The Parenting Assistance Line is a statewide toll-free number where a parent resource specialist is available to listen and give helpful advice. The UA Child Development Resource Center says making sure parents have all the tools they need to raise a healthy child is a first step in preventing abuse and neglect.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Dec. 1
UA top photographed destination in Alabama according to Instagram
WBBJ-ABC 7 (Jackson, Tenn.) – Dec. 1
With 500 million users on Instagram, USA Today counted each and every one to find out the most photogenic destinations in every state. Home of Music City’s biggest concerts and the Nashville Predators, Bridgestone Arena was number one. Close behind, a few Tennessee favorites, the Great Smoky Mountains, The Grand Ol’ Opry and Opryland Hotel. Also, The University of Alabama was number one for the Heart of Dixie. Others on the list included Gulf Shores and Bryant-Denny Stadium.
UA Supe Store sees increased business due to SEC Championship Game
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Dec. 1
Thousands of Alabama fans are getting ready to hit the road to travel to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. There are lots of people in Tuscaloosa getting ready for the big game. They are gearing up at the new Supe Store on the University’s campus. The manager says they have seen a spike in customers coming in this week purchasing Alabama merchandise to support the Tide this weekend in Atlanta.
‘A Lillian Smith Reader’ Re-Introduces a Pioneer Civil Rights Leader
Yahoo! Finance – Dec. 1
The name Lillian E. Smith may not conjure up the same memories as Selma, Alabama, and the March on Washington. But before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, this former teacher and girl’s camp director in Clayton, Georgia, was shining a light on the evils of segregation and white supremacy in the heart of the Jim Crow South … An astute chronicler of Southern life, Smith’s contributions to social justice are remembered in a new book called “A Lillian Smith Reader,” which gathers more than 50 selections from her letters, columns, magazine articles, and books into a single volume. Published by the University of Georgia Press, the book was edited by Dr. Margaret Rose Gladney, professor emerita of American Studies at the University of Alabama, and Dr. Lisa Hodgens, professor emerita of English at Piedmont College.
UA Baseball team holds holiday party for kids at Sprayberry Center
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – Dec. 1
The University of Alabama baseball team is spreading some special holiday cheer. Each year the team spends time with children with special needs at Sprayberry Educational Center. This year was very special. There was a little more than holiday cookies and Christmas Tree decorating. The Mercedes Athletic Club donated these special bikes for the kids to enjoy this holiday season.