Jan 22, 2025

Stay warm, Alabama.

Thanks for coming back. Today's report follows.

Ike

Looking for the podcast? Click here or check other options below.

People gather at an icy fountain Tuesday in Bienville Square in downtown Mobile.

Margaret Kates/AL.com

We talk about snow in Alabama from time to time. Almost always, Lower Alabama misses out on all the fun.

That was reversed in a big way yesterday.

With folks to the north high and dry and really, really cold, heavy snowfall landed on the southern part of the state all the way down to the Gulf Coast. And in some places it was unprecedented in modern times, reports AL.com's Leigh Morgan.

The National Weather Service measured 7.5 inches at its office in Mobile. That breaks Mobile's record for a single day's snowfall -- and for a single snow event.

The previous record for a snow event was 6 inches, set way back in 1895.

The previous record snow in a single day in Mobile was 5, set even farther back on Jan. 24, 1881 -- a few months before the gunfight at the OK Corral.

If you live in an affected area, pay attention to local emergency officials regarding road conditions. It's not going to do much warming up today, so you could get some melt that refreezes as ice to make roads and bridges slick.

And in the northern part of the state, the Tennessee Valley Authority is asking folks to conserve power during the cold snap because of the high demand for electricity.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said in his State of the City message that the city is commissioning a $200,000 study to plan the future of the Riverchase Galleria, reports AL.com's Joseph D. Bryant.

Brocato said the big mall is still doing well but they can't ignore shopping trends in a digital world.

He said the mall has eight owners and the city's finally been able to get them all on board with doing a market assessment.

The Riverchase Galleria, Alabama's biggest mall, opened in 1986.

As newly elected presidents do, President Donald Trump issued scores of executive orders upon officially taking office, some to follow through or at least take a step forward on campaign promises and others to reverse course on Biden Administration policy.

While the effects of many of the orders could make an impact on any or all Americans, I wanted to mention a handful that more directly and obviously affect Alabama:

First, Trump's commutations and pardons of around 1,500 January 6 U.S. Capitol protesters and rioters were more sweeping than folks had expected after his own Vice President and his pick for Attorney General both indicated violent offenders wouldn't be pardoned.

Instead, the president pardoned those who say they were merely caught up in the crowd as it surged into the Capitol building right on up to those convicted of sedition or violent crimes after assaulting police officers. Among them were those who have served their time, those currently behind bars and those with charges still pending.

And for the Alabama angle: It was good news for at least 22 Alabama residents who were among those pardoned.

Another executive order issued by Trump was his "America First Trade Policy," which calls on his administration to review and address current U.S. trade policy.

During his campaign, Trump said that on his first day in office he would impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from Mexico, Canada and China. That didn't happen, but Trump did say this week that on Feb. 1 he'll move ahead with the 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada.

The president said he's doing it to pressure our neighboring nations to stop illegal immigration and the flow of drugs into the U.S. He said during his inaugural address that he'll use tariffs to "enrich our citizens."

While import tariffs obviously can lead to higher prices for domestic consumers, protectionists and some who may favor more government intervention in trade argue that they are an advantage to U.S. companies and, by extension, those companies' workers. That's obviously not the case for those in the shipping industry -- for example, here in Alabama, the Port of Mobile and related businesses.

Also, in Alabama, around $8.1 billion worth of imports come from Mexico. That includes billions in motor vehicle parts for our automotive plants here.

Trump also issued executive orders that'll affect federal workers in Alabama and elsewhere. The orders:

-- end diversity, equity and inclusion hiring and DEI programs in the federal government.

-- freeze hiring for federal employees except positions for military personnel or related to immigration enforcement, national security or public safety.

-- end the work-from-home option for applicable federal jobs.

And, for the last one we'll mention today, Trump has renamed the big body of water to our south.

On federal documentation, at least, Trump issued an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America."

If you thought he was joking about this one (I wasn't sure), then you were wrong. The executive order applies to how the Gulf is named on federal documents but doesn't automatically change the name internationally.

The State of Florida has already started using the new name, possibly making the good residents of Mexico Beach, Fla., wonder what's coming next.

The executive orders, of course, are subject to Constitutional scrutiny.

3.2 million

That's how many passengers came through Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in 2024. That's the most since 2008.

In 1952, bass player for Alabama Teddy Gentry of Fort Payne.

In 1973, current UFL coach, former Alabama State football coach and former NFL wide receiver Reggie Barlow of Montgomery.

If you miss that feeling of sitting down with in-depth, local reporting, consider subscribing to the Huntsville Times, Birmingham News, or Mobile Press-Register.

By subscribing, you’ll get a new daily digital edition in an email link, or you can use an app to download the new edition every day on your smartphone or tablet. You also get exclusive access to stories written for our subscribers.

“Down in Alabama” listeners get your first month free by going to al.com/digitalsubscription/exclusive and enter the promo code DIA24.

You can find “Down in Alabama” wherever you get your podcasts, including these places:

We appreciate you for taking the time to read today. Hope you're able to check back soon. Meantime, reply to this email with any suggestions you might have.

If you're so inclined, we'd love it if you'd forward to friends who might be interested in reading. (And if you're someone who's been forwarded this newsletter, we encourage you to subscribe and get this in your inbox every day.)