What's going on in Alabama

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Jul. 09, 2025

I mentioned this yesterday, but we have a voice mailbox set up for those of you who might want to sound off on Alabama news, sports, whatever. If we get enough participation we'll play your comments on future Down in Alabama episodes.

A great topic actually would be suggesting what we call such a segment.

We'd love to hear from you. Just keep it to 15 seconds and call (205) 304-1814‬.

Ike Morgan

 

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Up, up and away

It won't be long until commercial space launches become more frequent than some people leaving the house.

The Federal Aviation Administration released a new report with launch statistics, and AL.com's John R. Roby reports that, in 2024, space launches hit an all-time high. Which you may have expected. But you might not be aware of these numbers: There were 142 operations throughout the year by seven companies. Most launches are for satellite deployments.

The agency believes that the U.S. could be sending up more than a launch a day by the year 2034.

As goes the space industry, so goes North Alabama, the home of manufacturing and integration operations for United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin, which both sent payloads into orbit just last month.

Of those 142 launches in 2024, 118 were performed by SpaceX. Blue Origin had three launches and ULA had two.

Read more about this story here
 

Restarting repair work

Birmingham's water board voted to restart work on the leaky Lake Purdy Dam, just a few days after stopping it, reports AL.com's Joseph D. Bryant.

The decision to forge ahead came in response to some pretty blunt risk assessment. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers classified it as high hazard based on the danger of a breach.

Last week, Arcadia engineer Patrick Flannelly told the board that a dam failure would affect thousands of home and possibly kill people.

The first phase of the project will cost $28 million. Indeed, the cost issue is what led to pausing the project.

Read more about this story here
 

Alabama's got talent

The Birmingham Youth & Young Adult Fellowship Choir became one of 10 acts to receive a Golden Buzzer on "America's Got Talent," reports AL.com's Patrick Darrington.

That means the act impressed one judge so much that it passes right into the live round without being facing all the judges.

The choir received the Golden Buzzer from judge Simon Cowell.

The group formed in 2015. It knocked out Cowell with a rendition of "Joyful, Joyful Lord We Adore Thee" infused with some hip hop.

Read more about this story here
 

A lot of toilet paper

Former NFL quarterback Eli Manning was in Auburn on Tuesday for an event billed as the setting of a new Guinness World Record, according to the Auburn Plainsman and other news outlets.

Whether or not it passes the Guinness folks to be a legitimate record, reports indicate that a crowd of hundreds tossed thousands of rolls of toilet paper into the tree limbs.

The Montgomery Advertiser reports that professor Keith S. Hébert presented Manning with a plaque from Gov. Kay Ivey. He announced that a record number of 7,125 rolls of TP were chucked into two trees and that it was a world record.

The reason behind staging such a rolling of Toomer's Corner? Manning was featuring the Auburn tradition for his ESPN show, "Eli's Places."

Read more about this story here
 

Quoting

“The Texas floods were caused by natural weather dynamics—not human interference or weather modification efforts. It was not caused by Democrats or Republicans.”

ABC 33/40 Meteorologist James Spann, in a Facebook post explaining what cloud seeding is and why it could not have created the early July 4 catastrophe.

 

More Alabama News

  • PSC doesn’t have to hear from public on Alabama Power fuel costs, judge rules
  • Tuberville calls for LA mayor to be ‘locked up’
  • 25 least-expensive counties to live in across the US: 5 are in Alabama
  • Auburn assistant coach Steven Pearl explains Bruce Pearl’s absence at recent media events
  • It’s no surprise which Alabama city ranks among smartest in US
 

Born on This Date

In 1955, former Major League Baseball player Willie Wilson of Montgomery.

 

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