University of Alabama panel to discuss aspects of aging
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 18
The University of Alabama’s School of Social Work will host the Allan V. Kaufman Phi Alpha Symposium, a community panel to discuss aspects of aging adults, on Wednesday at Little Hall. The symposium will cover topics on care-giving for older adults as well as legal and protective services, is named after Allan V. Kaufman, a professor emeritus at the university’s School of Social Work whose research interests included caregiving of older adults. Kaufman, who’ll be honored at the symposium, retired in 2009 as a full professor and now lives in Northport.
Realizing the Dream Concert to be held at UA
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Jan. 16-17
The University of Alabama is celebrating the life and work of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 27th annual Realizing the Dream event will feature Jazz and R&B singer and songwriter Jonathan Butler on Sunday night. He will perform at the Moody Concert Hall on the UA campus.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 16
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Jan. 16
Events today honor legacy of MLK
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 18
As the community gathers to mark Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy today, pastors at two local events plan to offer meditations on the cost and value of freedom and the work that remain unfinished despite a half century of progress. The Rev. Tyshawn Gardner, pastor of Plum Grove Missionary Baptist Church, is scheduled to speak at the Unity Day Breakfast at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church at 7 a.m. today. The Unity Day march will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Foster Auditorium on the University of Alabama campus and proceed to Tuscaloosa City Hall.
Realizing the Dream Concert ft. Jonathan Butler (gallery)
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 18
Jonathan Butler, an award-winning South African artist, performs at the 2016 Realizing the Dream Concert held at the Moody Music Concert Hall on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Sunday Jan. 17, 2016. The concert is part of a four day celebration honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Realizing the Dream Legacy Award Banquet held at UA
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 15
The annual Legacy Awards Banquet was held tonight. The event pays tribute to individuals who display King’s legacy. The guest speaker was former U.S. Attorney Douglas Jones. Elliott Spiller, Teresa Burroughs and William Baxley all received awards.
South African artist Jonathan Butler headlines concert at UA
East Oregonian – Jan. 15
A South African musician will headline a concert held at the University of Alabama as one of the many events to celebrate the life and work of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The 27th annual Tuscaloosa celebration will feature jazz and R&B singer-songwriter Jonathan Butler on Sunday evening, the Tuscaloosa News reports (http://bit.ly/1TY1Iw8) reported. Butler will perform at the 2016 Realizing the Dream Concert at the Moody Concert Hall on the University of Alabama campus. On Monday, Rev. Tyshawn Gardner will speak on Unity Day. A march will take place and the annual mass rally is expected to be held with the Rev. Schmitt Moore as the speaker.
Houston Chronicle (Texas) – Jan. 15
CBS 12 (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – Jan. 16
Rural Medical Scholars Program to host workshop
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day march starts at Foster Auditorium
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 18
Before today, the start of each MLK Day parade in Tuscaloosa would always start on MLK, Jr. Boulevard near the elementary school that bears the name of the slain civil rights leader. But today, for the very first time, the march actually started on the University of Alabama campus. Hundreds of people gathered outside of Foster Auditorium, which was made famous when former Governor George Wallace stood in the school house door. That was his failed attempt to stop the integration of The University of Alabama.
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Jan. 18
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 18
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) (video not available) – Jan. 18
University of Alabama will celebrate championship on Saturday
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 18
The University of Alabama’s celebration of the 2015 football national championship will be Saturday. A parade will begin at 10 a.m. on University Boulevard by Denny Chimes and conclude in front of the stadium with a ceremony at the end of the Walk of Champions by the north end zone.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 16
WAKA-CBS (Montgomery) – Jan 15
WNCF-ABC (Montgomery) – Jan. 15
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 15
Mentally challenging activities key to a healthy aging mind
Health News Report – Jan. 15
One of the greatest challenges associated with the growing numbers of aged adults is how to maintain a healthy aging mind. Taking up a new mental challenge such as digital photography or quilting may help maintain cognitive vitality, say researchers reporting in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience. Recent evidence suggests that engaging in enjoyable and enriching lifestyle activities may be associated with maintaining cognitive vitality. However, the underlying mechanism accounting for cognitive enhancement effects have been poorly understood … Ian McDonough, who is now an assistant professor of Psychology at the University of Alabama and was first author on the study, said: “The study clearly illustrates that the enhanced neural efficiency was a direct consequence of participation in a demanding learning environment. The findings superficially confirm the familiar adage regarding cognitive aging of ‘Use it or lose it.'”
Health Canal – Jan. 16
News-Medical.net – Jan. 16
Health Medicine-net – Jan. 16
State funding: Better but not great
Community College Daily – Jan. 15
A growing number of states are beginning to budget more public funds for community colleges, but often not enough to keep up with inflation, according to a new report. State appropriations for community colleges are expected to increase by 2 percent in fiscal year 2015-16 but it will fail to keep up with the inflation rate for community colleges in 18 states, according to the survey by the University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center, which annually polls state directors of community colleges on policy and financial issues.
Infant Death: Manslaughter Charge Dismissed Against Woman
ABC News – Jan. 14
An Alabama judge on Thursday dismissed a reckless manslaughter charge against a woman in a case in which police said her infant daughter was fatally beaten by a boy while she and a friend were at a club. Jefferson County District Court Judge Shelly Watkins said in an order that probable cause doesn’t exist to support the charge against 26-year-old Katerra Lewis. Police have said Lewis and a friend left the 8-year-old boy to babysit five younger children while they went out in October and that the boy beat 1-year-old Kelci Lewis to death when she wouldn’t stop crying … However, University of Alabama associate law professor Jenny Carroll has said that moves to charge Lewis with manslaughter could have been a potential strategy to instruct a jury to consider convicting Lewis of a lesser charge of child neglect during a trial if the manslaughter case isn’t strong enough.
Eric Parker Still Facing Charges
Alabama Public Radio – Jan. 15
An Alabama police officer acquitted of using excessive force on an Indian man still faces state and federal charges, but legal experts say the outcome of the civil rights trial will likely influence the approach to those cases. U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala granted a motion to acquit Madison police officer Eric Parker Wednesday after two previous trials ended in hung juries. Parker was accused of violating 58-year-old Sureshbhai Patel’s civil rights when he slammed him to the ground during a suspicious person investigation in February … University of Alabama associate law professor Jenny Carroll says Parker’s attorney will likely use the acquittal to support his remaining cases.
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Jan. 15
Minneapolis Tribune (Minn.) – Jan. 15
ABC News – Jan. 15
AUM conference examines life in the South
Montgomery Advertiser – Jan. 17
A February Auburn University Montgomery conference focusing on the South will offer insight into the region’s culture, history, art, music, and journalism. AUM history professor Ben H. Severance said the public is welcomed and can register at the student rate either by mail or during the conference, which is set for Feb. 5-6 on the east Montgomery campus … On Feb. 5, Trudier Harris, a professor of English from the University of Alabama, will present “Meditations on Horror, History, Black Lives, and Literature.” She is one of the foremost scholars on African-American life and culture, from slavery to the present, Severance said. Among her many publications are “The Scary Mason-Dixon Line: African-American Writers and the South,” Louisiana State University Press, 2009, and most recently “Martin Luther King, Jr., Heroism, and African-American Literature,” University of Alabama Press, 2014.
On the market: Homes with amazing, blazing fireplaces (photos)
Oregon Live – Jan. 15
You walk into a room and are drawn to the fire. Is it a primal reaction? Yes, say anthropologists at the University of Alabama who noted that people’s blood pressure drops an average of 5 percent after they watch a video of a crackling fire. The scientists reported: “For early humans, fire likely extended the day, provided heat, helped with hunting, warded off predators and insects, illuminated dark places, and facilitated cooking. Campfires also may have provided social nexus and relaxation effects that could have enhanced prosocial behavior. According to this hypothesis, calmer, more tolerant people would have benefited in the social milieu via fireside interactions relative to individuals less susceptible to relaxation response.”
Free tax preparation available for working families
Dothan Eagle – Jan. 15
Who would turn down a chance to get their tax returns done for free? A statewide program is offering free tax preparation services for working families beginning Jan. 21. Impact Alabama and Wiregrass United Way 2-1-1 held a press conference Friday to discuss the help available to families in the Dothan area … Impact Alabama is a nonprofit organization housed at the University of Alabama. It has provided more than 7,200 college students the opportunity to participate in service projects designed to promote learning and leadership development.
Rural Medical Scholars Program to host workshop
Crimson White – Jan. 16
The University’s Rural Medical Scholars Program (RMSP) will hold a workshop Jan. 30 to inform students in rural areas who are interested in becoming doctors in their towns or other rural areas about the program. The workshop will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will cover getting into medical school and how to finance medical and graduate education, as well as related topics. The workshop will be held on the ground level of the University Medical Center and students are asked to enter the door on the west side of the building facing the main campus and the stadium. Lunch will be served to students who register through Cynthia Moore at (205) 348-3116 or email cmoore@cchs.ua.edu.
Stands in Solitude: UA graduate student showcases art in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery
Crimson White – Jan. 14
Kelsey Windham knows the value of a quiet moment. Windham expresses the stillness experienced in nature in her master of arts exhibit “Stands in Solitude,” which will be displayed in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery from January 11 through February 26. “These new works in ‘Stands in Solitude’ are a response to taking time in observation and stillness,” Windham said. “I think there is something so valuable about being open to a little solitude in the midst of our daily rush.”
UA cheer squads finish 2nd and 3rd /UA to hold national championship celebration
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Jan. 18
The University of Alabama cheer squads finished second and third in competition. The all girls team took second place and the co-ed team took third, both were defending their national championship from 2015.
WXIN-Fox (Indianapolis, Ind.) – Jan. 18
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 18
UA plays in Wheelchair Basketball Bash in Wichita, KS
KSNW-NBC (Wichita, KS) – Jan. 15
Many of the nation’s top college competitors are battling this week at the Wheelchair Basketball Bash in Wichita. Dequel Robinson plays for The University of Alabama Wheelchair Basketball Team. Robinson is playing on a full ride scholarship.