Performance focuses on biblical prophet
Tuscaloosa News – April 19
The story of one of the Bible’s greatest prophets will be told as the Huxford Symphony Orchestra and University Singers present “Elijah” 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the University of Alabama’s Moody Music Concert Hall. The performance will run about two hours. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors 55 and up and $3 for students and children. Thursday’s combined concert is the grand finale of the concert season for both music ensembles. The concert is also the final performance of nationally acclaimed director of choral activity John H. Ratledge II, who retires at the end of the spring semester after 12 years with UA’s chorale program.
Looking behind the curtain at Alabama: The making of a student-theater production
Crimson White – April 19
The audience stands up for a round of applause after seeing a musical or play at The University of Alabama. The skilled actors and stage transitions may make a show look easy, but many weeks of work went into putting it together. More happens during the creation of a show than you would expect. From planning and casting to taking a bow, students and faculty from The University of Alabama’s Department of Theatre are involved in every step. “For directors, there’s months before we even get to the first rehearsal,” Seth Panitch said. Panitch is the director of MFA and Undergraduate Acting Programs at the University, and a professional director, actor, playwright and screenwriter. Every director has a different method when approaching the script. Before beginning the rehearsals, there is a process of analyzing the script and casting the show.
Tuscaloosa post offices busy as residents mail tax returns
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – April 18
here was a lot of activity in post offices around the Tuscaloosa area on Monday. Most years, people have to mail their tax returns by April 15, but this year the deadline was April 18. A steady stream of people used the drive up mail box at Tuscaloosa’s downtown post office branch. Those tax returns had to be postmarked by April 18 to avoid any penalty. Some people went inside the branch to handle their business. A postal worker had an arm full of mail when he switched out outdoor mail boxes on Monday afternoon. In Tuscaloosa, students with the University of Alabama played a big role getting taxes prepared for low income families. They continued a 10-year tradition of doing taxes for those families for free. “We think it’s important because local families don’t need to lose thousands of dollars of their hard-earned refunds in tax prep fees,” said Lindsey Thomas of the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility.
Video report – Fox 6
National Geographic Explorer speaks at UA
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – April 18
One of the world’s leading paleo-anthropologists will be speaking on the U of A campus this evening. Dr. Lee Berger is internationally known for discovering what’s believed to be one of human kinds earliest ancestors. Just last fall in South Africa, he discovered hundreds of fossils representing a new species that he named homo naledi.
If You’re Thinking Of Getting A Tattoo You Might Want To Read This News…
Popbuzz.com – April 19
Looking for another reason to get your next tattoo? Well look no further, folks. Tattoos might be good for your health! That’s right. In a study published in the American Journal of Human Biology, scientists have suggested that people who’ve received multiple tattoos had stronger immunological responses. What that means is that people with tattoos could be more capable of fighting off infections than non-tattooed folks. Why? Well according to Dr Christopher Lynn from the University of labama, speaking toAOL, it’s best to think about it this way: imagine you’re going to the gym (I literally have to imagine as I haven’t stepped foot inside one since school).
Sisters band together to help sick alumna
Crimson White – April 19
Ashley Taube was two years cancer-free. Her doctors had performed a risky procedure on the high school math teacher in 2012, removing a tumor from her pancreas, and they were confident they had eliminated the disease. Tests and scans looked optimistic as well. Taube and her husband welcomed a second son in the world, ready to put their struggle behind them. But last December, she got the worst news imaginable: the cancer was back, and it was inoperable. The disease would be manageable, but she would be fighting for the rest of her life. Luckily, Taube had friends in Pi Phi. Sisters she knew from her time at The University of Alabama chapter of the organization got together to help her through her crisis. They visited Taube over the holidays, helped her emotionally during her diagnosis, gave her hundreds of dollars in gift cards and assisted her in paying for flights to visit her specialist. Some of her sisters even set up a GoFundMe account for Taube and raised $20,000. “I feel like with my sorority sisters, I never had to ask with anything,” Taube said. “They just kind of knew what I needed and just did it, and they don’t take no for an answer. My husband calls them ‘The Pi Phi Mafia.’ They just kind of swoop in and take care of things.”
Carroll residents awarded MidAtlantic Farm Credit scholarships
Carroll County (Maryland) Times – April 19
MidAtlantic Farm Credit has chosen three students to receive a combined total of $4,500 in college scholarships: David Bassler and Kerri Virtz, both of Westminster, and Jacqueline Bauer, of Howard County. . . . Virtz, daughter of Paul and Cathy Virtz, is a senior at Westminster High School, with plans to attend the University of Alabama in the fall. She was awarded the $1,000 scholarship.
Alabama bass fishing reels in No. 1 ranking
Crimson White – April 19
There was no doubt in John Davis’ mind where he was going to college. The Birmingham native grew up loving The University of Alabama and knew he wanted to take classes at The Capstone. It was the only school he applied to. However, the beautiful campus and its one-of-a-kind atmosphere weren’t what attracted Davis to Tuscaloosa – it was the University’s bass fishing club. “I probably would’ve gone to a different school if they didn’t have a bass fishing team here,” Davis said, “but I knew they did and I was pretty set on going to Alabama from early on in high school.” . . . Now, almost six years after his first fishing competition, Davis and his fellow Alabama fishermen find themselves in a position that they have been working towards all season: No. 1 in the Cabela’s School of the Year race.
BCHS students attend Alabama Student Council Association annual conference
AL.com – April 18
Student leaders from Baldwin County High School have been participating in the Alabama Student Council Association’s annual conference in Tuscaloosa. The nine students representing BCHS include current officers for the Student Council and National Honor Society. They included Chris Steward, Edgar Eleogo, Bethany Hadley (NHS), Leanne Phillips, Madeline Seale, Cortney Presley (NHS and Student Council), and Owen Nobles, LaDarius Killings and Jordan Johnson (Student Council). . . . Laue spoke overcoming obstacles and Batimana discussed leading with passion. Elliot Spillers, the graduating SGA President of the University of Alabama, spoke to the students about about how to make a difference despite opposition. Students were also able to participate in some fun activities including a dance, breakout sessions and tours of the campus.
Opinion: Letting go of worry for UA
Crimson White – April 19
I worry a lot. I have spent the last four years at the University with an almost constant nagging in the pit of my stomach, the source of which changes daily. In my time as a student, I have wasted hours being concerned about things small to large, varying in importance from silly things such as wondering whether or not that boy would text me back, to serious issues facing our state like the current tax structure we provide. The class of 2016 has done some absolutely amazing things. We elected the second-ever African-American student body president. This group has organized not one, but two successful demonstrations with tangible results like desegregating sororities and establishing a multicultural center on campus. Students who will graduate this year altered the way that our campus talks about a number of previously pushed under the rug topics such as sexual assault and mental health. The campus that I am leaving only vaguely resembles the one that I stepped onto in August of 2012, and I think there is something special in our class that was a catalyst for a lot of this progress. And so I spent a lot of time this past fall worrying about who will carry on this trend once we are gone.