UA In the News — Dec. 9-11

UA In the News — Dec. 9-11

University of Alabama will study improving tornado warnings for deaf, blind
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 9
Two University of Alabama faculty members have been awarded a $251,850 federal grant to study how to improve tornado warnings for members of the deaf, blind and deaf-blind communities. Associate geography professor Jason C. Senkbeil and assistant professor of communication studies Darrin Griffin will use the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant to build and test a split-screen system whereby deaf people can view a local weather broadcast showing a meteorologist on one side and an American Sign Language interpreter on the other.
College and University – Dec. 10

GOP defections from big Republican counties pose biggest threat to Roy Moore
Yellowhammer News – Dec. 11
Democrat Doug Jones has a path to victory against Republican Roy Moore on Tuesday in Alabama’s special election for the Senate — the same one Democrat Robert Vance nearly rode to victory against him five years ago … Joseph Smith, the chairman of the political science department at the University of Alabama, said the partisan tilt of the state makes it extremely difficult for Jones to win with crossover support — or at least depressed turnout among Republican voters. “Their decisions are going to be very important,” he said. “They can decide to vote for Roy Moore. They can decide to vote for Doug Jones. They can decide not to vote at all. Or, they can write someone in.”

Beyond scandal, several factors make Moore, Jones contest unprecedented
Decatur Daily – Dec. 10
Alabama historian Wayne Flynt has been keeping a tally of national and international media outlets to call on him in the past two months about this week’s U.S. Senate special election, and it’s a long one … “It’s unusual for a lot of U.S. senators of both parties to weigh in on a race here in Alabama,” said Stewart, the former chairman of the University of Alabama’s political science department. “We haven’t had that before.”
Florence Times Daily – Dec. 10
 

Absentee ballots pouring in for Tuesday election
Florence Times Daily – Dec. 10
Shoals area election officials say absentee voting is going to be much heavier in Tuesday’s special U.S. Senate election than in the primary. The number of absentee ballots is double, and in some places triple, the amount cast in the primary, officials say. “We had 560 absentee ballots (Thursday), and there was a line in the hall,” said Lauderdale County Probate Judge Will Motlow. “This is more than double what we had in the primary.”  . . “Turnout will be larger that what we normally have for a special election, especially one during this particular season of the year,” said Bill Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama.

Million Dollar Band reaches fundraising goal for equipment
Bristol Herald-Courier (Virginia) – Dec. 10
The University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band took less than two weeks to raise money to buy new instruments. The band used an online fundraising platform to garner $40,001 within a 12-day span, Al.com reported. The band began accepting donations on Nov. 17 with the initial expectations of reaching its goal by Dec. 15.
West Plains Daily Quill (Missouri) – Dec. 10
Houston Chronicle (Texas) – Dec. 10
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – Dec. 10
Torrington Register Citizen (Connecticut) – Dec. 10
San Francisco Gate – Dec. 10
Stamford Advocate – Dec. 10
My San Antonio – Dec. 10
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Dec. 10
Seattle Post-Intelligencer – Dec. 10
WAFF 48 (Huntsville) – Dec. 10
NBC 3 (Chattanooga, Tennessee) – Dec. 10
Washington Times – Dec. 10
WAAY-ABC (Huntsville) – Dec. 10
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Dec. 10
 
UA Law Professor explains the constitutional powers that govern Congressional ethics
Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien (Syndicated News Show) – Dec. 10
To talk about the constitutional powers that govern congressional ethics, University of Alabama Law School professor and noted constitutional scholar, Dr. Ronald Krotosynski, is joining us. Today, he’s in Phoenix.
Aired on:
KNVA (Austin, Texas) – Dec. 10
KTXA (Dallas, Texas) – Dec. 10
KELO (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) – Dec. 10
KETV (Omaha, Nebraska) – Dec. 10
KCRA (Sacramento, California) – Dec. 10
KSNF (Joplin, Missouri) – Dec. 10
WKCF (Orlando, Florida) – Dec. 10
WJAX (Jacksonville, Florida) – Dec. 10
WNBC (New York, New York) – Dec. 10
KSEE (Fresno, California) – Dec. 10
KCCI (Des Moines, Iowa) – Dec. 9
WSFL (Miami, Florida) – Dec. 9

6 things to watch in the Alabama Senate election Tuesday
Marco Eagle (Florida) – Dec. 11
This from the category of “things you never thought you’d hear”: There is U.S. Senate race in Alabama this week that is neck-and-neck … “Huntsville is Republican territory but not Roy Moore territory,” said Joseph Smith, chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Alabama. “That’s a place where you might see a drop off in Republican voting.” Madison County is also one of the most populous in the state, so both candidates need to perform well there.

Roy Moore largely avoids spotlight on campaign trail
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 10
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore has been a rare sight on the traditional campaign trail in the days ahead of a critical U.S. Senate race. He’s appeared at only a handful of rallies in front of friendly audiences and steadfastly has shunned reporters from the mainstream media … Bill Stewart, the former chairman of the political science department at the University of Alabama, said Moore appears to be banking on his evangelical base, as well as the state’s overwhelming tendency to vote Republican, to carry him to victory on Tuesday.
Huron Daily Tribune (Michigan) – Dec. 10
Fox 34 (Lubbock, Texas) – Dec. 10
Business Insider – Dec. 10
News 12 (Long Island, New York) – Dec. 10
Paducah Sun (Kentucky) – Dec. 11
Bellefontaine Examiner (Ohio) – Dec. 10
Trib Live (Pennsylvania) – Dec. 10
CBS 19 (Cleveland, Ohio) – Dec. 10
Fox 13 (Memphis, Tennessee) – Dec. 10

University of Alabama student dresses as Christmas tree for class, goes viral
Yellowhammer News – Dec. 11
Forgive Kelsey Hall if she isn’t smiling for pictures – sometimes, celebrities get burned out.
Hall, a University of Alabama sophomore majoring in chemistry, has a festive lineup of Christmas-themed clothes. But, thanks to an unexpected gift from her mother and a not-so-serious tweet, Hall has worn a Christmas tree costume across campus this week.
Alabama News Center – Dec. 10
NBC 3 (Savannah, Georgia) – Dec. 10
NBC 4 (Columbus, Ohio) – Dec. 10
NBC 41 (Macon, Georgia) – Dec. 10
22 WWLP (Chicopee, Massachusetts) – Dec. 10
NBC 8 (Tampa, Florida) – Dec. 10
WRAL (North Carolina) – Dec. 10
Fox 35 (Orlando, Florida) – Dec. 10
 
UA students play in the snow
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Dec. 8
We also talked to students from The University of Alabama. They say they were caught off guard by all of the snow today.
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Dec. 8

Snow Angel Sculpture made on campus
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Dec. 8
This isn’t your average snowman. Look at that. A Univerity of Alabama student gathered snow on campus to make this snow angel sculpture. It looks like marble. No word on how long it took.
 
West Alabama nursing shortage mirrors national trend
MSN.com – Dec. 10
Since October, DCH Health System has hired about 44 nurses as it seeks to replenish its ranks while competing with peers in Alabama and nationwide amid a shortage of nurses … Shelton State Community College is on track to graduate about 150 nurses in 2018, Hill said. The University of Alabama graduates about 500 total annually from the Capstone College of Nursing’s undergraduate and graduate programs, Dean Suzanne Prevost said. “Our graduates are mostly local folks who live and work here in the city because this is their home,” Hill said. “We generally supply the lion’s share of the nurses in the West Alabama area.”
U.S. News – Dec. 10
Centre Daily Times (Pennsylvania) – Dec. 10
Sacramento Bee (California) – Dec. 10
San Luis Obispo Tribune (California) – Dec. 10
McClatchy DC – Dec. 10
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Georgia) – Dec. 10
The Island Packet – Dec. 10
Fresno Bee (California) – Dec. 10
Biloxi Sun Herald (Mississippi) – Dec. 10
Washington Times – Dec. 10
 
In stretch run, Roy Moore hammers on abortion but is issue’s impact overstated?
Al.com – Dec. 9
Allegations about his past having given Democrats an opening to defeat him, Roy Moore seeks to wield the abortion issue to close the door. Moore’s campaign has pounced on the subject as poll numbers remain tight and the days tick down to Tuesday … Richard Fording, a political science professor at the University of Alabama, crunched numbers provided through the Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES), which is a survey source used by political scientists to study public opinion and elections.

Trump administration scuttling CO rule on portable generators
The CT Mirror – Dec. 10
After Hurricane Irma hit three months ago in Orlando, Florida, the local police got a desperate 911 call from a 12-year-old boy reporting that his mother and siblings were unconscious … The University of Alabama answered, and came up with a prototype for a safer generator. In October 2012, the CPSC gave a technology demonstration to the industry showing the new engine could lower emissions by more than 90 percent.
Raw Story – Dec. 9
NM Political Report – Dec. 8
Argus Observer (Oregon) – Dec. 8
Prime Publishers (Connecticut) – Dec. 8
West Plains Daily Quill (Missouri) – Dec. 8
Bloomington Herald Times (Indiana) – Dec. 9
Greenville Sun (Tennessee) – Dec. 9
The Mercury (Manhattan, Kansas) – Dec. 8
 
UA Opera Theatre to perform ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 9
The University of Alabama’s Opera Theatre has grown fans, and equally important, supporters. Since 2013, the UA Opera Guild’s raised about $200,000 for Paul Houghtaling’s program, a department within the UA School of Music. “When I first moved here (about 11 years ago), there were some ladies in town who liked me, got a kick out of what I was trying to do,” Houghtaling said.

UA hosts 48th annual ‘Hilaritas’ holiday concert
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 10
The University of Alabama School of Music hosted the 48th annual Christmas concert, “Hilaritas,” with an encore performance Sunday at Moody Concert Hall.The first performance was held Dec. 8. The show featured 16 performances by the Alabama Jazz Ensemble, Huxford Symphony Orchestra and University Singers. Classics like “O Christmas Tree,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Frosty the Snowman” and a holiday singalong of “Let it Snow” were featured along with some new music. Organizers say they try to do something different for “Hilaritas” every year.
 
State Releases Comprehensive Assessment On Alabama’s Surface Waters
Public – Dec. 11
Barring any major catastrophic event, Alabama appears poised to sustain its water needs for the next 20 years, according to an assessment report released today by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs’ Office of Water Resources … The report was made possible by an appropriation from the Alabama Legislature. The University of Alabama, Auburn University, Troy University and the Geological Survey of Alabama also supplied information for the report. OWR plans to update the report every five years.

Why undergrad-run agencies are popping up across the country
PR Week – Dec. 8
A new breed of communications shop is popping up across the country, boasting a bevy of millennial and Gen Z social media natives and often more client demand than it can handle. Student-run PR agencies such as Scarlet PR at Rutgers University, Boston University’s PRLab, and Capstone Agency at the University of Alabama are three student-run PR shops at post-secondary institutions. Other schools are getting into the agency game, as well. Virginia Commonwealth University got its first student-led PR firm, known simply as Agency, off the ground this semester.