‘Purge’ movies feature totalitarian government, rampant crime
Tuscaloosa News – July 5
“The First Purge” is a prequel of the franchise explaining how Purge Night came into being. “I think people are generally interested in the anxieties of the human condition in a safe space,” said Alyxandra Vesey, a professor in journalism and creative media at the University of Alabama, explaining why people enjoy terrifying tales as entertainment. “It’s like a carnival ride, and then we can get off and go home.”
Lawmaker hopes there will be protection for people who rescue pets from hot cars
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – July 5
In 2017, state representative Chris England from Tuscaloosa sponsored a bill that would protect people trying to intervene to save a dog in distress like the one we saw in the video. He hopes that lawmakers will try again to make a change…England said originally it was a group of students from the UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA and Holt High that helped him with the bill and asked him to sponsor it.
Summer Bridge Program at UA
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – July 5
A program underway in Tuscaloosa trying to make a difference in the lives of college-age students with intellectual disabilities. It’s designed to give these kids a normal college experience. It helps them live on campus in a dorm, go to class with the general population, and have a lot of independent experiences. Students say it gives them a chance to see if higher education is something they would want to explore…The Summer Bridge program is an extension of the Crossing Points program in the Tuscaloosa area. It’s for high school students with intellectual disabilities.
Alabama Blues Project finally has a permanent home
Tuscaloosa News – July 6
The Alabama Blues Project isn’t singing those need-a-home blues anymore. The Tuscaloosa-based nonprofit organization has been offered office space in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center, which is also home to the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and Tuscaloosa Arts Council, on Greensboro Avenue. . . . Alabama Blues Week, a week of multiple live performances at area venues, will be hosted by the Alabama Blues Project, beginning Monday and continuing through July 15. The Alabama Blues Project will be collaborating with the University of Alabama’s School of Music faculty and College of Continuing Studies in hosting the week of events, most of which take place at the Paul W. Bryant Conference Center.
Bragbook for July 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution – July 6
The University of Alabama’s Hypatia Chapter inducted local students into the Mortar Board Honor Society: Darby Davenport of Duluth, Ciara Doyle of Roswell, Katherine O’Neal of Kennesaw, Amber Scales of Johns Creek, James Todd of Norcross and Sarah Westmoreland of Buford.
Five Towns students attain academic honors
Five Towns Herald (New York) – July 5
Woodmere resident David Gassman was named to the University of Alabama President’s List for the spring semester. To earn this honor, students must be attending school full-time and attain a grade-point average of 4.0 (all A’s.)
Salisbury Post (Maryland) – July 5
Arkansas Online – July 5
Tyler (Texas) Morning Telegraph – July 5
Scotch Plains (New Jersey) TAP – July 5
Watch This Frog Light Up After It Swallows a Firefly
LiveScience.com – July 6
Cellphone video recently captured an incredible sight: After a tiny frog gulped down a firefly, the unlucky insect kept flashing from inside the amphibian’s gullet, perhaps broadcasting a final, desperate SOS. . . . Then again, maybe it didn’t. Because the frog had very recently eaten the firefly when the footage was captured, it’s also possible that the effects of the toxins hadn’t had enough time to do any real damage, Nick Caruso, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alabama, told Live Science in an email. “Likely if we followed that frog for an hour or so, we might see a different story,” Caruso said.
UA Artist Opens Exhibit at Gadsden State’s Ayers Campus
The Chamber (Gadsden) – July 5
Gadsden State Community College’s Fine Arts Department presents its summer art exhibition “Immigrant Life” by Juan Lopez-Bautista, an artist and University of Alabama biology professor. The show is in the Pierce Cain Learning Resource Center at the Ayers Campus through Aug. 10.