Champion Tree deeply rooted in winning tradition
AL.com – Jan. 9
There is a tree in Tuscaloosa that few people notice, but it is my favorite. As Alabama gears up for another national championship game, the tree stands tall on the UA campus. It sees the light drizzle, strong storms and cold. It feels the summer sun, high in the Alabama-blue sky. It is stalwart. The tree is majestic and unwavering as it watches over campus and, unlike any human, it has been on campus to celebrate every single UA national championship. On the UA campus alone, there are 10,000 trees and 50 varieties, but this one stands out among the rest: The Champion tree, which is the rarest.
Milestones: Parker
Parker (Colorado) Chronicle – Jan. 8
Alexander Minne, of Parker, participated in the University of Alabama’s Cooperative Education Program this fall. Minne worked at Hexcel Corp. in Decatur, Alabama. The program offers work related to the academic major or career interests of each student.
Georgia-Pacific completes $100-million lumber production facility in Alabama
Pulpapernews.com – Jan. 9
Georgia‐Pacific celebrated the official start of production at its newest lumber facility in Talladega, Alabama. The $100‐million, 300,000‐square‐foot, technologically advanced plant took nine months to complete. The plant currently employs more than 130 full-time employees and will generate an estimated $5 million in annual payroll. . . . According to the University of Alabama’s economic modeling, the construction of the plant had an estimated economic impact of more than $26 million on the city and county.
How other countries can help us understand America’s mass shooting crisis
WSKU (Kent, Ohio) – Jan. 8
It’s the high rate of gun ownership, says University of Alabama criminology professor Adam Lankford, that is directly correlated with America’s mass shooting problem. “It’s not that we have higher homicide rates,” Lankford says. “It’s not about wealth. It’s not about urbanization. It’s not about suicide rates. The difference between us and other countries that explains why we have more of these attacks was firearm ownership rate. We have almost double the firearm ownership rate of any other country.”
League of Women Voters to host state legislator forum
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 9
Local groups will host a “Meet Your Legislators Night” next month at the Bryant Conference Center. This free event is set for Feb. 4 in the Rast Room of the conference center, 240 Paul W. Bryant Drive, and will last from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Meant to highlight the proposed actions and issues with the upcoming legislative session, “Meet Your Legislators Night” is being sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Greater Tuscaloosa, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the University of Alabama Retirees Association.
All hits, no misses
Times Daily (Florence) – Jan. 8
Florence’s edition of the Singing River Sculpture series is a step closer after the City Council approved a contract last week for design services for the statue’s foundation. The $3,900 contract with William B. Campbell Jr. would place a sculpture on South Court Street. Eric Nubbe, a graduate student at the University of Alabama, said he will create the 20-foot statue in the university’s facilities in Tuscaloosa.The four largest cities in the Shoals are taking part in the sculpture series as a homage to the area’s rich music heritage.
All County Choral Festival held at UA
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 8
UA The all-county choir festival was held at the Moody Music building on the campus of The University of Alabama. Tuscaloosa County Schools middle school choirs joined together first, followed by the county high schools. A total of seven songs were sung throughout the program such as “I will sing” and “I shall not live in vain”