Who’s watching? More people licensed to carry guns in Illinois are using them, but oversight is still lacking
Chicago Tribune – Sept. 9
The number of concealed carry license (CCL) shootings has been steadily rising over nearly six years since it became legal to carry a handgun in Illinois — along with concerns that a lack of rigorous oversight is resulting in more shootings that are not justified. There have been more than 60 shootings by CCL holders, 23 in just the last year, according to a database compiled by the Tribune. “It’s a caricature, really,” said Adam Lankford, a professor at the University of Alabama who has studied mass shootings. “Sometimes the person who commits murder doesn’t realize they’re going to commit the murder until six seconds before it happens, and then it’s too late. But they were a good person until that point.”
UA to host 9/11 Stair Climb
Fox 6 – Sept. 8
In Tuscaloosa, starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, at Coleman Coliseum, The University of Alabama police department and department of veterans affairs, will host a stair climb. The ceremony is open to all first responders, their families, and veterans. Students, faculty and staff are also welcome.
University of Alabama Legends take center stage in new television commercial
AlabamaNewsCenter – Sept. 8
The University of Alabama’s latest television commercial for the award-winning Where Legends Are Made branding campaign celebrates the achievements of influential UA alumni. After an opening scene that features the Crimson Tide football team, viewers are introduced to a montage of UA Legends represented in scenes highlighting their accomplishments as entrepreneurs, authors, performers, innovators and CEOs. “What most people know about us is that we play great football,” said Linda Bonnin, creator of the campaign and UA’s vice president for strategic communications. “In the commercial, we pivot from that to the rest of the story. Let’s talk about the great things our alumni have created and done that you may not know us for.”
Polygamy debate returns to Utah capital, as lawmaker looks to reduce penalties
PressFrom – Sept. 8
Utah has enacted tough penalties for polygamy in recent years, in a bid to move past the state’s complicated history with the practice. But a state senator now wants to reverse the crackdown and make polygamy a low-level offense on par with a traffic ticket. “I’m not sure that redoing the law to make polygamy less of an offense will have the intended effect they hope for,” Casey Faucon, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama Law School, told Fox News. “It takes more than just changing a law to get people to come forward and report abusive situations.”
MSN
KID Newsradio
University of Alabama studying isolation as factor in veterans suicides
Al.com – Sept. 8
Researchers at the University of Alabama are trying to learn more about why veterans are more likely to die by suicide than other people, an effort they hope will show where communities can step in and save lives. The university is working with America’s Warrior Partnership and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation on Operation Deep Dive, a four-year study. Karl Hamner, director of the Office of Evaluation at the UA College of Education, said researchers will try to find out how much social isolation leads to suicide, including poorly understood deaths that are not linked to post-traumatic stress disorder or a history of mental health problems.
Mass shooters often show contrast between outward appearances and inner turmoil, experts say.
Dayton Daily News – Sept. 8
Connor Betts’ life appeared to be improving in recent months. His drunken driving troubles were behind him. He’d passed the basic math classes that stymied his earlier college attempts. He went to counseling and registered for classes for the upcoming fall semester at Sinclair. But in April, the Oregon District gunman started taking steps toward what would end on Aug. 4 with the death of nine other people, including his sister, as well as himself. Researchers say there are some factors shooters usually have in common. Adam Lankford, a University of Alabama criminologist, maintains three of these are: suicidal motives and an indifference to life, perceived victimization, and desires for attention and fame.
UA works to keep fans hydrated during first football game
CBS 42 – Sept. 7
Thousands of Alabama fans will crowd inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for the Tide’s first home game of the season. Two years ago, medical crews responded to 125 heat exhaustion cases during a home game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. That’s why today, UA officials will have cooling stations set up inside the stadium to help fans stay hydrated.
Bama fans arrive for home opener
WVUA – Sept. 6
These aren’t just any fans, these are dedicated, traveling fans who are rolling with the tide inside Bryant-Denny Stadium tomorrow despite the extreme heat.
Fox 6
CBS 42
Accomplishments in your community
Frederick (Maryland) News Post – Sept. 8
Two area students were awarded degrees on Aug. 3 from the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa: Lorien Baker, of New Market, Doctor of Philosophy, and Robert Collins Jr., of Frederick, a Bachelor of Science in commerce and business administration.
Cullman.gov
Northern Virginia Daily
The bees’ needs: Insect aficionados muse about consistent climate, native nectar
Crimson White — Sept. 9
For the last several years, declining bee populations have been central to conversations about shifts in global temperatures and waning coastlines. At the University, a professor and a new student group are bringing those conversations to the forefront. Jeff Lozier, an associate professor at the University, has been studying bees for about a decade. Lozier works in the field of population genetics, studying population size, migration between regions and the origins of new species, and now uses population genetics to research the decline in bee populations. His research entails studying how climate influences the ecological and evolutionary adaptations of bees.