Alabama State Bible

Heavy, ornate and 166 years of history: The Alabama State Bible returns for another inauguration: Al.com – Jan. 13

When Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and other state constitutional officers are sworn today, they will place a hand on an piece of history that gets its own security escort to the Capitol … Michael Altman, a religious studies professor at The University of Alabama, said that the concept of a State Bible has its roots in the Protestant revivalism that dominated the U.S. during the 1800s, especially the South.

Political Spotlight

California takes over Super Tuesday, stealing spotlight from Alabama and others: Al.com – Jan. 13

The national political spotlight has shined on Alabama since May 27, 2015. But now California may be crowding out Alabama. . . . Richard Fording, a political science professor at The University of Alabama, points out that Romney would not be much of a factor in Alabama against Trump, who remains popular among the state’s GOP.

Sunshine 2.0

Variety show serves Deaf, hard-of-hearing audiences: Crimson White – Jan. 14

Silence isn’t typically the telltale sign of an appreciative audience, but it is for the Sunshine 2.0 theater troupe. “The applause was eerily quiet, but I think that it’s supposed to be,” said Joseph Arrigo, a senior majoring in theatre and political science. “And I mean that in a good way, especially because we were signing the applause.” Arrigo was just one of more than 50 people who lifted and waved their hands in applause at the Ferguson Center, a response to the troupe’s performance of their educational variety show that utilizes both American Sign Language (ASL) and voiced English.

Organ Music

Organ music is a calling for Jackson Borges: Cape Gazette (Delaware) – Jan. 14

Jackson Borges said he knew by the age of 12 that he wanted to play music professionally. By the age of 15, more specifically, he said he knew he wanted to play the organ … In addition to his full-time job locally, Borges is pursuing his doctorate in organ performance from The University of Alabama School of Music, under a program devised by world-renowned organist Dr. Faythe Freese.

Miss Alabama

Miss Alabama USA winner overcame high school bullying: Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 14

To this day, Hannah McMurphy still doesn’t know how it happened. By her own account, McMurphy, a 21-year-old Tuscaloosa native who was named Miss Alabama USA 2019 back in November, had a good high school experience, good friends and a healthy image of herself … fter graduating from Hillcrest, Hannah McMurphy enrolled at The University of Alabama, where she is currently a junior majoring in apparel and textiles with a double minor in business and art history. Ultimately, Hannah McMurphy would like to work in marketing for either cosmetics or fashion.

Inauguration Parade

Historic inauguration parade: Alabama News Network – Jan. 14

Hundreds of people lined both sides of Dexter Avenue to witness the inauguration parade. Kay Ivey became the first elected female republican governor in the states history … There were people from all four corners of Alabama to witness the historic moment. Bands from Auburn University, University of Alabama, and Alabama State performed for the crowd.
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – Jan. 14
WTVM-ABC (Columbus, Georgia) – Jan. 14
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 14
Clanton Advertiser – Jan. 16

Public School Integration

History salvaged: Book preserves state’s reaction to ‘integrate at once’ court order: Meridian Star – Jan. 16

School desegregation in Mississippi was a tough, messy and often a very dangerous business. None knew those truths better than the white and black Mississippi school superintendents, principals, classroom teachers, coaches and students who were charged a half-century ago with catching the judicial hot potato known as Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education. . .  Too many of the stories of Mississippi educators from that era have passed away. But through the efforts of Mississippi State University Professor James “Jim” Adams and his wife, University of Alabama Professor Natalie Adams, many of those first-person accounts of public school integration in Mississippi are being preserved – like those of “Hardwood” Kelly.

Government Shutdown

As shutdown drags on, scientists scramble to keep insects, plants and microbes alive: Los Angeles Times – Jan. 17

Three days a week, Don Weber shows up to work at the U.S. Department of Agriculture campus in Beltsville, Md. The parking lot is empty and the hallways are dark. Like other federal facilities across the country, the lab is closed because of the partial government shutdown … Missing out on a key moment in an experiment can waste months of work, said Meaghan Pimsler, an entomologist at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
San Luis Obispo Tribune (California) – Jan. 17
Lewiston Tribune (Idaho) – Jan. 17
Janesville Gazette (Wisconsin) – Jan. 17
Valdosta Daily Times (Georgia) – Jan. 17
Walla Walla Union Bulletin (Washington) – Jan. 17
Sacramento Bee (California) – Jan. 17
Belleville News Democrat (Washington) – Jan. 17
Bristol Herald-Courier (Virginia) – Jan. 17
Fresno Bee (California) – Jan. 17
Phys.org – Jan. 18
Peoria Journal Star (Illinois) – Jan. 20

2017 Alabama Senate Race

A conspiracy of dunces: San Gabriel Valley Tribune (California) – Jan. 19

Just before Christmas, a story broke that seemed too strange — and too hypocritical — to be true. As Democratic Party elders were trying to stifle loutish impeachment threats by fanatical House freshmen, it was revealed that Democratic operatives had used cyber fraud to manipulate the 2017 Alabama Senate race … “Roy Moore is so well known in Alabama that people had very settled opinions about whether they wanted him as their senator before the race even started,” University of Alabama political scientist Joseph L. Smith told reporters.
Real Clear Politics – Jan. 20
Pasadena Star-News (California) – Jan. 19
Daily Breeze (Redundo, California) – Jan. 19
Riverside Press-Enterprise (California) – Jan. 19
San Bernadino Sun (California) – Jan. 19
Redlands Daily Facts (California) – Jan. 19
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (California) – Jan. 19
Los Angeles Daily News – Jan. 19
The California Friends – Jan. 19

Lunar Eclipse

Free lunar eclipse viewing at University of Alabama: Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 19

Weather permitting, The University of Alabama department of physics and astronomy will host a free public viewing session for a total lunar eclipse Sunday night.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 19
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 18
Alabama Public Radio – Jan. 21