College’s crisis

You knew Birmingham-Southern College couldn’t have been the only financially struggling institute of higher learning out there.

Just a few months after BSC shut its doors, AL.com’s Savannah Tryens-Fernandes reports that Talladega College says it’s facing its own financial crisis.

Like Birmingham-Southern, Talladega College is a private school that dates to the mid-19th century. Talladega is a historically Black college. The school pointed to increasing payroll and decreasing enrollment for its running up debt.

Walter Kimbrough has been the school’s interim president since former president Gregory Vincent retired in June. Kimbrough said the school’s finances are being restructured, and that he’s reduced payroll from $1.4 million to $1 million. The school’s chief financial officer has also resigned.

Birmingham-Southern closed at the end of May after failing to persuade the state to set up a program for millions in loans.

New in town

Add Sylacauga to Athens and Albertville as Alabama cities that’ve recently had citizen express concerns over groups of Haitians show up in the area.

Last week Sylacauga Council President Tiffany Nix cut off a meeting after citizens asked questions about why they were there and whether they’d been vetted by the government, reports AL.com’s William Thornton. Said Nix: “We have no reason to launch an investigation or to treat people differently because of how they look.”

A couple weeks ago, Sylacauga Mayor Jim Heigl released a statement saying that the city is not a “sanctuary” city. He said there has been an influx of legal immigrants into Sylacauga for employment. “As you go about your regular routines of living in Sylacauga, please be sure to extend our small town hospitality to these new faces.”

Last month concerns were raised in Albertville when photos surfaced of Haitians being bused to and from a poultry processing plant.

Political upheaval back in Haiti has resulted in a national state of emergency amid soaring gang violence, killings and homelessness.

Liquidation time

The chain LL Flooring was once known as Lumber Liquidators. Now it’s really going out of business. And AL.com’s Leada Gore reports that seven Alabama locations are caught up in the collapse.

LL Flooring announced last month that it was filing Chapter 11, would close about a quarter of its stores nationally, and sell. But it said last week that deals fell through with multiple bidders and that it would close all locations.

In Alabama that affects stores in Mobile, Dothan, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Pelham, Birmingham and Huntsville.

The store said going-out-of-business sales will take around 12 weeks.

Watching the Gulf

This week we’re going to keep an eye on a tropical disturbance in the Gulf. If things work out for us we might see some rain across a state that mostly needs exactly that. And, of course, at the same time hope it doesn’t cause any trouble beyond that.

Quoting

“This isn’t a wakeup call or anything like that. It’s just keep raising the standard.”

Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer, after the Crimson Tide played close with South Florida before pulling away in the final six minutes.

More Alabama news

Quiz results

Here are the answers everyone selected on Friday’s Alabama news quiz:

A Japanese business has plans to buy this company, which is based elsewhere but has a long history inside the state of Alabama:

• U.S. Steel (CORRECT) 95.1%
• Krispy Kreme 2.7%
• Boeing 1.6%
• Walmart 0.5%

This university’s top executive, who announced he’ll retire next year, has been at the post longer than any other in the nation (according to his school).

• Troy University (CORRECT) 82.4%
• University of West Alabama 8.2%
• Alabama State University 6.0%
• Auburn University 3.3%

Last Friday’s high school football game between Tallassee and Elmore County was postponed during the third quarter because of what?

• An online threat of violence (CORRECT) 75.3%
• A power outage 19.2%
• Controversial officiating 5.5%
• Snow 0.0%

Thursday was the 99th anniversary of the highest temperature ever officially recorded in Alabama. In what city was that 112-degree temperature recorded?

• Centreville (CORRECT) 43.4%
• Andalusia 31.3%
• Tuscaloosa 19.8%
• Greenbow 5.5%

Recently, late NFL and University of Alabama football legend Bart Starr’s house has been listed for sale. Its location is along the 16th fairway of this Alabama golf course:

• Riverchase Country Club (CORRECT) 54.4%
• Greystone Golf and Country Club 23.6%
• Shoal Creek Club 18.1%
• Roebuck Golf Course 3.8%

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