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Don’t forget

We have two important reminders for you for this week:

First, Make sure you give yourself enough time for the turkey to thaw. Depending on what method you use, you might already be a little behind on that.

Second, pay attention to the weather later today into tomorrow. AL.com’s Leigh Morgan reports that the threat was supposed to start this evening in western Alabama, move into the state overnight and then stick around tomorrow mostly in the southern half of the state.

These forecasts can always evolve a bit so check back at al.com/weather for updates. The expectations was that it could bring gusts up to 60 mph with the possibility of heavy rain and even a tornado.

What the swine leaves behind

A biology professor at the University of Alabama needs some baggies of feral hog excrement.

In case you’ve been waiting around for a good reason to collect some.

AL.com’s Dennis Pillion reports that UA’s Julie Olson is studying water pollution in the state’s rivers and is trying to match up pollution in water samples with where it came from.

Possibilities are leaky wastewater facilities, farm runoff and even wild pig waste.

If you were to help in this endeavor, and you’re able to identify pig scat, you’d just collect a small amount using an inside-out Ziploc bag, just like you were walking your poodle in the park.

Another reason to dislike tropical storms

To add something else a little gross to our report, and if you’re running low on things to worry about, the Tampa Bay Times reports that a new study shows that high levels of vibrio vulnificus can be found in in coastal areas for weeks after a hurricane makes landfall.

The study comes from the Universities of Florida and Maryland. Researchers were surprised to find that more than a month after Hurricane Ian’s floodwaters had retreated, nearly every sample taken around Pine Island tested positive for vibrio.

Vibrio is the flesh-eating bacteria that is sometimes found along the Gulf Coast, especially in brackish water and especially farther south into Florida. It’s the bacteria that shows up in raw or undercooked shellfish.

Quoting

“We were about as stupid as you can be in some situations.”

Chattanooga coach Rusty Wright after his visiting Mocs fell 66-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

By the numbers

$1.85 million

That’s how much Auburn has to pay New Mexico State’s athletics department by March 1, per the game’s contract. Lower-division schools enter into these college football guarantee games in order to bolster their budget and play in a big-time college environment, and the bigger school gets a low-risk home game to fill out its schedule. In this case, it was win-win for New Mexico State and lose-lose for Auburn as the Aggies left Jordan-Hare Stadium with a 31-10 upset victory over the Tigers.

More Alabama news

Born on this date

In 1964, actor Ned Vaughn from Huntsville. Starred in the 1988 POW film “The Rescue” and has worked as a character actor in many well-known TV shows and movies.

On the calendar

Saturday: The Iron Bowl, Alabama at Auburn, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+

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