Welcome back. We’ll start today with some Birmingham homicide data that perhaps show a step in the right direction.

Thanks for reading,

Ike

Update: Birmingham homicide stats

A lot has been said of Birmingham’s record 152 homicides in 2024. It has caused incalculable heartbreak, inspired changing police strategy, and will certainly be an issue in this year’s mayoral campaign.

But here are a few more numbers to help update the story.

We know that one person has been arrested and charged in 11 of last year’s killings. With that, authorities have filed charges in around 60% of the 2024 homicides, reports AL.com’s Carol Robinson.

That’s far better that 2023’s 38%.

And now, just over two months into a new year, homicides are down 27%. And there were 23 consecutive days during which no homicides were reported in Birmingham.

Interim Police Chief Michael Pickett believes that being able to hold more people accountable has affected this year’s lower homicide numbers.

“I think it makes them think twice before they choose to commit a crime,” he said.

Add to that this year’s arrest rate: In the 16 homicides so far this year, according to Pickett, arrests have been made in 12.

Starting from scratch

Following recent arrests of the Hanceville police chief, four officers and the wife of an officer on corruption charges, the Hanceville City Council voted Monday to hire a new chief and rebuild the department, reports AL.com’s Howard Koplowitz.

One of the main allegations is that several officers had access to the evidence room and are suspected of helping themselves to the evidence. Cullman County DA Champ Crocker announced that an audit of the evidence locker showed that a handgun, more than 200 grams of methamphetamine, dozens of pills and half a gram of heroin were among the missing items.

Crocker said security footage shows people going in and out of the room, using a broomstick through a hole in the wall to let themselves in.

Filling in the gap to police Hanceville is expensive by small-town standards. Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry said they are using off-duty deputies making overtime to cover Hanceville. He said that cost is coming to $25,000 a month.

Where there’s smoke …

If you’ve been seeing a large amount of smoke in northern to central Alabama, it’s probably not another wildfire but a really big prescribed burn, reports AL.com’s Ruth Serven Smith.

It’s mostly affected a swath across Winston, Walker and Jefferson counties. USDA Forest Service federal fire management was burning 780 acres in the Bankhead National Forest on Monday. The USDA issued an alert that said the smoke was expected to drift to the southeast, and it did, blowing across the Birmingham area.

These burns, of course, clear vegetation and dead wood in the forest. Remember that during last year’s drought dead and drying woods provided fuel for numerous wildfires over the summer.

Over the past couple years more dead wood has accumulated due to the wave of pine beetle across the South.

Year of the Tiger

Accolades have started to come in for Auburn men’s basketball.

Of course, Auburn is the regular-season SEC champion. On Monday, the SEC’s head coaches voted Johni Broome the conference player of the year. And Bruce Pearl was named SEC coach of the year.

Broome averaged 18.6 points and 10.6 rebounds this season. He pumped in 34 points in an overtime loss to Alabama in the season finale.

And how about that Auburn-Alabama series this season? The Tigers won a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup with the Tide, and then the Tide upset the Tigers in the finale. People always call it the “Iron Bowl of Basketball” but at this rate you might also have to make that November ballgame the “Iron Bowl of Football” to be clear.

Broome is only the third Auburn player to become SEC player of the year, after Charles Barkley in 1984 and Chris Porter in 1999.

For Pearl, it’s his fourth time as the league’s coach of the year. He’s won the award twice with Auburn and twice with Tennessee.

Quoting

“We were probably over-bloated with the stock market here for a while. We went up quite a bit. But at the end of the day it’s about fairness. It’s about having fair tariffs.”

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, to Fox Business’s Larry Kudlow, on Monday’s stock-market skid and President Trump’s trade policy.

By the Numbers

$5,000

That’s the reward PETA is offering for tips leading to an arrest in an animal-abuse case in Mobile County.

A dog had to be euthanized after it was found in Grand Bay. It had been shot and left to die in a trash bag.

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