Safe burning

The science of controlled burning is well beyond “How many inches of rain did we get last month?” That’s a good thing in a state that has 23 million acres of timberland.

AL.com’s Lee Roop reports that a recent planned burn at Gulf State Park was called off because of data gathered by technology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

The school’s Earth System Science Center developed soil moisture and temperature sensors that measure moisture from the surface to around two feet underground. Associate State Climatologist Dr. Lee Ellenburg said the sensors can recognize quickly drying soil, which can indicate a falling water table and help predict future conditions.

The Alabama Forestry Commission takes into account how dry the soil is along with wind speed, rain and humidity over burn sites. Forestry Commission Fire Analyst Ethan Barrett said the data from the UAH technology gave them a warning two weeks out from the scheduled burn at Gulf State Park that otherwise might’ve been more dangerous than expected.

Most common cancers

According to some of the more recent CDC statistical trends, Alabama has a different leading type of cancer than the U.S. as a whole, reports AL.com’s Leada Gore.

The data was gathered by 24/7 Tempo, which is a member of 24/7 Wall St. Media, and it is projecting final numbers for this current year.

Nationally, Breast cancer is the most diagnosed form of cancer. In Alabama, however, prostate cancer is the most common, with an estimated 5,320 new cases expected this year. Estimated deaths from prostate cancer this year is 540.

Female breast cancer comes in second in Alabama, with an estimated 4,500 new cases coming this year. That’s followed closely by lung and bronchus cancer with an estimated 4,280 new cases. New cases of all types of cancers are expected to number 30,730, which puts us 23rd highest in the nation — not far out of line for the 24th-most populated state.

Still, we can pray these projections come in way too high.

Hank Jr.’s major move

Hank Williams Jr. had a wedding on Saturday at Enon Baptist Church in South Alabama, just out of Louisville.

Enon Baptist is actually closer to Banks on the Pike County side.

Hank Jr.’s social-media marketing folks posted on the event.

It’s Hank’s fourth marriage. His wife of 38 years, Mary Jane Thomas, died in March 2022.

They’ve not been public with details, but the bride’s name is Brandi, and the couple has been seen on social media hunting and fishing — which is certainly a way to help seal the deal with Bocephus.

Quoting

“When you go after a former president or a president, have all of your ducks in a row. Make sure you got what you need to have. Don’t be guessing. Don’t just be throwing mud.”

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, expressing to CNN his hesitancy to support an impeachment process against President Joe Biden ahead of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s announcing an impeachment inquiry.

By the numbers

18 more churches split from the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church on Tuesday. That makes 348 over the past year — and that doesn’t include those that have disaffiliated from the denomination’s Alabama-West Florida Conference.

More Alabama news

Born on this date

• In 1842, U.S. Sen. John H. Bankhead of Moscow, Alabama (that’s the area near Sulligent, and one of two unincorporated areas in the state called Moscow). Sen. Bankhead was also actress Tallulah’s granddaddy.
• In 1948, Nell Carter of Birmingham and Gimme a Break fame.

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