Alabama News

General

Farmers’ Almanac summer 2025 forecast: Alabama faces ‘brutally’ hot, humid, stormy season

Meteorological summer doesn’t begin until June 1, although Alabama is already feeling summer-like heat.

But what will the summer bring to the state?

The Farmers’ Almanac (which differs from the Old Farmer’s Almanac) has offered a guess with its summer forecast.

But it’s not much of a surprise for those accustomed to Alabama summers.

The Almanac is forecasting a “brutally humid and wet” summer season for Alabama, and the rest of the Southeast as well.

(The Almanac includes Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida in its Southeast region.)

The Almanac also said it could be wetter than usual along the Gulf Coast over the summer months.

And there could be a possible hurricane threat.

The Almanac said that a hurricane will be possible for the Florida Gulf Coast during the second week of August, and that storm could go on to threaten the southeast Atlantic coast of the U.S.

The Almanac also said a second hurricane threat will be possible along the Atlantic coast during the second week of September.

August and September typically are some of the most active months for hurricanes in the Atlantic.

What about the Fourth of July? The Almanac has a forecast for that.

The Almanac says to be on the lookout for “big thunderstorms” in north Alabama (as well as parts of Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia) on Independence Day.

What about the forecast for the rest of the U.S.? Here’s the Almanac summer forecast for the rest of the U.S.:

• Northeast and New England (New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C.): Broiling with average precipitation. 
• Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Midwest (Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin): Sultry, thunder-filled.
• North Central (Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana): Scorching with average rainfall.
• South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico): Sizzling, showery.
• Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho): Warm, dry.
• Southwest (California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona): Hot, very dry.

What about other summer outlooks?

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has an outlook for temperature and precipitation for the months of May, June and July.

The temperature outlook, shown at the top of this post, includes higher chances for above-average temperatures in Alabama over those three months.

South Alabama has a 50-60 percent probability of above-average temperatures, and the rest of the state has a 40-50 percent probability.

What about rain?

The precipitation outlook, also for the months of May through July, includes above 40-50 percent probability for above-average rainfall for Alabama’s coastal areas.

The rest of south Alabama and the southern half of central Alabama has a 33-40 percent probability for above-average rainfall.

The rest of the state will have equal chances for above-average or below-average rainfall over those three months.

The Climate Prediction Center will update those forecasts frequently.

Some upcoming dates:

• May 26: Memorial Day
• June 1: first day of meteorological summer, which is June, July and August
• June 1: first day of Atlantic hurricane season (ends on Nov. 30)
• June 20: First day of astronomical summer
• July 4 falls on a Friday in 2025

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Celebrated Alabama chef’s new restaurant opening for lunch

Downtown Birmingham diners will soon have a new lunch option.

Bayonet, the new raw bar and seafood-focused restaurant from celebrated Alabama chef Rob McDaniel and his wife, Emily, will start opening for lunch beginning Thursday, May 1.

The restaurant — at 2015 Second Ave. North, next door to the McDaniels’ first restaurant, Helen — has offered happy hour and dinner service since opening in March.

Beginning on Thursday, Bayonet will offer continuous service from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

The lunch options will change frequently, but highlights will include:

Egg Salad Sando with chives and caviar.

Dry-Aged Tuna Tartare with matsutake garum and potato chips.

Tuna Burger with whole-grain mustard, lemon aioli and fries.

Swordfish Reuben with caraway slaw, Triple Crown Sauce and fries.

Cobia Schnitzel with gribiche and piparra peppers.

Also beginning Thursday, Bayonet will start accepting reservations for both lunch and dinner service. Guests may make reservations through Resy. Walk-ins will still be welcome.

From raw oysters to black grouper

Located in the historic Berry Building, the Bayonet space boasts 17-foot ceilings, a custom-built raw bar, subway tile trim, and commissioned artwork from Birmingham chef and artist Roscoe Hall.

The restaurant’s name refers to the Spanish bayonet plant, a resilient evergreen with white, bell-shaped flowers and long, sharp-tipped leaves that “symbolizes strength, protection, endurance, growth and resilience . . . a lot of things that we represent as a restaurant,” Rob McDaniel said in an earlier interview with AL.com.

Bayonet’s raw bar showcases oysters from the Alabama and Florida Gulf Coasts and from North Carolina to New Brunswick, Canada, along the Atlantic Coast.

Other current selections include seafood gumbo, firefly squid and black grouper.

A Haleyville native and Auburn University graduate, Rob McDaniel attended the New England Culinary Institute and worked under Chris Hastings at Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham and Drew Robinson at Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q before becoming the founding executive chef at SpringHouse restaurant near Lake Martin in 2009.

After a decade at SpringHouse, McDaniel and his wife moved to the Birmingham metro area to open Helen in August 2020.

Emily McDaniel is the hospitality director and co-owner for both Helen and Bayonet.

During his time at SpringHouse, McDaniel was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: South for five consecutive years.

In 2024, as the executive chef at Helen, he was selected as a James Beard semifinalist for the sixth time.

Bayonet is at 2015 Second Ave. North in Birmingham, Ala. The phone is 205-829-1899. For more information, go here.

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Alabama’s $375 million plan to transform schools: How much money will your school get?

Some Alabama school districts could get hundreds of dollars more per student, totaling as much as $11 million in additional funding, to support high-needs students.

Districts with lots of English language learners, such as Tarrant and Albertville, appear to be early winners in an effort to revamp the state’s school funding formula. But every district in the state would get additional funding.

“I’m confident all of it will be used to increase student achievement at Albertville City Schools,” said Bart Reeves, superintendent for the district. “We want to narrow that learning gap with our kids. I know we want to do that.”

Currently, school funding in Alabama is based on enrollment; schools receive about $7,700 from the state for each student they serve. It’s been that way for decades.

Lawmakers, educators and advocates want to move to a different formula – one that’s based on need, rather than headcount alone.

With the new program, called the RAISE Act, some high-needs districts could get as much as $400 more per-pupil moving forward, new projections show. Lawmakers currently plan to budget $375 million to pre-pay up to three years of the program. The bill, Senate Bill 305, now heads to the governor’s desk. (Scroll down to see how much your district could get).

By the 2025-26 school year, the RAISE Act would add:

• $68 million for high-poverty schools, an increase of $37 million
• $49 million in new funding for special education
• $33 million for English learners, an increase of $17 million
• $12 million for gifted students, an increase of $1.3 million
• $1.2 million in new funding for charter schools

Advocates say the program could create “transformational change” for students.

Districts can get some state grant money to pay for certain student services, but the RAISE Act would make that process easier by automatically sending funds to districts. It also would double the amounts that some some systems get for English learners and students in poverty.

“This gives districts the resources they need to serve the diverse needs of those students, whether that’s additional aides or teachers, support personnel, or whether it’s additional wraparound services or summer and afterschool programs,” Mark Dixon of the A+ Education Partnership, an education advocacy group that has championed the effort, told AL.com.

“There are different kids that have different needs, and so the goal here is to give the districts the flexibility to make the funding decisions based on the needs of the students in their classroom.”

Can’t see the table? View it here.

While increases vary from district to district, every system will get more money to serve students with different learning needs.

In total, schools would get about $164 million in weighted funding next year, a $106 million increase from the 2025 fiscal year. The legislation allows those weights to grow over time.

Data provided by the Alabama Education Association shows that districts with large populations of English learners, including Tarrant, Albertville and Russellville, could benefit the most from weighted funding. The program would also create brand new line items for students with disabilities and schools with concentrated poverty.

Reeves says the extra $1.2 million that lawmakers plan to send to his district this year – for a total of $2.6 million in weighted funds – would help him hire new aides and auxiliary teachers for elementary classrooms, and would possibly fund future reading camps that the district is now supporting with local money.

More than a third of students who attend schools in Albertville are English learners, and those early grades are crucial for building language skills, leaders said. But that takes resources.

“You take care of grades K through four, and I promise you’re going to see increases in academic achievement,” he said. “That’s what we are excited about.”

The bill requires school districts to submit plans showing how the funds would be used and to report on student outcomes. It also will create two state-level boards to monitor progress and enforce any corrective actions.

But overall, supporters say, the program will give districts more flexibility to make the most out of the funds.

Lawmakers are still working out the details of the education budget. They’ve consolidated about $58 million in grants for at-risk youth, English learners and gifted students, and plan to draw $375 million out of a reserve account to fund the first three years of the program.

The full package awaits final approval from the Senate before it heads to the governor.

The long-term goal, advocates say, is to eventually move toward a totally new formula, rather than keep layering weighted funding on top of the current budget. Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, said that would take a lot of work – and likely a constitutional amendment or two – to pull off quickly.

“It gives districts the ability to shift their mindset and think from a student funding perspective – to fund students vs resources – and that’s a change in mindset that needs to happen over time,” Dixon said.

“We hope to move to a fully student-weighted formula in the future, but right now the focus is on implementing this well and making sure we’re doing the best that we can for students.”

Can’t see the map? View it here.

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Alabama teachers won’t get pay raises. Here’s what they might get this year instead

Alabama’s $10 billion education budget won’t include raises for teachers this year, but lawmakers are covering a few new benefits for educators.

State teachers will get paid parental leave and worker’s compensation for the first time. They also will not have to pay higher health insurance premiums. All in all, advocates say the package is a win for teachers.

“When we started this session, if someone would have told me that we would have PEEHIP fully funded, parental leave and a new workers’ comp program for Alabama educators, I would have never thought it was possible,” Amy Marlowe, executive director of the Alabama Education Association, told AL.com. “So I just give kudos to Governor Ivey and to the legislature for a session that’s been one of the best on record for Alabama educators.”

The Alabama House approved a nearly final version of the budget package Thursday. But the Senate must approve changes – which include $80 million more for a school choice program – before the governor can sign off.

Other big-ticket items include a $375 million school funding overhaul, new regional career tech centers, and increases to literacy, math and afterschool programs.

Colleges and universities will get a smaller share of the budget at $2.5 billion, a 6.6% increase from last year. K-12 schools will get $6.7 billion, a jump of about 5.9%.

The full $12.1 billion package is made up of four buckets:

• $9.9 billion to the main education budget, called the Education Trust Fund, which supports higher education and K-12 funding,
• $1.25 billion for the Advancement and Technology fund, which will include a new $100 million career tech effort,
• $524 million in supplemental funds, and
• $455 million to the Educational Opportunities Reserve Fund to support the CHOOSE Act and a new public school funding formula.

New benefits for teachers

The Foundation Program, which funds teacher salaries and other operational expenses, increased by $143 million this year – but many of those funds will go toward the state health insurance program, PEEHIP.

The insurance program told members in 2024 that changes to federal programs and increases in prescription drug costs might require rate increases.

“Going into the session, we were looking at the numbers and we had some very disturbing news from PEEHIP that member premiums were going to have to go up $104 a month, and that money was going to have to come out of educator and retiree pockets,” Marlowe said.

Lawmakers chose to fund the insurance program instead of teacher raises this year. Teacher pay has risen in the last few years, to an overall statewide average of $61,213, though there are large variations across districts.

The newly funded amount, Marlowe said, is nearly equivalent to a 3% raise for most active educators.

“It’s a balancing act,” she said. “In a 2% raise, if you go off the average teacher salary, most educators would not have received as much as $104 a month in take home pay, plus that would have been taxed. So those are all the things that we look at when we balance the monies available.”

School choice and a new funding formula

The state will begin the transition to a student-based school funding formula, which would fund schools based on student need rather than headcount alone. The program, called the RAISE Act, passed unanimously and now heads to the governor’s office. The legislature is beginning the shift by putting $375 million into a new reserve fund.

If signed, Alabama schools could get as much as $158 million more in funding starting in the 2025-26 school year. Lawmakers want to focus on high-poverty districts, charter schools and schools with large populations of English learners, students with disabilities and gifted students.

The House also authorized the state to draw up to $80 million from the same fund to help meet increased demand for the new CHOOSE Act, which provides families with tax credits to spend on private education. Nearly 37,000 students applied for the program this year, far outpacing its current capacity of an estimated 14,000 accounts.

Any of the leftover funds will go back to the reserve account, Garrett said.

“This will make sure that we’ve got the funds to cover the initial year, and in the budget we’ll be looking at future years,” he said, noting that the state “had twice as many applications as we thought they were going to have.”

Marlowe, however, said she’s disappointed to see so much money go toward students who aren’t in public school. About two-thirds of this year’s applicants are already in private school or homeschooled.

“As we warned legislators when that bill was originally passed, the kids that were going to benefit the most were the ones that were already in private school,” she said. “So all of that’s coming true, and the very idea that we would give them even more money before the program started, just anticipating what might happen, is not something that we support at AEA.”

She said she’s grateful, however, to see bigger investments in low-income public schools. She also commended lawmakers for fully funding the Literacy Act and the Numeracy Act – which require interventions that some districts may struggle to pay for themselves.

“With the resources that we had, the budget chairs and the legislature have done the very, very best job possible that they could have to help schools that need improvement,” she said.

Future budget outlooks

Recent economic windfalls have generated millions of dollars for Alabama schools. But that “sugar high” could be over soon, state finance experts have warned.

Garrett told reporters earlier this week that he is confident the state has enough reserves built up to weather any financial storms. The state’s education budget, however, is only allowed to grow so much – and that cap will decrease next year from 6% to 5.75%.

Marlowe said she will continue to keep a close watch on financial reports.

“With everything going on in Washington right now, it’s impossible to predict the road ahead,” she said. “We actually did better this year than we thought we were going to do. So who knows what next year’s fiscal forecast will look like?”

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JD Crowe: Alireza Doroudi: Why was Alabama PhD student’s life put on ICE? Ask Trump

This is an opinion cartoon.

Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian doctoral student at the University of Alabama, was abducted by ICE without charge. And denied bond. Why?

Sounds like a good question for President Trump. Lucky for us, he graciously invited himself to give an insurrection merchandising speech at Alabama’s commencement event next week in Tuscaloosa.

Insurrection, commencement? Whatever. If it’s spewing from Dear Leader’s pie hole it’s gonna be toxic.

But let’s talk about Alireza Doroudi’s predicament.

Excerpts from AL.com reports:

Alireza Doroudi’s fiancée ‘ashamed’ Trump speaking at University of Alabama: ‘A very sad time for Tuscaloosa’

The fiancée of an Iranian-born University of Alabama doctoral student facing deportation said she is saddened by news that President Donald Trump will deliver a speech prior to the university’s spring commencement ceremonies.

“I just can’t believe what my eyes are seeing,” Sama Bajgani said.

’Free Doroudi!‘: Crowd gathers to protest detainment of Alabama graduate student

Judge Maithe González said Doroudi failed to meet the burden of showing that he was not a threat to national security.

González also ruled Doroudi was a flight risk due to being in the country with a revoked F-1 visa, no family in the country and what she said were scarce ties to the community.

If he is deported, Doroudi will be sent to Iran, the judge said.

“I’m flabbergasted,” said Doroudi’s attorney, David Rozas.

“She said it would be our duty to show he is not a national security risk but the government has put forth no evidence in the record that my client is actually a national security risk,” Rozas said.

“They’re asking us to prove a negative, which is impossible to do.”

“He has not been arrested for any crime, nor has he participated in any anti-government protests,” the statement from Rozas said. “He is legally present in the U.S., pursuing his American dream by working towards his doctorate in mechanical engineering.”

According to ICE’s website, an individual can, “stay in the United States on an expired F-1 visa as long as you maintain your student status.”

Rozas added that a teacher from the University of Alabama was prepared to testify to Doroudi’s legal status during the hearing.

Check out more cartoons and stuff by JD Crowe

JD Crowe is the cartoonist for AL.com. He won the RFK Human Rights Award for Editorial Cartoons in 2020. In 2018, he was awarded the Rex Babin Memorial Award by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Follow JD on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix. Give him a holler at [email protected].

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Hegseth used ‘dirty’ internet line to connect to Signal in Pentagon

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told The Associated Press.

The existence of the unsecured internet connection is the latest revelation about Hegseth’s use of the unclassified app and raises the possibility that sensitive defense information could have been put at risk of potential hacking or surveillance.

Known as a “dirty” internet line by the IT industry, it connects directly to the public internet where the user’s information and the websites accessed do not have the same security filters or protocols that the Pentagon’s secured connections maintain.

Other Pentagon offices have used them, particularly if there’s a need to monitor information or websites that would otherwise be blocked.

But the biggest advantage of using such a line is that the user would not show up as one of the many IP addresses assigned to the Defense Department — essentially the user is masked, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with military network security.

But it also can expose users to hacking and surveillance. A “dirty” line — just like any public internet connection — also may lack the recordkeeping compliance required by federal law, the official said.

All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

A ‘dirty’ internet line to use Signal

The two people familiar with the line said Hegseth had it set up in his office to use the Signal app, which has become a flashpoint following revelations that he posted sensitive details about a military airstrike in two chats that each had more than a dozen people. One of the chats included his wife and brother, while the other included President Donald Trump’s top national security officials.

Asked about Hegseth’s use of Signal in his office, which was first reported by The Washington Post, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the defense secretary’s “use of communications systems and channels is classified.”

“However, we can confirm that the Secretary has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer,” Parnell said in a statement.

It’s the latest revelation to shake the Pentagon. Besides facing questions from both Democrats and Republicans about his handling of sensitive information, Hegseth has dismissed or transferred multiple close advisers, tightly narrowing his inner circle and adding to the turmoil following the firings of several senior military officers in recent months.

Trump and other administration officials have given Hegseth their full support. They have blamed employees they say were disgruntled for leaking information to journalists, with Trump saying this week: “It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories.”

“I have 100% confidence in the secretary,” Vice President JD Vance told reporters Wednesday about Hegseth. ”I know the president does and, really, the entire team does.”

Secure ways to communicate at the Pentagon

The Pentagon has a variety of secure ways that enable Hegseth and other military leaders to communicate:

— The Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network can handle the lowest levels of sensitive information. It allows some access to the internet but is firewalled and has levels of cybersecurity that a “dirty” line does not. It cannot handle information labeled as secret.

— The Secure Internet Protocol Router Network is used for secret-level classified information.

— The Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System is for top-secret and secret compartmentalized information, which is some of the highest levels of secrecy, also known as TS/SCI.

Hegseth initially was going to the back area of his office where he could access Wi-Fi to use his devices, one of the people familiar said, and then he requested a line at his desk where he could use his own computer.

That meant at times there were three computers around his desk — a personal computer; another for classified information; and a third for sensitive defense information, both people said.

Because electronic devices are vulnerable to spying, no one is supposed to have them inside the defense secretary’s office. Important offices at the Pentagon have a cabinet or drawer where staff or visitors are required to leave devices.

Fallout over Signal

Signal is a commercially available app that is not authorized to be used for sensitive or classified information. It’s encrypted, but can be hacked.

While Signal offers more protections than standard text messaging, it’s no guarantee of security. Officials also must ensure their hardware and connections are secure, said Theresa Payton, White House chief information officer under President George W. Bush and now CEO of Fortalice Solutions, a cybersecurity firm.

The communications of senior government officials are of keen interest to adversaries like Russia or China, Payton said.

The National Security Agency issued a warning earlier this year about concerns that foreign hackers could try to target government officials using Signal. Google also advised caution about Russia-aligned hackers targeting Signal users.

Hegseth’s Signal use is under investigation by the Defense Department’s acting inspector general at the request of the bipartisan leadership of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Hegseth pulled the information about the strike on Yemen’s Houthi militants last month from a secure communications channel used by U.S. Central Command. He has vehemently denied he posted “war plans” or classified information.

But the information Hegseth did post in chats — exact launch times and bomb drop times — would have been classified and could have put service members at risk, multiple current and former military and defense officials have said. The airstrike information was sent before the pilots had launched or safely returned from their mission.

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Program to help people at risk for Alzheimer’s now recruiting in Huntsville

Two hundred older adults in north Alabama could help rewrite the standard of care for people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, in partnership with Seattle-based Phenome Health and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, Calif., have launched a pilot study on the role that genetics and lifestyle play in Alzheimer’s risk.

The program aims to develop screening tools and prevention strategies that could be applied broadly in clinical practice, according to the researchers.

Nick Cochran, a HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator and lead researcher on the study, said in a news release that Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias might take years to manifest symptoms. That means early detection and lifestyle changes could greatly improve a patient’s quality of life.

“This project is a chance to shift from reacting to preventing,” Cochran said. “We’re exploring whether giving people personalized health information can empower them to make changes that protect brain health.”

The study, called HOPE AD – or Healthy Outcomes through Phenomic Explorations for Alzheimer’s Disease – is enrolling participants at the Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine in Huntsville.

Researchers are looking for 200 healthy adults between 65 and 75 who have a close family member with dementia but who do not have cognitive impairment themselves.

Eligible participants will undergo routine medical exams at the Smith Family Clinic, including cognitive testing and wellness assessments. All participants will receive clinical results, according to the researchers, including:

• APOE status. APOE is considered one of the strongest genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.
• Polygenic risk score. This analysis builds a picture of genetic disease risk using multiple genes.
• pTau217 protein levels. This brain protein “biomarker” is known to rise early in Alzheimer’s patients.

Those identified to have elevated risk of Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia will be invited to continue with the study through a yearlong lifestyle-intervention program. The program will include personalized coaching on factors like nutrition, physical activity, sleep and cognitive engagement — all of which could reduce the risk of developing dementia.

The study uses a “phenomic” approach, which involves capturing highly detailed data about participants’ health, environment, and lifestyle, according to HudsonAlpha. This helps researchers paint a fuller picture of dementia risk than genetics alone.

The investigators “want to understand how knowing their risk affects people’s choices,” said Meagan Cochran, director of the Smith Family Clinic and a co-investigator on the study. “Do they feel more motivated to take action? That’s a crucial part of prevention that we hope this study will help answer.”

Results from the pilot will inform a more extensive study in the coming years.

To learn more about the HOPE AD study, including criteria for enrollment, visit hudsonalpha.org/hopead or call the Smith Family Clinic at 256-327-9640.

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Miss Manners: I’m stressed about my girlfriend’s dogs ruining our getaway

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have been dating a woman for just over three months. Several weeks ago, I asked if she and her daughter would like to take a road trip with me to a desert town that is very dear to me.

I’ve been visiting the place annually for over 20 years and own some land there. I’ve been taking my small, elderly dog with me on these trips.

Anyway, my girlfriend unexpectedly announced that she intended to bring her two young, energetic dogs on the trip. I should have immediately tried to nip it in the bud, but I didn’t want to seem like a jerk.

The idea of the three of us, my elderly dog and her two dogs making the trip really stressed me out. When I asked her not to bring her dogs and offered not to bring mine, she threw a fit. I asked her again and told her why, but the trip date is approaching and she hasn’t really tried to find a place for the dogs to stay.

Am I right that inviting dogs on a trip is presumptuous, or am I an uptight jerk?

GENTLE READER: Wellllllll … Miss Manners would not outright call you the latter. But it is not an unreasonable presumption that since you were bringing your dog, your girlfriend thought dogs were welcome.

That you would junk the idea all together rather than endure hers is not the conciliatory move you thought it was. And Miss Manners is not confident that your subsequent explanation did not make it worse.

Pet owners, like parents, do not take kindly to being told that their dependents are undesirable, even if there is evidence. If you want to get more serious with her, you and your dog will have to learn to tolerate hers. Why not practice on relatively neutral territory first?

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com, by email to [email protected], or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

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Asking Eric: Married parent consumed by a crush

Dear Eric: I need you to smack me upside the head. I’m married with two young kids. For some reason, I’ve developed a huge crush on a guy who works at my local supermarket. This is eating me alive! I hate that I feel this way. I think about him all the time, he’s popped up in my dreams, and I find myself looking for him when I go to the market. I know that logically this is so irrational and irresponsible, but I can’t seem to shake these emotions. I want it to end. Do I stop shopping at this place until I can get my act together? How do I make these feelings go away?

– Super Crush

Dear Super: Well, I’m not going to smack you upside the head (sorry). What I will tell you, from a safe and respectful distance, is that sometimes a crush is just a crush – a way for the mind to explore an idea or blow off steam.

The best way to get it to go away is to either separate yourself from the subject of the crush or talk about it with someone who won’t judge you and can help you see what’s underneath it. (A third option is to list everything wrong with the crush, but let’s focus on the first two.)

Maybe you’re just attracted to the supermarket guy, or maybe there’s some other unmet need in your life or marriage. Acting as the thought police for yourself isn’t going to fix this. Could be nothing but worth digging a bit to see if there’s something you can glean.

It’s also fine to keep going to your regular market. When you do, remind yourself: “There’s the guy who I have a crush on. This doesn’t mean anything. He’s at work. I’m going to leave him alone. Now, which aisle is the cereal in?”

Read more Asking Eric and other advice columns.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.

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This week in HS Sports: A ‘surreal’ baseball moment to remember at Hewitt-Trussville

This is an opinion piece.

Sometimes, even in a key area game between intense rivals, baseball needs to take a back seat.

Sports need to take a back seat.

Hewitt-Trussville coach Jeff Mauldin and Hoover coach Adam Moseley made sure that happened last week for Huskies’ senior Grayson Pope.

“You feel God’s presence in moments like that,” Moseley said simply.

Two summers ago, Pope – then one of the best sophomore baseball players in the state and a Tennessee commitment – suffered a traumatic brain injury when a tree fell on the golf cart he was in during a thunderstorm.

He spent 42 days in a coma.

Since then, Grayson has learned to walk and talk again, returned to school and will graduate with his class this spring. Though he continues to work on his speech and balance, Pope has not been able to return to game action for the Class 7A No. 1 Huskies.

Still, he remains a vital part of the team as it begins the playoffs later today against Sparkman.

“He’s limited on some things he can do,” Mauldin said. “When we do outfield drills, he does that with us. A lot of days, he comes here for a little while and then goes to different therapy sessions. He still does a lot to try to get better.

“He’s only missed one game this year that I can remember, and it was because he was at the Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Banquet. Even then, his parents told me he was on Gamechanger the whole time watching us. He does all the pregame stuff with us. He doesn’t miss anything.”

On April 17, Senior Night, Pope finally got to step into the batter’s box again for the first time since 2023. Hewitt led Hoover 4-1 in the bottom of the third inning with two outs and no one on base. Mauldin sent Pope up as a pinch-hitter for Colby Durden.

“It was something that didn’t come about until that morning and, even then, we didn’t really have details,” Mauldin said. “His parents didn’t know. It had to be the perfect situation. With two outs and no one on, I kind of looked over at Adam in the other dugout, and we were able to make it happen.”

Pope went through his normal batting routine and stepped into the box. Hoover gave the sign to intentionally walk him. He trotted down to first base as players from both dugouts and fans on both sides applauded.

This was more than baseball.

This was a story of faith and determination and heart.

“It was surreal,” Mauldin said. “From where he was two years ago until now? It’s definitely answered prayers. God has plans for him. Gray fights every day. Works every day. He took the field for the National Anthem. Then to see him walk to the batter’s box and get ready to hit … it’s kind of hard to even describe.

“I just talked to Hoover’s athletic director (Harley Lamey) just to tip my hat of respect for them being willing to give him an opportunity to be on the field. It was special for Grayson. It was special for his teammates because they love him. There was a lot of love on the field from the Hoover side to our kids.”

Mauldin sent Durden back in to pinch-run for Pope, who returned to the Hewitt dugout to celebrate with his teammates.

“He flipped his helmet, and they had that celebration,” Mauldin said. “It was neat to see. We wanted to have that moment for Grayson and everyone involved, but as soon as it was over, it had to be a baseball game.”

The next Hewitt batter flew out on the first pitch to end the inning.

The outcome of the game was not affected, but everyone in Trussville that night had a moment they won’t soon forget.

“It was amazing,” Moseley said. “That moment is ever how many years in the making. What a positive for our kids to watch that and see that and be a part of it. It was really special. However long I coach, it will be a top 10 moment. To be on the field and watch it and hear his parents cheer and see how excited he was … man, it was neat. It was really, really neat.”

Hewitt went on to win the game 8-2 though few will likely remember the score.

Most will remember April 17 as another step in the journey of an amazingly resilient young man, Grayson Pope.

To his credit, Tennessee coach Tony Vitello is honoring Pope’s scholarship. Grayson will continue to work in hopes of returning to the field full-time one day.

At this point, who could doubt him?

Thought for the Week

“This is the confidence we have before Him: If we ask anything, He hears us.” – 1 John 5:14.

Ben Thomas is the high school managing producer at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected].

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