Alabama News

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Saying goodbye to a ‘silent warrior’: Irondale honors police officer killed while directing traffic

Hundreds of people said their goodbyes Thursday to an Irondale police lieutenant who was struck and killed while preparing to direct traffic outside Church of the Highlands.

Irondale police Lt. Mark Meadows, a 60-year-old husband, father and grandfather, was remembered as a “silent warrior,” a man of few words who made a big impact on those who knew and loved him.

“We know that because Mark was a believer, he’s in a better place today than we are standing right here,’’ Mayor James Stewart said. “We’re just so grateful that he died instantaneously. We don’t believe that he suffered, that he was in any pain.”

“God took him up to His mansion where there are many rooms,’’ Stewart said, “and we hope that he is in one of the biggest rooms today watching down to see us celebrating his life.”

Meadows was killed Monday morning when he was putting out traffic cones as the church’s 21 Days of Prayer service was about to let out.

It was just before 7 a.m. when Meadows was hit at the intersection of Grants Mill Road and Overton Road. He was pronounced dead at Grandview Medical Center at 7:39 a.m.

Alabama State Troopers said the Chevrolet Colorado that struck Meadows was driven by 32-year-old Evan N. Sullivan of Leeds. The driver stopped at the scene.

The investigation is ongoing.

Gov. Kay Ivey ordered the flags lowered Thursday in Meadows’ honor. The Jefferson/Shelby County Chapter of the Alabama Police Benevolent Association and the Police Benevolent Foundation are raising money for Meadows’ family.

Donations can be made here.

Meadows served four years in the U.S Army 3rd Ranger Battalion, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Benning in Georgia.

Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, he began his law enforcement career with the Mountain Brook Police Department in 1992, before transferring to the Irondale Police Department.

He became an FBI instructor certified in pistol and rifle in 2001. He then became an NRA Instructor certified in pistol in 2017.

Meadows worked at Church of Highlands since the Grants Mill facility opened 18 years ago.

Mourners, which included police officers from law enforcement agencies throughout the state, poured into Church of the Highlands at noon Thursday. Meadows will have a private, military burial.

Officers from neighboring agencies filled in for Irondale police so many from the force could attend the service.

Stewart, who spoke before and at the service, said one of his favorite memories of Meadows happened just recently.

“I’d had a come-to-Jesus meeting with the police department, and he came to let me know that he was in support of the direction I wanted to move the city and the police department,’’ the mayor said.

“He had a slot for a 30-minute interview because he was a man of few words. I talked for 27 and he talked for three.”

Stewart described Meadows as a family man who was considerate, thoughtful, compassionate and humble.

“He put others’ interests before he put his own,’’ Stewart said. “He was always there to support and help someone along the way.”

“The Bible says, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’’’ he said, “and I feel that Lt. Meadows embodied that scripture because he looked out for everybody.”

“He meant a lot to us,’’ the mayor said. “He was a silent warrior. He didn’t say a lot, but you can see by the people that are here today that he was well thought of, well respected.”

Pastor Chris Hodges said the church considered Meadows a dear friend.

“He served this campus for nearly 18 years,’’ Hodges said, “and did it so faithfully.’’

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Target is offering a major discount on Beats Solo 4 headphones this week

Target just dropped a major deal on the latest Beats Solo wireless headphones, but it’s only available for a limited-time.

With this deal, Target customers can get their hands on a pair of Beats Solo 4 bluetooth headphones for just $129 each instead of the usual price of $199, a $70 discount overall.

RELATED: Wayfair is offering a massive discount on the Blackstone pizza oven

While other Beats wireless headphones can often also be found at a discount, the Beats Solo 4 come in two unique colors not found in any other style: Cloud Pink and State Blue.

The Beats brand claims that the Beats Solo 4 bluetooth headphones come with upgraded drivers, rebalanced acoustics, improved frequency response, custom-built 40 mm transducers to minimize electronic artifacts and latency and distortion for extraordinary clarity and range. Not to mention it comes with a whopping 50 hours of battery life.

RELATED: Dick’s is offering select Bogg Bags for only $67 this week

“The original go-to headphones for active music lovers are back and better than ever,” the Beats Solo 4 product description states. “The ergonomic design was developed with comfort in mind, starting with how light they are — at just 217 grams, you can almost forget you’re wearing them.”

Beats has also stated that wearing these headphones feels like “being surrounded by 64 speakers at once.”

Those who are interested in this deal can checkout the full details on Target’s website here.

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Country music power couple performs ‘Imagine’ at Jimmy Carter’s funeral

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, was celebrated Thursday during a funeral at Washington National Cathedral featuring plenty of pageantry.

Country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sang their arrangement of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” which they also sang at Rosalynn Carter’s Atlanta funeral in 2023.

The lyrics, as highlighted by The Associated Press, certainly hit home:

”Imagine there’s no countries

“It isn’t hard to do

“Nothing to kill or die for

“And no religion, too

“Imagine all the people

“Livin’ life in peace.”

As Brooks and Yearwood perform, Biden was among those in the audience observed who appeared to quietly sing along to “Imagine.”

The couple has remained out of the public eye since an anonymous woman filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Brooks in October, accusing him of assault, battery and sexual battery.

The woman accusing Garth Brooks of sexual assault has called out the singer for publicly releasing her name, saying he did it “out of spite.”

“Garth Brooks just revealed his true self. Out of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape victim,” the accuser’s legal team of Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker said in a statement.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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Katie Britt’s Laken Riley Act advances in Senate with help from Democrats

With an assist from Democrats, Sen. Katie Britt’s, R-Ala., Laken Riley Act advanced Thursday in the U.S. Senate, although the legislation inspired by the Georgia nursing student murdered by an undocumented migrant faces an uncertain fate.

“Tomorrow, Laken Riley would have been 23 years old. Her killer should have never been able to be in the U.S., especially after being charged with multiple crimes,” Britt said at a news conference shortly after the bill secured enough votes to survive a filibuster.

“Her murder is actually he consequence of Biden-Harris open border policies.”

The act — the first piece of legislation taken up by the new Republican Senate majority and the first bill passed by the GOP-led House — would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest undocumented immigrants charged with theft, burglary, larceny or shoplifting offenses and mandate those suspects be detained until they are deported so they cannot reoffend.

Riley’s killer, undocumented Venezuelan national Jose Antonio Ibarra, had been arrested multiple times once in the United States but was released each time before ICE could put a detainer on him.

On Feb. 22, 2024, Riley was jogging on the University of Georgia campus in Athens when she was killed by Ibarra.

Britt introduced the bill in the Senate last year but was stalled under Democratic control.

Alabama’s junior senator said President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in November, boosted in large part by the GOP’s position on immigration, made Democrats realize that their views on the issue are incompatible with majority of the American people.

“We’re listening to the American people, and it seems like some of my Democratic colleagues are also hearing the American people today,” Britt said. “They know their open border policies will not work.”

While several Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, voted to advance the bill, it remains unclear whether the legislation can pass in a final vote.

Britt said she and her Republican colleagues — all of whom cosponsored the bill — remain open to amendments to guide the bill to final passage but remains optimistic it doesn’t need tinkering.

“I think my Democratic colleagues have heard the American people, and so I think that they understand that we need action now. And so it would be my thoughts that we could likely pass this right now,” she said.

“If the people keep their word and people are true to their constituencies, and they actually put the needs of them first,” the senator continued, “it would be my hope that we could pass it right now.”

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Is Alabama’s long stalled medical marijuana dispute finally nearing a solution?

Lawyers involved in the conflict that has delayed medical marijuana in Alabama are trying to reach an agreement through court-ordered mediation.

Mark Wilkerson, an attorney for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, said there have been at least three mediation sessions involving all the parties in the lawsuits. Wilkerson gave members of the AMCC an update on the litigation during a Zoom meeting Thursday.

The disputes are mostly over the AMCC’s efforts to issue business licenses to integrated companies that will cultivate, process, and dispense medical cannabis products.

Some companies denied licenses claim the AMCC has not followed the law in awarding licenses. The AMCC disputes that, but the court found enough merit to the claims to put the process on hold.

Retired Montgomery County Circuit Judge Eugene Reese is overseeing the mediation. Wilkerson said the talks are confidential.

“I will say that I think progress has been made generally,” Wilkerson said. “And Judge Reese has done a good job at pushing that process, communicating with everybody.

“And we’ve certainly made it clear that our goal under the participation is to achieve the objectives that the Legislature has given you to have an outcome that results in products being available to Alabama patients, people that need it.”

The Legislature approved medical marijuana in 2021 and created the AMCC to oversee the industry. The AMCC awarded business licenses three times in 2023 but rescinded the first two rounds of awards because of mistakes and lawsuits filed by companies that were denied licenses.

The AMCC successfully issued licenses for cultivators and in some other categories in December 2023. But licenses for the integrated companies and for dispensaries are on hold. That has prevented the industry from fully launching.

The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals will hold oral arguments Monday in a key part of the case.

The AMCC is appealing a temporary restraining order issued last July by Montgomery Circuit Judge James Anderson, who is presiding over the lawsuits. The order prohibits the AMCC from issuing the licenses to integrated companies.

The Compassion Act, passed by Alabama lawmakers in May 2021, made Alabama one of more than 30 states to authorize medical marijuana.

Patients who receive a recommendation from a certified doctor and receive a medical cannabis card from the AMCC will be able to buy medical marijuana products at licensed dispensaries.

The products can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, including chronic pain, weight loss and nausea from cancer, depression, panic disorder, epilepsy, muscle spasms caused by disease or spinal cord injuries, PTSD, and others.

Products can include gummies, tablets, capsules, tinctures, patches, oils, and other forms allowed by the legislation.

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Madison opens community center after $11M facelift of troubled juvenile facility

With the opening of a new community center Thursday, Madison completes a yearslong effort to revitalize a troubled parcel of land on the north side.

The 30,000 square-foot center at 1329 Browns Ferry Road houses multiple meeting rooms, arts and craft spaces, a multiuse gym, courtyard and performance stage. The city’s recently opened senior center occupies a wing of the building.

“A community center is the hub for your city,” Mayor Paul Finley said. “What was a facility that was an eyesore has turned into the hub and a central part of community for Madison.”

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Investigation complete after three homeless men killed by train in Mobile

According to the Mobile Police Department, no criminal activity was found involving a train incident that killed three men Tuesday night.

The three individuals were also believed to have been unhoused the department said.

According to a department spokesperson, a train operator blew the horn but the men were not able to clear the tracks in time.

“Evidence revealed the train’s horn was sounded prior to impact shortly after 5 p.m., but the three victims were unable to clear the track,” the spokesperson said.

It took the train operators several hours before they knew that the men had been struck.

Mobile police were contacted immediately after the discovery and officers arrived at approximately 11:40 p.m. the department said.

The train involved was being operated by the Port of Mobile. Maggie Oliver, a spokesperson for the port, provided a statement regarding the “tragic” incident.

“This is a tragic event, and the Port is grateful for MPD’s leadership on the investigation …. The Port will continue working with MPD along with other relevant agencies to provide information that will bring the families closure and assist in our understanding of this accident.”

The department said the identities of the victims will be released once their families have been notified.

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Why do we rush to buy bread and milk when it snows? Here are 3 theories

Milk sandwiches? Bless our sarcastic little hearts, y’all. The memes work overtime when snow is in the forecast. But we Southerners can’t deny we have a strange urge to buy bread and milk when it snows and now the joke is that we use them to make “milk sandwiches.”

Our panic-buying is a quirk makes folks who aren’t from around these parts wonder. (You can read responses to a curious Canadian’s questions here.)

In Alabama, our brains tell us: Go to the grocery store. Buy milk and bread. And sometimes eggs. Or toilet paper, depending on how much you stockpile. Why do they tell us that? Because it’s what our grandmothers did. Because it’s what our neighbors do. Because nine out of 10 people on Facebook said so.

We never questioned why. We just knew the ingredients for French toast were synonymous with winter storm watches.

Now we’re asking the burning question: Why? Why those products? Why the urgency?

I set out to find the answer and here it is: I’m not sure. But hold on a second – I did find a few theories and I collected them below so you can decide for yourself.

The symbolism of comfort theory

Paul Farhi from The Washington Post weighed in with a bread-and-milk panic theory way back in 2005.

He floated the hypothesis that it’s the symbolism of bread and milk – as old as humanity itself – that makes them first on our list when disaster looms: “Bread is the host, the staff of life, a palpable object of survival. Milk is a no-brainer, too – it’s the sustenance that a mother provides an infant, a biblical promise (”a land flowing with milk and honey”), a smooth and nutritious foodstuff (except for the lactose-intolerant).”

The historic storm theory

AccuWeather.com had a more concrete theory of pre-storm panic, writing “nothing seems to strike fear into people like snowstorms,” according to a CNN article.

The writer theorized that the tradition of flocking to stores began in contemporary times, and with a single snowstorm – and it’s one that didn’t occur in the South.

“It appears that New Englanders can take credit for the purchasing of milk and bread prior to the storm. It was the monumental blizzard in 1978 that trapped many in homes for weeks that gets at least some credit for the current tradition.”

The psychological theory

A writer for HowStuffWorks.com interviewed a couple of psychologists about what the writer termed: “The compulsive desire to stockpile perishables.”

Psychotherapist Lisa Brateman told the reporter: “The thought to get milk before a storm is followed by the action or compulsion to go out and stockpile it. In one way or another, we spend a lot of time and energy trying to feel in control, and buying things you might throw out still gives the person a sense of control in an uncontrollable situation.”

So buying canned goods and non-perishables sends the message that you think the storm may trap you in your house for an extended period.

Perishables, though, are the epitome of optimism. As licensed clinical psychologist Judy Rosenberg said in the article: “Buying perishables is like saying, ‘the storm will be over soon and I won’t be stuck in this situation for long.’”

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Huntsville staging snowplows in advance of winter storm

Huntsville is staging snowplows and motor graders throughout the city in advance of the winter storm expected to bring a mixture of snow, freezing rain and sleet to the Tennessee Valley on Friday.

The city is putting a priority on areas with steep grades and areas near hospitals, officials said during a briefing at City Hall on Thursday. Main roads and roads leading to major employers such as Greenbrier Road are also expected to be given priority with a winter storm warning going in effect for north Alabama.

Huntsville, Madison County and Madison city officials are coordinating their efforts in preparation for the storm.

“We want to assure everyone that we are working closely with local, regional and state officials to ensure that we have a proactive response,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said. “We have been monitoring this weather event closely. We are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best.”

Local officials are hoping to avoid many of the problems that plagued north Alabama during January 2024’s winter storm, which was mainly as ice event that crippled the area for days.

Huntsville recently retrofitted 10 of its 1-ton trucks with plows, resulting in a total of 15 1-ton trucks with plows. Huntsville also has 20 half-ton trucks with bumper-mounted plows as well as motor graders.

Huntsville Police (HPD) is positioning barricades in areas where roads may need to be closed, such as bridges and overpasses. HPD Chief Kirk Giles stressed that bypassing barricades is illegal and traffic accidents that occur on closed roads will not be worked by HPD.

The Alabama Department of Transportation has treated federal and state roads in advance of the storm. In Huntsville, ALDOT is responsible for Interstate 565, Memorial Parkway (U.S. 231), Governors Drive (U.S. 431), Research Park Boulevard (Alabama 255), Alabama 53 and U.S. 72 (University Drive).

Madison County Commissioners have treated rural roads beyond the city limits of Huntsville and Madison. Madison and Madison County will have heavy equipment in place to help clear major roads.

“Today we started applying salt brine to the county roads in District 4,” County Commissioner Phil Vandiver said in a statement. He said the work will continue on Friday.

“Many of the other Madison County Districts were also picking up brine and putting it on roads within their districts,” he said.

In Athens, Public Works trucks are loaded with sand, and the plows are ready, Communication Specialist Holly Hollman said. She said crews will sand the bridges in heavily traveled areas first (I-65, Alabama 251, Forrest Street) and then areas around emergency facilities, such as Athens-Limestone Hospital, Fire Stations and Police Dept. and Nuclear Plant Road to Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. Hollman said.

Crews from Athens Utilities have their equipment ready and are on standby in case they need to respond, she said.

Local officials are urging residents to take steps to be ready to remain at home if the weather creates lingering road issues.

“The most important message we want to convey is the need for personal preparation,” Battle said. “You can still go to the grocery store, get the food, gas and prescriptions you need and have a plan in place so you can ride out this winter weather event over the next 72 hours.”

“Ask yourself, ‘Do I need to get out of this house?’” Madison Mayor Paul Finley said. “Is it a want or a need? If we stick with the needs, we’ll be in much better position to take care of those who truly need help and this community is stepping up and doing that.”

If residents do have to get out on the roadways, the Huntsville Police Department offers the following tips for drivers:
The department offered tips for drivers

• Respect road closures and barricades: Going around barricades placed on closed roads is illegal. These closures are in place to protect the public from unsafe conditions.
• Do not leave vehicles abandoned on roadways: If your vehicle becomes disabled, pull it to the right of way if it is safe to do so. Abandoned vehicles block access for first responders and road crews.
• Plan ahead: Ensure your vehicle is winter-ready by checking tires, brakes, windshield wipers and fluid levels. Carry an emergency kit with blankets, water, snacks, a flashlight and a fully charged phone.
• Drive with caution: If you must drive, reduce speed, increase following distances and allow extra time to reach your destination. Watch for icy patches, especially on bridges and overpasses.

Warming Centers

Warming shelters are open for anyone who needs temporary shelter from the elements. The Community Warming Center at The Livin’ Room has extended its hours to Sunday, Jan. 12, at 9 a.m.

Community Warming Center – The Livin’ Room (2820 Governors Drive SW): Call 256-427-5400 or email [email protected].

First Stop (206 Stokes St.): Open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 256-533-3391.

Downtown Rescue Mission (1400 Evangel Drive NW): Open 24/7. Call 256-536-2441.

Salvation Army (305 Seminole Drive SW): Open Monday-Sunday, 6 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Call 256-536-9147.

If the City is open, Huntsville Transit will provide transportation to warming centers. If the City is closed, those needing a ride should call the Huntsville Police Department’s non-emergency number at 256-722-7100.

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