General News

General

How much snow fell in Alabama on Friday?

The snow (and sleet) was mostly over for Alabama as of Friday afternoon, but hazardous road conditions were expected to last through the day and overnight as slushy roads refreeze.

The National Weather Service offices in both Huntsville and Birmingham were discouraging travel as of Friday afternoon:

The weather service was collecting snow (and sleet) reports on Friday. No official lists have been released as of 1 p.m., but here are some preliminary reports that have been received:

* 7 inches: 4 miles west-northwest of Flint City (Morgan County)

* 6 inches: 3 miles southwest Anderson (Lauderdale County)

* 5.5 inches: Florence (Lauderdale County)

* 5 inches: 7 miles north of Killen (Lauderdale County)

* 5 inches: Haleyville (Morgan County)

* 5 inches: 2 miles west of Underwood-Petersville (Lauderdale County)

* 4.8 inches: Rogersville (Lauderdale County)

* 4.5 inches: 2 miles northwest of Huntsville (Madison County)

* 4.2 inches: near Hartselle (Morgan County)

* 4 inches: Multiple locations in Tuscaloosa Couty

* 3.5 inches: in Cherokee (Colbert County)

* 3.5 inches: 3 miles north of Harvest (Madison County)

* 3.5 inches: Vernon (Lamar County)

* 3 inches: 1 mile west-southwest of Henagar (DeKalb County)

* 3 inches: Elkmont (Limestone County)

* 3 inches: Ethelsville (Pickens County)

* 3 inches: Walnut Grove (Etowah County)

* 3 inches: Arley (Winston County)

* 3 inches: Pell City (St. Clair County)

* 2.9 inches: Glencoe (Etowah County)

* 2.7 inches: Dora (Walker County)

* 2.5 inches: 2 miles north-northeast of Crossville (DeKalb County)

* 2.5 inches: Wedowee (Randolph County)

* 2.5 inches: Harpesville (Shelby County)

* 2.3 inches: Jasper (Walker County)

* 2 inches: Heflin (Cleburne County)

* 2 inches: Centre (Cherokee County)

* 2 inches: Double Springs (Winston County)

* 1.8 inches: Asland (Clay County)

* 1.25 inches: Homewood (Jefferson County)

* 1 inch: Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa County)

These preliminary reports will be updated when the official numbers come in later today from the weather service.

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Alabama Power working to get thousands of residents’ power back on after winter storm outages

Nearly 2,000 Alabama Power customers are currently experiencing power outages as a result of ongoing winter storms, according to the company’s website.

Crews have been working throughout the morning to restore service and have been successful in bringing outage numbers down from the over 7,000 people who were without power as of 9 a.m. today, according to the site.

The Fayette area is currently experiencing the most power loss, with over 700 affected customers as of 1:00 p.m.

Birmingham/Hoover is the second most impacted with nearly 400 customers affected.

There are currently 77 active outages across the state, according to Alabama Power.

To report an outage, click here.

Alabama State Troopers report snow and ice-covered roads for most of central and north Alabama, and over half of the state’s counties remain under a state of emergency order.

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Mobile weighs emergency purchase of bollards after deadly Bourbon Street attack

Mobile city officials will decide Tuesday on whether to spend $167,371 on an emergency purchase for portable bollards two weeks after the City of New Orleans fell under criticism for not having the steel columns in place to protect Bourbon Street during New Year’s Eve.

The council will decide whether to approve an order for portable bollards with California-based Delta Scientific Corp. If the council OKs the emergency purchase, the city’s administration will immediately sign a contract and have them placed in Mobile.

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‘Polar Opposites’ on Hallmark: How to watch, where to stream free

The new Hallmark movie Polar Opposites is set to premiere Friday, Jan. 10 at 8/7c

In Polar Opposites, Emma needs to get to Antarctica to reach her father. During her travels, she reaches South America, but can’t get on a boat for the last leg. In a last-ditch effort to get to Antarctica, Emma sneaks onto a cruise ship where she meets engineer Andy.

Rhiannon Fish and Markian Tarasiuk both star in the 2025 Hallmark film.

Where can I watch Hallmark’s Polar Opposites?

Although premiering on the Hallmark Channel, those without basic cable can live stream the premiere of Polar Opposites on Friday with eitherPhilo or Fubo.

Both streaming services offer free trials for new subscribers, however,Philo is the cheaper option at $28 a month after its 7-day free trial.

What is Philo?

For those who are unfamiliar with Philo, it is set up like any other streaming service, but instead of offering exclusively on-demand content, it offers a variety of live TV channels. So like cable, but without the hassle.

At $28 a month after it’sfree trial, Philo is considered one of the cheaper live streaming services available with over 70 live TV channels to choose from.

Other than Hallmark, popular channels offered with Philo include Lifetime, MTV, AMC, HGTV, History Channel, Discovery Channel, CMT, TLC, BET and more. Philo also offers unlimited DVR along with TV shows and movies users can watch on-demand from channels included in the streaming package.

What is Fubo?

Fubo is also an alternative to a regular cable subscription, but with more exclusive channel options that Philo does not offer such as ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, FOX and more.

While Fubo considers itself a sports-focused streaming service, its standard streaming package comes with over 100 TV live channels for $79.99 a month after its free trial.

Users also have the options to record their favorite movies and TV shows with this live streaming service.

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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey after Mar-a-Lago visit: Trump is ready ‘to take America into our ‘Golden Age’

Gov. Kay Ivey returned to Montgomery late Thursday night after what the governor called a wide-ranging meeting with President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s resort in Florida.

According to a summary from Gina Maiola, the governor’s communications director, the visit lasted a few hours and focused on border security, immigration, economic policy, and education. Ivey made it clear she is eager to support the Trump agenda, Maiola said.

“I am grateful for President Trump’s invitation to join him and my fellow Republican governors for a wide-ranging discussion and dinner at Mar-a-Lago,” Ivey said in a statement.

“President Trump is prepared to get to work for the American people on day one, and I am more optimistic than ever for our country. He assured us he would begin reversing bad Biden-Harris policies on his first day in office and that we would address major challenges from illegal immigration to our students’ education.

“President Trump is smart, knows the facts and is prepared to take America into our ‘Golden Age.’ It is an honor to continue working with President Trump over these next two years to deliver for Alabamians and Americans alike.”

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Where to stream ‘Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story’ on Lifetime

Based on a true story, Lifetime’s Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story is set to premiere Friday, Jan. 10 at 8/7c.

In The Marcela Borges Story, Marcela Borges and her growing family’s idyllic weekend quickly turn into every family’s worst nightmare when masked gunmen barge into their Florida suburban home. With gunshots piercing their walls, a newly pregnant Marcela, her husband,and their young son are left with no choice but to comply with their captors’ demands: surrender $200,000 or their lives.

With no means of accessing that sort of money, Marcela faces insurmountable odds to protect her family from their violent captors and must make the life and death decisions to keep her family safe.

Where can I watch Lifetime’s Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story?

Those without a basic cable set up can still live stream the premiere of Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Storyon Friday with a Philo subscription.

Philo offers a 7-day free trial for new subscribers who can watch for free before committing to a paid subscription. Users can also watch the new Lifetime movie on-demand after it premieres.

Those who do have a cable provider can also watchThe Marcela Borges Storyusing the Lifetime app.

What is Philo?

Philo is considered one of the cheaper live streaming services available as it allows users to stream over 70 live TV channels for just $28 a month after itsfree trial.

Other thanLifetime, popular channels offered with Philoinclude the Hallmark Channel, MTV, AMC, HGTV, History Channel, Discovery Channel, CMT, TLC, BET and more.

Philo also offers unlimited DVR along with various movies and TV shows users can watch on-demand.

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Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck transferring to ACC school

A day after entering the NCAA transfer portal, former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck announced his destination on Friday.

Beck will play his final college season at Miami, he announced in a social media post. The Jacksonville, Fla., native initially declared for the 2025 NFL draft in late December, but reversed course and will play the 2025 season for the Hurricanes as a sixth-year senior.

One almost certain factor sending Beck to Miami is his relationship with Hanna Cavinder, a women’s basketball player for the Hurricanes and a social media influencer. Beck confirmed the two were dating over the summer, and Cavinder has posted photos of herself with Beck several occasions, including one in October with the caption “QB is a QT.”

Beck led Georgia to the SEC championship game this season, but suffered an elbow injury on the final play of the first half. Sophomore Gunnar Stockton played the entire second half, with an injured Beck returning to the field for one snap in overtime after Stockton’s helmet was knocked off — handing off to Trevor Etienne for what proved to be the winning touchdown in a 22-19 victory over Texas.

Beck was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right (throwing) elbow, and underwent surgery in late December that is expected to keep him out until the spring. Stockton quarterbacked Georgia in a 23-10 Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff on Jan. 2.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Beck passed for 7,912 yards and 58 touchdowns in 39 games at Georgia, the last 27 of them as a starter. He was the backup to Stetson Bennett during the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national championship runs in 2021 and 2022.

Beck now joins a Miami team that went 10-3 and finished third in the ACC standings in 2024, falling out of the national championship race after late-season losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse. Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward was a Heisman Trophy finalist this past season, but his eligibility has expired after five seasons at Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami.

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Hoover standoff ends with 1 man shot, another in custody

Gunfire inside a Hoover apartment Friday morning left one man injured and another in custody after brief standoff.

Hoover police responded just before 11 a.m. to a 911 call reporting a person shot in the 1900 block of Rime Village Drive.

According to police radio communications, dispatchers could hear shots fired during the emergency call.

Officers responded to the complex – The Park at Hoover Apartments – and found the suspect outside of the apartment, armed with a rifle, said Capt. Keith Czeskleba.

Police were able to take the suspect into custody after a brief standoff.

Once the suspect was detained, officers entered the apartment and found the victim – also an adult male – with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

Hoover Fire medics transported the victim to UAB Hospital. He is in stable condition.

Czeskleba said more information will be released as the investigation progresses.

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3 former Alabama defensive backs make first-team All-Pro

Three former Alabama defensive backs are first-team All-Pro selections for the 2024 NFL season.

The Associated Press announced its annual All-Pro team on Friday, and its first-team secondary included cornerback Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos, safety Xavier McKinney of the Green Bay Packers and slot corner Marlon Humphrey of the Baltimore Ravens.

No defensive player received more support for this season’s All-Pro team than Surtain. From the panel of 50 media members that selected the all-stars, Surtain received 49 first-team votes and one second-team vote for 148 points. (Players received three points for a first-team vote and one for a second-team vote.)

The 2024 All-Pro team had two unanimous selections, with wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals and Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings receiving 50 first-team votes apiece. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin received 49 first-team votes at kick returner.

McKinney received 31 first-place votes and compiled 107 points to join the Detroit Lions’ Kerby Joseph as the first-team safeties. Joseph had 37 first-team votes and 120 points.

Humphrey won the slot corner spot with 26 first-place votes and 92 points. Six players received first-team votes at slot corner, with Humphrey having twice as many as any other player.

Surtain also received first-team All-Pro recognition in 2022. Humphrey was a first-team All-Pro pick in 2019. McKinney earned All-Pro recognition for the first time this season.

In addition to playing at Alabama, Humphrey is a Hoover High School alumnus.

Fourteen other players from Alabama high schools and colleges received votes for the All-Pro team:

  • Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) of the Houston Texans had one point to finish tied for ninth at edge rusher.
  • Brian Branch (Alabama) of the Detroit Lions had 19 points to finish fifth at safety.
  • Landon Dickerson (Alabama) of the Philadelphia Eagles had one first-team vote and 18 points to finish third at left guard.
  • Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama) had seven points to finish seventh at safety.
  • Jerome Ford (Alabama) had one point to finish tied for 10th at kick returner.
  • Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama) of the Detroit Lions had two points to finish third at running back.
  • Josh Harris (Auburn) of the Los Angeles Chargers had one first-team vote and seven points to finish sixth at long snapper.
  • Derrick Henry (Alabama) of the Baltimore Ravens had two first-team votes and 52 points to finish second at running back.
  • Jerry Jeudy (Alabama) of the Cleveland Browns had five points to finish 11th at wide receiver.
  • Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) of the New England Patriots had two first-team votes and 12 points to finish third at punt returner.
  • Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama) had 11 first-team votes and 37 points to finish third at special-teamer.
  • Jamien Sherwood (Auburn) of the New York Jets had one point to finish tied for 19th at linebacker.
  • Jameson Williams (Alabama) of the Detroit Lions had one point to finish tied for 14th at wide receiver.
  • Quincy Williams (Wenonah) of the New York Jets had one first-team vote and three points to finish 17th at linebacker.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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