West Alabama Wednesday Briefing

There were 206 traffic crashes and 14 boating incidents across Alabama during the recent long Independence Day weekend. Nine of the crashes produced fatalities, including one in Tuscaloosa County.  There were also three downing fatalities according to ALEA. The agency will begin their Rural Road Safety Awareness Week next Monday.

A death investigation is underway in Walker County, but Jasper Police have not released any other details concerning the Tuesday incident.

The Jasper Police Department did say the incident happened on Brakefield Dairy Road.

Despite recent rain, Northern Tuscaloosa and Pickens Counties along with all of Lamar, Fayette and Walker counties are listed by the current U-S Drought Monitor as being in Moderate Drought. Southern Tuscaloosa and Pickens counties as well as the rest of West Alabama are Abnormally Dry.

The next Drought Monitor will be released tomorrow morning.

Six wildfires continue to burn across North Alabama. The Alabama Forestry Commission reports that all six are under control. The largest wildfire is more than 260 acres in Western Shelby County.

ALDOT has announced it will begin work to resurface, install guardrails and restripe a 12-mile portion of Alabama 216 in North Tuscaloosa County Monday. The $5.16 million project will run from the Alabama 215 junction to the Lock 17 Road in Brookwood. It should be completed by the end of the year.

Alabama State School Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey has told the State Board of Education that a recent data breech of department computers did not impact retirement accounts or information from job applications.

The superintendent told the regular state board meeting that services have been restored, and additional cybersecurity protocols have been added to the system and a criminla investigation continues.

Mackey did offer advice to administrators, teachers, staff and parents of students to begin monitoring their credit reports.

Updates on the data breach can be found at alabamaachieves.org/databreach and any questions or comments can be directed to databreach@alsde.edu.

Many pharmacies can’t cover the high cost of some drugs because insurance payments do not adequately cover their upfront expense. The owner of Walker County based Carbon Hill Drugs, Dustin Beatty, tells news partner ABC 3340 that is leaving some customers without critical medications.