Tuscaloosa County Water Issues + City Looks To Help Entrepreneurs

TGIF T-Town! Here's everything you need to know to get you on the way to the weekend!

In today's Daily, we have these stories and more ...

• Live at the Plaza tonight in downtown Tuscaloosa.
• County looks to address drinking water issues.
• Next Deontay Wilder fight in jeopardy?

First, today's weather: Humid and partly cloudy throughout the day. High: 90° | Low: 70°

Here are the top stories in Tuscaloosa today:

1. The Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center issued a statement on Thursday after the body of Dr. Gary Cohen was found among the rubble of a tragic condominium collapse in Miami. (More on Patch)
2. The Tuscaloosa County Commission says drinking water infrastructure will be its top priority as it works to finalize projects covered under the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.(More on Patch)
3. An outbreak of the coronavirus in the Tyson Fury camp is likely to jeopardize his highly-anticipated fight with Tuscaloosa native and former heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder later this month in Las Vegas. (More on Patch)
4. Tuscaloosa County Assistant Finance Director April Hoffman has been appointed to be the county's new chief financial officer, following the retirement of longtime CFO Bill Lamb after 39 years with the county. (More on Patch)
5. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency says 11 fatalities occurred on state highways during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. (More on Patch)

Today's Tuscaloosa Daily is brought to you by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Tuscaloosa!

Other stories I'm reading today ...

• A UA professor’s lyrical ode to professional wrestling (Annabelle Blomeley, Crimson White)
• Coal miners rescue stranded mother in Brookwood (Noah Lueker, Tuscaloosa Thread)
• Tuscaloosa City Schools to offer free meals to children 18 and younger during July (Summer Harrell, ABC 33/40)
• Remains of Alabama sailor killed at Pearl Harbor identified, coming home for burial (William Thornton, AL.com)

Tuscaloosa Patch Notebook

• The Locals & the M-80s will headline "Live At The Plaza" Friday in Government Plaza in downtown Tuscaloosa, beginning at 6 p.m. (More on Patch)
• The City of Tuscaloosa's Tuscaloosa Builds program is set for July 15 at The Edge and will offer resources to those interested in starting their own business. (More on Patch)
• The Livingston Civic Center will host a Sumter County job fair on July 13, featuring 16 employers from across West Alabama. (More on Patch)
• Several local groups and businesses have come together for "Operation Backpack," that will run through Aug. 8 with the goal of collecting school supplies for students ahead of the upcoming school year. (More on Patch)
• Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority is also collecting donations of school supplies for students in the city and county school systems ahead of the 2021-22 school year. Here's how you can give. (More on Patch)
• Tuscaloosa County unemployment was 3.1% in May, up from 3% percent in April. This reflected significant improvement from May 2020, when the unemployment rate stood at 9.4%. (More on Patch)
• The University of Alabama this week published a fun list of the 10 best spots on its Tuscaloosa campus to snap a selfie. (More on Patch)
• The City of Tuscaloosa is looking for public feedback and input for its fiscal year 2022 budget, so click here to participate in the survey. (More)

That's it for today! I'll see you around. But If you're loving these newsletters, consider bringing some of your friends and neighbors along for the ride. You can send them this link to subscribe.

Have a great Friday!

— Ryan Phillips

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.