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Arctic Conditions, Montgomery Bus System, Oyster Beds

alabama.sierraclub.org

    

The arctic front settling in over our region will likely mean that northern Alabama won’t see temperatures above freezing until Friday. APR’s Alex AuBuchon reports…

Alabama is bracing for what is now predicted to be an extended period of sub-freezing temperatures. Forecasters now estimate that this arctic front will keep temperatures in Northern Alabama below freezing until Friday afternoon.

Lows will hover between the single digits and teens, with highs staying below freezing all week. And strong winds won’t help any. Wind chill values could potentially dip well below zero. Local fire departments are advising Alabamians to take care while trying to stay warm this week. Space heaters account for a third of all household fires and 80% of all fire deaths annually. Officials recommend keeping a 3 foot clear buffer around any household heating equipment.

No big changes for now. That’s the promise from Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange regarding the city’s bus system. A coalition of Montgomery residents and public interest groups spoke with the Mayor about a proposal to cut Saturday bus service to reduce a three hundred thousand dollar budget deficit. The Montgomery Transportation Coalition opposes this idea. The group includes one hundred low income residents and non-profit organizations like Alabama Arise. Board member Jon Broadways says his group wants the city to do a study on expanding service…

  “Look at the places where it’s good and look at places where it’s bad and make improvements. We have not ever, to my knowledge, in twenty years done a quality survey like you’d do in any business. You’d have a quality survey to see where you’re strengths and weaknesses are.”

A study by Arizona State University looked at Alabama’s mass transit system as a whole. It recommends state funding instead of relying only on local dollars to fund bus service. It also suggests repealing a state law that prevents the use of gas tax dollars to pay for bus service.

Alabama's coastal waters have been closed to oyster harvesting.

 State Health Officer Don Williamson announced Monday that he had ordered all shellfish growing waters closed due to heavy rains that could cause possible bacteriological contamination.

     Greg Dunn of the Alabama Department of Public Health says it's impossible to say how long oyster harvesting will be stopped. The department says it will monitor the water and will allow harvesting to resume when the water meets acceptable bacteriological criteria.

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