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FAA Investigation after Tuscaloosa Air Show Collision, UA Football Players Arrested, Diabetes

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an accident that occurred during the Tuscaloosa Air Show yesterday.

Two small stunt planes collided during an aerobatic performance by Team Aerodynamix at the Tuscaloosa Regional Air Show yesterday.

The impact caused minor damage to one plane’s fuselage and knocked part of the propeller off another craft. Witnesses on the ground reported seeing bits of wreckage falling from the sky after the impact. Fortunately, both pilots were able to land their aircraft and no injuries were reported. 

Team Aerodynamix is a group of ten pilots that fly small airplanes in tight formations, often with less than three feet from wingtip to wingtip.  The collision caused a brief delay in Sunday’s schedule. The FAA is investigating the incident, and Team Aerodynamix has yet to comment. 

Alabama coach Nick Saban is expected to address the media Monday after two Crimson Tide players were arrested in separate cases over the weekend.

Both defensive back Geno Smith and defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor have been in legal trouble before.

Smith was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol for the second time in his career. Taylor's case is potentially even more of a problem for the program.

The player signed with the Tide months after his dismissal from Georgia and was arrested Saturday for similar allegations of domestic abuse. The case in Georgia is still pending.

Saban has kicked Taylor off the team, saying the player knew he was signed under a "zero tolerance policy."

The American Diabetes Association is issuing a wake up call for Americans when it comes to their health.  Nearly thirty million people in the United States have diabetes and around eight million of them do not even know they have it. 

Doctor David Marrero is the Director of Health and Education for the ADA.  He says the numbers are particularly bad in Alabama.

“And in the great state of Alabama a shocking 14 and a half percent of the state has type two diabetes. That’s extremely high and a lot of that, I’m sure a lot of that is tied to lifestyle and weight factors.”

Marrero says an additional eighty-six million Americans have pre-diabetes. Older people, African-Americans and Latinos are all at higher risk of developing the disease.

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