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New Year's Eve Celebrations and Traffic, Tuscaloosa and East Lansing mayors make bet

Officials with Triple-A of Alabama are expecting a lot of drivers on the road for New Year’s Eve tomorrow. 

Triple-A of Alabama spokesperson Clay Ingram says with so many people out and about, drivers should give themselves extra time to arrive to your destination safely…

“That way you can kind of sit back and go with the flow and not feel like you’re rushed or behind schedule where you then become sort of an aggressive driver and you get frustrated and you start taking chances.  You put yourself and other cars around you at risk when you do that.” 

Another danger drivers should be on the lookout for is suspected drunk drivers.  Alabama’s police officers will be stepping up patrols to keep roads safe during New Year’s Eve.

If you’re looking for a last-minute destination to celebrate the New Year, Birmingham’s not the top choice.

That’s the result of a new study by the internet site WalletHub. Researchers ranked the top one hundred cities in the U.S. on things like walkability, public safety, and whether these towns have established New Year’s celebrations year after year.

Wallet Hub analyst Jill Gonzales says top ranked cities have some kind of event year, and Birmingham doesn’t…

“Long fireworks show, up to thirty minutes long in you’re in cities like New York or Orlando. Birmingham, not so much. There’s no real New Year’s eve festivals, performances, galas there this year. That could change in the future. But, again, probably going to cost someone there a pretty penny.”

Birmingham ranked number fifty seven out of the one hundred cities in the study. That’s ahead of cities like Memphis and San Antonio. But, it was far behind the top cities which are Orlando, San Francisco, and Atlanta.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox and East Lansing, Michigan Mayor Mark Meadows have made a friendly wager for the Cotton Bowl.

The two mayors have agreed that if the Crimson Tide win, Meadows will fly a University of Alabama flag over East Lansing City Hall for one day and wear crimson and white to the following City Council meeting. Meadows will also donate $50 to the Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative.

If Michigan State wins, Maddox will fly a MSU flag over Tuscaloosa City Hall for one day and wear green and white tie to the following City Council meeting. Maddox will also donate $50 to the East Lansing Education Foundation.

The Crimson Tide and Spartans kick off in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31.

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