Aug 23, 2024

Welcome back. It's getaway day.

It's also couple of food-related national days of note:

It's National Cuban Sandwich Day. That's noteworthy because just this week we mentioned Vestavia Hills' Kool Korner Sandwiches and how its Cuban is so popular on Yelp.

It's also National Sponge Cake Day. Which gives you something to nibble on while you're watching the sun bake all those tourists covered in oil.

Thanks for reading,

Ike Morgan

Looking for the podcast? Click here or check other options below.

Alabama's two-year colleges are seeing an increase in enrollment as they struggle nationally, reports AL.com's Williesha Morris.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, two-year public college enrollment has fallen since 2010.

But in Alabama, with more than 170,000 taking academic courses, adult education or workforce training over the past year, enrollment is higher than it's been since 2013. The Alabama Reflector reported that the two-year system received more than 100,000 applications for the current semester.

Birmingham recently surpassed 100 homicides for the year. Perhaps the most unusual was recorded this month.

AL.com's Carol Robinson reports that police answering a call found 49-year-old Erving Gray unresponsive on Aug. 6. Birmingham Fire and Rescue pronounced him dead on the scene.

The Medical Examiner's Office later determined that he died of a seizure that happened because of a gunshot wound he suffered 32 years ago -- when he was 17 years old.

What that means is that the old 1992 attempted murder becomes a 2024 homicide. Don't expect it to be prosecuted, however, because a suspect previously arrested on that attempted-murder charge died in 1997.

Two Alabama cities are in the top 7 of U.S. News & World Report's cheapest places to live, reports AL.com's William Thornton.

And by "cheapest," they don't just mean how little you can get by on. It means how much your dollars will get you. They took into consideration housing affordability and health care, of course, but also crime, quality of education, commuting and more.

Huntsville was ranked second on the list, right behind No. 1 Fort Wayne, Indiana. Huntsville's downtown renaissance seemed to impress the list makers. (A craft-brewery scene really knocks out journalists, by the way. Want to get on a major publication's list? Put a craft brewery into a former middle school.)

Coming in at No. 7 was Montgomery. Again, downtown growth was mentioned as a plus for the city, along with its arts scene and civil-rights tourism.

“Roll Tide. Let’s go win this thing.”

Shomari Figures, candidate in Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, speaking at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.

5.25%

That's the rate increase customers of Tennessee Valley Authority will see beginning in October.

Click here to take our weekly news review quiz.

A listener takes the weekly news quiz.

You can find “Down in Alabama” wherever you get your podcasts, including these places:

We appreciate you for taking the time to read today. Hope you're able to check back soon. Meantime, reply to this email with any suggestions you might have.

If you're so inclined, we'd love it if you'd forward to friends who might be interested in reading. (And if you're someone who's been forwarded this newsletter, we encourage you to subscribe and get this in your inbox every day.)