Nov 12, 2024

Did you know there is a species of freshwater jellyfish? Well, they've been in Alabama for years now. Recently, sightings have been on the rise in Lake Martin. More below.

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Ike

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There are so many things the uneducated would be stunned to learn actually exist in Alabama: Food that isn't fried or barbecued, the occasional snowfall, and people who go antiquing on Saturdays during football season.

Put freshwater jellyfish go on that list.

According to Tribune Media Services, people have been reporting sightings of jellyfish in Lake Martin.

It's not an entirely new phenomenon. The only known species of freshwater jellyfish is native to a river in China, but it's been seen in North America for decades and has been found in Alabama going back at least until the mid-1990s.

They can spread fairly quickly. A researcher of the species, Claire Kozal of Eastern Michigan University, said that in less than a century the species has made its way to 236 bodies of water in Michigan alone.

These jellyfish are smaller than a quarter. And to address the question you really want answered: Yes, they sting, but the sting is so slight you can't even feel it.

After this past weekend's overnight shooting at Tuskegee University killed one man and injured 16 other people, the school announced that it has replaced its security chief and now requires identification badges to be worn at all times on campus, reports AL.com's Mike Cason.

Tuskegee President Mark A. Brown said extra security measures were in effect during the school's homecoming festivities but that the shooting happened at an unapproved, unsanctioned event. The campus, however, remained open. So, as Brown said Monday, “Tuskegee University is no longer an open campus.”

Vice President Kamala Harris may have garnered only around 34 percent of Alabama's votes in last week's presidential election, but a 757 is ending its stint as a plane used by the California Democrat's campaign right here in our state.

AL.com's Heather Gann reports that the plane, with "Harris Walz" painted on the side, has been parked at Mobile's Aeoroplex at Brookley awaiting a new paint job and a new purpose.

According to the last report by The Associated Press, 30 of the 43 monkeys that escaped the Alpha Genesis compound in South Carolina had been safely recovered.

Alpha Genesis breeds the monkeys for scientific research. The company believes most or all the monkeys are staying in trees around its facility, where they've been communicating with their friends inside.

But if any start hitching rides in this direction, we'll let you know.

“I didn’t uncover him, but I saw his shoes, and that’s what made me realize it was him.’’

Larry Johnson, on when he discovered that his son, La’Tavion Johnson, had been killed in the Tuskegee University shooting.

$250,000

That's the fine the SEC handed LSU for its fans throwing debris onto the field during the Alabama-LSU game in Baton Rouge this past weekend. The money will go into the SEC's post-graduate scholarship program.

In 1919, microbiologist and civil-rights activist Welton Taylor of Birmingham. He developed tests for salmonella that are still in use today.

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