5 Things Alabamians Need to Know: Monday 10/10

1) With 14 million members, nearly 1 million in Alabama alone, The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant Denomination in the U-S. It is also being investigated by the U-S Justice Department for numerous sexual abuse allegations. SBC President Bart Barber was elected in June at a time when it was being revealed that the SBC Executive Committee has known about at least 700 allegations for a decade but covered them up. Barber told CBS' 60 Minutes last night that saddened and angered him. He claims those who reported being abused were not just ignored but were often attacked by the denomination.  Barber says he's cooperating with the Justice Department's investigation and appointed a new, nine-member sexual abuse task force that's building a registry for credible reports of abuse to help churches track predators. 

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2) Abnormally dry conditions continue to spread across West Alabama and the entire state. All of Bibb, Hale and Perry Counties are listed in the latest U-S Drought Monitor as being Abnormally Dry. The SE 2/3^rd of Tuscaloosa County. NW Lamar County and extreme Greene County are also dangerously dry. Portions of SE AL and NW AL are in Moderate Drought. ABC3340 Chief Meteorologist James Spann tells us we will get a bit of respite from dry conditions by midweek. However, the rain may not be enough to end the overall dry conditions. 

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3) Because of those dry conditions there are currently 23 wildfires burning in the states. One is in Greene County near Walker Cemetery and another is Perry County just off National Forest Road. Both are currently contained. 

4) Alabama Junior US Senator Tommy Tuberville stepped in during a Donald Trump rally in Nevada over the weekend when he commented on the NAACP’s call for a national apology and financial compensation for descendants of enslaved African Americans. 

Tuberville told the crowd, “They want reparation because they think the people who do the crime are owed that,” Tuberville said as the crowd cheered. “Bullshit!”

“We’re going to take our country back and we’re going to straighten up education and we’re going to close the border,” Tuberville also said. “We’re going to get inflation under control, and we’re going to stop this damn crime. "

Tuscaloosa Rep. and former State Democratic Party Chair Chris England called Tuberville being a US Senator "Bullshit." The Rev. Al Sharpton called Tuberville’s comments blatantly racist. 

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5) Tuscaloosa has long been the center of mental health facilities in Alabama. That makes today’s “World Mental Health Day” a serious event. Estimates are than 25% of the world’s population developed some type of mental health issues at the height of the pandemic.