RIP Bishop Calvin Woods Sr.
A Birmingham civil-rights leader who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. passed away over the weekend, reports AL.com’s Greg Garrison.
Bishop Calvin Woods Sr. fought segregation alongside civil-rights figures such as his brother, the Rev. Abraham L. Woods Jr., and Fred Shuttlesworth.
Woods was arrested multiple times and beaten for participating in public protests. He served as president of the Birmingham chapter of the Southern Conference Leadership Center and vice president of the national SCLC. He was at the March on Washington.
He also served as president of the New Era Baptist State Convention and pastored East End Baptist Church during the 60s and early 70s and Shiloh Baptist since.
Calvin Woods Sr. was 91 years old.
Pastor Mike Jr.’s awards haul
Just hours after Woods passed away, a grandson of his — the Rev. Mike McClure Jr. of Rock City Church — won nine Stellar Awards in Nashville, reports AL.com’s Lawrence Specker.
Keep in mind there are only 30 Stellar Awards. So nearly a third of the gospel honors went to McClure, who performs as Pastor Mike Jr.
His EP “I Got Away” won five of the awards, including Album of the Year and Artist of the Year, and his single “Amen” won four, including Song of the Year.
It was a record setting fourth time McClure won Artist of the Year.
Alligator season
This past Thursday was quite the season opener for alligator hunters, reports AL.com’s Savannah Tryens-Fernandes.
That was at least partly due to the highest-ever number of tags issued. State wildlife officials closely manage the gator harvest, and hunters have to apply for a special permit and a possession tag. If you’re selected, you can take one gator per tag.
The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries division issued releases saying Thursday was a record night with 23 gators taken. The highlight? A 13-foot, 600-pounder.
A 13-foot gator is a big one, but it doesn’t spook the state record. Some of you will remember the Mandy Stokes gator in 2014. The state measured that at 15 feet, then later Safari Club International measured it at 15 feet, 9 inches, when verifying it as a world record American alligator. It weighed 1,011.5 pounds.
Anchor’s retirement
Veteran TV journalist and ABC 33/40 anchor Brenda Ladun announced her retirement on Friday, reports AL.com’s Patrick Darrington.
Ladun has worked at the Birmingham station for the past 29 years after spending about a decade at other stations.
She said her last day there will be Aug. 29.
Picture That
John Sharp
Let the Mardi Gras Service roll.
After years of negotiating and lobbying and hoping and doubting, Amtrak passenger rail service rolled from New Orleans to Mobile on Saturday, reports AL.com’s John Sharp.
Stops along the way — in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula — echoed the Mardi Gras theme. It’s the first passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina nearly 20 years ago.
(Above photo by John Sharp: A second line processes the passengers aboard the inaugural Amtrak Mardi Gras Service on Saturday at Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans)
More Alabama News
Born on This Date
In 1958, Actor Reg Cathey of Huntsville.
The podcast
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.