On this day in 1925, the Centerville thermometer registered the highest temperature ever recorded in Alabama (which was not near a barbecue). According to a volunteer weather observer, it was 112 degrees that day.

That summer of 2025 – for those who weren’t there – was characterized by a long series of dry, hot days with temperatures above 30°C.

Thanks for reading. Today’s report is a continuation of the podcast embed.

Legislation and vaping in public places

It’s never too early to start preparing for the next Alabama legislative session. You can be relieved to know that I’m not going to talk about the lottery proposal that won’t pass next year.

Let me tell you about another initiative that could return to Goat Hill: a potential ban on vaping in public places.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is considering how they might regulate vaping and e-cigarettes. AL.com’s John Sharp reports that Alabama Sen. Gerald Allen, a Republican from Tuscaloosa, wants to see a ban in public places, much like we see with smoking cigarettes. Allen sponsored legislation in the spring that would do just that, but it didn’t pass.

Allen previously filed Senate Bill 10, which would add electronic nicotine delivery systems to the list of items banned under the state’s Clean Air Act. The bill would also rename the 21-year-old law after state Sen. Vivian Figures, a Mobile Democrat, for her role in approving the original version and banning smoking in public places.

US Steele Sales

This week, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris joined Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in announcing that she believes U.S. Steel should continue to be American-owned.

Now William Thornton of AL.com is reporting that U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt has said that if it doesn’t complete the sale to Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel, it will close the mills. He told the Wall Street Journal that Nippon has promised to invest $3 billion in the company to keep the older mills running after the planned $14.1 billion sale.

The United Steelworkers union was unhappy with Burritt’s comments, blaming U.S. Steel’s problems on mismanagement.

In Alabama, U.S. Steel still has its headquarters in Fairfield, where a $412 million electric arc furnace went into operation in 2020. The company was once Birmingham’s largest employer, with about 15,000 workers.

Dangerous transaction

In Cullman, 64-year-old retired Army Col. Glenn Gildon tried to buy a dump truck that was for sale on Facebook Marketplace, AL.com’s Carol Robinson reports.

According to the Cullman County Sheriff, the prospective seller met with Gildon and told him they had to go to another location to exchange the trailer.

Gildon said while they were in his truck, the man put a knife to his throat, demanded money and threatened to kill him.

Sheriff Matt Gentry identified the suspect as Abel Medardo Sacrab-Chen, a Guatemalan national who illegally crossed the border two years ago.

According to the report, Gildon pulled out a firearm and fired one shot, wounding the suspect before the gun jammed. He threw the gun at the suspect, who caught it and fired a shot, hitting Gildon in the stomach, arm and leg.

Here are two social messages today: Don’t go for a ride with someone you just met on Facebook Marketplace, and don’t try to rob a retired Army colonel from Alabama in his pickup truck.

Below are Facebook’s tips for safe Marketplace transactions.

Citation

“You have a chance to ask Coach Saban a question.”

University of Alabama Presenter Chris Stewarton the weekly “Hey Coach” radio show with Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer.

“Hey, he’s everywhere.”

DeBoer in response.

More news from Alabama

Born on this day

In 1939, civil rights activist Claudette Colvin of Montgomery. At age 15, she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white woman, months before Rosa Parks did so.

In 1963, former major league pitcher Jeff Brantley from Florence.

In 1970, former major league pitcher Mike Potts from Langdale.

Podcast