🌱 College Student Struck By Lightning + Female Empowerment

Good morning, Birmingham! It's me, Miranda Fraraccio, your host of the Daily. Keep reading to find out the most important things going on in town...

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First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and humid. High: 90 Low: 74.

Here are the top three stories today in Birmingham:

1. A college student from Birmingham was struck by lightning on her first day of class in Florida. 18-year-old Emma Eggler, a freshman at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, was walking to class on Monday when lightning struck her and left her unconscious on the ground, according to ABC 3 WEAR in Pensacola. According to doctors, Eggler was lucky the lightning strike did not stop her heart. Eggler has been released from the hospital and regained movement in her legs; she plans to return to classes next week. (AL.com)
2. Multiple people were injured and a man was killed in an overnight shooting near Finley Blvd at 8th St. West in Birmingham. According to Birmingham Police, an officer on patrol nearby heard gunshots at around 11:20 p.m. on Thursday, and upon arrival, found a man in an alleyway who had been shot. The Jefferson County Coroner identified the victim as 37-year-old Dariuse Dewayne Benson of Birmingham. Three other men were taken to UAB hospital, one of them with life-threatening injuries. Police believe the victims were targeted. (WBRC)
3. A new Birmingham organization is empowering minority women through professional and personal development. Jermeisha Purdie, co-founder and president of Purposely Rooted Collective, and fellow co-founder and vice president Kiandrea Hall began the organization after seeing the need within themselves "as minority women in professional spaces... If you want to learn a new resource, you want to upskill, you want to pivot your career, you can come to a place that you're safe, and we can lead you to those resources," Purdie said. According to Hall, a behavioral health consultant with Cahaba Medical Care, the organization aims to address mental health. (The Business Journals)

Today in Birmingham:

• Ribbon Cutting For Salon 46, At Homewood Chamber Of Commerce (9:00 AM)
• 2nd Annual Modern Green Book Culture & Community Festival, At Sloss Furnaces Visitor Center (12:00 PM)
• Alzheimer’s Disease Screening And Potential Clinical Trial Enrollment, At 1721 4th Ave N (12:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Check out 11 of the most popular new bars and restaurants in Birmingham that opened this summer! (Bham Now)
• Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian, professor in the UA College of Engineering and executive director of the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies, is the new chief mobility research and development officer for the Alabama Transportation Institute. (The University of Alabama via Facebook)
• Join the Alabama Symphony Orchestra on Sep. 25 for Symphony30 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens! Tickets are on sale now. (Alabama Symphony Orchestra via Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll catch up with you bright and early Monday morning with a new update!

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander, now living in New York. She works as a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island, where she earned a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.