Hurricane Ida Makes Landfall + Alcohol Delivery In Alabama

Happy Monday, neighbors! Let's get this day started. Our thoughts are with those on the Louisiana coast as Hurricane Ida made landfall Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane — 16 years to the day that Katrina hit New Orleans. Here's hoping everyone emerges unscathed.

First, today's weather: Rain starting in the afternoon. High: 82 Low: 71.

Here are the top stories today in Birmingham:

1. Ahead of Hurricane Ida's anticipated landfall, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for Alabama's coastal and western counties. Some heavy storms are expected to sweep over the entire state this week. (WVTM)
2. Society for Science awarded Birmingham educator Elizabeth Bieri of Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School with a $5,000 stipend to help guide students in scientific research and competition. (Yellowhammer News)
3. The UAB Science and Engineering Complex will break ground on Aug. 31 at 14th Street South between University Boulevard and 10th Avenue South. (Birmingham Business Journal)
4. A UAB doctor says masking in schools is essential in reducing COVID-19 transmission, as school systems face divided communities in regard to mask mandates. (AL.com)
5. Alcohol delivery? You got it! Birmingham-based 'Dippi' will soon be first alcohol delivery company in state. (WVTM13)

Today in Birmingham

• Namaste! Get up early and enjoy Yoga in the Gardens at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. (6:30 a.m.)
• Golf Kart Karaoke: Watch your peers engage in fun games, trivia, and singing right from a golf cart! (11 a.m.)
• Social Justice Mixer - University of Alabama at Birmingham - Diversity and Inclusion event. (5:30 p.m.)
• Come out for a miniature painting tutorial at Gear Gaming in Hoover. (6:30 p.m.)
• Test your knowledge and win some prizes (and drink some delicious local craft beer) at TrimTab Brewery's Trivia Night. (7 p.m.)

Birmingham Patch Notebook

• The US National Weather Service Birmingham Alabama shows Ida is now a very dangerous Cat 4 hurricane and still strengthening. Impacts will be felt across Central AL on Mon/Tue. Here's the latest updates. (Facebook)
• See which neighborhoods are next in line for a cleanup in the City of Birmingham's Pride Where I Reside cleanup campaign. (Twitter)
• This is a sight no one wants to see on satellite. Ida, a Category 4 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of now 145 mph continues to approach southeastern Louisiana. Look at the image from the NWS in New Orleans. (Twitter)
• James Spann sunset photo of the day: this one comes from at Lay Lake (photo from Adrian Giddens). (Instagram)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Monday. I'll see you soon! If you're loving these newsletters, consider bringing some of your friends and neighbors into the fold. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Michael Seale

About me: I am a lifelong Alabama resident with more than two decades of media under my belt. I have worked for a daily newspaper, a weekly newspaper, a monthly magazine, a television station and a couple of radio stations. I also tried my hand at marketing for a little while. But I love writing news. This opportunity to bring Patch to Birmingham is a chance for my hometown to benefit from a new - and better - way to read and receive news.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Birmingham Daily? Contact me at michael.seale@patch.com.