🌱 AL Church Shooter Sentenced + Hoover PD Warns About Lawn Scams

Welcome back, Hoover. I'm here in your inbox per usual to get you caught up on everything you need to know about what's going on around town.

But first, your local weather:

• Thursday: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 77 Low: 54.
• Friday: Pleasant with clouds and sun. High: 80 Low: 64.

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Here are the top three stories in Hoover today:

1. On Tuesday, May 2, 71-year-old Robert Findlay Smith was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing three people at a church dinner on Jun. 16, 2022. Walter “Bart” Rainey, 84, of Irondale; Sarah Yeager, 75, of Pelham; and Jane Pounds, 84, of Hoover were killed during a potluck dinner at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, just 14 minutes from Hoover in Vestavia Hills. (Danbury News Times)
2. The Hoover Police Department is warning residents about local lawn and landscaping scams. According to Lt. Daniel Lowe with Hoover PD, one scam the department sees around this time of year is individuals going door to door to sell overly-priced landscaping services. Once the job is done, the scammers demand more and more money, trying to pressure the resident into paying more. The Hoover police urge the community to never do business with unknown or unverified people that show up on your doorstep and never enter into a verbal agreement with someone — always get it in writing. (WBRC)
3. According to a study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Birmingham-Hoover metro has the lowest unemployment rate in the U.S. among metro areas with over one million residents. It is currently tied with Miami, Florida for the lowest rate. As of February 2023, around 12,000 of Birmingham-Hoover’s labor force were unemployed, out of a total of just over 564,000 people. (Subscription: AL.com)

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Today and tomorrow in Hoover:

Thursday, May 4

• Tito's Thursday & Happy Hour At Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill (11:00 AM)
• Photographer Night At Cool Shots Selfie Museum (3:00 PM)

Friday, May 5

• Cinco de Mayo: Food & Live Music At Moss Rock Tacos (11:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Anthony Scillia nominated Margaret Scillia of Hoover as an "awesome mom." According to Anthony, Margaret is an "outstanding mother and human being." (Hoover Patch)
• The Humane Society of West Alabama announced that it is ready for "kitten season!" It thanked all the supporters and donors for kitten food and toys. (Humane Society of West Alabama via Instagram)
• Hoover City Schools congratulates Berry Middle School’s Kevin Pughsley! Pughsley was named one of the "Final Four" in the 2023 Alabama Teacher of the Year competition. (Hoover City Schools via Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! I'll see you around.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners. She is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, where she earned degrees in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or practicing film photography.