🌱 Task Force Seizes 50 Pounds Of Meth + UAH New Engineering Building

Hello all. I'm back in your inbox this spring morning to walk you through the most important things happening in town.

Also, FYI: I’m filling in temporarily to write your morning newsletters after Amy’s departure last week. But I wanted to let you know that Patch is looking for a local writer and entrepreneur to take the helm of the Huntsville Patch newsletter and make it their own. We want to pass the torch to someone truly local and in-the-know to write about Huntsville long term. So if you’re interested in earning extra income while making this newsletter a more valuable resource for your neighbors, learn more and apply here.

But first, today's weather:

Sunny and breezy. High: 69 Low: 44.

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Here are the top three stories in Huntsville today:

1. Agents of the North Alabama Drug Task Force seized 50 pounds of meth from a car in Madison County. The Huntsville Police Department says agents arrested Michael Dewayne Scott, 62, on Mar. 17 on Highway 72 in Madison County. He is being charged with drug trafficking after 50 pounds of meth was found inside his gas tank. He is thought to have been trafficking the drugs from the West Coast to the North Alabama area. The investigation is still ongoing and more arrests are expected to be made.
2. The University Of Alabama In Huntsville broke ground on the new 80,000-square-foot Raymond B. Jones Engineering Building. This state-of-the-art facility will cater to the needs of the largest college at UAH, which currently enrolls 2,850 students and employs 90 faculty and staff members. Five programs offered by the university have been ranked among the top 20 federally funded programs in the United States, and the new building is poised to serve as a centerpiece of the campus, bolstering the excellence of these programs. (University of Alabama, Huntsville)
3. Huntsville City Schools has developed a student experience called "K For a Day," an informational session for kindergarten students and parents to learn what the school experience is like in Huntsville. On Friday, the program offered a hands-on experience for children who got to meet their soon-to-be teachers and classmates, play games, and see what classwork will look and feel like. Parents also got an understanding of what the school will be like for their incoming students along with some of the policies and expectations their kids would be expected to uphold. The program has been a great success and has been a great way to transition children and their families into the school system. (WZDX)

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Today in and around Huntsville:

• Downtown Open 2023, At Courthouse Square (All Day)
• Mental Health Matters: Connecting The Dots, Madison County Library in Madison (11:00 AM)
• Lego Club, Monrovia Public Library, (4:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• A spectacular weekend for the Huntsville Ballet came to a close Sunday afternoon at the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall. The Ballet Company put on their production of Cinderella over the weekend, which involved dazzling costumes and brilliantly choreographed dance numbers. (Huntsville Ballet via Instagram)
• The Huntsville Botanical Garden will be having a family campout on Apr. 21. There will a hot dog dinner, s’mores to roast over the fire, a story at bedtime, and a chance to experience the Garden on a guided night hike. (Huntsville Botanical Garden via Facebook)
• Arts Huntsville will be bringing Military Salute Night back to Panoply on Friday, Apr. 28. All active duty military, armed forces reserves, and their dependents will get in free. Make sure to stay for the fireworks after that last musical performance! (Arts Huntsville via Instagram)

You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.