🌱 Mardi Gras Parades + Impassable Travel Advisory Until Dec. 13

Morning, friends! It's me, Miranda Fraraccio, your host of the Mobile Patch newsletter — back in your inbox with all the most important things happening in town. Including news about...

Also, FYI: I wanted to let you know that Patch is looking for a local writer and entrepreneur to take the helm of the Mobile Patch newsletter and make it their own. We want to pass the torch to someone truly local and in-the-know to write about Mobile 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:

Mostly cloudy, showers around. High: 51 Low: 43.

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Mobile who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top four stories in Mobile today:

1. There are eight Mardi Gras parades in downtown Mobile and downtown Fairhope. Here’s the schedule for Saturday’s parades in downtown Mobile and downtown Fairhope. WKRG News 5 will also live stream the parades throughout Saturday, Feb. 11. (WKRG News 5)
2. The City of Mobile is no longer issuing permits to paint the Midtown cannon. Since 2020, nonprofits, organizations, and citizen groups have painted the cannon near the intersection of Houston and Government streets for various events, celebrations, and awareness campaigns. According to Mobile Communications Director Candace Cooksey, the decision to end the issuance of permits was not made in response to any particular organization or request. (NBC 15 WPMI)
3. The conviction of a man who murdered a Mobile city worker has been upheld. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall praised his staff for defending the conviction but said more work needs to be done to "crackdown" on gang violence. A 2018 shootout resulted in Patrick William Johnson, 28, of Mobile, being convicted in Jan. 2022 for capital murder, attempted murder, and shooting into an unoccupied vehicle. (WKRG News 5)
4. The Baldwin County Commission has issued an Impassable Travel Advisory. With the construction of a roundabout, the intersection at County Road 13 and Twin Beech Road (County Road 44) will be closed to through traffic beginning at 9 a.m. on Feb. 16 through Dec. 13. (NBC 15 WPMI)

Today in Mobile:

• Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensive Auditions At Classical Ballet Of Mobile (10:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Here’s some Super Bowl weekend trivia for you: Birmingham ranks 15th in the nation for top NFL athlete hometowns, with 123 NFL players and 24 Super Bowl players hailing from our city since the 1966-67 season. Check out more Alabama Super Bowl stats in this new BeenVerified study. (BeenVerified)
• Mobile's new Mardi Gras drink is the 1703! Jabel Hendrix created the 1703 so that Mobile, where Mardi Gras was first celebrated in 1703, would have a drink it could call its own. (WKRG News 5)
• Are you opening a new business? Here's the information you need for licenses, taxes, and other important requirements. (Mobile County, Alabama via Facebook)

Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you soon.

— 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.