🌱 St. Clair County Arrest + Megachurch Founder Dies

Greetings, neighbors! It's me again, Michael Seale, your host of the Trussville Daily. I have some sad news to report, because the founder of Briarwood Presbyterian Church, the Birmingham area's first megachurch, died Monday. Rev. Frank Barker founded the church in 1960. Also in the news, a man was arrested in St.Clair County on multiple charges, including rape. Read more about it below.

Here are the top stories in Trussville today:

1. The Rev. Frank Barker, who founded Briarwood Presbyterian Church in a storefront in 1960 and led it to become one of Birmingham's first megachurches, has died. (AL.com)
2. Gunfire was exchanged between a Gardendale homeowner and a person suspected of breaking into the homeowner's car. (Trussville Patch)
3. According to the St. Clair County jail records, Richard Umphrey, 36, of Odenville, was arrested by the Odenville Police Department and charged with rape first degree, kidnapping first degree and domestic violence strangulation. (Trussvilletribune)
4. The University of Houston defeated Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl Tuesday in front of a sell-out crowd. (Facebook)
5. The Pell City City Council approved incentives for Noon Pell City LLC's proposed retail center. (Birmingham Business Journal)

Today's Trussville Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in Trussville!

From my notebook:

• Moody High School's Skylar Black signs with Bevill State. (Facebook)
• Trussville Public Library wants to thank Reagan Bonner, Miss Indian Alabama of 2021, for sharing about her heritage and culture through story and traditional clothing. (Facebook)
• The Trussville Tribune looks at the new facility for St. Clair County Sheriff’s investigation department. (Facebook)

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— 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.