Ozzie Smith, the Hall of Fame shortstop from Mobile, Alabama, celebrates his 70th birthday today. Known for his dazzling backflips and 13 consecutive National League Gold Glove awards, Smith was a dominant defensive player at a position often filled by the most athletically gifted players in the sport. During the 1980s, his exceptional fielding prowess was so remarkable that “This Week in Baseball” might as well have been renamed “What Ozzie Smith Did This Week.”
Tragically, 16-year-old actor Hudson Meek of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, passed away this past weekend. According to AL.com’s Carol Robinson, Meek died at UAB Hospital from blunt-force injuries sustained in a fall from a moving vehicle. Meek had an impressive resume, including roles in films such as the 2017 movie “Baby Driver,” alongside stars like Kevin Spacey, John Hamm, and Jamie Foxx, and the 2014 Lifetime movie “The Santa Con” with his brother, Tucker Meek.
Union activity continues to make headlines in North Alabama. As reported by AL.com’s William Thornton, workers at an Amazon facility in Huntsville and a Starbucks in Scottsboro recently participated in national strikes. The North Alabama Area Labor Council led the protests, with approximately 18 Teamsters joining the Amazon strike, which involved around 10,000 workers nationwide. The Scottsboro Starbucks has seen ongoing union activity for the past couple of years.
Sloss Furnaces will host a new music festival this October. The Iron Hills Country Music Festival, scheduled for October 11-12, promises to bring “the heart and soul of country” to the historic site. While no artists have been announced yet, more information can be found on the festival’s social media accounts.
NASA recently released color-enhanced images of the Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC 2264) in celebration of the holiday season. The images, captured by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and featuring optical data from astrophotographer Michael Clow, depict a stunning view of this cluster, located approximately 2,500 light-years from Earth, and home to stars between 1 and 5 million years old.
Additional Alabama news includes updates on patients affected by the Ascension ransomware attack, the arrest of individuals near a prison with drugs and cell phones on Christmas Eve, a clarification from the Morgan County sheriff regarding a Christmas Eve shooting, and Hoover’s first homicide in two years.
Finally, today also marks the birthday of Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, born in 1954. You can find more information about this and other news on our podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Alexa, and Amazon Music.