Mattress storein Huntsville, AL

City council and board of education members discuss education and how local schools are doing during a Town Hall meeting at Huntsville High School.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — As the city of Huntsville grows, more families need to send their kids to school here.

Residents in the area worry about overcrowding in schools but the solution is not as simple as building another one.

"If you were to say today we've got to have a high school signed, sealed, delivered, bar none, no questions asked. Well, we can't just go build a high school in Hampton Cove right now for just the Hampton Cove community," said District 4 Board of Education Member, Ryan Renaud.

In some cases, new schools aren't allowed to be built in specific areas due to demographic requirements, Renaud explains, "the demographic makeup of that community is not one that would support a new high school. What is much more likely to happen... if we go to the Department of Justice, is that community zoning would get cracked... Half of that community would maintain its attendance at Huntsville High School and the other half would be rezoned for Lee or New Century High School."

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Too, the building of another school in an area can't be based on projected stats or what people personally think about all the growth taking place here.

"Schools are built, more often than not, to capacity, and that is not by choice, but it is, however, by design, because our funding mechanism relies on our average daily attendance. So, for us to be able to build a school building beyond capacity, with a formula ideally that would be able to go and say, 'okay, we're projecting a growth pattern of x amount of new students per month' is just according to state law, by my understanding, it's something that we don't have the flexibility to do," said Renaud.

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Although there's not a short-term solution to immediately calm the nerves of those concerned about overcrowding, there are many solutions in the works.

"We are in the process of rolling out what was going to be somewhere between a five and ten-year capital plan," said Renaud.

This may be able to explain some of the multi-million and billion-dollar contracts the city has signed in recent history, as City of Huntsville's Mayor, Tommy Battle explains: "What a lot of people don't realize is that industrial development, when it comes in, every billion dollars worth of industrial development, is $5 million that comes into the school system. That's one reason we have looked at some very, very expensive projects that don't provide as many jobs, but they have a lot of investment in the community and that investment in the community comes back to school systems."

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — One of the best to play the game this season, senior Kobe Brown of the Missouri men's basketball team was honored for his work on and off the court on Monday. The Huntsville native was named to the All-SEC First Team and earned the conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, as voted on by the league's 14 head coaches.

Brown, a graduate of Lee High School, is the fifth Tiger to earn first-team All-SEC accolades in program history and the first to collect the honor since Dru Smith in 2021. He is also the first Mizzou student-athlete to be named the league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

On the court, Brown leads the Tigers with 15.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game during his standout 2022-23 season. The senior's 15.9 points per game are the most by a Tiger in five seasons, while leading the team in scoring on 16 occasions with nine 20-point games and 22 contests of double-digit points. One of the most versatile players in the country, Brown has also led MU in rebounds 17 times and in assists on five occasions.

Named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List for National Player of the Year, Brown is the only player in the country shooting 55.0 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range – aiming to become the first SEC player to do so since 1992-93. In fact, Brown is currently making 55.2 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from beyond the arc and is on pace to become the first Power 6 player to shoot 55 and 45 percent, respectively, since 2010-11.

Brown has also been at his best against the nation's elite. In Mizzou's five wins over nationally-ranked teams – the program's most in 11 years – Brown is averaging 23.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game. He became just the third player in the last 25 seasons with back-to-back games of 30-plus points in wins over ranked opponents when he led the Tigers to victories over No. 16 Illinois and No. 19 Kentucky.

Off the court, Brown owns a 3.594 grade point average as a general studies major as he pursues a career in the field of psychology. He earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall semester, collecting Dean's List honors for the fifth time during his career.

Brown has led the No. 25 Tigers throughout a successful 2022-23 campaign. Mizzou finished the regular season in the national poll with a 23-8 overall record and 11-7 mark in SEC play. The team's 23 wins are already its most since 2013-14 with the 11 conference victories tied for the most since joining the league in 2012-13.

The Tigers earned the No. 4 seed for the SEC Tournament – their highest in school history – and open the postseason on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - On July 1, drag shows in Tennessee will be restricted. This comes after a law was signed by Governor Bill Lee and will prohibit drags from being performed on public property or anywhere minors may be present.

The word “drag” is not explicitly mentioned in the bill instead the term ‘Adult Cabaret” is used. The term is defined as “a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration.”

On the first offense, performers could face a misdemeanor. By the second offense, the charges escalate to a felony.

Many advocates are arguing that this law could prevent ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ events at local libraries.

Huntsville attorney Mark McDaniel says this law does not end in Tennessee and will likely be challenged and eventually pass to the Supreme Court, where a ruling would set a legal precedent across the country.

“This law will end up in United States Supreme Court because you will have equal protection argument, freedom of speech argument, all kinds of constitutional arguments against that statute,” McDaniel said. “Anytime you’ve got a law like this that prevents somebody, a citizen, from reading to somebody, then you’re going to have all kinds of constitutional arguments.”

The bill’s sponsor, Jack Johnson has stated that his hope for the bill is to protect children from sexualized content.

Tennessee is not the only state attempting to restrict drag, as Idaho, Kentucky, North Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma and Utah are considering similar bans. This prompts many people to question if Alabama may be next.

“It could happen in Alabama, it could happen in any state,” McDaniel said. “In every state that a law like this is passed, you’re going to have lawsuits filed, constitutional arguments made against these statutes. So they’re going to be asking the U.S. Supreme Court to declare these acts unconstitutional.”

This is the second Tennessee proposal that impacts the LGBTQ+ community, as lawmakers recently approved legislation that bans most affirming care.

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With a three-night run in Las Vegas barely in the rearview, Widespread Panic is already on to the next conquest with the announcement of a trio of shows at the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, AL. The giants of Southern jam are set to return to the newly opened bowl on July 28th, 29th, and 30th, 2023.

Tickets for all three Widespread Panic shows at the Orion Amphitheater go on sale on Friday, March 10th at 10 a.m. CT via AXS.

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Related: Billy Strings Jams With Béla Fleck In Colorado, Widespread Panic’s John Bell Approves [Video]

Widespread Panic was part of the welcoming committee that helped open the amphitheater last May. After a cavalcade of Alabama-bred artists including Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit and Brittany Howard christened the Orion with a weekend of shows dubbed The First Waltz, Widespread Panic arrived in Northern Alabama to help break in the Roman-inspired coliseum with a Memorial Day Weekend run.

The 2022 run saw Widespread Panic use its platform to call attention to the mass shooting in Uvalde, TX that left 19 students and two teachers dead just days prior. Then to close out the run, Widespread Panic delivered an emotional Sunday show filled with tributes to fallen influences including Willie Dixon, Billy Joe Shaver, Vic Chesnutt, Daniel Hutchens, Col. Bruce Hampton, Garrie Vereen, Todd Nance, and Michael Houser.

Revisit Live For Live Music‘s full coverage of the 2022 Widespread Panic run at the Orion Amphitheater: Friday | Saturday | Sunday.