When the once-mighty Mississippi River was reduced to a trickle, many long-lost treasures emerged. One such treasure is the Diamond Lady, an old casino boat.
Captain William Lozier, President of Memphis Riverboats, says the Diamond Lady set sail for the first time in the early 90s.
A few years later, he said to WMC; it was put into service as a floating casino until being retired in favor of a bigger boat in 1999.
Lozier stated that the ship was towed to Riverside Park Marina, but the riverboat eventually sank in the Mighty Mississippi due to the harsh winter last year.
With the waters receding, the Diamond Lady may once again be admired in all her glory, from keel to mast.
The Smith sisters, Claire and Lucy, and their brother were among the many visitors that trudged through the muck and water to reach this relic from the 90s.
The low water levels of the river have also revealed many other long-lost artifacts. At the beginning of October, a treasure hunter in Louisiana discovered a 100-year-old ferry boat.
The weekend saw an increase in water levels, but experts don’t anticipate them returning to normal any time soon.
There’s no telling what else will be uncovered as the levels of the Mississippi River rise and fall. It’s something to think about.
Coach Bryan Harsin Fired
Bryan Harsin, the head football coach at Auburn, has been let go after just two seasons.
The decision, according to Auburn University, was taken by President Christopher Roberts following careful consideration of the team’s football program.
The institution has declared that Carnell “Cadillac” Williams will lead the team for the rest of the season. He played running back at Auburn and was an all-American there. For the past four years, he has been an assistant coach.
The decision to terminate Harsin comes following the Tiger’s loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
In December 2020, after Auburn had already fired Gus Malzahn, they hired Harsin as their new head coach.
Harsin was the head coach at his alma mater, Boise State, for seven years, where he won three Mountain West Conference titles and went 69-19.
With a 9-12 overall record and a 4-9 mark in SEC games, Harsin’s tenure on the Plains was not a success. As a rookie, Harsin went 6-7.
There were a number of coaching staff changes and player transfers following the 2021 season. In February, ESPN reported that Harsin had told the network that he is “not planning on going anywhere” from Auburn.
Auburn elected to keep Harsin in March after a university-led investigation into the program was completed in February.
The search for a new coach at Auburn will start right away.
According to ESPN, if Harsin is terminated by Auburn without cause before the end of his contract, he will be paid 70% of the value of the remaining time on his agreement.
If he is let go in the middle of the season, he will have earned slightly over $15 million.
Amazon Air is Here!
Now that regular service has begun, Amazon Air has landed in Mobile, Alabama, making it the first point on the company’s high-speed airborne cargo network.
The Mobile Airport Authority announced on Thursday that the regional hub of Amazon Air would be located at Fort Worth Alliance Airport.
More than 50 airports in the United States and several in Europe are serviced by Amazon Air.
Happy customers in Alabama and the neighboring areas will benefit from the air gateway operation in Mobile.
They’ll be receiving faster delivery speeds and a more pleasant overall experience, especially leading up to the hectic holiday season.
Amazon has emphasized the importance of the air freight component of its transportation network in completing long-distance deliveries.
Rapid expansion over the past five years has allowed Amazon Air to transition from leasing to outright ownership of its aircraft.
Several indicators point to significantly quicker expansion than those of FedEx and UPS, including a reported 35% increase in flights in 2021 alone.
Although it is still smaller than those services, some consider it to be a formidable competitor in the near future.
It’s Flu Szn
The Alabama Department of Public Health reports that flu has been rampant across the state for the past three weeks.
Alabama is one of several southern states with alarmingly high flu levels, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To prevent severe illness, local health professionals have strongly recommended that folks get the flu vaccine.
They have also advised that people with fever or respiratory virus symptoms stay at home.
The CDC also says that practices like constantly washing hands and cupping coughs and sneezes can help limit the spread of influenza.
We should all try to disinfect surfaces and refrain from touching our faces, especially the eyes, nose, and mouth. You know the drill.
Flu-like sickness outpatient visits have increased from less than 4% in early October to 10% last week across the state. In the final week of October, more than a hundred cases of influenza were reported.
