Triple-A Alabama says a lot of motorists are hitting the road today for Thanksgiving. If you’re one of them, a new safety report says Birmingham ranks second in the nation for worn out tires. The Rubber Manufacturers Association Only Baltimore has a higher percentage. Overall, one in five vehicles in the U.S. have worn down tires. Association spokesman Dan Zielinski says Birmingham drivers also need to keep their tires inflated properly.
“Because as your tires become more underinflated, you use more gas. And to make you think about that, if you were riding a bicycle on underinflated tires, think how hard your legs have to work to get you where you want to. A car’s no different, except when the car tires are low, your car needs to burn more gas to get you where you want to go.”
Zielinski also says motorists should remember to have a spare tire in case of a blow-out.
Federal officials say a regional director of Veterans Affairs facilities in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina plans to retire in the near future. The Department of Veterans Affairs says the V-A Southeast Network Director has not decided on a specific retirement date. The VA adds that he has been in his current job since September 2012. The VA's Southeast Network includes eight VA health care facilities in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. The statement did not give a specific reason for the current director's retirement.
The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers are preparing for this Saturday’s Iron Bowl game in Tuscaloosa. Last Saturday’s homecoming game against Western Carolina may have left questions about focus and injuries for the Tide. The Catamounts did something no other opposing team has done so far this season at Bryant-Denny stadium. They scored a touchdown on their opening drive during an Alabama home game. Head coach Nick Saban says he was concerned about the team’s focus early on….
“When we went out there for pre-game warm up, I was surprised that we didn’t have a little more energy, a little more juice, than we did. And we sort of had to play our way into it.”
Amari Cooper, ArDarius Stewart, and AShawn Robinson were among about a half dozen players who left the field with injuries. We had production assistance from WVUA-TV