Cullman Today, Friday, Sept. 18

0:08 Good morning, Cullman. Thank you for joining us on Cullman today. I'm your host, Dustin Isom, and today is Friday,

0:15 September 18th. Coming up on Cullman today, Cullman adopts a nearly $158.8 million for the new fiscal year.

0:25 Plus, AmFirst celebrates the completion of its rebuilt Cullman branch, and Lister Hill opens the doors to its new

0:32 location in Southwest Cullman. All this, plus your 404 sports, weather, and more. First, here's today's top stories.

0:44 The Cullman City Council has adopted a nearly $158.8 million budget for fiscal 2027,

0:52 including a $58.4 million general fund. The general fund is about $760,000 smaller than the amended fiscal 2026

1:02 budget, a decrease of roughly 1.3%. Across all city funds, appropriations are down nearly $35.9 million,

1:12 but City Clerk West Moore said most of that difference comes from fewer capital

1:17 projects moving through the city budget. That includes a roughly $31 million US Highway 278 project that will now be

1:26 administered by the state. The quality of life allocation also drops by about $5.2 million, largely

1:34 because the Lazy River project at WildWater is complete. Meanwhile, public works increases by about $3 million,

1:42 while public safety increases by nearly $797,000. Moore said there are no plans to reduce

1:50 city services, staffing, operating hours, or programming. The sewer fund rises nearly 20% to about

1:58 $11.5 million, while the water fund increases about 2.3% to roughly $25.5 million. The budget also includes a 3% adjustment

2:10 to the city's employee pay scale. Employees will also see a new retiree insurance benefit, a flexible spending

2:17 account, and an additional wellness day. And while the city looks ahead to a new

2:23 fiscal year, another major investment in Cullman is now complete. AmFirst has reopened its Cullman branch following a

2:32 complete rebuild at 300 4th Avenue Southwest. Construction began in June 2025 with employees serving members from a

2:41 temporary branch on the same property, while the old building was demolished and replaced.

2:47 The new facility includes additional office space, drive-up ATM access, and new safe deposit boxes.

2:54 A construction permit issued last year listed the project at a valuation of $2.875

3:01 million, although that is not a confirmed final cost. AmFirst President and CEO Kevin Morris

3:09 said the credit union's relationship with Cullman dates back to 1979. And AmFirst isn't the only credit union

3:17 hoping a new facility in Cullman. Lister Hill Credit Union opened its new Southwest Cullman branch Wednesday at

3:24 702 Industrial Drive Southwest. The new branch replaces Lister Hill's former location on Cherokee Avenue.

3:32 Construction began following a groundbreaking in November 2025. Lister Hill will hold a grand opening

3:39 celebration Thursday, October 15th, from 10:30 a.m. till 1:30 p.m. with food and free gifts.

3:48 Coming up next, every local football game tonight carries region implications, including an unbeaten

3:55 showdown and two county matchups. We'll preview all eight games after the break. Welcome back. It's Friday night football

4:25 and all 10 local teams are in region action tonight. One of the biggest matchups sends 3-0

4:30 Cold Springs to 4-0 Cleveland in Class 2A Region 5. Cold Springs held off Lamar

4:36 County 32-20 last week after opening the season with two shutouts. Cleveland has scored at least 21 points in every game

4:44 this season. Second ranked Addison hosts Meek in one of two county matchups tonight. Addison

4:51 improved to 4-0 last week with a 52-0 shutout of Phillips. Elijah Roberts threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns

5:00 and added 103 yards and another score on the ground. Zane Smith scored four

5:06 touchdowns. The Bulldogs have now outscored their opponents 195-7 and Addison's first team defense has yet to

5:14 allow a point. The other county matchup sends Vinemont to Holly Pond with both teams sitting at

5:21 1-1 in Class 3A Region 6. Vinemont fell to unbeaten Oneonta 35-6 last week while Holly Pond shut out

5:30 Hanceville 50-0. Cullman travels to Huffman tonight for the first meeting between the two

5:36 programs. The Bearcats are 2-2 after a fourth quarter comeback came up short against Mortimer Jordan 35-23.

5:45 Huffman enters tonight's game having dropped two straight region contest. Fairview travels to Sardis after falling

5:53 7 to 3 to Guntersville last week. Sardis picked up its first win of the season

5:59 with a 48 to 6 victory over Crossville. Good Hope returns from an open week at 2

6:05 and 0 in region play and heads to Crossville. In the Raiders last game,

6:09 Parker Johnson rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns and threw for another score.

6:15 Crossville has lost three straight region games. Hanceville travels to Glencoe looking for its first win after falling to 0 and

6:25 4. And West Point visits Ardmore with both teams searching for their first region

6:31 victory. All eight teams kick off at 7:00 tonight. Get live score updates at

6:36 colmanscoreboard.com. Still ahead, today is the deadline to sign up for a free fraud prevention

6:45 event. A Dodge City barbecue spot celebrates 10 years in business and visit Cullman is up for another award.

6:53 Your 411 is next. Now it's time to speed things up with a

7:28 news rundown. Four stories in 4 minutes. Cullman residents have until today to register for BBB North Alabama's final

7:40 fraud summit of the year. The free lunch and learn will be held Wednesday, September 23rd at the Cullman

7:46 County Sheriff's Office Education Building. Experts in fraud prevention, banking, and law enforcement will discuss scams

7:54 affecting local communities and ways to protect yourself and your family. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Lunch is free,

8:01 but seating is limited and registration closes today. Visit BBB North Alabama's website at

8:07 bbb.org or call 256-533-1640. From protecting your wallet to filling your plate, a Dodge City restaurant is

8:18 celebrating 10 years of barbecue and family tradition. Pop's Place Barbecue got its start as a

8:25 concession trailer serving festivals, community events, and baseball games before moving into a small 32-seat

8:32 restaurant. Today, the restaurant can seat about 100 guests and still makes much of its menu

8:38 from scratch using family recipes. Popular choices include pulled pork, brisket, turkey, and chicken

8:45 along with Pop's Chips, the restaurant's hand-cut potato chips that have become a long-time customer favorite.

8:53 Pop's Place is located at 721 Alabama Highway 69 South in Dodge City. And Visit Cullman is in the running for

9:03 another Convention South Readers' Choice Award. The annual awards recognize standout meeting destinations and

9:09 facilities across the South for their quality of service, professionalism, and amenities. Nominees include convention and visitor

9:17 bureaus, convention centers, hotels, resorts, and other meeting venues. Visit Cullman is looking to repeat after

9:25 earning a Readers' Choice Award in 2025. Convention South says voting is open through midnight, Sunday, October 4th.

9:34 The top vote getters will receive Readers' Choice Awards and be featured in the publication's December 2026

9:41 issue. Residents who want to support Visit Cullman can cast their votes online at

9:47 conventionsouth.com. And finally, a downtown Cullman studio is bringing architectural planning and interior design together under one roof.

10:00 KDB Kirkwood Architectural and Interior Design opened April 10th at 221 3rd Avenue Southeast.

10:08 Owner Katie Kirkwood holds degrees in architecture and interior architecture from Auburn University, along with a

10:16 master's degree in construction. Her studio handles everything from construction documents and floor plans

10:23 to lighting, paint, upholstery, and cabinet hardware. Kirkwood said the process begins with understanding how clients actually live

10:31 and use their spaces rather than simply choosing what looks good. The studio is open Tuesday through

10:38 Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. with Mondays available by appointment. And that's your four stories in 4

10:45 minutes. After the break, get ready for another hot one. Temperatures climb into the mid-90s today with even more heat on

10:52 the way this weekend. Welcome back. Sunshine sticks around

11:36 through the weekend, but so does the heat. Here's your forecast. A heat advisory remains in effect

11:45 through 8:00 p.m. Saturday. Today will be sunny and hot with a high near 95 and

11:51 heat index values up to 102. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around

11:57 71. Tomorrow starts with some patchy morning fog before turning sunny and hot with a high near 97. The heat index

12:05 could reach 103. Tomorrow night will be mostly clear with a low of around 69 and some patchy fog

12:12 possible overnight. Sunday brings more sunshine and some more early fog with a high near 94.

12:20 Sunday night brings a 20% chance of showers and storms with a low around 69.

12:30 And that wraps up this Friday edition of Cullman today. Thank you for sharing your morning with

12:36 us and remember to follow us on social media and visit colmantribune.com throughout the weekend for the latest

12:43 from across Cullman County. We'll be back bright and early Monday morning at 6:30 a.m. But until then, I'm Dustin

12:50 Ison with Cullman today. Have a great day, Cullman.