Hello, and we hope your Good Friday is indeed good…

Weather: Severe weather a strong possibility. The National Weather Service has forecast a slight risk of severe weather for north Jefferson and west Blount counties, an an enhanced risk just to the north and west of the area for this afternoon and evening. The storms should move into Alabama as early as 4 p.m., but probably won’t get to our area until 8 or 9. There’s a small chance of a short-lived tornado or two, but the main threat comes from hail and strong straight-line winds. Highs will be in the upper 70s, with lows tonight falling as the storm front moves through, and bottoming out in the upper 40s. For Easter weekend, rain clears out on Saturday with highs in the middle 60s and lows in the lower 40s, and Easter Sunday will be mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60s.

They’re coming for the garbage. Pinson’s new garbage pickup service has attracted the attention of quite a few residents whose neighbors got the shiny new trash can and recycling bins this week, while they didn’t. That’s because of the parcel-by-parcel nature by which properties have been annexed into the city over the years, much like other municipalities in Alabama, and many homeowners didn’t even realize they weren’t officially in the city until the new trash contract kicked in. So the Pinson City Council had more than a dozen annexation requests to act on in Thursday night’s regular session, and approved all of them unanimously and with Councilman Joe Cochran’s traditional “Welcome to Pinson!” greeting. Mayor Hoyt Sanders said more annexation requests are in the pipeline.

Sports: Blue Devils, Indians win baseball tournaments. The Mortimer Jordan Spring Break Tournament ended Thursday night with the host Devils defeating Corner 9-6 in the championship game. Brandon Couch was 3-for-4 at the plate and drove home four runs. Earlier in the semifinal games, Jordan defeated Pleasant Grove 8-1, while the Yellow Jackets ousted John Carroll Catholic 3-0. In the Gulf Coast Classic III tournament in Gulf Shores, Pinson Valley won the championship with a 3-1 victory over Hueytown on Thursday. Blake Sisson pitched five innings and allowed one unearned run for the win, and also hit a double and scored a run. Earlier in the day, the Tribe turned back Haleyville, the eighth-ranked team in Class 4A, by a 10-7 score.