Around the South

University of Alabama to boost faculty positions

TUSCALOOSA - The University of Alabama plans to add about 116 tenure-track faculty by the start of classes in the fall.

The Tuscaloosa News reported the number includes replacement hires and new faculty being added as part of the school’s five-year strategic plan.

University President Stuart Bell gave the update Thursday, as part of remarks during the annual spring campus assembly meeting for faculty and staff.

Officials: Arson wildfires on rise throughout state

TALLAHASSEE - Florida officials said the number of arson wildfires has increased nearly 70 percent compared to last year.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Friday there have been more than 240 separate arson wildfires this year. Anyone convicted of arson, a felony, faces fines up to $5,000 and up to five years in prison.

Arrests up as spring break attendance nearly doubles

BILOXI - This year’s record attendance of Biloxi Black Beach Weekend has yielded a small uptick in arrests and citations.

The Sun Herald reported more than 60,000 attended the gathering April 7-9, up from 35,000 last year. Biloxi police arrested 46 people, including nine on felony charges, issued 196 citations and towed 67 vehicles. In 2016, police arrested nine people, issued 131 citations and towed 31 vehicles.

The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department has jurisdiction over the beach and is still gathering its arrest and ticket numbers. Gulfport police have not reported arrests related to spring break.

State record-size black bear killed in vehicle crash

NATCHEZ - Authorities say a record-size Louisiana black bear was killed when it was hit by a sport utility vehicle in southwestern Mississippi.

The Natchez Democrat reported the full-grown male bear was struck April 5 on U.S. 61 in Wilkinson County. No other serious injuries were reported. Officials said the bear weighed 468 pounds, making it the largest recorded in Mississippi.

Richard Rummel, leader of the black bear program for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, said the body is being stored in a freezer at the Mississippi Museum of Natural History in Jackson. The department is evaluating preservation of the bear, but it will eventually be used for education purposes. — Associated Press