Good Day Alabama for February 1, 2012

Here is what you saw on Good Day Alabama for February 1, 2012:

DROPOUT FORUM - Senator Greg Reed in partnership with The Chamber of Commerce of Walker County and the David Mathews Center for Civic Life hosts a public Dropout Forum this morning from 9-11am at the Community Health Systems Building located at 204 19th Street E in Jasper. Business leaders, educators, and concerned citizens will participate in the Dropout Forum that will develop a blueprint to tackle the dropout issue in Jasper and Walker County and to develop possible legislation for consideration in the upcoming Alabama Legislature.
 
JEH JEH LIVE - This is one of the busiest days of the year in the FOX6 Sports Office. It's Signing Day for High School students across the state! FOX6 plans to make at least 20 stops today to pick up as many of the announcements as possible. These athletes are signing on to accept scholarships to college to play football and other sports.
 

ZOO CREW - Mickey visits with Andy Schertz at the Birmingham Zoo to learn more about the Groundhog and what he plans to do on Groundhog Day tomorrow. For more information, visit birminghamzoo.com.

NEW WINE - California winemaker Kevin Sass of Halter Ranch (a winery in Paso Robles) is in Birmingham this week to launch his wines in Alabama.  Kevin shows off his current releases and leads us through the ABCs of wine. Halter is an historic ranch, and a new, ambitious winery project that exists on sustainable practices. But, the property is also part of U.S. history and fun facts:
· Ronald Reagan flew in and landed on Halter Ranch's landing strip to announce his run for the presidency.
· Their Victorian house was featured in the movie "Arachnophobia."
· The Ancestor Oak (a beautiful tree on the property) is the largest coastal live oak in the world.
A Southern California native, Winemaker Kevin Sass grew up in Agoura Hills, graduating from California State University (Fresno) with a double major in Enology Wine Production and Agricultural Business.  His wine career began in Paso, interning the 2000 harvest at Justin Vineyards & Winery.  He was subsequently hired by Justin as Grower Relations Manager, and worked closely with many Paso Robles vineyards including Halter Ranch.  In 2002, Kevin was promoted to Associate Winemaker, managing all day-to-day operations at the winery, as well as vineyard activities and assisting the current grower relations manager with all growers' properties.  In 2006 was honored to be named Winemaker.  
In 2011, Kevin joined Halter Ranch as Winemaker.  He loves to spend time in the field with the vineyard crews, as he believes focusing on the vineyard is best for the wine.  Married with two sons, Kevin enjoys golf, cooking, wine, and travel in his spare time. For more information, visit http://www.halterranch.com

ASK THE DOCTOR - Dr. Robert DeSantis specializes in minimally invasive GYN surgery using the da Vinci robotic surgical system.  He answered viewer questions on minimally invasive surgeries  for hysterectomies,  endometriosis, uterine fibroids and uterine prolapse. He is an OB/GYN at Trinity Medical Center.

GARDENING - Jon Culver with Sweet Peas Garden Center joined us to show us some ideas for arrangements for Valentine's Day. For more information or gardening advice from Jon Culver, visit Sweet Peas Garden Shop at 2829 Linden Ave, Homewood... The phone number is (205) 879-3839. Or you can email him at jonculver6@gmail.com.

Tomorrow on Good Day Alabama, the Bargainomics Lady joins us with some deals! We get a lesson in French cooking and cuisine from the chefs at café de Paris. It feels like Spring out there already ...  If you're already thinking about your lawn and equipment, you'll want to tune it for the scoop on your string trimmer! Our pet of the week joins us in the studio! That and more tomorrow on Good Day Alabama!