http://wbhm.org NPR News and Classical Music en Copyright 2005, wbhm.org webmaster@wbhm.org http://www.wbhm.org/pics/smalllogo.gif http://www.wbhm.org WBHM 90.3 FM Good teaching is central to effective education, but it's not easy to pin down what actually constitutes good teaching. WBHM and the Southern Education Desk want your opinion. Join us for Issues & Ales to have your say. http://wbhm.org/News/2012/IssuesAndAles.html The bill to authorize a new occupational tax for Jefferson County is dead. We hear more from Weld for Birmingham's Kyle Whitmire. http://wbhm.org/News/kyle_whitmire/2012-05-16 Lack of exposure to other kinds of people, languages, and ideas is a disadvantage for poor rural and urban students across the country. Inner-city Birmingham is no exception, but six local high school students are hoping to become exceptional ... in more ways than one. Thanks to their hard work and the efforts of a first-year teacher, they're planning to study in China this summer. Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has the story. http://wbhm.org/News/2012/BhamToBejing.html A new wave of development is underway in Birmingham's Five Points South neighborhood. We hear about it from the Birmingham Business Journal's Cindy Crawford in this week's Magic City Marketplace. http://wbhm.org/News/cindy_crawford/2012-05-14 In the last 15 years the members of alternative rock band Wilco have experienced the highs and lows of a performing life. And they keep coming back for more. Their latest is 'The Whole Love'. Wilco brings the show to Birmingham’s Sloss Furnaces tonight. http://wbhm.org/tapestry/wilco.html Alabama lawmakers must approve newly drawn district maps before the session finishes. But the proposed maps are rubbing some Democrats the wrong way. We hear more from Alabama Public Television's Don Daily in this week's legislative update. http://wbhm.org/News/don_dailey/05-11-12 When a judge ruled Jefferson County's occupational tax illegal it was clear the bankrupt county would have to find some way to replace that money. County commissioners appealed to the local legislative delegation, which responded by proposing a new tax. But with just two days left in the legislative session, the future of that bill is unclear. http://wbhm.org/News/john_archibald/2012-05-10.html