Councilman Johnathan Austin
The newest member of the Birmingham City Council is young, just 29, and a newcomer to politics. He says he’s eager to bring positive change to the city. But in his first few weeks on the council, Johnathan Austin has faced a number of questions — most notably questions surrounding a 2003 guilty plea for a misdemeanor marijuana charge. That fact didn’t emerge until after Austin was appointed to the council. He says the council never asked him about it, but WBHM’s Andrew Yeager asked Austin why he didn’t volunteer the information.
The Assad regime’s fall has freed displaced Syrians stuck in a remote desert camp
More than 7,000 people had taken shelter in the Rukban camp, near the border with Jordan, many of whom fled the regime and ISIS attacks almost a decade ago.
Starbucks baristas’ ‘strike before Christmas’ has reached hundreds of U.S. stores
Starbucks' union says workers are walking off the job at some 300 — out of over 10,000 — stores across the U.S. as contract negotiations falter. The company urges it to return to the bargaining table.
American Airlines lifts ground stop that froze Christmas Eve travelers
American Airlines passengers across the U.S. endured a sudden disruption of service on Christmas Eve as a "technical issue" forced the airline to request a nationwide ground stop of its operations.
An Indian movie, loved abroad, is snubbed at home for Oscar submission
All We Imagine as Light explores the lives of working-class women in Mumbai and won the Grand Prix at Cannes. But it was deemed not Indian enough to submit to the Oscars.
Inside a secret Ukrainian drone command post, where Russian soldiers are seen as prey
NPR visits a secret drone command center near the front lines in eastern Ukraine, where crews are using remote-controlled aircraft to hunt Russian soldiers on the battlefield.
In a year of tough news, these are some of the stories that made us smile in 2024
Whether we were paying attention or not, 2024 was filled with good news. In case you weren't, NPR's member stations have been keeping track. Here are some of the stories that made us smile this year.
