The Race for Mayor: The Runoff
Birmingham voters elected a new mayor on Tuesday (1/19). Jefferson County Commissioner William Bell’s 54% of the vote beat Patrick Cooper’s 46%, with roughly 40% of registered voters going to the polls. We’ll have analysis from Birmingham Weekly’s Kyle Whitmire on All Things Considered Wednesday afternoon.
On Friday, January 15th, both Bell and Cooper spent an hour in the studio fielding questions for listeners.
This is Jefferson County Commissioner William Bell’s fourth run for the mayor’s office. Bell tells WBHM’s Tanya Ott that better education and job creation are key to moving the city forward. So is reducing crime.
Bell wants to establish a venture capital fund to help university researchers bring their ideas to the marketplace. Hear more about that in an
extended interview.
Patrick Cooper came in second in the 2007 mayor’s race. He is selling himself as a political newcomer, a clean break from the politicians that have dominated Birmingham’s political scene. Speaking with WBHM’s Bradley George, Cooper says one of his priorities as mayor would be jobs for the chronically unemployed. He plans to put them to work taking care of the city’s parks and working in the library system. Patrick Cooper says despite Birmingham’s recent budget issues, he knows how to pay for his jobs plan.
‘The lawn giveth and the lawn taketh away’: Photos from the 41st Annapolis Cup
The yearly competition between the small liberal arts college lauded for its "great books" curriculum and the famed school for naval officer training began in the early 1980s. Several attendees recounted the legend that a discussion between a St. John's College student and the Commandant of the Naval Academy led to the latter's challenge that his midshipmen could beat Johnnies at any sport.
A 3 year legal saga over an inmate’s death has its final day in court
NPR first reported on the case of Charles Givens, a disabled inmate at Virginia's Marion Correctional Treatment Center, in 2023. Four corrections officers were accused of beating him to death and a fifth accused of negligence. Givens' sister, Kymberly Hobbs, sued the five men.
China put steep tariffs on U.S. exports. Farmers are worried
The first Trump administration spent $28 billion bailing out farmers during a trade war with China. The White House has said it's starting to look at how to help this time around.
Ecuador’s next president faces rampant drug violence and few resources to combat it
Ecuador's runoff vote pits Trump ally and incumbent Daniel Noboa against leftist challenger Luisa González, in an election dominated by the issue of security in a highly polarized political landscape.
A crow’s math skills include geometry
Crows in a lab were able to distinguish shapes that exhibited right angles, parallel lines, and symmetry, suggesting that, like humans, they have a special ability to perceive geometric regularity.
Mental health workers go on hunger strike, demanding better pay and benefits
After months of striking, some therapists with Kaiser Permanente stopped eating for five days to bring attention to their union's demands for parity with how the company's other workers are treated.
