Kyle Whitmire: Politics is local, School and City Politics have a busy week

| October 8, 2014 

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2014/10/kylewhitmire-75.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:300;s:4:"file";s:27:"2014/10/kylewhitmire-75.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:5:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"kylewhitmire-75-336x168.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:168;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"kylewhitmire-75-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:25:"kylewhitmire-75-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"kylewhitmire-75-470x235.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:235;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"kylewhitmire-75-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:131697;s:14:"optimized_size";i:83119;s:7:"percent";d:36.890000000000001;}s:5:"sizes";a:8:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:55:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2014/10/kylewhitmire-75.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:32584;s:14:"optimized_size";i:19087;s:7:"percent";d:41.420000000000002;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:63:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2014/10/kylewhitmire-75-140x140.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:6224;s:14:"optimized_size";i:4658;s:7:"percent";d:25.16;}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:63:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2014/10/kylewhitmire-75-336x168.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:14630;s:14:"optimized_size";i:9824;s:7:"percent";d:32.850000000000001;}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:63:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2014/10/kylewhitmire-75-600x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:31463;s:14:"optimized_size";i:19174;s:7:"percent";d:39.060000000000002;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:63:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2014/10/kylewhitmire-75-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:17436;s:14:"optimized_size";i:11114;s:7:"percent";d:36.259999999999998;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:63:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2014/10/kylewhitmire-75-470x235.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:23851;s:14:"optimized_size";i:15121;s:7:"percent";d:36.600000000000001;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:63:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2014/10/kylewhitmire-75-125x125.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:5509;s:14:"optimized_size";i:4141;s:7:"percent";d:24.829999999999998;}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

)
1665717491 
1412726400

After renewing his employment contract, the Superintendent of the Birmingham City Schools resigns.
Meanwhile, Birmingham City Council has voted to give themselves a lift in their expense accounts, future council members a raise in salary, and give the mayor more freedom to spend.

We ponder these local political acts and what’s next with Kyle Whitmire, political commentator for the Alabama Media Group.

 

SpaceX launches 11th test flight of its mega Starship rocket with another win

Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, thundered into the evening sky from the southern tip of Texas.

Madagascar’s president flees country in fear for his life after military rebellion

Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina called for dialogue "to find a way out of this situation" and said the constitution should be respected.

In Marc Maron’s last ‘WTF’ podcast episode, Obama offers advice on closing chapters

In the final episode, Marc Maron and former President Barack Obama spoke about the legacy of the podcast, politics and moving on.

Ecuador: The Andean reinvention of cumbia

Photographers and storytellers Karla Gachet and Ivan Kashinsky document cumbia music in Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and the United States.

Tackles, projectiles and gunfire: Many fear ICE tactics are growing more violent

Videos taken by eye witnesses of federal agent encounters with immigrants in Chicago and elsewhere have shown increasingly tense incidents. Immigrant advocates and observers say they're indicative of a larger trend of aggression among federal immigration officers.

As the ceasefire begins, a look at the Gaza war by the numbers

With start of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and release of hostages and prisoners, here are some key figures related to the Gaza war and the Hamas-led attack on Israel that sparked it.

More Education Coverage