Leon Botstein: Music is so important because it has no purpose
“Music is so important because it has no purpose. Its only purpose is to remind us as human beings, about the power of our own imagination.” -Leon Botstein
UAB has awarded the 2014 Caroline P. and Charles W. Ireland Distinguished Visiting Scholar Prize to Dr. Leon Botstein. The award brings to campus outstanding scholars who are generally recognized as leaders in the arts and sciences. While at UAB, Botstein conducted a special performance of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, at UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. Botstein also lectured and met with students and faculty in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences. He spoke with WBHM’s Michael Krall and the conversation began with Botstein describing his reaction when he found out he won the prize.
Irondale police deny wrongdoing in death of Alabama man, dispute family’s account
Police employed no excessive force in the events leading up to the August 2024 arrest and death of Phillip Reeder, the City of Irondale and its police department said in a joint statement late Monday.
Alabama’s new utility commission president wants to hear from ‘all sides’
Cynthia Lee Almond spent four years in the Alabama Legislature and 16 years on the Tuscaloosa City Council before being appointed president of the state’s Public Service Commission.
Alabama man’s death is ruled a homicide after police kneeled on his neck
The death of an unarmed 52-year-old man who died after an Alabama police officer kneeled on his neck was ruled a homicide by a county coroner, according to an official autopsy reviewed by The Associated Press. The finding led lawyers representing Phillip Reeder's family on Monday to compare his death to that of George Floyd in 2020.
Ghost tours bring historic places back to life across the South
Lesley Ann Hyde started the Southern Ghost Girls Tours, a group of women using spiritual investigations of historic sites as ways to preserve pieces of Birmingham’s history.
WATCH: SANEs and survivors in the South, a listening session with the Gulf States Newsroom
The Gulf States Newsroom hosted a virtual discussion of Drew Hawkins' reporting on the shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners in the region.
Greetings from New Delhi, India, where performing monkeys spark delight — and ambivalence
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.