Birmingham Becomes First City in Alabama to Ban the Box

| February 4, 2016 

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/02/IMG_0597-scaled.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:6:{s:5:"width";i:2560;s:6:"height";i:1920;s:4:"file";s:27:"2016/02/IMG_0597-scaled.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:14:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-336x252.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:252;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-771x578.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:578;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-768x576.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:576;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"IMG_0597-1536x1152.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:1152;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"2048x2048";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"IMG_0597-2048x1536.jpg";s:5:"width";i:2048;s:6:"height";i:1536;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"IMG_0597-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-415x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:415;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-353x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0597-125x125.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:{}}s:14:"original_image";s:12:"IMG_0597.jpg";}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Gigi Douban
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => WBHM
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

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

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:1918437;s:14:"optimized_size";i:839910;s:7:"percent";d:56.219999999999999;}s:5:"sizes";a:9:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:48:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/IMG_0597.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:1665610;s:14:"optimized_size";i:655057;s:7:"percent";d:60.670000000000002;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:6:"medium";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:5:"large";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/IMG_0597-771x578.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:112861;s:14:"optimized_size";i:81812;s:7:"percent";d:27.510000000000002;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/IMG_0597-451x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:44940;s:14:"optimized_size";i:32867;s:7:"percent";d:26.859999999999999;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/IMG_0597-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:27307;s:14:"optimized_size";i:20262;s:7:"percent";d:25.800000000000001;}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/IMG_0597-415x311.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:38193;s:14:"optimized_size";i:28114;s:7:"percent";d:26.390000000000001;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/IMG_0597-353x265.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:29526;s:14:"optimized_size";i:21798;s:7:"percent";d:26.170000000000002;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

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

)
1649834160 
1454602242

The mayor of Birmingham announced today new hiring practices aimed at curbing discrimination against those with past criminal convictions. Birmingham now joins the ranks of other states and cities banning the box.

Mayor William Bell said too often, those with past criminal convictions are automatically rejected by employers.

“And it’s all because of that box that they have to check off whether or not they’re a convicted felon and we don’t get a chance to really see what they have to offer,” Bell says.

The city would still examine an applicant’s criminal history, just later in the hiring process.  For now, the move only affects city jobs, but the mayor says he hopes private employers will follow suit. The Obama administration says the Ban the Box initiative can help boost employment and cut recidivism. The mayor was joined by US Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Joyce White Vance and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu.

 

 

Trump admin tells judge man wrongly deported to El Salvador is alive, still detained

On Friday, federal judge Paula Xinis had ordered the Trump administration to provide daily updates to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States.

Intellectually disabled teen shot by Idaho police dies after being removed from life support

An autistic, nonverbal teenage boy who was shot repeatedly by Idaho police from the other side of a chain link fence while he was holding a knife died Saturday after being removed from life support, his family said.

Smartphones and computers are now spared from Trump’s reciprocal tariffs

The exemption comes amid worries of how President Trump's steep new tariffs will affect American tech companies that rely on supply chains in China, like Apple.

Federal judge orders USDA to unfreeze funds to Maine

The funds had been initially withheld following President Trump's clash with Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the issue of transgender athletes.

Ukraine’s DIY drone makers are helping fighters on the front lines

The war in Ukraine is now largely being fought with drones. Ukraine made 2 million last year. Drone makers churn them out in factories and mom-and-pop operations like one in a Kyiv basement apartment.

‘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.

More Front Page Coverage