Inside the Financial Crisis in Fairfield

| March 24, 2016 

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/03/fairfield-council-meeting.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:460;s:6:"height";i:345;s:4:"file";s:37:"2016/03/fairfield-council-meeting.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:7:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"fairfield-council-meeting-336x252.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:252;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"fairfield-council-meeting-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:35:"fairfield-council-meeting-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:37:"fairfield-council-meeting-460x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:460;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"fairfield-council-meeting-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:37:"fairfield-council-meeting-353x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:37:"fairfield-council-meeting-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:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Sam Prickett
        )

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

    [_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:165115;s:14:"optimized_size";i:114710;s:7:"percent";d:30.530000000000001;}s:5:"sizes";a:8:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:65:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/fairfield-council-meeting.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:37328;s:14:"optimized_size";i:27064;s:7:"percent";d:27.5;}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:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:73:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/fairfield-council-meeting-336x252.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:21493;s:14:"optimized_size";i:15790;s:7:"percent";d:26.530000000000001;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:73:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/fairfield-council-meeting-451x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:33167;s:14:"optimized_size";i:21795;s:7:"percent";d:34.289999999999999;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:73:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/fairfield-council-meeting-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:20718;s:14:"optimized_size";i:13692;s:7:"percent";d:33.909999999999997;}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:73:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/fairfield-council-meeting-415x311.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:29050;s:14:"optimized_size";i:19204;s:7:"percent";d:33.890000000000001;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:73:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/fairfield-council-meeting-353x265.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:23359;s:14:"optimized_size";i:17165;s:7:"percent";d:26.52;}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
        )

)
1637573474 
1458818993

When the Walmart closed in Fairfield, the city lost one of its largest sources of sales tax revenue. The small Birmingham neighbor now faces a looming $8 million dollar deficit after years of alleged financial mismanagement. For more on Fairfield’s money crisis, and the city council’s recent vote to terminate the police department, we turn to Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD. Patterson talks about WELD’s cover story on Fairfield’s financial crisis and tells WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley how it got to this breaking point.

 

United Nations nuclear agency again condemns Iran for failing to fully cooperate

The resolution comes after the agency said Iran has defied demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

Alabama carries out nation’s 3rd nitrogen gas execution

An Alabama man convicted in the 1994 killing of a hitchhiker cursed at the prison warden shortly before he was put to death Thursday evening in the nation's third execution using nitrogen gas.

Trump names former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his new pick for U.S. attorney general

After former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, President-elect Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his next pick for U.S. attorney general.

Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth

The woman who accused then-Fox News host of sexual assault in 2017 said that she "remembered saying 'no' a lot," according to a police report. Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense.

Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes

Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.

In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence

As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.

More Front Page Coverage