Remembering “Street James”
A public memorial for James Griffin will be held tonight at Urban Standard in downtown Birmingham. Griffin was homeless and beloved by many people throughout the city. He was found dead under Caraway Boulevard on August 17.
Known as “Street James”, the 59 year old Griffin struck a chord with those who came to know him. AL.com reports, local business owners said he was a fixture downtown and that he was homeless by choice, not by circumstances.
“You’re just in there and you sleeping with 100 guys in one room cramped up-coughing, sneezing, farting all of that –all through the night—that ain’t me. I’d rather live in a box,” says Griffin in a 2011 documentary.
“He could be loud and bawdy, he could be soft spoken uh it was just an interesting character and he always had an angle,” says Steve Gilmore, the owner of What’s on Second. He says there was something that endeared Griffin to just about everybody that he ran into. “He could come at the wrong time and you just dread seeing him come in the door but by and large I thought of him as something of a friend-something of a neighbor in this downtown area.”
Griffin was shot in the arm and apparently died from his injury. No arrests have been made.
Trump says he’s fighting crime. Illinois Gov. Pritzker sees a power grab before 2026
Steve Inskeep speaks with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker about President Trump's threats to send National Guard troops to Chicago and the future of the Democratic Party.
Who is Lachlan Murdoch, the anointed media tycoon?
His position in leading News Corp. and Fox is now secure, as his father ends a dramatic succession battle. Lachlan grew up in New York City but has lived in Australia for much of his adult life.
Trump’s control of the D.C. police is due to expire tonight. Then what?
Trump needs an extension from Congress to control D.C. police for more than 30 days. Some Republican lawmakers are focused on pursuing legislation that would exert power over D.C. in other ways.
33 million voters have been run through a Trump administration citizenship check
Tens of millions of voters have had their information run through the tool — a striking portion of the U.S. public, considering little has been made public about the tool's accuracy or data security.
You’re more likely to reach for that soda when it’s hot outside
People drink more sugary beverages when it's hot, researchers found, significantly increasing their sugar intake. That impact could grow as climate change raises the world's temperatures.
Poland says it shot down Russian drones that violated its airspace
Poland said Wednesday that it and its NATO allies had shot down Russian drones that violated Polish airspace in what it called an "act of aggression" as Russia launched aerial attacks on Ukraine.
